I Thought I was Too Savvy To Get Scammed

I pride myself on being pretty savvy. Hey, I grew up in New York City, went to college at 16 and have traveled the world. I thought I could see through all the ruses but here I am, shamefacedly confessing to the fact that I got scammed. I’m telling this story in hopes it will save some of my fellow small business owners from falling prey.

I got an email from a gentleman from Singapore who asked if my business took Credit Cards. There were three specific products he wanted produced in bulk. The order totaled over 100 pieces. It all sounded legit; particularly because of the specificity of his order. However, I called Square, who processes my Credit Card transactions and asked about any precautions I should take before putting this order through. I was told to just make sure my account was Credited with the funds and as long as they notified me that the funds were in my account, there should not be any problem. Sadly, that was not the case.

I worked for two weeks to fill the order. I had already been paid upfront. Still, there was a nagging anxiety about the transaction.

Now at ArtsWestchester

We are excited to announce the opening of the new SHOP at ArtsWestchester in White Plains!  Curated by Elena Rosenberg of Elena Rosenberg Wearable Fiber Art, the SHOP at ArtsWestchester carries handmade art and crafts by New York area artists and makers, including many from the Hudson Valley Etsy Team. 

An extension of the beautiful gallery space at 31 Mamaroneck Ave, White Plains, the shop and gallery are open Tuesday - Saturday, 12-5pm.

There will be trunk shows/demos in connection with the SHOP at ArtsWestchester on the following dates:

Cindy of Cynla on 4/18 12pm - 4pm
Sue Digilio of Digilio Designs on 4/25 12 pm - 4pm
Elena Rosenberg on 5/2 12pm - 4pm

Click after the jump to see more images of this beautiful new space!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

May love and laughter light your days, and warm your heart and home.

Card design by The Illustrated Rat

Spring Green Is Here

Not to get too ahead of ourselves with the warmer temperatures we've been having in Hudson Valley but we are antsy to see some GREEN! Click the below image to check out one of our latest team Etsy treasuries curated by Hester from Hester Studio.

Decluttering and destashing with Yerdle

I've been meaning to mention this app called Yerdle (they have a website, but you need the mobile app to actually post and buy). 

I've been using it since the summer of 2014 and it's been such an awesome way to get rid of stuff in my house and my studio - including fabric, ribbon, product I tried but didn't sell. I've also gotten rid of a lot of weird things like used make up, a bra and lots of kid toys. In return I was given credits and was able to use those credits to "win" a lot of awesome things like shoes for my daughter, a duvet cover, and a Patagonia fleece.

The app doesn't use money in transactions unless you need to buy extra credits to make a purchase (they call it "winning" an item). Otherwise you give away your own items, get credits, and then use credits to win new items. When you sign up you get 250 credits to start. The way they convert credits to dollars on the site is a little weird so just be careful of that (10 credits = $1). They convert it to dollars to help people recognize the value of things, but it's a little misleading sometimes. 

Shipping is paid by the person who wins an item  (flat fees of $4, $5, $6). As a the person giving away an item, when someone wins something from you it's your job to print the label generated by Yerdle and drop it off at UPS.

Want to sign up and try it out? 

Just got to the website for a link to the app, or from your phone click on this link: yerdle.com/i/ryan-green-135798

Ryan - WickedMint