Let the Seller Beware!

If you are lucky, you will never be targeted by a scam artist online. But many of us will and have.

I was last week.

Imagine my excitement when, shortly after listing a high end item in one of my shops ($750.00), I was contacted by a customer interested in buying the item as a gift for her mother's birthday. She informed me that she was an oceanographer at sea and had limited access and ability for correspondence so would I contact her via her direct email with the information about the item she requested~ i.e. condition, full cost, etc.

Tiny red flag waving.    








But since it seemed a reasonable request, despite my concerns, I complied.

But next came this: I would like to complete the transaction on PayPal since I am not familiar with Etsy.

     Large Red Flag Waving.












And then she added "Could I also send enough money to you to cover the shipping agent's fees and then you can pay them via Western Union Money Gram directly. I will have them pickup the item so you will not have to worry about shipping information. I would greatly appreciate this, since as I told you I am out to sea and would have a problem paying them directly."

Excuse me?

Tons of HUGE Red Flags Waving!!!

Okay, seriously, I may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but I'm no fool (well, maybe a bit of a fool, read on*)! But sadly, in the excitement of wanting the sale, many of us would want to believe this was sincere, and might even take the chance. It happens all the time, especially to inexperienced internet users, newbie sellers and even worse, the elderly. In the end, I sent her an email and informed her that I regret any inconvenience or difficulty for her but if she wishes to purchase the item she must do so through Etsy and I will ship the item directly to her mother.

Her account has since been closed. 

*In hindsight, I was a fool for sending her an email and not writing her from Etsy. But since my email account for that store is only for that and nothing else, fortunately I was not compromised.

So, lessons to learn:

Never do business off site! If you are selling on Etsy, stay on Etsy. All correspondence and transactions should be done through your shop. This holds true for any venue, Artfire, Bonanza, etc. Do not use your personal email address for your shop. All banking, bill paying, or other secure accounts should be kept separate from your shop's email. You should also use a separate account for your PayPal account if you are linked to a bank account. Keep only the minimum amount necessary in your PayPal account and your linked bank account, and make regular withdrawals. Working capital can be kept in another account if it is a substantial amount.

If anyone requests a pickup for the item, do so at a local UPS or FedEX store after the item is securely sold and paid for through your shop. Never give your personal address. If you are shipping from your home, I highly recommend you acquire a post office box for return shipping information and receiving goods. It may not always be possible but it is safer.

Don't ever co-mingle payments for your goods with any other fees except shipping from you. Do not use Western Union Money Grams for any transactions! The best methods for payment are PayPal and credit cards, I do not even recommend money orders, but they are acceptable and sometimes necessary for some customers. Never accept a check!

No matter how sad their story sounds~ DON'T FALL FOR IT!

If the hair on the back of your neck is standing up, your gut is telling you something or a red flag is waving~ Pay attention to it! Don't ignore your instincts and let your emotions get carried away. We all love a sale, but if someone really wants your product, they will go through the proper procedure to purchase it. (Now that's a lot of p's, lol!) But, all joking aside, please be careful out there, the scams are becoming more and more intricate and elaborate. If you have high end items, you are especially vulnerable.

I am not an expert and some of you may have some more advice to add~ I hope you will comment if you do.

Have a great week!
;) Cat

*Please note: I am in the process of finding out if they can hack your other email accounts if your mail is forwarded to another central account as mine are. I will keep you posted~ if anyone out there knows the answer let me know. Honestly, I wouldn't doubt that they can do it! I did disable forwarding on the address I used, just in case!

Greener Shopping: Plastics 101

Conscious Consumerism:

Plastics 101, or is it Plastics 1-7

Plastic is everywhere. The word plastic means capable of being shaped or molded. And it has shaped itself into almost every aspect of our daily lives.  However, scientists are finding that an unseen cost to using plastics may be the health of our planet and our bodies. The production and disposal of plastic contribute to an array of environmental problems.  If we take some time to understand plastic, we can became a wiser about using it, and therefore make better choices for our health and our environment.

A Small Chemistry lesson… Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs. ~Wikipedia

In 1988 The Society of the Plastics (SPI) Industry developed a set of symbols placed on plastics to identify the polymer type. The resin identification coding system is used internationally to allow efficient separation of different polymer types for recycling. The most common plastics have a resin code in a universal recycling symbol often found on the bottom of the product. It is an arbitrarily-assigned number that has no other meaning aside from identifying the specific plastic.

While doing my plastic research, I thought The Healthy ChildHealthy World Organization summarized the safety of the resin codes the best:

PET or PETE (Polyethylene Terephthalate): AVOID
Common Uses: Soda Bottles, Water Bottles, Cooking Oil Bottles
Concerns: Can leach antimony and phthalates.

HDPE (High Density Polyethylene): SAFER
Common Uses: Milk Jugs, Plastic Bags, Yogurt Cups

PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride, aka Vinyl): AVOID
Common Uses: Condiment Bottles, Cling Wrap, Teething Rings, Toys, Shower Curtains
Concerns: Can leach lead and phthalates among other things. Can also off-gas toxic chemicals.

LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene): SAFER
Common Uses: Produce Bags, Food Storage Containers

PP (Polypropylene): SAFER
Common Uses: Bottle Caps, Storage Containers, Dishware

PS (Polystyrene, aka Styrofoam): AVOID
Common Uses: Meat Trays, Foam Food Containers & Cups
Concerns: Can leach carcinogenic styrene and estrogenic alkylphenols 

Other this is a catch-all category which includes:
PC (Polycarbonate): AVOID - can leach Bisphenol-A (BPA). It also includes ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), SAN (Styrene Acrylonitrile), Acrylic, and Polyamide. These plastics can be a safer option because they are typically very durable and resistant to high heat resulting in less leaching. Their drawbacks are that they are not typically recyclable and some need additional safety research. New plant-based, biodegradable plastics like PLA (Polylactic Acid) also fall into the #7 category.

Now go look at what number is on all of your food containers.  What are they? While 2, 4, 5 are the safer, they are sometimes hard to find. For instance when it comes to condiments, I can’t find a ketchup or mayonnaise bottle without a one on the bottom.

If there is NO resin code on your plastic containers, call the manufacture and ask.  Since the resin codes are only for recycling, this would tell me that the manufacture doesn’t care about the environment and recycling the plastic they are creating!!!

To further understand plastic and its numbers, let’s look at the second part of recycling it…what is plastic being recycled into?  That ketchup bottle with a resin code of one isn't turned into another ketchup bottle. It is recycled into polyester fibres, which are a base material for the production of clothing, pillows and carpets.

Here’s a quick summary of what the resin codes tells us the plastic can become:

Polyester fibres, thermoformed sheet, strapping, and soft drink bottles.

Bottles, grocery bags, milk jugs, recycling bins, agricultural pipe, playground equipment, and plastic lumber (like outdoor deck flooring).

Pipe, fencing, shower curtains, lawn chairs and non-food bottles

Plastic bags, 6 pack rings, dispensing bottles, tubing, and various molded laboratory equipment

Auto parts, industrial fibers, food containers, and dishware

Desk accessories, cafeteria trays, plastic utensils, toys, and insulation board and other expanded polystyrene products (e.g., Styrofoam)

Bottles, headlight lenses, and safety shields/glasses, (and may leak bisphenol A in the food & environment).

Whether it is upcycling, buying handmade or reducing plastic use, becoming ethical consumers is something that everyone should look into. Does value or values determine your purchases? Educating yourself about the products you buy & their affect on the environment is vital to our future and the future of our planet. 

Look for our next article to discuss safer options that we, the consumers, have to reduce, reuse and recycle the plastic in our lives. 

The 5 Best Tips We've Ever Been Given, Period.

Here at the Mistle and Toe camp, we love all things eco and upcycled! But how do we share that with others, and be successful in doing so? Well we are still learning as we near our 6 month mark, but here are the best tips we have been given throughout this experience. We hope they come in handy for you too!

1. Tell your story. We love a good story, and as upcyclers we find it critical to helping people understand just what "it" is and why "it" is something unique, creative, and a small piece of world-saving wonder. Telling your story isn't just about relating to people virtually, it's about helping them understand the who, what, where, and most importantly the 'why' behind you and your creations. We know all the big marketers are talking about storytelling as a "tool", but we think it something more like a necessity to the handmade, and especially the upcycling, World.

2. Photos That Shine. We admit, we have not yet mastered this, but boy when we started improving our photos did we see a difference! We were in a LOT more treasuries, and even got more pageviews of our new and improved look. There are some great tips out there for creating reflective surfaces with aluminum foil, and making your own "studio" out of poster board. This is one simple and almost no cost improvement, and if you have multiples of products it will save you a ton of time to photograph them once the right way. So consider your products and if they would do best on their own with the white-on-white combo or if colors and context settings will help, like props or "showroom" style photos.

3. With Love. People buy handmade for a great many reasons, but one of the top reasons is because the items are made with lots of love and care by the artisans themselves. So make sure when it arrives that there is a little Thank You note and it is wrapped in a way that reflects your store. We like to use 100% recycled kraft paper with found pieces of yarn to keep the impact low, reusable, and to reflect what we are all about. Some of our favorite Etsy purchases rose above the rest because of this simple act. Make them feel appreciated and they will return the favor.

4. Stay Positive. These past few years the global economy has seen the best of times and the worst of times, but staying positive and upbeat about the future and the positive difference your creations are making is really important. From Forums to Product Descriptions, there is a large and public community out there that is eager to get to know you, make sure you don't turn them away. Sales may be slow, or they may be skyrocketing, but either way you have one incredibly special thing that most other people don't. Your own little slice of heaven aka your store. Where you make the rules, you make the products, and you create the inspiration for personal decor, fashion and gifts. So keep in mind that you are sharing a piece of yourself, make sure you are putting your best foot forward, every time.

5. There Is No Such Thing As Failure. Just learnings. If something doesn't sell...at all... then you have just learned something. The "what have I learned" can be a little trickier. Is my product not "pretty" enough? Is it overpriced? Is the market saturated with similar items? Are people finding my site? Make sure you start asking questions, before you start getting down on yourself. There is so much to learn throughout this experience, and being open to learning is key in creating a successful shop. We recommend some of the forums that offers shop critiques to see things from an outsider's perspective. So stay positive and stay open!

One extra tip: Sign up for google analytics. You will not be sorry! You can see what search terms are used to find you, what products people visit the most (we know, this is on Etsy too...but wouldn't it be great to know if after you posted something on Facebook and Twitter how many people went and looked at it?), and how many unique visitors your site has every day. It may seem overwhelming at first, but there are plenty of help guides out there to get over this hump and start to really get to know your potential customers!

Best of luck and Happy Upcycling!

Tiff & Sarah at Mistle and Toe

http://www.etsy.com/shop/mistleandtoe

Photo Credit.