a really troubling experience...

[#1]

a girl contacted me a few days ago and asked me if i would like to trade a item for a review on her blog... im usually skeptical about this but once i reviewed her blog i thought it might be a good fit. i asked her if there was any specific item she was thinking about and she came back and said she liked the purple kids hat on my store. but that she wanted to know if i could make it blue and green since that was her daughters favorite color and she wanted to give it to her for christmas. Slightly annoyed i told her sorry no i dont have blue or green yarn but if she wanted to pay for materials and shipping id gladly make her one. i said, 50% off my listed item price, so $8 and ill make you your custom hat. She answered and said... well i dont have any money but i saw you have a man modeling a brown scarf, can you make the hat brown? my daughters coat is tan so that would work too....

I havent answered her yet-im not really sure what to say. I dont like the idea that im giving my products away for free anyway in exchange for something that may or may not benefit me but i understand sometimes you have to do it. But do you have to make it so obvious your just trying to get free things?

[Former_Member]

I wouldn't do it in such a case. Sorry, it would just not be worth all the time, materials and effort. You already were nice enough and made her a reasonable offer to her (demanding) request. Wnen I was newer on Etsy, and under my other shop, I gave away two very time consuming works - a small painting and a set of polymer clay earrings, under my other shop, to a girl who runs a blog, and got no noticeable increase in sales, exposure, etc. Not even a comment on the blog, so it made me wonder if anyone read it, or anyone cared.
I doubt it's worth your resources, especially when it sounds like too demanding without reasonable intentions.

[gewgaws]

Run away!

[JaneStaufferPaperCo]

I totally agree with Shayna.
Leave no room for a bad rap from her.
A polite backing out is the way to go....

Posting this also was a, "heads up," to some of us too. So, Thank you.

[Former_Member]

OOH Honey!

Just walk the other way!!! You don't need that!!!

[Former_Member]

I think we are talking with the same person... she contacted me asking to make for free a little pink bear...

[BeljaysFelt]

I was contacted a couple of months ago by someone with the same kind of request. At the time it didn't suit my needs so I declined. Sounds like I made the right decision.

[Former_Member]

Valery, there are unfortunately a lot of these bloggers out there. One week I got, like, 3 requests from 3 different people! Again, I always politely decline, and offer to let them use my photos, links, descriptions, etc. on their blog instead. But no free products. My buying customers have first picks from my inventory.

[WildWildernessPhotos]

Should I be worried about a young woman who wanted to enter my item in a giveaway on her blog? I have never agreed to a giveaway, but I thought one couldn't hurt?

[Sweetheartistic]

I think if she is going to be that picky she could possibly give you a bad review. It's not worth it to create something with your valuable time for someone who isn't going to appreciate it. If you want to do a donation do it for a person that you do regularly follow their blog and genuinely like them.

[DeerGirlDesigns]

I wouldn't do this. Knitting takes a lot of work and time and for her to ask you to make something completely new and custom for a barter is ridiculous! Can't spend $8 (a very generous offer on your part) for a Christmas present? Ridiculous. Red flags all over the place.

[Sweetheartistic]

I agree with Davkadeegirl

Just tell her that's not how you do business and then don't reply to her anymore.

[Former_Member]

If she has so little understanding about what things cost and the way to do business, what makes you think she can be trusted to write a review of your work? Just saying ...

I blog, and I am currently doing a little series featuring Etsy sellers. I do it to be helpful, and you know, it's a good deal for my blog too, since it gives me something interesting to write about. Also, what goes around, comes around. I help a bunch of sellers this week with free advertising, next week someone may help me. But I would never ask for freebies for putting a review up. I know some do, but mine isn't that kind of blog.

[DeerGirlDesigns]

Right, what Judy said. It is one thing if you had sought her out and offered to barter something for the review, but she is soliciting you for free stuff. As Judy demonstrated, a lot of us in the craft world consider it somewhat of a family and like to help because it is fun and interesting and it feels good to help out.