We all hate getting cheated.
We are devastated when we pay money we worked hard to save, only to be
cheated out of it by fraud.
And, when the fraud is taking our money for a costume, or other
dance purchase, it hurts ten times worse.
Now, imagine that the item in the photo used for the fraud
was one of your creations. That is the
pain some of my friends feel right now.
Online “Vendors” are using photos of the other people’s costumes, veils,
etc. to try and sell YOU an item the online vendor does not have and will not
have. All they have to do is take your
money, then run to the other end of the internet.
Fraud will happen, sadly.
But, here are some tips on how to tell the good vendors, the REAL
vendors, the REPUATBLE vendors from the fake ones.
Reputable vendors will have:
1.
Actual contact information on their Facebook
page or website.
2.
Links to websites that will work when you click
through.
3.
Links to the sites where they list with eBay or
Etsy, where you can check their reputation.
4.
A solid reputation with your friends or online
forums. They may even have an
established online presence on the internet forums (Bhuz.com,
Bellydanceforums.net), and Facebook groups.
You may even find out that the person behind the business is a friend of
a friend. Which is how I met the lovely Silkdancer, who was kind enough to let
me use her FB page as an example of signs of a REPUTABLE Vendor:
I learned about Silkdancer through friends. I checked her reputation at Etsy. I saw raving recommendations from happy
customers, both there and on Facebook. I
saw my friends happily credit her in their photos where they posed with her
veils. She offered great customer
service when I asked questions, and never, ever rushed me to make a purchase. I ordered a veil and was delighted. And, I should disclose that I met her and she
is even sweeter in person! I am happily
waiting for my second veil from her!
Silkdancer exhibits all of the “good” traits one wants to see in an
online vendor.
Which is why I get angry when I see other “Vendors” use her
photos to “sell” “their” goods.
Now, without getting into specific “Vendors” who prompted
this post, there are some red flags to watch for:
1.
Lots of photos, with few descriptions. If you are really selling something, you tend
to advertise it. You’ll have details
like sizes, shipping costs, and payment methods accepted.
2.
Divergent styles. Costume makers have a definite “style” – if
you are reading this, you can probably tell the difference between tribal and
cabaret, and maybe even the difference between an Abla and a Bella. Someone who makes hand painted veils typically
does not also make bedlah with skirts.
(They might; but, there would be stylistic traits that unify the
pieces.) If it is a dance clearinghouse,
that is one thing – but, if it looks like a contemporary, well made piece, next
to a contemporary, completely different well made piece, something is up.
3.
Cheap prices.
If it seems too good to be true, it IS.
$106 for a fully beaded dress?
Really? With shipping? From some unspecified country to your (oh they
never asked?) country? Warning sign!
4.
Blurred water marks. It probably means they stole the photos.
Now, when “real” Vendors are just starting out, they may not
have all of the “good” signs. Not all reliable
Vendors have all of the good traits; not all of the scary ones have all of the
bad. But, starting with a free site like Facebook and suddenly having hundreds,
if not thousands of photos of costumes at rock bottom prices that can be made
in any size . . .
Watch out, dancer, somebody’s after your money.
