Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with handmade

How to dispute non-delivery of item?

silentbicycle — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 11:35:30 -0800

How do I dispute a claim for a handmade item when the PayPal dispute time has expired? The seller strung me along with claims that it was going to be sent until I ran out of time to dispute it. I ordered a $100 ring off of Etsy in mid-July, and the seller (shadejewelry) claimed that it would arrive within a few weeks. A month later, I returned to message him about when to expect the ring, only to find that his shop had been closed. Some googling found his Facebook page, so I sent him a message, a posting on his fan page, and an e-mail asking for an update. He said that he would send my ring the following Monday.

Two weeks later, I asked what was taking so long, and he responded, "Scott your ring was shipped, I'll give you the tracking number tomorrow." I haven't heard from him since. I also found a page about his banning from Etsy due to several other people reporting similar behavior. In retrospect, his e-mails were probably intended to string me along until after the 45-day window to chargeback the transaction on PayPal closed (which was within a day or two of the last e-mail). Still, it was quite a surprise - his Etsy feedback had been high, and I ordered a ring from the seller roughly a year ago without any problems. He was also a featured seller (the page has since been deleted), etc.

As word got around, he changed his store name from Shade Jewelry to Brink Jewelry (NOT Brink's in Minnesota), but still appears to be in operation. (There is even a picture of the ring I ordered on the front page.) Incidentally, the original ShadeJewelry website still redirects to the closed Etsy store page.

This was supposed to be my wedding ring (I'm getting married in two weeks), but at this point I think the odds of getting the ring in time or being reimbursed are slim. What can I do to prevent this from happening to anyone else? I used PayPal linked to a checking account, so (AFAIK) I cannot do a chargeback the way I could with a credit card, and the PayPal chargeback period is over. I reported non-delivery to Etsy and sent a report to the IC3. I also posted on the etsycallout blog, and have been followed by several similar complaints.

This scam seems to exploit a vulnerability in the way Etsy+PayPal operates: The buyer pays ahead of time for a custom item that can take weeks to make, but at that point the 45-day PayPal chargeback window is already closing. Etsy has already banned the seller, but since they don't handle the money directly, they seem to consider the matter closed. Still, they haven't done anything to remedy this major loophole in the way they operate, so it will almost certainly continue.

Does anybody have any ideas what to do to keep this from happening again? (Besides not paying in advance for custom items?) Anything I could do to get closure on this would be appreciated as well.

Rockin' Mexico

freddymetz — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:16:08 -0800

GuitarFilter! I'm going to Mexico in september and i want to buy a guitar. Coming from Germany, are guitars much cheaper there? I specifically want to buy a Taylor Baby guitar (280 euros in germany), or should i buy a handmade one that mexico is so famous for? :p

High-end baby boutiques in the DC Metro area? Selling handmade?

GardenGal — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:09:07 -0800

Where are the fancy stores that might help me sell my handmade baby clothes? I've recently opened up an Etsy store of baby carriers and handmade baby clothes in poppy, modern prints. I think I'd like to take these same clothes and carriers around to local stores to see if they'd like to stock them - they're cute enough that I think they would sell.

Trouble is, I'm not the kind of person that shops at high-end children's boutiques, so I don't know of any around here. Can anyone point me to some expensive kids' stores in the DC Metro area, where people might shop specifically for handmade items (ie are not looking for the cheapest they can get)?

Also if anyone has experience taking stuff around to stores like this, I'd really appreciate any tips.

Examples of handmade cards for small business invitations

acoutu — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:33:27 -0800

Where can I find examples of handmade corporate or small business event invitations? I own a small business. I want to invite about a dozen business owners to an event I'm putting on. These people are all part of my close business network -- even friends. I'd like to send handmade cards to invite them to the event and I'd like to also include the seminar flyer/postcard. I'm looking for a eye catching way to present the invitation, but not in a way that looks romantic or wedding invitation-like. Really, just some interesting ways of putting together paper and cards (with the postcard/flyer enclosure) would be great.

I have a small budget for the cards, supplies and mailings -- probably less than $40-50 total. It's a one-off project and I can't focus my investment here. I don't want a designer. I'm quite happy to do it all myself. My local Sears has some examples of paper invitations and ways to put them together -- that's the sort of thing I'm looking for. But I'd like something online, so that I can spend some time thinking about what I see. (I am not good at seeing something in a store and remembering how to do it.)

Thanks!

Too lazy to make my own hand-made cards

gakiko — Tue, 12 May 2009 01:05:32 -0800

I'd like to buy a bunch of hand-made birthday cards so I'd have a stash of them at home and wouldn't have panicky last-minute card shopping trips to the mall/stationery shop. I've browsed Etsy, but it's so... big, and their search engine is not the best and I give up after scrolling 10 pages of search results. Please give me recommendations for your favorite Etsy card-makers/sellers! Bonus points:
- located in or close to Slovenia and/or Croatia
- located in EU or having a low shipping fee for sending to EU
- accepting credit cards without Paypal (is that even possible on Etsy?)
- having a large stock (I'd prefer buying cards from only a few different sellers rather than buying one card from each of a zillion sellers)
- non-Etsy shops are also welcome, as long as they accept some form of credit card payment and ship to EU!
- my friends and family range from the old (80yrs) to the young (4yrs), from technical (IT geeks) to girly (think Sex & the city fans), so all kinds of cards are ok

Thanks in advance!

Crafty DC Shopping?

JoanArkham — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 13:45:56 -0800

Crafty Gift Filter: Help! I need a place in the DC metro area that sells crafty gifts. I'm especially looking for hand-knitted scarves and socks or hip Crafty Bastards-type stuff. I struck out at the Holiday Market this afternoon.

Normally I'd go to Etsy but I need the stuff in my hands by Wednesday evening.

Weekend project ideas?

adiabat — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:39:51 -0800

I spent some pleasant time this past weekend planting a windowsill herb garden. What are some other similarly self-contained projects I can do in a day or two this winter? By "self-contained", I mean things that won't require me to invest a lot of money in new tools, or invest a lot of time (more than a weekend) in learning a new skill — something that can be wrapped up within a couple of day. A windowsill garden was simple and inexpensive, and I'm looking for more of the same. I lean toward the crafty end of things, but would welcome (or might even prefer) other ideas.

I'm just looking for weekend project ideas to ward off the seasonal blues and make me feel like I've done something productive with my days. It would be extra nice if the results of these projects could be given as gifts.

(I'm sure there must be past AskMe posts in this direction, but I didn't see quite what I was looking for in my search. If you have links to past posts, go for it.)

Where to find a big place that offers little cool things?

Bakuun — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:41:01 -0800

There have got to be some fairs, antique markets, or craft events going on in southern California. Right? I'm dying to find some sort of fair or bazaar setting where people offer mostly hand-made or collectible trinkets, or similar odds-and-ends - without any 'modern factory-based goods' making their way into the booths. I hear the Ren Fair is starting to suffer from the later, as well as the Rodeum (sp?) in Torrance. The antique market in Alameda looks really cool, but... it's way up in Alameda, and I'm in the south bay.

This is a big state! There's gotta be something like that around here. Please help me find it!

There's thought behind it, sure, but also twenty hours of knitting.

carbide — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 13:52:23 -0800

What are the most memorable, awesome or useful handmade gifts you've received or given? I'm in search of some inspiration, as well as cautionary tales. My extended family has been very polite in enduring handmade gifts from me year after year, but I think only a few people have really enjoyed what I've made them, and the pleasure in giving gets a bit lost that way. The success rate is better with friends but inspiration would still be handy.

I'd love a wide variety of suggestions so I won't say too much, but here's a few details:

- I can cook, sew, take decent photographs sometimes, bind books, knit, make prints, draw, etc, so anything goes.

- Previous gifts have included screenprints, cold-process soap, shortbread, cookies, handmade journals, and a roaring success in a portrait of my grandparents. Current plans include blank cards with suitable photographic prints on the front, some knitted hats for a few people who will definitely wear them, one well-targeted mix cd.

- Particular areas of difficulty are: teenage boys (not bookish or alternative, damn!), professional glam women in their mid 20s to early 30s (ditto!).

Any stand-out gifts you've made or received?

(Warnings about the chasm between intention and reception would probably be good, too. And weirdly, I can't find any previouslies.)

Soap making 101

MaryDellamorte — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 22:25:13 -0800

I want to start making soap. But I don't know where to start. I've been trying to search the internet for a good book or a good website, but I'm starting to get overwhelmed. Does anyone have any experience with an insightful book or a helpful website? Or just tips and tricks of the trade? I think I just want to start out with some plain bars and work up to the fancy looking stuff.

Need fake beans, need hot, fake beans.

roygbv — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 01:02:18 -0800

Beans! I want to make a microwavable beanbag, something that I can nuke for 30 seconds or so and wrap warm around my neck - but I don't want to use beans. I've seen the handmade ones with cherry pits, aduki beans, pearl barley, etc, but I'd like to make one that won't attract bugs or mold. Is there a synthetic equivalent I can use?

Crafty Cards

seanyboy — Sat, 03 Jul 2004 01:32:58 -0800

Ideas for birthday Cards. I'm pretty clumsy, and have little / no artistic ability, but I like to make my birthday and (in five months time) christmas cards. Does anybody have any simple / easy recipies for good birthday cards. I tend to make really tiny cards with either bits of magazine pictures or small leaves stuck on them. It's all getting a bit boring, so would love some new ideas.