Beware False Experts & Plagiarism!
I recently scoured the internet researching information about the origin and use of Ultabati Singing Bowls, and to my shock and horror discovered that virtually everything I found about this bowl type had been lifted, often word for word, from my own website! My hard work was simply being copied, plagiarized, by countless bowl sellers from around the world, who passed it off as their own!
I then quickly discovered that ALL my bowl type definitions, not just the Ultabati, were being copied and plagiarized by some bowl sellers in the UK, USA, Australia, and even in India and Nepal.
Sadly, there was worse to come. They were also stealing MY PHOTOGRAPHS to illustrate their websites and MY BOWL DESCRIPTIONS to describe and sell their own bowls. This was equally true of online auctions, the worst of which mistakenly apply my descriptions to the wrong bowl types!
I personally know of one popular UK singing bowl website, run by a man who has, by his own private admission, never been to India or Nepal to select his bowls in person, but instead imports everything sight unseen from an Indian bowl dealer. This UK seller has a big online presence selling through Ebay, Etsy, and his own website and YouTube channel. He presents himself as a singing bowl expert and (hearing impaired) sound therapist who can even tell which century a bowl was made simply by the worn smoothness of its wall! He claims all his bowls are ethically sourced (how would he know?) yet blatantly COPIED MY WEBSITE BOWL DESCRIPTIONS AND PHOTOS and applied them to his own inferior products online…only removing them when I threatened imminent legal action! I feel sorry for the gullible and trusting customers who are taken in and know no better!
Unfortunately, it is now commonplace for bowls to be falsely described on the internet as antique when they are not. I have been collecting and dealing in antique singing bowls for over 45 years, and have made countless trips to the Himalayas to source them in person. I always endeavor to honestly and accurately describe my bowls based on my long experience and empirical research. I know the singing bowl world inside and out…and I can count the number of other truly knowledgable and trusted international singing bowl dealers on the fingers of one hand! They know who they are, but you probably don’t.
The old adage BUYER BEWARE is as true today as ever! It is vital that you do your research and only buy from a trusted source.