Artist Claims Someone Stole Her Painting From Etsy And Is Now Selling It Through Walmart

A Pittsburgh artist claims Walmart is selling one of her paintings without permission. The bunny on the left was produced by the artist, while the one on the right is being sold by a third-party on Walmart’s marketplace site.

For millions of artists Etsy.com offers a personalized marketplace to sell hand-crafted, unique items without the hassle of mass production or working with national retailers. Only that’s not how it’s working for one artist who claims her painting is being sold through Walmart’s website without her permission.

According to KDKA-TV, a Pittsburgh woman believes that a third-party seller grabbed her bunny painting from Etsy, repurposed it and began selling it through Walmart’s marketplace website.

The woman says she received a message from an Etsy user in Australia alerting her to the possible issue.

“I went to the Walmart website and sure enough,” the artist says. “I could have ordered my little bunny for a $104. They stole my bunny, so I was like oh my gosh, then my blood started boiling.”

Although the original painting contains the artist’s signature, the one being sold on Walmart’s marketplace does not.

The woman doesn’t believe Walmart intentionally sold the alleged stolen painting. Instead, she thinks the painting, which is being sold by Wayfair on Walmart’s website, was snatched by someone else from Etsy and then made its way to the national retailer’s site.

This wouldn’t be the first time Walmart came under fire for offering questionable artwork from a third-party seller.

Back in July, the retailer apologized for allowing a poster that featured a signed from Nazi Germany’s Dachau concentration camp to be sold by a third-party on its marketplace site.

A spokesperson for Walmart told KDKA that they would immediately begin looking into the issue of the bunny painting.

Local Artist Says Walmart Selling Her Painting Without Permission [KDKA-TV]

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