You may have heard some buzz over the past few days about a company called Pigment Powders Canada. First, let me clear up any initial misconceptions: this company is NOT Resin Pigment Canada, that is a different company. I have not personally purchased from Resin Pigment Canada, but I want to make sure their reputation is not tarnished by the fallout from Pigment Powders Canada.
In late 2018, I began seeing posts from artists on Instagram that I follow who tagged Pigment Powders Canada in their posts. I checked out PPC’s Instagram, and they looked legit. I commented on one of their posts, which sparked a conversation between the owner, Corey, and me.
Corey expressed that he wanted to send me some samples; I told him that I wanted to support his business, so I would order a few small packets of pigment to try out. He seemed very genuine and excited, and told me he would include free samples if I would promise to give my honest opinion of the pigments. I was psyched!
A short time later, I received a box full of pigments in all different colors, glitters and a few other packets of shiny stuff that I didn’t really recognize. A letter came in the box, asking again that I honestly review the products. I set out to try the pigments, and subsequently wrote a review here on AcrylicPouring.com, as well as several posts on social media, praising the product and Corey. Throughout this time, Corey and I were talking about his products, how he felt like artists were scamming him because he was sending them product and they weren’t reviewing it, and how he wanted to grow his business but was thinking about shutting it down. I encouraged him to stay in business, fight the good fight, etc. You know; all the things you say to a struggling small business owner to try to help them see the positives.
That’s why I was absolutely shocked when, at the end of the first week of March, I was contacted by several concerned artists. I ordered a bunch of samples but they never came, and I keep trying to get ahold of him, but the contact info for him is a fake name and a fake address.
I immediately reached out to Corey via Instagram direct message, which is how we communicated prior to this issue save for one email when my review was published. No answer. I waited about 24 hours, and then messaged again, and this time, I also replied to an email from Corey from [email protected].
Imagine my surprise when, instead of getting an answer from Corey, I received an email from “Chef Kush”. This email was in reply to my email, which was addressed to the Pigment Powders Canada email address. Suspicious, right? “Chef Kush” said that he didn’t know who Pigment Powders Canada was, and that he was filing a police report because so many artists were reaching out to him.
I might have bought for a moment that some mysterious wire got crossed and this “Chef Kush” was receiving Corey’s emails for some odd reason, except for one thing: their grammatical style and spelling were the same. I always thought that it was odd that Corey had so many grammatical and spelling errors in his communications, so when I received a message from “Chef Kush” with the same writing style, I knew it was him.
What Happens Now
Without more information about who this person is, it’s going to be difficult to file a formal report against Corey/Chef Kush/the con artist. If you have ordered from Pigment Powders Canada and have not received your order, please, dispute the charge with your financial institution. There are enough complaints online now, along with my formal public statement and this article, that your financial institution should back you.
Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, there are many dishonest companies out there, looking to make a quick buck off of unsuspecting victims. This was a tough one. I wasn’t the only artist who was sent free samples in return a review, and that’s what makes this so tough; everything we received seemed up to par. But, this scammer depended on our reviews to funnel more business to his company, and in turn, he was able to scam more people.
There are many reputable pigment companies out there: Rustic Escentuals, Mad Micas, and Black Diamond Pigments have consistently good reviews.
A special thank you to the editor of the AcrylicPouring.com blog for suggesting that this information be shared here to help other artists avoid this scam.
Sara Wagner is an author and artist from Upstate New York. She is the owner of Studio Blackwater and can typically be found covered in paint, cats, or her two young daughters. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram as @studioblackwater.