Arches Watercolor Pad 9x12: A Marketplace Purchase Put to the Test

Introduction

Arches watercolor pads have a reputation as the best of the best, and that reputation comes with an eye-watering price tag. That is exactly why it raised eyebrows when a 9x12 Arches pad showed up on a third-party marketplace at a price that looked suspiciously close to retail, sourced from a seller with no reviews and a listing that claimed the item originated in China, a strange detail for paper that is made in France.

This review walks through a genuine side-by-side test. The marketplace pad was compared against the exact same pad bought at a craft store, checking the packaging, the paper itself, and how both performed under real paint. If you have ever wondered whether bargain marketplace listings can be trusted for premium art supplies, this is the comparison to read.

First Impressions and Side-by-Side Comparison

The marketplace pad arrived slightly damaged on the corner, but beyond that, the two pads looked identical. The size was exact, the cut was perfect, and there was no visible difference in the cover printing or the overall build. One quirk worth noting: the marketplace listing was actually more expensive than the craft store price, even after a coupon, which is the opposite of the usual counterfeit pattern where fakes undercut the real thing dramatically.

The listing oddities were worth flagging. The origin was listed as China despite Arches paper being made in France, delivery promised in one business day, and the package even arrived in a familiar retail shipping box within two days. Theories about how marketplace local listings work range from informal drop shipping to local fulfillment centers, but no definitive answer surfaced. For this paper, the only unresolved question remains that origin listing.

Inspecting the Inside of the Pads

Opening both pads revealed encouraging signs. Both included a batch number, the paper color matched, and the sizing looked the same. The texture on the front of the covers was identical, and the quality of the printed lettering was crisp with no blurriness on either pad.

The paper itself passed the touch test. Both sheets had that characteristic gritty, rough, dry texture, and the thickness felt the same in hand. At this stage, the honest conclusion was that these appeared to be the exact same product, though the definitive test would always be how the paper handled actual paint.

Painting on Both Pads

The real test involved painting two pet portraits, one on each pad, using the same paint and the same technique. Gouache was used instead of watercolor for the comparison. On the first pad, the paint applied beautifully and blended amazingly. The paper warped very slightly during painting, nothing terrible, and a spilled jar of paint water caused more noticeable warping at the end, which is expected when drenching any paper.

The second pad performed identically. It warped a little but not badly, and nothing about the experience suggested inferior paper. Nothing in either painting session screamed that this was not genuine Arches paper. Both paintings finished well, and there was no point at which one sheet clearly outperformed the other.

Buying Advice

For anyone considering this pad through a third-party marketplace listing, the lesson here is less about the product and more about the process. Counterfeit art supplies absolutely exist on marketplaces, and even large established retailers are not immune to third-party fakes. Research the seller first, check reviews, and be suspicious of prices that are dramatically lower than retail, since this particular listing was actually pricier than the craft store equivalent.

Based on this test, the pad itself proved to be excellent paper: it handled wet media gracefully, blended well, and only warped slightly under normal use, which is true of essentially every watercolor paper on the market. If you want this specific pad, buying it from an established craft retailer remains the lower-risk route, but this particular marketplace purchase does not appear to have been a fake.

Conclusion

The marketplace-sourced Arches Watercolor Pad 9x12 turned out to be indistinguishable from the craft store version in build, texture, thickness, and painting performance, with the one lingering mystery being the incorrect origin listing. It is a reminder that marketplace finds can be legitimate, but that verification is always worth the effort before spending money on premium art supplies.