I Said No to a $150 Order for My Crochet Work, My Handmade Shop Taught Me That Craft Is About Love and Respect, Not Just Money

Many people turn a beloved hobby into a small craft business built on love and respect. When a maker spends hours creating handmade crochet pieces, each order carries real happiness and deep personal value. Trust becomes essential, as sellers must balance customer concerns with protecting their time, materials, passion and livelihood for everyone.

Letter for Bright Side:

Hello Bright Side,

Okay I really need to vent because I’m spiraling rn. So I have a small online shop. It started as a hobby like 5 years ago and turned into my full time craft business. I sell my handmade crochet baskets, blankets, all that. It’s literally my baby.

I put 20+ hours into the big ones, I do it all with so much love and it brings me so much happiness when people actually like them. I’ve always tried to be super loyal to my customers. I write thank you notes, answer DMs at midnight, add little freebies, and I treat everyone with respect because I know how scary online shopping can be.

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So last week this lady messages me about my $150 storage basket. She goes, “I want it but I’ll pay AFTER I get it, I don’t trust online stores.” I’m sorry but lol what?

I was nice about it, I swear. I said I can’t do that, it’s against policy. I even said if she doesn’t trust online stores in general she could maybe find something similar at a local charity shop. I wasn’t being sarcastic, I actually donate my older stuff to a charity shop near me.

She left me on read. I thought we were done. NOPE. Yesterday I got this super long email about how I’m rude, unprofessional, how I have no respect for customers. I felt so betrayed.

Invisible

And then a friend sends me a screenshot — she posted my shop name in a local Facebook group like “AVOID this shop, not trustworthy!!!” And everyone in the comments is like, “Yeah most online shops are not trustworthy,” “You’re so smart not to pay first.”

And my sales have literally been ZERO for 2 days straight. I usually get like 3-4 orders a week. I know my crochet work isn’t perfect but it’s handmade with love, you know? I put my heart into this craft. It’s not just a hobby anymore, it’s how I pay rent.

Invisible

I can’t just ship a $150 basket and pray she pays me later. That’s my yarn money for a month. I honestly feel so disrespected because I bend over backwards for people. I even told her she could check another charity shop if she wanted to see things in person first before buying online. I was trying to help.

I don’t think I did anything wrong but now I’m second guessing everything. Should I reply to her post and defend myself? Do I just ignore it? How do you guys deal with customers who don’t trust you?

Thanks,
Kira

Invisible

Thank you so much for sharing your story and being so open about what happened with your shop, it really means a lot.

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• Please avoid getting into arguments in the comments — I know your fingers are itching to reply and defend yourself in that Facebook group. Don’t. I did that once and it turned into a 200-comment dumpster fire.
  Anything you say will look defensive. Screenshot it, save the email, and leave it alone. Most people who post that stuff want a fight. Don’t give her one.
• It’s probably not as deep as you think — I know zero sales for 2 days feels like your shop is closed forever, but breathe. That post is in one local group. Your customers aren’t all in there.
  Sales are just weird sometimes. Instead of refreshing Shopify 50 times a day, use this time to post a really good “how I make my baskets” posts. Turn anxiety into content.
• Protect your peace — You said this shop is your baby and you do it with so much love. That’s why this hurts so much. So you need a boundary for after-hours. No more checking complaint emails after 7pm. I mean it.
  You pour your happiness into every stitch and then let one random lady drain it all in one post? Nah. Work hours are work hours.

In the end, every handmade creation built with love is a reminder that true respect between makers and buyers creates lasting happiness. These small moments of trust turn a simple craft and hobby into something that brings genuine joy to everyone involved.

Have you ever had a customer ask you to bend your shop policies because they didn’t trust online shopping, and how did you respond?

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