Help! Did I totally read this wrong?

[Former_Member]

Yesterday I received a convo from another seller asking about a fabric I have listed. She asked where I got it from, and would I email her pictures of it. Then she asked what was the cost and the shipping (even though it's also on the listing). I answered her questions, then explained there were already pictures on the listing, but sent her a copy of one of them anyway.

A little later I received a convo from a buyer who just registered on Etsy yesterday. She asked me how much the fabric cost and how much shipping would be. I answered her questions. (Keep in mind this fabric has been sitting for months with no sales.) Then she asked me to take pictures of the fabric, with some on the bolt, and email them to her. She also wanted to know where I got the fabric. (Her grammar was atrocious.)

I expressed my concern to the 2nd person, because maybe I'm too skeptical, but it seemed a little too coincidental...and who doesn't know how much something costs when it's right there on the listing, or how much the shipping is...and who asks for additional pictures of fabric and where it came from? Twice in the same day?

She flew off the handle at me, accusing me of being a scammer and that she would never buy from me and would make sure no one else ever did either.

What the heck??? Did I totally mis-read this one? I've never heard of any scams involving something like this, but it just didn't make sense and the little red flags were popping up all over. I probably just blew a sale, but I wasn't very comfortable with the whole situation.

[Former_Member]

It sounds very strange to me, esp. since the 2nd person was someone who just joined Etsy... and the same questions twice? Sounds like a scam to me.

[msformaldehyde]

Sounds weird to me block them

[dstefanTreasures]

I have no idea what was going on, but maybe not getting the sale was for the best. It's always good to trust your instincts. Good luck with the next one.

[Former_Member]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought it was odd.

[Former_Member]

I think you did the right thing - why ask questions like that when the information is already available and twice in one day? Very strange.

[RedRiverAntiques]

Been there, done that, next they'll want your email address, then your phone number... it's a scam!

[Femailler]

You're probably right in that it was something fishy going on, however I wouldn't ever express those concerns until they actually cross the line, at which point you can very politely point to Etsy's Terms of Use, or to your own Policies, and explain that you won't contradict those.

One out of every 10 fishy situations might actually be real, and I think it's worth taking the extra effort to be nice in all situations. Plus it's good practice in answering redundant questions in a polite manner, 'cause believe me, having worked retail at a mall, you get asked lots of 'stupid' legit redundant questions by real buyers.

Just food for thought for the future. :) I wouldn't stress too much about this one situation..

[Former_Member]

BillfromRedRiverAntiques says

Been there, done that, next they'll want your email address, then your phone number... it's a scam!
___________________________

Ahhhh, makes a little more sense now.

And Deborah, you're right about being a little more polite. I was polite, but I did jump the gun...mainly because I was tired and cranky at the time, and there was no way I was getting up and taking pictures of fabric for her at 9pm.

And after what Bill said, I'm glad I did cut it off.

[Former_Member]

My gut is telling ME that you did the right thing. Shake it off and move on. Easier said than done, I know, but there are some crazies out there and it's best to keep yourself as safe as possible.

[ChristianaOdum]

Yeah, sounds fishy to me too. Did you actually tell them where you bought the fabric? It could've been someone trying to copycat your shop.

[Former_Member]

It could've been someone trying to copycat your shop.

Yes! Reminds me of a similar situation that occured when I used to sell children's designs on eBay...there was a buyer from Asia who was prying for information from a bunch of different sellers, and eventually one of the Custom Boutique Childrenswear members found the woman's website. The copy in the website was written in Korean so one of the moms had it translated. This woman was taking wholesale orders from store buyers, based on photos lifted from eBay. She had copy/pasted pictures of seller's kids modelling the original designs their moms had made!

Got to go with your gut on this one....

[Former_Member]

That's what I thought too Christina. Sounds like someone is trying to get a good supply source to me without having to do the legwork

[SwanboroughPrints]

Always trust your natural instinct.....this did not sound right at all.

It's always a difficult one to call...when your just not sure what's going on, but I think you played it right this time.

Don't worry about it ...they sounded sneaky.

All the best
Minnie

[Former_Member]

That sounds very sketchy to me too, I think you did the right thing and would rather lose the sale than many other things that could have happened if it is a scam. There's a lot of crazy people out there!