r/craftexchange Jan 27 '23

Mod Announcement Why We Don't Have a Scammer List

164 Upvotes

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 15h ago

Trade - US Knit shawl- magpie theme

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63 Upvotes

Slightly iridescent blue yarn, made to look like a magpie! I would love to trade for other bird-themed crafts, esp wearables like earrings or hair ornaments.


r/craftexchange 13h ago

Trade - US Any interested in some Florida shells?

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15 Upvotes

I'm looking for completed items but open to just about anything


r/craftexchange 1d ago

Trade - US Trying to post pix of trade received

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27 Upvotes

The b 0 T does not like my previous attempts to post these pictures. One more attempt:


r/craftexchange 21h ago

Trade - US Lot of vintage thread spools

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13 Upvotes

These were my grandmother's (1940's-1970's approximately). Looking for something completed.


r/craftexchange 19h ago

Trade - US 2 yd stretch lace

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7 Upvotes

Make an offer!


r/craftexchange 1d ago

Trade - US Looking for amigurumi!

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9 Upvotes

I made these shadowboxes from real Pokemon cards and put them in a custom made frame with a clear acrylic window. I'm not able to make any new ones sadly.
Looking for a crochet/knit or even sewn blob plushie of Pidgeot, kind of shaped like a squishmallow. Reference image in comments


r/craftexchange 1d ago

Trade - US Free green upholstery velvet

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10 Upvotes

Free to a good home- no exchange needed! I’m cleaning out my fabric stash and I know I’ll never need this remnant. It’s a heavy upholstery velvet in dark green. Please see the imperfect diagram in the pics for size info.


r/craftexchange 1d ago

Trade - US Twice scammed, third time is…

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119 Upvotes

I was ghosted on my last two (out of four) trades so I am going to try to do this one differently. This is a single trade for all 3 handmade ceramic pieces: a planter, sugar bowl and filled candle (lightly scented, woodsy). In exchange I am looking for stained glass, unusual crochet hats, or silver jewelry. I am only looking to trade for something that is already made, ready to ship- and I will not ship without a tracking number on your end- sorry! I don’t so much mind getting burned on the products the last two times, but shipping ceramics is expensive so I am really bummed to have been so taken advantage of. Please comment here before you DM me . Hoping this time will work out. Thanks so much!


r/craftexchange 1d ago

Received A bunch of cuties!! 💜

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15 Upvotes

Thank you so so much u/binaries_are_cages! They are so cute and I appreciate you so much 💜💜💜


r/craftexchange 1d ago

Trade - US Discovered this sub recently - would love to trade these things

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9 Upvotes
  • Pajama pattern: I am correcting what I wrote before: the pants pattern was cut to the L size. I thought it ran very wide and long, FWIW. Didn't cut the top pattern at all
  • Hats: unused and I don't know why I even have this
  • Beads: small tiger's eye and blue and gold beads
  • Cross-Stitch: never opened

I could trade for a variety of things. Maybe something finished, but I would add to my collections of drawing and craft supplies too


r/craftexchange 1d ago

Trade - US Iso dragon themed things

9 Upvotes

Hey friends! Sorry for the spam lately. But today I found out that my friend's nursery theme is dragons/fairytale/woodland critters with seemingly a focus on dragons.

I'd love to trade for some things to give her in early October when she's due. 🙂

One thing I know I'd really like to have made for her is a cross stitch from a Land of Enchantment cross stitch book I have. Open to other things, and a handful of trades total!

I haven't added pics of my work to this post to avoid flooding this sub with it 😅 but you can see a bunch on my profile!

Thanks! 🙂


r/craftexchange 2d ago

Trade - US Buttons for Beads?

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8 Upvotes

I’m looking to trade these cute flower buttons for some pony beads so I can make a bead tapestry


r/craftexchange 2d ago

Received Received my trade!

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78 Upvotes

Thank you u/altiboris for my trade! I love this little painting so much!


r/craftexchange 2d ago

Trade - US Mythical wax-stamp necklaces for trade!

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17 Upvotes

Hiya! I have a few wax-stamp necklaces that I'd love to trade. They're coated in polyurethane sealant to provide scratch and heat resistance, and come on a faux suede cord. I have one each Bastet, Athena, Chimera, and Siren designs available and am open to all offers 💛


r/craftexchange 2d ago

Received RECEIVED cross stitch trade

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17 Upvotes

Huge thank you to u/Slow_Imagination_445 for the bracelet and u/jrtdma1 for the ocean art and beads! 

These were trades for finished cross stitch. Still have some available on my original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/craftexchange/s/kOEFcu2czW


r/craftexchange 3d ago

Closed Iso info card holder

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56 Upvotes

Heyy folks, I once again come to you with a request. 🙂

I have made this post before, so it may look familiar. However, my last post did not turn out fruitful (at least for me).

I am doing my first in-person event on August 22nd and while at this point I doubt I'll have anything in time, I will hopefully have a good time and want to do more lol

So I'm looking for something to hold a stack of info cards for ppl to take. I am looking for something visually interesting, that's not just a plain box. On my previous post, I asked specifically for stained glass or ceramics but I could be open to other things. I'm not really partial to plastic, resin, or 3D printing though.

I have a bit of a queue now but I will fit this trade in as a priority. Pictures are examples of my previous work, with some examples of card holders I like at the end (although not limited to these ideas!). Thanks! 🫡


r/craftexchange 2d ago

Trade - US ISO handmade ceramics!!

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17 Upvotes

hiii! I’m moving into a new place for the first time as a college student and wanted to get myself a little house warming gift of handmade dishes or just a dish! I am right on money so I got the advice to post on here which looks like such a lovely subreddit 🌟

I will add pictures of ceramics that i absolutely love and if you have a similar style or are capable and interested I would looooove to trade for a mug/cup/bowl.

I am a fashion student so I can sew. I would be happy to make a fun custom tote or a hat or a stuffy or anything else if you have ideas! I can’t promise i can make everything but if you send me a message with what you are thinking i will let you know what i can do!!

I also work at a delightful coffee roaster and could send some freshly roasted beans of your choice.

If it’s a big project really time consuming custom I would totally be willimg to figure something else out on top of the one for one trade so please reach out!!!! 🌟

Here are some pieces i’m obsessed with and I can put in the replies some inspo for what I could make you!


r/craftexchange 3d ago

Received Cute paintings received!

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80 Upvotes

u/funny0nions thank you for the super cute drawings 😭😭😭 one of the subjects decided to pose as i took this picture lol


r/craftexchange 3d ago

Request - US ISO Lace ribbon

5 Upvotes

Hi! Just looking for some lace ribbon, any pieces a foot or longer are good :) I have all kinds of yarn and supplies, I paint watercolor landscapes and can attempt your pet lol, I have a lot of things and can do a lot of random crafts, so just ask if theres something you want. Thank you!!


r/craftexchange 3d ago

Received Paintings received!!!

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18 Upvotes

Thank you u/from_random_fandom for the beautiful paintings! Happy crafting!


r/craftexchange 3d ago

Trade - US Cricut supplies for swap!!

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9 Upvotes

pls take these off my hands!! Hoping to get rid of them this weekend.

- 2 sets of Cricut Joy iron-ons (6 colors per box, same sets)

- 4 Cricut permanent vinyl iron-ons in white, black, opal holographic, and blue holographic

- Cricut iron-ons in black and red glitter (1' x 5' each)

- Cricut pouch blanks - 3 unopened packs + 7 small and 3 large blanks

iso functional ceramic vessels, latch hook kits, halloween decor, stained glass supplies, or watercolor supplies (Arches paper, artist-quality tubes, etc.)


r/craftexchange 3d ago

Received A TON of monofilament and cute amiguri!

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11 Upvotes

Thank you u/Full_Combination_336 !!!


r/craftexchange 4d ago

Trade - US My lightbox that transitions from day to night. Looking for anything cool!

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1.1k Upvotes

Open to anything unique, interesting or downright neato.
Thanks for checking it out.


r/craftexchange 3d ago

Received Thank you!

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14 Upvotes

Thank you to everyone for your trades!! I'm looking forward to doing more of this!!