Don't feel stupid if you are scammed in China.
It can happen to very smart people even
accompanied by Chinese speaking friends.

Great Video. Tim Ferris.^

Kevin Rose American internet entrepreneur.

Kevin Rose Art and Tea Scam

I guess you just got to be street smart and be wary of the surroundings and the people around you.

there's this saying,

如果不砍老外那砍谁啊？If we don't scam the tourists, then who else is left of us to scam?

However, IME, The chinese will try to scam everyone.

For instance, suppliers will quote you prices without taxes (Fa Piaos) then when you want Fa Piaos, the tax rate for instance is 6% they want to charge you 12% and pocket the difference.

Well, it so happens that the rich 老外 are the easiest and richest pockets.

Keep in mind street smart will help you, but some scammers in China are just brilliant too.

Ok, watched the video. Don't agree with everything in it 100%, but interesting video with good tips nonetheless.

Another saying:
一山比一山高 Direct translation, there's always a mountain taller. Idiom meaning: There's always someone better than you.

You are street smart, someone is smarter than you. Well, they do (scam) everyday. How can they not be good at it?

I don't doubt that it was set up for their Random show. That is, they
had full knowledge of the scams and knew they would make for interesting
content.

If that's the case...then they actually ripped off the scammers by charging back the credit card purchases.

Given it's part of their culture and they do it every day, you're absolutely right.

Well who's to say the art actually got shipped?

Surely they ship. However their sale is based on fraud. The items received are not stude t art and you can dispute the charge based on item not as described.

While I agree, it is a slippery slope no? If you swiped your card, you did at some point agree to pay that amount for the art, no? To say it later becomes fraud because you were told it was done by the "art student" seems a bit slippery to me.

In the end, just avoid these situations all together, but I think if you buy and pay for it keep it. Don't get mad later just because you got ripped off by a fake art student.

There should be something in the merchant agreement for cc processing that doesn't allow a fraud scheme. Merchant code of conduct?

There is a code of conduct in china?

One and only code: money talks. Haha

Those student art places probably do a high volume of cc processing.

VIP merchant.w

No way in H*ll would I be handing over my credit card information to these sorts of establishments. Justifying turning over this sort of personal information to scam outfits by saying "well I can get a chargeback" seems to be a pointless rationale. I wouldn't even admit to having a credit card on me!

If you must participate in buying art, going to teahouses, etc. at places shown to you by strangers who almost 100% have a different agenda, then negotiate a price upfront, get it in writing, have your service or buy your product, pay cash, get a receipt for the payment, and take any product with you rather than depend on shipping.

If the amount is too large for petty cash, you likely don't know what you're doing and have no business doing a transaction in these types of establishments in the first place. You have been warned.

Refering to disputing cc charges was for unkowing victims. Not a suggested as loophole to try and get some free art, that is sold at dozens of times its actual price, or getting tea sold for 400USD per lb when its value is 2USD per lb. Thats a waste of time.