I GOT SCAMMED! Online Craft Store Scams "Beware Stolen Product Pics!

[@randywdc1]

Facebook is super quick to label someone's post as "misinformation" or "against community standards" but allow scammers to flourish. So sad. Thank you for educating us.

[@parisattic]

My son is a computer genius. He got the data info from someone who scammed my Mom, from a Facebook ad. He got Google to shut down her web page. I report every fake ad I come across.

[@impressiveprints73]

Yeah that’s nasty

[@LetsGoChaseThatTrain]

I've run up against this countless times. I loathe Fakebook.

[@rsh793]

​@@parisatticmore than FB ever do they don't care

[@rsh793]

​@@parisatticmore than FB ever do they don't care

[@nannybannany]

I was on Etsy like a decade ago shopping for a phone case. I happened to find a seller that was using art from one of my favorite digital artists who is kind of niche and I KNOW doesn't license out his art. I sent him an email with a screenshot of the item. He was really frustrated but grateful I shared. So obnoxious and usually illegal!

[@mirisoji8406]

Definetly illegal! But platforms and social media websites arne't quick to do anything about it because the scammers are paying them in ad revenue.

[@paull4048]

I never buy anything advertised on Facebook or KZbin. Period.

[@mysticmoth1111]

And instagram. I avoid all of those products

[@agirlfrommars3441]

I’ve been influenced in terms of kindle, audible I think that’s it 😂

[@angelagrant9163]

Same😊

[@west_coast_girl]

Yup. My mom was scammed on 2 different Facebook sites. I told her to stop shopping there. One of them sent a cheap piece of cloth (nothing like what she ordered) presumably so they would have proof that they shipped her something. There should be a way to report these companies as fraudulent, if not through Facebook, then just in general to the FTC or whoever.

[@Danagle42]

@@west_coast_girl Reporting a business to the FTC *to their dot gov site is exactly right. *typo

[@Andrea_of_AtLastCrochet]

Scammers are the worst part of the craft world! Thanks for sharing.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

As crafters we are thrifty. We’re the perfect targets.

[@Andrea_of_AtLastCrochet]

@@LittlejohnsYarn Unfortunately 😦. We know the commitment to our crafts and think it's worth while. Where as scammers see the work complete and how they can make a fast dollar. I'm glad we do our best to share how to avoid them. It's the only real protection we have.

[@WhiteBirdMustFly2]

@@Andrea_of_AtLastCrochet Yes, with passing the buck, simple I’m sorry, and maybe a $25.00 gift card after not delivering your complete order, in fact only 1 item arrived, which I was charged for, arrived late, due to Fed X holding for too long. A THIRD PARTY exists as the supplier, and they wanted me to reorder, yet their box was poorly boxed and 1 item was found in the bottom. What happened between the taking of my money, the waste of my time waiting, and an extreme long wait beyond the shipping took too long, and I was stuck with a 6 roll pack of yarn only, where the rest of the yarn was the orders bulk, for a Classroom Project! It left too many without the other yarns. I had to cancel the Class instead of trust the 3rd Party supplier who refused to resend.

[@mmarshall137]

When I am buying something I always think of that old adage, if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. It’s sad that there are just so many scammers out there it makes you afraid to buy anything on line. I notice now with some things on Amazon they will include a warning “ this item is often returned “ . Pretty sad. I’m sorry that this happened to you, and thank you for publicizing it.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

I just noticed that on Amazon too. That’s made me avoid some purchases.

[@flootzavut30daychallenge]

Yeah, I'll often see things on Amazon with very mixed reviews and it's cheaper than if I buy the same thing from a dedicated fibre crafts supplier, but often it's a false economy. Like I saw Clover hooks with reviews with people having the hook break off because the metal is only hooked into the very top of the handle. The genuine Clover hooks I own? The metal goes all the way down to the bottom, you can see it in the little mould holes in the bottom of the handle. I'd have saved money buying them on Amazon, and then would've had to replace broken ones. Bought them on an actual yarn company's website and expect them to last me a lifetime.

[@clairewyndham1971]

I got scammed twice from Etsy. Nothing against Etsy..but 2 different vendors. Both in the USA. Each purchase was less 100.00 each, but 1) I did NOT get my money back and 2) The products were not even as pictured. That was 4 years ago. I have not bought ANYTHING from Etsy again.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

It is so hard nowadays to know who to trust with your money😫

[@suseanneegoulet1033]

Etsy was loaded with fake "handmade" jewelry several years ago. I was trying to determine the value of a genuine piece I had and ran across the same cheap item I bought when I was learning to bid snipe on eBay. (Edit: I was bidding on cheap Chinese made costume jewelry shipping direct from China, and usually it was represented as such in the eBay listings.) As I continued to look, I found more fake pieces, being represented as handmade and real silver not plated. Back when I bought the costume jewelry piece on eBay, it was accurately represented, but on Etsy it was misrepresented. Literally the exact same item, same casting, finishing ect. I used to get some decent pieces of costume jewelry for less than a dollar back then on auctions starting low, sometimes 1 cent or 10 cents. And I learned a lot about how to win auctions that way!

[@ceec165]

Did you report them and leave a review? We all need to do that when it happens so that we protect each other.

[@joeycarter2678]

Etsy started out great but they have descended into a less than desirable site. Now they treat their good vendors terribly, they allow sketchy drop shippers and don’t seem to care when people get scammed anymore. I don’t even look at Etsy anymore.

[@bregowego]

always always always pay with paypal. or at the very least, pay with a card you know your bank will have your back on. anytime you receive an item that isn’t as advertised, you are entitled to filing return request/charge back. the seller voids the seller terms by being deceptive with their sale.

[@shaykayraycrochet]

I got scammed by a couple of AI-generated fake no-sew amigurumi patterns on Etsy. I had even watched Elise's video (Elise Rose Crochet) about how to spot these guys and still I got taken. They refunded one of the patterns but not the other because I had a screen shot to add to my Etsy complaint showing the words "Sew the tail on" when the description of the pattern said "no-sew". It's because I had a picture to post for that one that I was able to lodge the complaint without having to spend time making a pattern that wasn't really "makeable". I learned my lesson, at least for Etsy: never purchase a pattern without reading the reviews first (and make sure the reviews aren't just immediately after purchase but from people who have actually tried making the pattern). Thanks for sharing your experience and calling them out on it.

[@pjscelfo916]

Thank you for the PSA. I'm so sorry you got scammed. I make several searches before I purchase anything because I'm terrified of my credit card info getting stolen.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

Hey pj😊 I wish I was as smart as you the first time around

[@pilarq7886]

Put your shopping money on a American Express BLUEBIRD card

[@kandiceseeber2999]

This happened to me for years and years. I was a glass artist for 20 years and almost since the beginning I’ve had my photos lifted and used to sell knock offs on various websites in Russia, China and the Czech Republic. I tried everything to get it to stop, but sadly there’s very little you can do, even if you have a lawyer. The vast majority were stolen by overseas agents and placed on websites outside the US. That made it hard to even contact the websites to get the listings removed. Authorities either can’t or won’t do anything. Nowadays it is such a huge problem that you have to just inform people and then ignore it. It’s heartbreaking and soul crushing as an artist. Thank you for your video - the more people are aware, the less they can be taken advantage of. PS I am totally buying that gadget from the original designer - it’s genius! I knit and crochet and that would make my experience so much easier!

[@petthequeenofmaddness8592]

ya, as artist we have to mark/tag the physical project and its sad

[@knitty781]

Great video on a pertinent subject. Cannot help but think of Jurassic Park. "You took the ideas of others and you marketed it, stamped your name on it without the discipline or research."

[@deirdreevans5533]

This is why I am SO Leary about who I order things from on Facebook and Instagram. I have a Disability income & can't afford to give away my money like that! I feel so bad for the "Real companies" Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm sorry this happened to you & others.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

We have to be careful where we spend our money.

[@YFus825]

Another tip for Etsy purchases is to look at reviewer photos. If other purchasers have made a pattern or successfully used a product, chances are better that it is legit.

[@ourcreativebeehive]

My daughter was stalked by a woman online because she was scammed. My daughter loves dolls and photography and has mixed the two since she was about nine years old. Someone stole pictures of one of her dolls with her watermark on them to sell an old cheap doll. When the buyer received the doll, all the buyer information was closed. She found my daughter on Instagram and Facebook and started to attack her. My daughter told her she was scammed but not by her. She said it was her that did as the doll was handmade one of a kind. That is when I stepped in. I sent her a link to the exact doll made and sold by Adora doll company. That is when she finally went away. Now she watermarks them and adds...doll not for sale. No issues since then.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

OMG that is a crazy story. I’m glad you were able to protect your daughter.

[@mlisaj1111]

Yikes! Unfortunately, many people don’t get that the person whose images were stolen and used by scammers are NOT the scammers. If you watch the channels that let people know their online bf trapped on an oil rig for 3 years is just a romance scammer, they often don’t get that the person in the pics is NOT the scammer…just the person whose image was stolen. Many Instagram models whose images are used in romance scans have people angrily texting them and thinking they are the actual scammer.

[@abilitycrafting864]

There is a good solution to some of this. If you have something being copied and sold cheaper, contact customs and let them know that X company is selling cheap knockoffs of something you have created. Give them as much information as possible and if you see ads, send them to customs to let them look for X company to be importing them illegally.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

OMG, that never even crosses my mind! You are a genius. Catch them before they even make land.

[@abilitycrafting864]

@@LittlejohnsYarn It's what people who make high end purses and other items keep their integrity and that stuff is seized by customs daily. You may even need to give them a copy of the real thing so they can compare the real thing to the knockoff. We have to start fighting back on this theft of our products and intellect.

[@robinsonfamily222]

@@abilitycrafting864 Wow! I never thought about that. I sure just did a quick search and see how to report it lol Is it called e-Allegations Program through US Customs and Border Protection?

[@kandiceseeber2999]

Sadly, this never worked for me. Over 15 years of having my glass bead images stolen and no authority I ever contacted did a thing.

[@abilitycrafting864]

@@kandiceseeber2999 Forget the images. You want the product they are making money from to be stopped by customs at the border. If enough art people got together to demand this place be stopped then they would ban their sales in the US. No more imports. Quit thinking of law enforcement in your area. You want federal authorities. Also, try your senators and let them know that you and others are being hurt by China. That will give them a place to start.

[@lindawilliams2716]

I also love gadgets. I can feel your dismay and anger. It happened to me the first time I ordered a yarn ball winder. Thankfully I was able to get my money back. And thank you for this alert!

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

I’m so glad you were able to get your money back. These companies are despicable.

[@tigerspite8749]

You can tell the knockoffs just by looking at the company name. If it's misspelled or is just a bunch of unrelated English words jammed together, it's probably shady.

[@islandgal500]

LOL Cewineswing sounds like Swine swing, so unfortunate business name anyway.

[@verge-ster4366]

Don't forget that one scammer on Amazon selling that Red Heart Earth and Sky colorway. I really wanted that color but I saw your review and did not order it. You saved me!!❤ much love to you.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

Hey girl❤️ I’m always happy to help

[@Kemmelskreations]

Great video. I am a small creator running a😢 shop on Etsy who had their work stolen. I actually purchased my stolen product to see if/what i got. It is so frustrating and heartbreaking when this happens. My experience was similar to the one u mentioned. No luck getting it taken down. They even took a review photo and used it in the listing where it has my shop name on the image. No worries for them. People still purchased. And let me tell you i would be ashamed of myself if i shipped out what i got in the mail from that knock off co. It’s the wild west right now and creators like you shining the light is a wonderful thing! Thank you.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

I am so sorry that happened to you. They have no shame about the garbage they sent out to people.

[@helenhanrahan2901]

Thanks for the heads up! It is such a shame to see small businesses get hurt like that.

[@SoulfulStitchery]

I see this frequently on Twitter too. If you check your timeline and see one of those ads with the funky display name and handle, 10 times out of 10 it's a dropshipper selling bogus product. I've even caught them selling crocheted crap before

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

I get so angry when I see Crochet being sold for cheap. 9 times out of 10 is a scam.

[@Chitchat-i4n]

Thanks for the heads up. Glad to see your putting these scammer on your page. Sorry you were scammed. Thanks again 🎉

[@kaw8473]

I'm so glad someone is addressing this. I'm not a seller but I've come across stolen pictures on flower seeds I was trying to buy.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

I’ve seen those too. I’m a plant lover.

[@beckypetersen2680]

Thanks for the video. Many quilt or blanket sites also just steal a picture and print on a fabric. People think they are buying a quilt. We all need to not be gullible and not like videos or posts where they are stealing product pictures and sharing as if they are theirs

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

You’re very welcome. It’s a shame is happening in the craft niche.

[@NavyMommie]

Thank you for an excellent publication service. Always looking out for creators. You are fabulous!

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

Wanda, Thank you so much.😊

[@TheMzTR]

Tks for the 411 on this product provider😊 I saw the scammer's product link but not the good safe link to where u safely purchased the product from,. U only posted the fake one I think🧐🤔🤨

[@rachaelknox3521]

This is so true! My pics from social media has been stolen. Now, everything I release has my logo or name on it. Not even sure if that will stop it from happening again.

[@kandiceseeber2999]

This happened to me for years and years. I was a glass artist for 20 years and almost since the beginning I’ve had my photos lifted and used to sell knock offs on various websites in Russia, China and the Czech Republic. I tried everything to get it to stop, but sadly there’s very little you can do, even if you have a lawyer. The vast majority were stolen by overseas agents and placed on websites outside the US. That made it hard to even contact the websites to get the listings removed. Authorities either can’t or won’t do anything. Nowadays it is such a huge problem that you have to just inform people and then ignore it. It’s heartbreaking and soul crushing as an artist. Thank you for your video - the more people are aware, the less they can be taken advantage of.

[@mightbebatman3659]

Thank you so much for warning us and for sharing the legit way to buy the product!

[@JustDoingChelle]

I've reported FB many times now. The elderly are being targeted as well. Please report these companies and platforms to your senator. This has become a huge issue on FB and Amazon.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

You are so right! This is a huge problem & its taking money from small business too.

[@JustDoingChelle]

@LittlejohnsYarn yes and some of us are paying attention. Thank you for sharing.

[@ButterflyBree]

It's not only handmade and small companies that scammers are using. I was almost scammed by two fake websites for a large artisan jewelry company and a popular shoe company. Thankfully, I was able to get my money refunded and I never received any packages.

[@robinsonfamily222]

My husband makes music and beats. He was telling me that the music industry is having this issue too with websites stealing their music.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

I’m glad you were able to get your money back. These companies are crazy!

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

@robinsonfamily222 wow that’s something I didn’t even know about! Nobody is safe

[@ButterflyBree]

@@LittlejohnsYarn Thank you for sharing your experience. Now I know to order directly from the maker's Etsy shop. I've reported the fake pages on Facebook but new ones pop up.

[@mlisaj1111]

Sites like FB and Etsy have few staff to keep costs low, and so sites are slow to have a human review a complaint or issue. Often, even the “human review” is basically just a chat bot or AI. I tried to post a used pet stroller on FB for sale, and it was denied due to “you can’t sell animals.” I asked for the review by staff….saying “it’s a stroller ONLY, there is NO animal.” The “human” review occurred suspiciously quickly and was only “sorry…you can’t sell animals.” I re-posted without using the word “pet” in my text….and it posted no problem. So the chances of you reaching an actual staff person on these sites is low.

[@TehTeh911]

This reminded me to get back on top of trying to get the color wheel. Looks like they're a bit cheaper now. I remember when they were getting the early ones on Etsy for like $80? And in small batches that were always sold out. So excited to potentially get my hands on one now that they're becoming more regularly available.

[@Kayavod]

Just for the engagement. Spread the word. (I don't even do crafts but I hate scammers)

[@Tasoq]

Thankfully, I haven't been scammed that many times from these fake stores, but I've learned to really look into the businesses and reverse search things to find the original source if I can.

[@breslittleyarncornor5680]

I almost went down that road this past weekend. A king Co website selling as Jo-Ann. The prices were crazy cheap. Because I got scammed a couple of times before for different products. Yep so easy to rip one off.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

Those great prices will have you fooled!!

[@MilacikHoney]

Omg I nearly fall for the same scam

[@arlycesuedel6518]

Thanks for the tips on scammers. Shameful that YT isn't more pro-active with supporting small businesses. I got scammed on FB-a cute pair of shoes for about $50...when they came they were about $5 and like a cheap China shoe. Wearable, but not what was shown. I am donating the shoes to a shelter. Scammers have a reserved place in Hades...IMO!

[@arashi6595]

Im in a quilting subscription club. Recently the company started putting up sponsored ads on FB with adorable quilted animals. The photos were done with AI. I watched as dozens and dozens of people commented they they couldn't wait to get the animal patterns and dozens more who announced they had purchased a subscription based on those ads. The company responded that they were 'working on getting the patterns' out, but until recently when several member caught on, they never admitted it was just AI. Now AI is great to come up with an adorable concept (lots of scam crochet sites use AI photos), but it's very difficult to reverse engineer and great a pattern that works. The company has since put out two patterns based on one o the AI photos. One is a very flat quilted animal, the other is more 3-d, but not nearly the quality of the AI. Very frustrating.

[@dougdoug9223]

AI product photos are just dishonest. Can't trust shops that do that

[@WhiteBirdMustFly2]

It’s like “As Seen On TV”, which confuses you. Con Artistry, playing with words and stealing from people, the truth is, there are too many rules, and no accountability for them.

[@denisemodica9792]

Great information🌺 thanks for taking the time to do this🌺

[@MilacikHoney]

Im cross stitcher. There are so many companies that sell printed cross stitch patterns. All pictures stolen from legit companies as well as Etsy and artists. Its sick how hard it is to shut them down

[@christinerakoz]

Thank you for the heads up!! I've looked so many times thinking what a great deal but haven't jumped yet and am glad I didn't now!

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

You are so welcome!

[@annahill-dombrowski1473]

Thank you for the tips.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

No problem!

[@laranadesign4764]

It's so widespread. I have seen nail art by artists I recognize on advertising for walk-in salons. I watermark my work, but so many people get duped by stolen art. it's not just products. I even saw stolen recipes (photos and all) on a Google search for ad clicks. I took a screenshot and notified the original blog owner who is also on YT.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

No one safe anymore

[@kristydore5921]

Thank you! Money's tight enough without getting scammed

[@doycreations]

Omg that is horrible and I’m so glad that you are bringing awareness to these scammers smh. That seems like an awesome product the real one I mean. Thanks for sharing ❤

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

Hey how are you 🥰 I hope I can prevent somebody else from being scammed.

[@pjlee562]

Thank you for this information! I hadn’t even considered this! Btw, you look so cool in this video! Love that colour!

[@kellicos]

Thanks for this. I have found some great small creators on FB but I have also gotten scammed by FB ads. It makes me wary of them. I am so sad for these artisans that get their work stolen. Thank you so much for the tips on researching these ads. You are doing a great service to artisans with this video!

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

I’m sorry you got scammed. But I’m glad I could help.

[@birdgirl2623]

There's been a big problem with fake crochet and knitting patterns. I'm a newbie and I'm not sure if I know enough to spot all of the AI generated pictures unless it's something completely over-the-top like a life-sized crocheted elephant (and there actually is something like that out there).

[@sour-eyelids]

Don’t forget that you can file claims with your bank to get your money back as well Sucks that this is such a notorious issue

[@jochildress5003]

Very thorough review. You are doing a great service to the crafting community. Thank you.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

Thank you so much!😊

[@jacquilineblackwell-beard2318]

Great information - thanks for sharing!

[@evermateo6166]

😂 oh no! I fell for this on Pinterest! I ordered $65 worth of stuff. I even went back a couple days later and tried to buy- but my bank sent me a fraud alert! I ordered 1 week ago- will give it another 2-3 weeks as it’s coming from China :/ pray for me hopefully I don’t get scammed.

[@anniesauras_rex]

No matter how many times we report to Facebook, Etsy, Instagram, KZbin, etc, they never take our reports seriously and let the scammers run wild

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

It’s a shame Facebook won’t do anything about it

[@PrincessFidelma]

😲 here's me thinking if it's spinning it's going to cause twists. Incredible.

[@Axelsmom22]

Whenever I see an ad on Facebook ,I always Google the product and company. Unfortunately this is after being ripped off first!

[@margaretlorinethompson8195]

Thanks for the update on scams ❤ I HOLLAR ❣️🙏🦀

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

You’re welcome, Margaret😊

[@Zephymonkey]

Thank you for the info! And of course now I realized I need this wheel, never even knew something like this existed!

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

It is so cool! I love a good crafty gadget

[@lindamitchell-fox1926]

Just this week from the Mercari site, instead of receiving a $100+ product weighing approximately 2 pounds…I received a little plastic envelope with……two pieces of cardboard. Amazing. I sent pictures to the selling site and received a refund within days. The thing that I like about Mercari is that the payment isn’t released to the seller until the buyer says “accepts” the item via a button on the website. Now the thing I don’t like is the charges for buying on that site is they pass on the fees to the buyer, not the seller. For that reason I very rarely purchase from that site.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

I’m glad you were able to get a little protection from the fraud. But it’s a shame

[@debraharris2472]

Thank you for this information.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

Any time!🥰

[@ivettepassiglia4971]

Thanks for sharing.😊

[@supkirsten]

This is a great and informative video. Thank you 💙💙💙💙💙💙

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

You are so welcome!

[@cheesegoddess1]

Great video. Sorry you got scammed. Glad you shared your experience.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

No worries! At least I got a good video out of it lol

[@theartofcrochetbychandra3079]

Wow! Thank you!!!

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

You are so welcome!

[@HoniBear68]

I’ve only ordered once from Esty about two yrs ago and it was okay. The item was personalized and came just as ordered. I was lucky. But being scammed was my fear. It’s a shame how deceitful some people and countries are. I’m very sorry it happened to you and very thankful that you didn’t let “them” get away with it.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

There are a lot of good honest sellers on Etsy, but a lot of scammers have jumped on the platform. It ruins it for small businesses.

[@gloriabailey6170]

Thank you gir the heads up

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

You’re welcome Gloria ❤️

[@willowroundtree-ross2167]

Thank You Kindly for taking your Precious Time to put this Alert out… Have a Beautiful day. ♥️💜🌞

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

You are so welcome

[@lynetterene]

Oh no, sorry to hear that sis. This is my first time watching you today. You came up on my feed and I am a true gadget girl too.....mainly for sewing. How did you do a reverse search and thanks for sharing!

[@SusanKay-de7yy]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

My pleasure!!

[@suseanneegoulet1033]

I don't think I've ever bought anything off a Facebook ad. And I try to research any company that's new to me. It helps me to avoid scams.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

You’re a smart cookie. I’m learning.

[@StillSewCrazy]

If I see a really cute pattern on social media, I do a reverse search for the original creator. Usually it's from Etsy and the price is less. I also try and give the designer a heads up so they can work to get the scammer taken down. Watch out for AI patterns as well. I've been burned once on that.

[@BlankParty]

A good way to see if a store is a scam is if their name is a nonsense jumble of letters that makes no sense

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

Great tip🥰

[@PaulaZF]

Things should be getting better. The laws are changing on single shipments from China. They can’t escape tariffs by shipping one thing at a time.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

So true!

[@maryefromky]

as a crocheter too, its so frustrating that they do this! i just today saw a fake AI generated pattern for some amigurumi mice, one was supposed to be holding a pumpkin, another had a birthday cake. they were too perfect, you couldn't see any of the stitches and it was supposed to be felted. but i'm 99% sure it was AI generated. i'm sure they eventually get people that fall for it and end up wasting their money.

[@krazymammaw3040]

Thank u i will be doing my research as well makes u afraid to buy anything on line

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

You’re welcome. Reverse image search is a great way to protect yourself

[@PamPamelasCreations]

Thank you for sharing this.

[@martiestewart8200]

dang hon so very sorry it happens so much it's so sad !!!

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

thank you, Martie❤️I hope i can prevent it from happening to someone else.

[@martiestewart8200]

@@LittlejohnsYarn I totally understand that ! I try to read up on scams I'll lookup the website then look for the reviews ! if there's more bad than not I will not order from the site !

[@erinpavic8146]

I just discovered your channel! Love it! ❤

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

Erin, thank you so much

[@terryo1463]

I ordered something from light in the box and got a stained glass sun when it came in it was a picture of stained glass glued on a plastic sun. LOL. I couldn't believe how bad it was it looked nothing like the pic.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

You got super scammed!!

[@shellyboggs9093]

The purple one works like a dream!!!

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

Purple one was perfect

[@marilyngrayCraftandcrotchet]

Thank you 😊

[@Parlezvouscrochet]

Looking cute in your earrings!!

[@lisab.akarenegadehamster8262]

As a quilter one scam I’ve seen is an ad for a quilt by a well known designer/ quilter for a cheap price. The actual quilt does not exist it’s just a scam to get your money. I have seen these ads on Facebook.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

I’m glad you were able to avoid the scam

[@maegpane47]

It happens even here taking pictures and using them for there own pages. Ive been seeing some of your pictures as well as others too its just a shame nothing is safe

[@fortysomethingbadgirls2173]

I stopped ordering from all social media businesses, Walmart, Amazon, etc.

[@CraftsbyTheeRose]

Hello Little John Yarns, I know you told us on your name but sorry I haven't remembered it yet. I don't like to buy anything off of line online from small companies because of the factor that it could be a knockoff item. Thank you for sharing that there are a lot of knock-off items out there and if you don't be careful you will fall prey to them.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

I’m now also very wary of shopping online. By the way, my name is Alysha, pronounced, like Alicia Keys😉

[@lynetterene]

Just saw how you did reverse search ☺️

[@gsagadin]

thanks for the information.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

☺️you’re welcome

[@lifeisbutadreamsodreamon]

1:40 after buying from aliexpress, you get very careful when buying stuff.. especially when the same sellers are on ebay and pretend to be based in your country... or even folks drop shipping from these scammers and using their 'official' sales pictures. But I have been scammed too. I tend to do a reverse image search nowadays. Kinda helps 😅

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

Reverse image search is your best friend

[@UndercoverYardSale]

I want to buy one of the legit ones but it jumped from 40 to 55 on sale - hopefully it goes back down again soon

[@elyurias7201]

I pass so much time checking if websites are legit than anything else

[@menahomberg]

One of the reasons why I only shop mostly Amazon for yarn and knitting only. They always send me the exact stuff I ordered

[@birdgirl2623]

I order things from Amazon too, but it should be pointed out that not everything being sold on the Amazon site is actually being sold by Amazon. If it lists a different seller, but says "fulfilled by Amazon", it means the seller chose to have Amazon store and mail its merchandise to customers for them. In both of these cases, unless the mail goes astray, you will get SOMETHING. Usually it's what you ordered, but occasionally I've gotten obviously used items when I paid for new. Returns and refunds are fairly easy if you deal directly with Amazon. (They have human customer service people, but the actually number to call them is hard to locate on the site--like they hide it or something. I'm glad you find a good, reliable source for your yarn. You should let your other knitting/crocheting friends know. By the way , not ever seller in the USA is going to be honest, and not every seller from China will rip you off--so approach unfamiliar sellers with caution.

[@robinsonfamily222]

Maybe someone should notify the bbb

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

unfortunately, the BBB doesn't cover foreign businesses. That's what makes it harder.

[@robinsonfamily222]

@@LittlejohnsYarn Oh that makes sense. Sorry about that. I know your channel isn't about politics. But this is something I think all of us can agree on no matter what political affiliation that the Constitution should extend to the internet one day.

[@robinsonfamily222]

@@LittlejohnsYarn Thank you for sharing and the tips

[@jojocaitlin8508]

Another huge problem is most people have zero integrity when it comes to money, whether its the customer or the seller. So many people know these items are stolen and just want to save a few bucks. Ive seen so many posts of artists showing a product and a comment with thousands of likes will say "you can get this on shein". Its horrible.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

So true!!!

[@bluecat2741]

Somehow I cultivate a growing hate for Chinese sellers (sorry for the few honest and good out there). They do everything to hide their identity and bamboozle you with stolen pictures and sometimes sobbing stories and they are simply everywhere. Sometimes it feels like a bug invasion. Doesn't matter where you look for something nice, they are already there. I loved to shop on Etsy, but now it's like scrolling through tons of Chinese crap just to find hopefully a gemstone. 🙄

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

Bug invasion is a great description

[@PamelasCrochetKnitCorner1]

Thank you for this.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

You’re welcome Pam❤️

[@skylaarkdesigns]

This scam is so common it’s not even funny. In doing a random name search, I found my product on a Chinese knockoff website. They didn’t even bother to remove my watermark.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

It’s like they’re not even trying anymore

[@kamikazekumquat4760]

A lot of this also comes from people not wanting to pay what things are worth. People want Walmart prices for items from small businesses when those businesses do not have slave labor to make their stuff cheap. I actually blame Walmart, Amazon, etc. for people having no sense of distinction between mass marketed cheap and small business quality. I also blame the federal government for not only deregulating everything, but letting these scammers get away with this noise. They do not put any pressure on countries that let these scammers pull this crap within their borders. I don't blame whole countries for it, but I do blame their governments.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

That is a great point. Consumer should be more protected.

[@lynetterene]

I was just telling my sister yesterday that I wanted to learn to crochet again

[@beanmachine917]

This year a group of people set up a kiosk in my local mall for the holidays selling those richer flowers from Temu. They’re selling them for like 50$ a bouquet of sweatshop of penny junk bought off temu. How do I know they’re from temu? I’ve watched them pull them out of plastic bags in boxes full of the same flowers, and not a single person at that stand is ever crocheting, and for as many of those flowers as they have every single person in that family would have to be making them. It makes me so sick.

[@nisar8009]

This is why I do a review of each company before I purchase anything. And if you pay with a credit card you can get your money back.

[@LittlejohnsYarn]

You are so smart. Research is key.

[@Buildlifebeautiful]

Thank you for this video! There’s a website that has a knitting g machine I really want but the price seems too good to be true and they seem kinda sketchy .. saying they are a charitable organization.. that seems odd for a shop of Chinese made fiber arts gadgets .. so I haven’t ordered and now I won’t!