a little bit of truth

i'm sure you probably know by now that i prefer silliness to seriousness, but sometimes i have to put on my big girl pants and save the laughter for later.

i don't look at my blog as my personal space to air dirty laundry, but i do feel that i have a voice here, albeit small, and there are some things that just need to be shared - like a public service announcement, if you will.  last week my sale and business with a one-word name flash sale site was officially over, and it left me with a bad taste in my mouth - like lemon rind marinated in trickery.  to receive payment for sales, i had to confirm the payment amount, only the amount i had was significantly higher than the amount that site had calculated.

the buyers from the site explain to (potential) sellers that items are sold on their site for 4 days at a discounted rate (set by the seller), and then the site takes 20% of the retail price.  the seller submits retail prices, discount percentages, and sale prices, and then verifies that the site has received the correct information.  sounds simple enough, right?  i thought so, too.  i began to worry about potential problems as soon as the sale went live; my balancing print for example has a retail price of $21, and should have been put on sale for $17.22, only i noticed that the retail price was set at $32 and the sale, or "discounted" price, was set at $27.99.  clearly that's not a sale at all seeing as how it's $6.99 higher than the retail price in my shop.  so i contacted the buyer i'd been working with, but received no response.  not having any control over the site, i just accepted that a mistake had been made, and hoped that the prices on the next set of prints going on sale would reflect those i'd submitted.  much to my dismay, the retail and "sale" prices were incorrect; instead of the retail and sale prices i'd submitted, $16 and $13.60, respectively, the retail price was listed as $26.99 with the "discounted" price was $18.99.

when it came time for them to send payment for the orders i'd received, i wanted to be sure that i was paid my percentage for the items' selling price.  after multiple emails to the site, and multiple vague responses, i was finally told, in a roundabout way, that they will raise prices as they see fit (sellers' prices be damned), and that's why they require sellers to submit and verify their prices BEFORE the sale starts.  this means that in addition to them taking 20% of a seller's retail price (which is understandable and explained beforehand), they will also raise the prices and pocket the difference all without telling the seller.  this, my friends, was absolutely NOT mentioned in the information provided to me, and it most likely wouldn't have been mentioned had i not demanded to know where the extra money was going after they'd raised the prices on every item in the sale.  those thieves pocketed over $100 of extra, free money from my prints, meaning they came out making MORE per print than i did.

i already know how difficult it can be to make a living in the handmade marketplace, thanks to the wal-mart mentality of not wanting to pay an item's true worth, but to think that a supposed "legitimate" site is taking advantage of so many artists and designers by basically stealing from them through underhanded business tactics and not divulging important information makes me livid.  my sale is over, my lesson is learned, but my point with this post is to hopefully let other handmade shop owners know the actual details of doing a sale with that site: it's thievery.

had i been informed of the site's practices in the beginning i would have simply said no thank you and forgotten about it, but not being told until after the fact, and in a roundabout way even then, makes me feel taken advantage of.  i feel that by not being open and up front, that site is running an unethical business, and i don't want for any of the talented artists i know to be exploited.

because many of my readers are handmade business owners, i felt the least i could do was post this as a warning and review of my experience.  while you are the only person who can know what's best for your business, i do urge you to do the math and to really think long and hard before doing a sale with them; decide whether or not you can afford to have anyone - not just this site - potentially profit more from your work than you.  handmade is special, it's unique, and a little piece of you goes into every item you make; don't let yourself of your items be undervalued.  the end.

17 comments:

  1. :( i had a not so good experience with them as well. it's hard to know when to share things like this online, i commend you for your honesty lady! xo

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    1. i went back and forth on whether or not to say anything at the risk of just sounding mad, which wasn't my point - i just want for people to know the facts! i'm sorry to hear you had a bad experience, too. the sad thing is, i've heard good things about other flash sale sites, but thanks to uncovet, i'd be leery about trusting any others.

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  2. Wow man, this really, really sucks. That's totally lame. Good for you for sharing your experience...hopefully it'll help another seller not get effed in the A by assholes. :(

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  3. This is disgusting. Site like this should be helping small time makers like us - not totally taking advantage and ripping you off. I'm glad you shared this online. I'm becoming more and more cynical about sites/people like this who pose under the 'hey lets all be handmade!' then rip people off see - my rant on craft fairs.

    This is just disgusting.

    "like lemon rind marinated in trickery" btw is my new favourite saying.

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  4. Also I hope you keep this up and share it - I feel like places like this need to be called out on it.

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  5. That stinks, that really, really stinks. I'd post or link this to more artist communities!

    7% Solution​

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  6. So sorry to hear about your experience, Danielle. :( I can relate...some people even wonder why they can't have art for free. I would definitely feel devalued with a company like that. Thank you so much for letting us know!

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  7. ugh, that blows. Sorry to hear about that. Some people are just real jerks.

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  8. I hate it when I hear about the big guys ripping the little guys off. It makes me so mad cuz they're already so big, you know? -- you've got enough already! what's your problem?! Anyway, it's hard to know what and how much to share when you encounter things that piss you off, but by sharing, at least your awful experience wasn't entirely for nothing.

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  9. Sorry this happened, toes. =( But I am SO glad that you posted this. You're a brave, awesome lady!

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  10. oh girl that is so so horrible!! I can't believe how unethical they were, esp when it's art you actually made yourself! It's def a great thing you shared and, just for the record, I've been eyeing so much of your beautiful artwork lately. you are SO talented and inspirational!!
    http://dusanabotswana.com/

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  11. That sucks :( but it was very brave of you to share your experience so that maybe some other small business owners don't get screwed over too :( grrr, I'm really cross with how badly you were treated.

    Your prints are super cute, by the way!

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  12. Jeez, thanks for sharing! That is completely ridiculous. Seriously, it boils my blood! I would feel like I was taken advantage of too, but I would be mad because of another point too. If those customers find your Etsy, they could notice the price difference. No bueno. I'm glad you made sales though.

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  13. I think it's GREAT that you posted about this and you should use their name in the article so that people researching them can find this! It is so valuable! it's crazy that uncovet should get away with that while sellers stay quiet, you know? I'll definitely be spreading the word.

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  14. THANK YOU for sharing your bad experience. I'm sorry you had to deal with that scam. The fact that *that* company steals money they make off of scamming artists is deplorable.

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  15. Jerks! I'm sorry you had to deal with that nonsense, and I think it's great that you're sharing your story with everyone. I will definitely be avoiding that site from here on out. Grr!

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  16. Thanks for this; I just got contacted by them a few days ago and a friend recommended that I read this before making a decision. Looks like you're helping to spread the word! Thanks for your help, and all the best.

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I'd love to hear what you think!