Customer Reviews

Fake: Forgery, Lies, & eBay

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought this book because I'm a powerseller on eBay, and I thought it sounded like an interesting story. But let me tell you, it's far more than just a story about unethical selling on eBay. This book reads like a thriller, and is difficult to put down. It's a crazy story about a somewhat ordinary guy who is unhappy with his job and is desperate to try something different. A lot of us can relate to that. His problem is that the "something" he tries (eBay) tastes so unbelievably good that he gets hooked on it immediately, and then when he discovers that it is rotten inside, he can't stop eating it, even though he knows it's bad for him.

This leads to some rather dire consequences. You can't believe what this guy goes through, and you wonder how he survived. In the end, he not only survives, but thrives, and it's inspiring to watch him get there.

The writing is not dry or boring at all, and reads like a great novel. He weaves his own crazy story with interesting facts about eBay, the art world, and the criminal justice system. I should say this: This book is not just for eBay users. This is a story ANYone could enjoy and relate to. I challenge you to to try and tear yourself away from it once you start.

I am a high end art collector at major auctions and have looked at ebay items up for sell. So many are obviously fakes that I have written to a couple of power sellers. They immediately threatened to sue me.

However, that is not why I am writing this review. This is a story of someone who knew nothing about art but was slowly engulfed in a new world where profit opportunity was high and old rules no longer applied. The individual involved acted like a major corporation in slowly bending the rules until they no longer believed the old rules or thought they could not possible be caught.

I think the story should be read by every corporate executive in America. It shows how easy it is to justify going 65 in a 55 zone and then occasionally speeding up to 85 when you think no one cares that you are going over the speed limit.

It is also an inspirational tale. I am very impressed with the author and how he changed his life around.

I would also recommend this book to anyone buying or selling on ebay. It is unbelievable how some of the items are marketed there. Ebay is not incented to police it to the degree they should. Buyer beware. At least for sure, I can tell you the art is not what you think it is!

This is a fast read .. get it.

This is a very good read. I bought this at the same time I got Augusten Burroughs' new book and intended to read both at the same time (I have a short attention span and like to juggle at least two books at a time). But once I started this, I couldn't put it down. Without using Dan Brown-style deliberate cliffhangers, the author has a way of keeping you reading. It's all about good storytelling, and the guy's got a good story.

The book has a lot to say about the art world, a world I didn't really know anything about, and the author tilts up the corporate giant that is eBay and allows you to look at its dark underside, which is populated by a lot of pretty nasty characters (including, by the middle of the book, the author himself). He undertakes some pretty shady stuff and gets himself in a lot of trouble, all the while deluding himself into thinking he's not really doing anything wrong (like an alcoholic who can't admit he has a drinking problem).

By the end of the book, though, you end up begrudgingly liking him. I did, anyway. There's a lot of interesting stuff here. I would give this 4.5 stars, but I can't, so I will make the call and round down to 4. But like I said, it's a very good read.

In addition to being well written, Walton also writes his account in a way that is honest and takes responsibility for his actions. Far from being self-congratulatory, it's neither self-depricating nor self-agrandizing.

Walton manages to communicate a great story while keeping his actions in context. While general readers may be most interested in his account of criminal activity, his book also offers an astute account of the federal criminal legal system and its faults, even if it does so unintentionally. He was prosecuted not because of the economic harm of his crimes, but because the case received a lot of media attention. Were it not for an atypically understanding ADA, he might not have been able to move on with his life. I won't spoil the plot - read for yourself. You won't regret it.

Once I began this extraordinary book, I could not put it down. Whether you are an art buff, addicted to ebay or simply relish a great story, you can't go wrong. Not often a fan of non fiction, I'm inspired to seek out other works.

If the book is lacking anything, it's that I wish it had been longer. Highly recommend.

My son picked "Fake" for our mother/son book club. The boys are sixteen; the mothers work in a variety of professional fields. No one was bored. Everyone finished the book, which is unusual. Discussion was lively and wide-ranging, even with the author present. I asked and he came!

Part of the charm of the book, the story and the man derives from our inherent hope that people can grow by surviving adversity, even self-made, or perhaps, especially self-made. Walton gives readers an engaging look at the California art scene and ebay, while allowing us to watch him decide what he will do next.

If he writes another book, I'll definitely read it.

This is a must read.

Man! What a powerful, gripping tale of eBay manipulation in the early days. Walton shares an intimate, personal saga of eBay success and his resulting downfall.

I was reading Feinstein's Last Dance when I decided to read the first chapter of Walton's book. 4 1/2 hours later, I went back to Feinstein.

Kudos to Ken Walton!

JJ
Franklin, Tennessee

Someone had recommended this book to me as a "good read". really didn't even know why I bought the book as I thought reading about ebay would be totally boring. Well I was wrong. The book sat on a shelf at my home for 3 months before I even opened the cover. Couldn't sleep one night and picked the book and started to read. I honestly couldn't put it down until I had finished from cover to cover. It is a great story and well written by the author. Whether you don't care about art or even Ebay this is an interesting story written in such a way that you find yourself totally emersed in the deceptions of an art forger who gets caught and the story line of getting caught and punished in a court of law. This is a good read.

In the early heyday of ebay bidders flooded the site willing to buy nearly everything - among them art collectors who hoped to buy bargains and rarities from less educated listers. FAKE describes the actions of one Kenneth Walton, a lawyer who was not only seduced by an online con artist, but who become one himself. From his initial hobby as an online art-trading hobbyist to his entry into a world of fraud and selling fakes which would lead to a federal felony conviction, FAKE: HOW ONE MAN'S CON GAME CREATED AN INTERNATIONAL SCANDAL AND TRIGGERED A NATIONWIDE FBI HUNT tells of a hobby gone wrong and packs in all the detail and excitement of a true adventure read.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

A great read! I read this in two nights. I could hardly put it down. If you buy or sell on eBay, this is a must-have book.

Walton goes into great detail about how he purchased the paintings he sold, prepared tantalizing auction copy, and artificially raised the prices of his auctions. If you are an eBay seller, you could learn from his many legitimate tips on setting up great auctions. If you're an eBay buyer, like me, you'll learn how to not get burned when shopping on eBay. It's a real eye-opener!

He also tells a great story and fills in a lot of the gaps that were missing from the news. I remember reading all about this story when it happened and it's fascinating to know what was happening behind the scenes, and what happened after the news stories stopped running.