Choose Who You Patronize Carefully

I'm starting the morning off with another copyright warning. 
http://needleworkcopyright.blogspot.com/2014/12/choose-where-to-spend-your-hard-earned.html

The site I linked to above is really geared towards cross stitch and other counted types of embroidery that are worked from charts but it brings up a good point--know the seller.  Many legitimate shops sell needlepoint via eBay and Etsy.  I know many sellers on eBay and Etsy personally who like the ease of use to reach a new audience for their designs, to get established, or to sell excess stock from their brick-and-mortar shop.  There are many many legitimate sellers.  There are a ton of crooks, too.

So use a little common sense.  Is the seller brand new or established?  Do you recognize the seller name?  Is there a real shop or designer behind the sale? Is this a design based on copyrighted material (Disney, Harry Potter, etc.) that isn't normally available?   Look carefully at the design.  Is something off about it which might indicate a copy instead of an original painted canvas?  If something is on offer for a really really really low price, why?  If it is an older design, that makes sense, but a brand new canvas offered at half the normal price--well, that doesn't seem right, does it?

If something seems off to you, don't buy.  Trust your instincts and walk away from a bargain that sends up alarm bells.  There will always be something else wonderful to add to your stash later.  For me it's not worth patronizing crooks to get a good deal that ends up costing the designers we admire.  In the long run that hurts the world of needlepoint more than getting a good deal helps the individual stitcher.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright December 31, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.