Strange eBay seller...

[Mermaid Kassandra]

I was going up and down eBay and this came to me..

http://m.ebay.com/itm/321634092999?nav=SEARCH


First: How can a silicon tail be so cheap????

Then in the description I found pictures of a previous tail someone here on the forum noticed on eBay....

But before this, a couple of weeks before I found on eBay a tail for sale by them at the same price if I'm not wrong but figuring those pictures plus others (one was from an angler tail by Merbellas and another was a rainbow tail by Finfolk); it was a bit confusing because they were selling only one tail but in the pictures there were different other tails....
More in this one the reason why they're selling this tail is because she gained weight ok.... But it seems an old Merbella to me.

Conclusions: be aware! I don't think we should trust this seller guys!

Otherwise tell me I'm wrong if you had a different experience with this person

[Tira]

That really looks like a merbella! Or at least their scales!
I think there's something fishy about this...

[Mermaid Jessica Pearl]

She is a Russian tail maker and special effects artist who makes almost exact copies of merbella, mertailor and finfolk tails. Really scarily similar although you can tell they are not as thick. I follow her on instagram.

[Mermaid Jessica Pearl]

She doesn't seem to be in contact with the mer community at all because people have pulled her up on copying designs before, but she just says that she just copied the image her clients gave her. I can confirm that they are definitely made by her though because I have seen the behind the scene progress. Just very close copies.

[Mermaid Jessica Pearl]

Ksenia_evt on instagram

[Mermaid Jessica Pearl]

She actually made a full body silicone tail suit which is really Amazing. Very talented.

[Mermaid Eliina]

I was wondering the same today also. Has anyone ordered tail from her?

[Mermaid Momo]

If she's so talented and shows that she wants to make tails, why not get her own "style" so to speak and stop copying other tail makers?

[Mermaid Cascada]

The tails are pretty;however, I'd appreciate the art and tail more if she wasn't copying other designs...

[Mermaid Sirenia]

She may make pretty tails, but it really upsets me she's copying them from other tail makers! I know if I saw a copy of my tail I would be upset! I hope she starts putting more creativity into hers rather than taking other mers tail designs

[SINicallyTwisted]

Why am I suddenly craving bacon? :eye twitch:

[Mermaid Kassandra]

Mermaid Jessica pearl so do you think she's reliable?

I don't think that a silicone tail can be so cheap although why all the others tail maker ask so much money for a tail?



We should think it's not dragon skin silicone?


Mermaid Sirenia I totally agree with you!
Moreover if she can't create a design that completely belongs to her how can I think she can create my dream tail as a costumer?

I don't want to put her work down, I find it amazing, I'm just a bit worried because we saw a lot of scammers here on the forum and on the net.
I don't want any Mer's dream of happiness drown down by a thief.

[Coradion]

Depending on the monofin and how thick you pour the silicone and back it you can make a tail for less than three hundred dollars. Dragonskin isn't the only platinum cure silicone.

[Theta]

Why am I suddenly craving bacon? :eye twitch:

Oddly, I'm eating some bacon

[Coradion]

If your client asks you for a design a lot of the time you just make it for them. This has a similar color palette to Phoenix Mermaid's Merbella but it is by no means the same design. She has other colors and even a stripe where Phoenix Mermaid's tail is counter shaded and spotted without gold.

[QueenZero]

It still seems like the price is a little off. I'm a smidge weirded out, but that's just me! She may make wonderful tails, for all I know.
(And yes, bacon.)

[Mermaid Aprilia]

Hmmm, if there's a monofin in there, it's pretty small and flat :/ Really, she'd be better off by drawing up some templates of her own design and making a small business out of it :) Clearly, she's got some talent, so it would work out pretty well if she made it a little more 'professional' if you know what I mean.

[QueenZero]

This is an already made, used tail, yes? Shouldn't there be exact measurements somewhere? Saying small to medium really means nothing, when it comes to tails. (I could, of course, be missing the measurements completely.)

[Mermaid Jessica Pearl]

I wouldn't make any judgements on reliability or quality based on instagram photos!

[Mermaid Jessica Pearl]

I would be very careful with new tail makers. A lot of people have been bitten before. There also might be a language barrier here. It looks like she has been experimenting. And it might be worth a try. But I would be too scared! She has talent (and it does annoy me too that she has ripped off some designs although she doesn't seem to understand why that is a bit iffy) but nobody has any experience with her or her product to give you advice. So tread really carefully.

[Mermaidmechanic]

the actual color isn't a rip off of anyone's color scheme; its a cosplay I recognized instantly since its from my favorite anime (and really the only one i watch) called "one piece". The character is Shirahoshi, a giant mermaid girl. However, it does look like two of her flukes are EXACT replicas of 1. finfolks fluke (not sure what it is called) and 2. merbellas angler fluke. Its pretty blatant actually.

[Mermaid Momo]

Isn't the tail from Onepiece pink? Another tail maker made a tail like it too.

[OrcaMatt]

I was expecting this to be the one with the tails that look like absolute hell. Don't think I've ever come across this one.

[Meilyn]

I agree with jess on the girl as I've seen her stuff before. Maybe her imagination station is dry like mine so she copies other's designs because she really loves them and she likes making tails. To be honest, if I were to make a tail, I'd use finfolk's fluke designs too because I absolutely love them. And as long as the person doesn't copy them then claim that it's original to them, I think it's fine and as a matter of fact, kind of flattering like how fans of music or anime try to be like their idols.
and I wouldn't like to be a part of a community that would scrutinize and criticize me for loving something enough to copy it. (Trying to see it from her point of view). We all try so hard to be original these days that we miss the bigger picture. Again, as long as she isn't claiming the designs of Merbellas or Finfolk or anyone she's replicating to be her own original work, I don't see any harm in fan based remakes

[PearlieMae]

She states the size and that's she's gained weight and can't fit anymore, but the copy says she's making them new to order.

Has no one noticed the additional $450.00 to SHIP the tail? THAT copycat is a $900 tail.

[Mermaid Kassandra]

I wasn't having a problem with her design if she copies a fluke it's not my problem.



I was afraid that she was trying to sell a silicone tail stealing pictures from the people who actually make them (because they really seems to be exactly the same tail) and after purchasing it no tail would arrive to the buyer's home (and we all know that this wouldn't be the first time that it happens!).



More the price for a silicone tail seemed to be too low for a professional tail like she was claiming to make.



After I saw her work for me everything is ok now my only concerns is still that I don't know if the quality is really what she say to be that's all.

[Elle]

did anyone else notice that the scales look really really flat.
like regardless of the maker, tails usually have quite pronounced scales (or it's obvious to see where they are). I had to look at the photo from the ebay listing several time because it looked like only half the tail had scales. Is that just something that occurs if she's using shallow moulds and thin casting?
Like the whole tail looks very thin and flimsy. I know Rapidash (Raina's first merbellas tail) was made thin so that she'd be able to use it without too much struggle, but even when she had it just lying out flat it looked thicker than this one.

Or maybe that's just me??

[Mermaid Kassandra]

No I thought the same thing!

That's why I'm trying to understand what quality the tail is; a professional tail shouldn't look like this one.

Tell me if I'm wrong!

[Mermaid Wesley]

People make tails in all different ways. It may be thin and whether or not its the best way to do it, it is a valid choice for her to make. I think it looks nice. It is difficult to understand because of the obvious language barrier, but the definition of the scales and the thickness of them is really up to the individual tail maker. She seems to be semi professional, not having sold many, but still proficient in what she does. Ignoring the copying, I think her tails look just fine.

[Elle]

I was checking out her instagram. It appears she is using dragonskin. but you can see in other photos that she is casting them ridiculously thin, you'd have to be super careful getting them on and if you didn't tear them putting it on, you probably would from 2-3 swims in it.

I can understand customers sending in photos of merbella, finfolk, etc,. tails and asking for that kind of tail. That happens. But it's not cool on her part to make 'exact' replicas of other people work. A colour theme I could understand but the whole fluke and fin shapes is not okay. It appears that she has also copied things like bracers.

But that might come down to owning copyright on the tail design and is something that tailmakers themselves need to chase up, as it's their work being copied.

http://instagram.com/ksenia_evt/

[Mermaid Kassandra]

Yes I find her tails great too!



But as Elle said her quality of tail isn't exactly what she claims to be.

It's too thin and I remember Raina saying that for her tail it was easy to tear it, just imagine this one!



Elle I saw that in one picture someone made her notice that her fluke with tail and fins were exactly like Finfolk's one and she replied saying that the costumer asked for that design... So I don't think she knew it was from an actual tail maker (but even knowing this I totally agree with you).





Anyway I was upset for the quality of the tail and we found out that maybe it's not worth the money she's asking (I saw that for a brand new tail she asks $1500).



Beside I think that we should try to contact some of her costumers to know exactly how it holds up (to know their experiences) and if purchasing a tail from her would really be a good investment or if we should be careful with her.





Anyone has an idea to contact one of her previous costumers? (it's just an idea)

[Mermaidmechanic]

I'm going to have to disagree on the replica issue. I don't think it's okay to make an exact copy of something someone else made and then profit off it/ offer it for sale. In her photos, there is literally an exact copy of a finfolk and merbellas fluke. If you want to make a replica because you love it and you can't afford it any other way then at the very least don't sell it as your own product. Even if you lack creativity, it's not too hard to make some differences. And let's not be naive; anyone with the artistic abilities to make an exact copy has to have enough creativity to change it up enough to not be a rip off.

[Elle]

I hope I was clear. I did say colour schemes. not the actually tail itself.

even if you look through customer tails from finfolk or merbellas, there are tails that can end up looking very similar. and of course that can happen between tailmakers - where colour schemes have been ridiculously similar, but some artistic license is taken so they aren't replicas of each other.

But the copying on the shape down to the veins on the fluke is not cool.

Like the angler from merbellas and the lorena fluke from finfolk are really well known shapes. Everyone in the community recognises them as a merbellas or a finfolk tail. taking them and pretending they are your own is not okay, and it's tricking people into thinking they have an original piece, where it's more like getting a knock off from a stall in a market. It looks real but there are tell tale signs that it's not.

[Elle]

The green mersuit (?) with the lorena fluke supposedly has something to do with a league of legends character, and I see the similarity. But the fluke is still a rip off

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[Mermaid Kassandra]

Yes definitely!

I see what you mean in this case the loorena fluke was completely a rip off because the pictures here are clear: the fluke shape is totally different!

Maybe she choose it because she particularly likes it but still yes she shouldn't sell tails with that fluke design.

[Mermaid Momo]

I agree with jess on the girl as I've seen her stuff before. Maybe her imagination station is dry like mine so she copies other's designs because she really loves them and she likes making tails. To be honest, if I were to make a tail, I'd use finfolk's fluke designs too because I absolutely love them. And as long as the person doesn't copy them then claim that it's original to them, I think it's fine and as a matter of fact, kind of flattering like how fans of music or anime try to be like their idols.
and I wouldn't like to be a part of a community that would scrutinize and criticize me for loving something enough to copy it. (Trying to see it from her point of view). We all try so hard to be original these days that we miss the bigger picture. Again, as long as she isn't claiming the designs of Merbellas or Finfolk or anyone she's replicating to be her own original work, I don't see any harm in fan based remakes
The problem isn't that she's copying the flukes for herself and her own use, but she's copying them with the intention to sell them for profit. She's blatantly stealing original designs that these tailmakers spend hours upon hours coming up with to get an edge up in the business, something that people can only get from them and now they're facing competition form another maker using their own designs against them

[AniaR]

agree it may not be as obvious before with just the green one but now that she's totally ripped off the merbellas (see the thread on russian tail maker) it's a whole different level.

[Mermaid Wesley]

I agree. The copying is bad.


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[MermaidShannon]

They made the shipping very very expensive

[Elle]

They made the shipping very very expensive

I imagine that's to make up for the very low pricing

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[Prairie Mermaid Jamie]

I may be wrong here but I swear ive seen her images of her in her blue tail on here before. Im still looking for the thread I seen to be sure. I think in tailmaking.

I dont even feel an exact replica for personal use is allright. Part of what sets tails apart is the fluke. If I want a finfolk fluke, ill save and buy one instead of making one. Merbellas and finfolk have long wait times and shown they are worth waiting for. Making a reproduction in any way looks bad on them because people recognize the fluke and think its theirs when its not. Knockoffs are always a lesser quality and they dont deserve to have people think they have let their standards fall. And when it comes to tailmakers, that seems to be a kiss of death, so to speak.

I co own a clothing company and have had people reproduce custom work I had. Cheaper quality and people thought they were mine and blamed me for product malfunction when I had nothing to do with it.

I know some tails are very pricey but theres a reason why and they are worth waiting for. Reproductions can be made but you dont get the satisfaction of wriggling into a genuine tail and knowing its all yours guilt free. Thats worth paying for in my eyes. But thats just me :)

[michellerobison]

Been away for a while I did see her on Etsy and thought the designs looked familiar. Sadly as an artist, I find as soon as you put it out there, it's usually used to "inspire" others... My art professor told me, it's all part of the risk,no matter what you do..All you can do is protect yourself if the knock offs come back on you... Sucks!