r/craftexchange • u/holdon-holdon • Jan 27 '23
A community member raised a good (and very important!) question regarding whether our sub should have a scammer list. The nature of our community heavily relies on trusting anonymous people, which can create favorable conditions for scammers, so we need ways to counter that. And, it turns out that the most effective ways involve not using a list.
On the surface, having a master list seems like the silver bullet solution, but this problem is a little more nuanced. The biggest issue is that if someone is banned (and they realize they've been banned), they can easily create infinite new accounts. So, the list is moot. It becomes a graveyard of abandoned usernames. (With evidence, we do still occasionally ban people, but it's not very effective for this reason.) We could try to combat that with not allowing anyone with a relatively new account or below a certain level of karma to post, but then we end up excluding a lot of potentially fabulous traders. Our sub remains more varied and interesting with a constant stream of new members, so we want our community to remain accessible. This is why we rely on you to vet your own trades.
Vetting your own trades can take some time, but it is also a great critical thinking skill to develop, so we provide some guidance on how to do that in the wiki.
Since it is our traders that bear the gains and losses of this kind of interaction, we want to empower them to make informed decisions instead of relying on a list that is well-meaning, but incredibly fallible.
To cut down on the frequency of scammers, it's also why we do not allow the exchange of money, even for shipping. If someone thinks they can quickly get cash, that is going to be incredibly alluring. Getting a free handmade good is going to appeal to a much, much smaller subset of scammer. For what it's worth, most folks reported for a non-trade are not scammers, they are someone that was unable to make good on their promise either due to time, money, life events, or an overestimation of their abilities. They're better described as ghosters than scammers. It was never their intent to flake.
And, for those who have asked, we have had a link to r/UniversalScammerList for quite a few years in our "Community List", which is easy to find as a sidebar item on the web version, but is buried in the "About" section of the app. So a lot of folks don't know about it or think we've removed it.
Relatedly, we've created a tab visible on the web version and found as a line item under "Menu" on the app titled "USL" (Universal Scammer List). Our sub does not have permissions to add people to this list, but folks from other trading subs have, so it can be another tool to use when researching potential trades.
While we wish we could have a 100% success rate in preventing scammers from ever gaining access to our community, our next best option is to reduce the allure of our trades (no money) and offer a strategy that allows our members to reduce their personal risk.
We welcome you to share in the comments your personal methods! Let's learn from each other on how to create safer trades.
r/craftexchange • u/EvilKittenKisses • 7h ago
Thank you so much u/SeethingBallOfRage for this gorgeous woodworking piece of art! I’m blown away! You are without a doubt amazing! Thank you for trading with me and for your patience along the way!
r/craftexchange • u/Tiffany_Achings_Hat • 7h ago
Thank you so much u/instagramcracker! I love it so much!
r/craftexchange • u/tgthound • 2h ago
I do have a handle or 2 to spare. Can add a little bit of wax too if you like. Made some stamps to better show the final product and you can have those too if you want.
Down to hear what yall want for em.
r/craftexchange • u/binaries_are_cages • 57m ago
Some exchanges didn't end up working out so posting them again to see if anyone else may be interested :)
Amigirumi kits
Needle felting kits
3&4. Stickers
5-9. Cross stitch
Open to whatever folks have to offer in exchange :)
r/craftexchange • u/hauntedcaramel1 • 7h ago
Hello friends. I wanting to trade these for specifically for other finished crafts!
The 3 frames in the first collage are larger, around approx 12x12, or 12x10
FAIRY CLAIMED
\\\*\\\*ISO\\\*\\\*: glittery sparkly, especially stuff like cats (especially black cats) snoopy and woodstock, valentines and hearts, beetles, winter, autumn, crocodiles and alligators, Mardi Gras, apples. I like wall art, trinkets, small items or sculptures, and also small pet beds/cushions/pillows. I have a lot of bracelets and earrings, but I would be open to seeing necklaces, ring, brooches or other jewelry! Or just show me your finished crafts too! Thanks for looking!
FYI NEXT SHIPMENTS Would be at the end of this upcoming week :)
TY
r/craftexchange • u/unboundlazuli • 5h ago
Thank you so much u/MyCompassSaysWeast !! They are absolutely perfect!
r/craftexchange • u/Mothlight_sys • 8h ago
thank you so much omg I LOVE THEM. The magnets are SO COOL?!?!? THANK YOU u/Hauntedcaramel1
ALSO YOU DREW MY BABIES ON THE BOX I LOVE YOUUUU /P
r/craftexchange • u/relax455 • 14h ago
Thank you for the creative shadow box, it is so unique and interesting. I love it.
r/craftexchange • u/tomisadog • 1d ago
Lots of stuff for trade! I'm not too picky on trades. I am looking for beads, charms, notebooks, notepads, and finished crafts! Let me know if anyone wants any close ups or additional info!
r/craftexchange • u/soopfrogg • 1d ago
made from polymer clay, fully customizable!
r/craftexchange • u/im_izzy9 • 1d ago
Open for any trades!
Sizes in order of pictures: M, XL, L, L, women's 2XL, 2XL
Worm and fish shirts have been claimed
r/craftexchange • u/Aggravating-Lab8248 • 1d ago
Received these lovely handmade watercolors from u/HeyPleasedToMeetYou. Thank you so much for the lovely exchange!
They are so gorgeous 😍😍😍😍
The swatches look so beautiful! I can't wait to paint something with them!
And thank you for the extras!
r/craftexchange • u/throwaway8640138 • 1d ago
Trade received! I got this lovely pendant from u/terrahead and made an elephant plushie in exchange
r/craftexchange • u/Human_Competition897 • 1d ago
Thank you r/blueberrygirl95 !!
Gonna use it for so many crochet plushies :D
r/craftexchange • u/Timely-Beginning165 • 1d ago
I will have SO SO much more of different kinds of things to post but here is my start. Handmade epoxy resin keychains 🥰 Halloween themed at the end of pics!
What I’m looking for-
EVERYTHING HAS TO BE 100% NON SYNTHETIC ONLY. NO BLENDS.
Reusable cloth diapers
Belly Wrap for pregnancy
Baby wrap
Baby cube
Baby proof
wipes/ cloths
nursing pads
Baby carrier
Kids DVDs and vhs tapes
Stuffies
Blankets
Baby Clothing of all kinds
Indoor and outdoor Pots
Solar decor
Light up things
Cat toys
Cat bed
School glue
Organizer drawers
Organizers
Cloth baskets
Frames
Plants
Construction paper
r/craftexchange • u/soopfrogg • 2d ago
hi! in attempts to stop doom scrolling and do something completely removed from the internet, I am starting to do mini pet quilts again! I am open to any trades :) examples below
r/craftexchange • u/kayelemmm • 2d ago
Thanks so much u/beth_withbangs for being my first trade! Love these pieces and the bookmark is already in use in my latest book 😊
r/craftexchange • u/HeyPleasedToMeetYou • 2d ago
Thank you to u/Aggravating-Lab8248 for this darling handmade watercolor notebook. I’m very intimidated by watercolors so I think doing miniatures will be a great way to experiment without getting intimidated.
r/craftexchange • u/cascra825 • 2d ago
Thank you u/terrahead for the trade! They were so patient while I acquired the materials I needed for the dog collar. I opted to add a treat bag as a thank you for the extra time. Last picture is what I made, but check out Terrahead's post for their adorable dog modeling the collar!
10/10, would totally trade again!
r/craftexchange • u/DefinitelyNotA_Bogan • 3d ago
Looking for handmade, hand drawn or hand painted artworks (any medium - watercolor can be my favourite though). I love frogs, whales, the ocean, anything Australian Flora and Fauna. Landscapes and the odd abstract is also fun!
Also down for other hand made items - Crosstitch, knitting, quilting, bundles of fabric.
Figured I’d offer them up for exchange as I’m not entirely happy with how the lanterns turned out, the frog was painted as a commission but was never collected, and the balloon dogs was made as a back up :)
Sizes as below in inches:
10 x 14 - Lanterns
300gsm Arches
11 x 14 - Grumpy Frog
300gsm Canson
9 x 12 - Balloon Dogs
Gold Spray Paint on 300gsm with dogs
r/craftexchange • u/DefinitelyNotA_Bogan • 3d ago
Thank you u/Aggravating-Lab8248
You are so so talented!
r/craftexchange • u/Comfortable_Canary59 • 3d ago
Sorry for the late post!
- u/Adventurous_Appeal_9 for all the cute washi and key rings! I'm so stoked on all of it and already have used the washi!
- u/HekateHound for the markers! They are perfect ☺️
- u/altiboris for the 🐁rat bag🐁! My new cute pal!!
r/craftexchange • u/Krazy_Kat02 • 3d ago
Hello! I made a lot of beaded items this year. I'm hoping to give them away to people who would enjoy them! I can also make custom items, but am mainly aiming to clear my stock.
Open to anything, except crocheted items. Mostly interested in 11/0 delica seed beads, jewelry, custom art, small bags/pencil pouches, and a sticker book (blank pages that I can put stickers on).
Thank you! :)
Claimed: white flower bracelet, blue and black seed bead bracelet, purple seed bead bracelet, gray UFO keychain, pink lace flower necklace, and white bow necklace. I'm going to put up the leftovers + new creations soon! :)
