Appreciation post: Spotting fake art at a con changed how I shop
Last month, a dealer had cheap prints of a popular comic cover. I realized they were unlicensed and wouldn't help the artist. I went online and bought a real one from the creator's site. Now I always ask for proof it's official before I buy anything.
Honestly that point from @dakota_miller93 about small choices is the whole thing. It feels like one cheap print, but it feeds a system that hurts artists trying to make a living. You end up supporting a con that doesn't really support its own artists.
It gets worse when you realize those cheap tables undercut real artists on booth costs. A dealer selling bootleg prints for ten bucks can price out the actual creator trying to pay for the table next door. The knock-off stuff quietly makes the whole event harder for the people you're there to see.
But sometimes you gotta see it from the other side. Not everyone can afford that high artist price @jade_murray mentioned, and a cheap option lets them join in. Getting to be part of the event at all can matter more than where a thing comes from.