06/06/2025
Heya guys I know don't post here often outside of news about events, but this is a cross between a thank you to my followers, a rant about scammers, and PSA for fellow small business owners.
If you follow my page, you likely have met me in person at an event or know me personally, to which I say thank you for being here and supporting my dream. The main reason I continue doing this is the joy people get from my plushies, even if it's just a comment or smile. If it was about money, I'd make a lot more just working more at my regular job. Believe me, I did the math.
I do this because I love it. If I sell it, it's something I enjoyed making. If I didn't enjoy making it, I give the plushie to my kiddo and I never make it again. Do what you love, love what you do. My banner and business cards both say "made lovingly by hand," and it's true.
I have seen an increase in potential scam messages on Facebook. There are several red flags I look for when determining whether to respond to them or not. The major one is if the profile is empty. The times I have responded to suspicious messages, it's much to the point, very little/no interest in the materials I use, color options, and once I mention handling the transaction through Etsy, they ghost.
Etsy is not my preferred way to sell, but it does offer protection to both parties. The FB scam involves the payer sending too much, asking for a separate transaction to "refund" the extra, and then issuing a charge back on the first payment. I had a guy try to send me 100 extra dollars to make sure shipping was covered. Alarm bells rang and I backed out.
It's normally not that obvious, but over and over I get messages asking if something is still available, and attach a picture of my entire table from an event, or an unfinished item (that one cracks me up, honestly). They literally pick a post at random and send the same message to multiple small businesses.
It's so disheartening when I think I have a possible sale and it is just someone trying to steal from me. It's the main reason I don't use a lot of social media to promote my business. It only paints a bigger target on my back.
Thanks for taking the time to read, I guess? Lol.
My next event planned is First Friday Art walk in Portland in July. Today was too rainy to join without risking damage to the plushies. I'll also be attending Portcon as just a regular nerd for once, potentially bringing some freebies? 😉😁
