Have you ever spotted your art on a random T-shirt, phone case, or wall print and think, “Wait… I didn’t make that”? You’re not imagining it. And the person who posted it? They’re not a fan who “didn’t know better.”
They’re making money off your work. Sometimes a lot of it.
And the deeper you look, the more you realize this isn’t some underground scam. It’s a system, one built on speed, visibility, and betting that most artists won’t fight back.
Here’s what that system looks like behind the scenes:
1. Fast Fashion + Drop Shippers
One of the biggest sources of unauthorized art use is drop shipping and fast fashion operations that scrape trending designs from platforms like Redbubble, Instagram, or Etsy.
These products often show up on third-party marketplaces, including:
- Amazon
- Temu
- Walmart Marketplace
- AliExpress
- Shein
- Wish
The result? Cheap, low-quality knockoffs featuring your design, often sold in high volume before you even know what’s happening.
2. Print-On-Demand Copycats
There are entire print-on-demand operations (often overseas) whose entire business model is based on stolen art.
They use bots to scan the internet for trending artwork and keywords, hire freelancers to recreate or slightly alter what they find, and slap it onto mugs, shirts, phone cases—you name it.
When one seller account gets flagged or removed? They’ve got ten more waiting. Rinse, repeat, profit.
3. “Design Aggregators” and Mockup Mills
Some sites sell monthly design subscriptions to small businesses or influencers, advertising them as “royalty-free.” But much of what they’re selling? Stolen.
It’s art laundering. Someone uploads your work, the site sells it to thousands of shops, and suddenly your illustration is everywhere, without your name, your permission, or your earnings.
4. Resellers Posing as Indie Creators
On platforms like Etsy or Amazon Handmade, you’ll sometimes see sellers who appear to be small artists but are really reselling counterfeit goods in bulk.
They:
- Use SEO to outrank the original creator
- Run ads to boost visibility
- Split inventory across multiple storefronts to avoid detection
Some of these resellers even go after smaller artists, assuming you won’t have the time, money, or support to fight back.
5. Shady Licensing Brokers
In rare cases, it’s another artist or an “agency”, profiting off your work after licensing it to someone else without your permission.
It’s rare, but it happens. That’s why having copyright in place and contracts in writing is so important.
So… What Now?
Here’s the hard truth: the people stealing your work know exactly what they’re doing. This isn’t clumsy fan behavior. It’s business.
But here’s the good news: you have options, especially if you know where your designs are being used and if there’s enough infringement to build a case.
If your artwork has been targeted at scale, it may be possible to recover some of those lost earnings. No out-of-pocket cost. No guesswork. And when you work with a partner like Edwin James IP, that money doesn’t go to a platform or third party, it goes back to you.
At EJIP, we specialize in tracking unauthorized listings, getting copyrights in place if needed, and going after the infringers directly. We’re not a platform, we’re a team built by and for artists who’ve been through this before.
You deserve better than to be sidelined while others profit off your work. And whether you’re ready to reclaim what’s yours, or you’re still just figuring out what’s possible, I’m here to talk it through.
Want to know if your art qualifies?
Reach out here or send me a message at jennifer@edwinjamesip.com. We will have the team take a look and let you know what we’re seeing. No pressure. No strings. Just support.