not sure if this is the right place to put this, but i will unfortunately be taking my leave from buying art on this app! ive been scammed one too many times and the only thing I can do at this point is stop buying here. I will probably seek adopts from this website, but that's it (since those are harder to scam with). Anywho, I've met some awesome artists and I'll definitely miss them

Hi, sorry to ask, I don't mean to be intrusive, but how were you scammed? Did you buy something and it wasn't delivered?

Yeah! Unfortunately this happened a handful of times. The whole paying before any art is delivered is hard to trust on the website anymore, especially with artists that you're new to commissioning (which I understand is what the reviews are for!) but anywho... since most if not all artists require pay immediately after winning the bid... I've paid and never received either art or anything past a sketch, past the "will be done in so and so much time" dates as well

You're explaining to me why sales here are decreasing. I've been wondering about this this month. It's a shame, for example, I've been working full-time with art for a year. It has really helped me a lot, but this month, it's a shame, sales have decreased a lot. You explained why with this comment! Artists like me who truly work hard are paying the price because of the fraudsters."

It's so horrible that others take complete advantage of customers, which then not only hurts the customer but also hurts other artists. It's definitely a chain of events all together

Yes, very sad and disappointing, but your comment helped me. I will offer my clients at least a sketch before payment; I believe it helps build trust in my work. Thank you!!!

I would also mention maybe a scribble over the sketch, just to make sure the client doesnt scam YOU, if that makes sense

Yes, absolutely! A preliminary sketch, something that builds trust for both parties.

Definitely!!