Sell Crafts Without Getting Scammed | How To Make A Bottle Lamp

If you are ready to sell your crafts online than you need to be aware that some people are not who they claim to be.

We received this message on our Facebook page from Jessie the other day:

Last month I made a mistake. A girl messaged me about the bottles a few times, ordered 2. I quoted her etc. I sent her a pic and she loved it. Messaged me back immediately all the time. I then sent her my info and said once I received her money order I would ship them out. She said that would be perfect…… that was 2 weeks ago still waiting on the money order.

Messaged her, no response. Good lesson for me. I have never taken an order without a deposit. Now I have 2 Texas Houston bottles ( 1 pink!!!) I will wait another week then list them on Etsy. Like my husband said, it’s my own fault!!

Whether you are making your first sale or been a craft seller long enough, you need to be aware of your buyers. It is important to identify legit from bogus buyers especially when you are a first-timer in business to avoid further conflicts and frustrations.

Here are a few things to look out for when selling your crafts online:

If a buyer promises to pay you via a personal or cashiers check, you should be very suspicious
The same goes for sellers asking for payment via Money Gram or Western Union, especially if its over your asking price
If the deal is too good to be true; then it probably is
If you’re not sure the prospective buyer is a scammer, keep asking for more information until you know one way or the other
Never give out any of your personal/confidential information
Keep your online conversations strictly professional. If you become too chatty, you may unintentionally divulge too much information about yourself
Trust your gut instinct, if it feels wrong stop all communications
Always have the deposit in hand before starting any custom order crafts

There are many different ways to get ripped off when buying or selling over the internet. The good news is that with a little common sense, most are avoidable.

Now, on a lighter note, here are Jessie’s gorgeous custom made lighted bottles, now available in her Etsy store:
(If you’re a scammer don’t even bother to click on the link below)

Bottles Be Glowing – Turning empty bottles into beautiful lights!

Nothing beats speaking to your customers one-on-one, may it be in person or online. Once you create a personal connection with your potential customers you are less likely to get cheated. Still, its always a good idea to be away of the many different ways you might get scammed.