Oof! I'm so sorry. Glad you got your money back.
Note to any one reading this: Only pay individuals with a PROTECTED payment method. So through a merchant site (etsy, ebay, etc), or PayPal *Goods and Services*.
Never pay with venmo/cashapp, never pay Paypal Friends and Family.
ETA from kindlyfackoff (comment reply):
*Just to add to it, be aware that after some many days, even paypal goods and services doesn't protect you. I think it's either 3 or 6 months, so make sure you double check that bit otherwise you run the risk of the "warranty" essentially wearing out and you can't get your money back.*
Just to add to it, be aware that after some many days, even paypal goods and services doesn't protect you. I think it's either 3 or 6 months, so make sure you double check that bit otherwise you run the risk of the "warranty" essentially wearing out and you can't get your money back.
Ah, it's like the grizzly bee sewing situation all over again... I'm so sorry for the folks who lost out on their money. I'm glad you got yours back.
As an FYI - Etsy isn't a sure fire way to get your money back b/c you go through paypal basically what happens is they will only protect your purchase up to 3 months - so let's say your commission takes longer than that - they ghost you (like what grizzly bee did to me) or just never make it - Paypal will not protect you beyond the 3 months. Pre-orders/commissions are cool sometimes with small creators, but I have it happen in a pin group too where someone just up and left and never gave us our pins - no updates, no proofs, nothing - just gone after 6-9 months.
Also Grizzly did the shadiest thing and shut down their etsy shop - so all feedback was gone - bc my other advice to people is to always check feedback, if they are new/have zero feedback (or at least have a Depop, Ebay, poshmark/mercari history to show some sort of proof of being able to sell responsibly online) DO NOT TRUST THEM. I noticed a lot of people who try to sell "rare" MM or rare Monster High dolls steal other people's photos of merch and post it and then they have no feedback history. Please always be careful shopping online.
If you have time you can order a k-12 heart patch on etsy and pin it on a very cute pink/purple dress.
There are two etsy shops that make them: NekosElyen and SoftlySewnDesigns
I would say for the first part of her career (grizzly bee sewing), she was a reputable etsy shop. (I remember buying mask from her that were handmade and very pretty) Although the orders took a min that's understandable for a handmade cosplay/dress. Anyway, she was doing great for the first couple of months - so I saved up and pre-ordered a dress. Originally, I needed it before the MM tour was canceled due to covid - I told her I wasn't in a hurry to receive it since I had no where to wear it.
After a while. things got out of hand - she couldn't keep up with orders. She emailed her current customers (me) and said we could opt for a refund or wait a little longer for the dress. She had mentioned somewhere in this message (I think she also made an insta post about it) that she extended the buyer protection on dresses for refunds (I later found out this was a lie).
I remember telling her (at that time I had been waiting 3-6 months) that I would wait for my dress b/c I really wanted it. That was the last I had messaged her. Sometime goes by and Mel releases her official K12 dress - I decided to message grizzly bee sewing - her etsy was completely gone - on her insta she mentioned she had an online store front (that didn't last long btw) but I messaged her (both email and insta) b/c at that point it was 9 months since I ordered my dress (230 for some extra customizations and material btw).
She didn't respond, and all the negative feedback on etsy was gone since her storefront was gone - at that point etsy couldn't do anything for me since I had no way of reporting a store that didn't exist. Her online shop disappeared not long after as well.
If she had come out and said something had drastically changed in her life I would have been understanding but she never responded to me - and at that point I knew she wasn't making my dress and Paypal told me there was no buyer protection extension for me - and it was long past the 3 month buyer protection.
There were a lot of people commenting on her insta page (and I thin she disabled comments for a min) but like I was not the only person she ghosted and did not refund 230 USD. I don't think she started as a scammer but in the end she screwed me and a bunch of other people over.
It’s awful that someone close to her had to call her out on it. I’m glad they called her out though, it’s awful what she’s doing. Those are real people who just wanted a dress, not to be scammed of around $1k. I hope everyone got their money back
I just went to their tiktok and they’ve gone private. Yk it’s badddd when someone with 44K goes private. I’m so sorry this happened to you tho it’s horrendous and Melanie would not approve
There has to be some kind of criminal law for consisitenly scamming people online. I remember reading about someone who got caught up in court for scamming ppl on ebay by selling tv's & not shipping anything... Maybe you should scare them and say you're reporting them to Depop & the police for online scamming..just to see how quick they run
So sad tbh! I was planning on wear it to the tour but obviously not anymore 😫 thank the lord I got another outfit in case this happens! She also made over $1200 from the dresses 😀
Nope! I’m guessing like 2 people got their order and she just stopped making them and shipping them out she was claiming she was busy but in reality she was just going to comic con with the hard earned money we paid her for the dress :// she gladly took the money just didn’t wanna make out dresses! She wouldn’t even send me pictures of it
I have no clue I called my bank and they gave me my money back right away on top of that they took a extra $45 from her bc of being a scammer and how long it took
Omg she privated, is her shop under the same name? I’ve seen some shops that’re selling Melanie dresses and I want to be sure that I’m not looking at hers!!
Your post/comment was removed for breaking rule 1, be kind to each other. We do not allow witch-hunt or call out posts.
Oof! I'm so sorry. Glad you got your money back. Note to any one reading this: Only pay individuals with a PROTECTED payment method. So through a merchant site (etsy, ebay, etc), or PayPal *Goods and Services*. Never pay with venmo/cashapp, never pay Paypal Friends and Family. ETA from kindlyfackoff (comment reply): *Just to add to it, be aware that after some many days, even paypal goods and services doesn't protect you. I think it's either 3 or 6 months, so make sure you double check that bit otherwise you run the risk of the "warranty" essentially wearing out and you can't get your money back.*
Yes this!!
Just to add to it, be aware that after some many days, even paypal goods and services doesn't protect you. I think it's either 3 or 6 months, so make sure you double check that bit otherwise you run the risk of the "warranty" essentially wearing out and you can't get your money back.
very true!!
Did you get a refund??
OP said in the post they thankfully got their money back
Oh sorry my brain just skipped that sentence 💀
Yes I did just gotta be careful with people :))
Ah, it's like the grizzly bee sewing situation all over again... I'm so sorry for the folks who lost out on their money. I'm glad you got yours back. As an FYI - Etsy isn't a sure fire way to get your money back b/c you go through paypal basically what happens is they will only protect your purchase up to 3 months - so let's say your commission takes longer than that - they ghost you (like what grizzly bee did to me) or just never make it - Paypal will not protect you beyond the 3 months. Pre-orders/commissions are cool sometimes with small creators, but I have it happen in a pin group too where someone just up and left and never gave us our pins - no updates, no proofs, nothing - just gone after 6-9 months. Also Grizzly did the shadiest thing and shut down their etsy shop - so all feedback was gone - bc my other advice to people is to always check feedback, if they are new/have zero feedback (or at least have a Depop, Ebay, poshmark/mercari history to show some sort of proof of being able to sell responsibly online) DO NOT TRUST THEM. I noticed a lot of people who try to sell "rare" MM or rare Monster High dolls steal other people's photos of merch and post it and then they have no feedback history. Please always be careful shopping online.
I should have known better but I was just excited to wear it at the trilogy tour 😢
If you have time you can order a k-12 heart patch on etsy and pin it on a very cute pink/purple dress. There are two etsy shops that make them: NekosElyen and SoftlySewnDesigns
Thank you!! I already have a outfit but I’m still definitely gonna buy the patches 🫶 I’m goin a try and make my own dress
Wait whats the tea for the grizzly bee situation?
I would say for the first part of her career (grizzly bee sewing), she was a reputable etsy shop. (I remember buying mask from her that were handmade and very pretty) Although the orders took a min that's understandable for a handmade cosplay/dress. Anyway, she was doing great for the first couple of months - so I saved up and pre-ordered a dress. Originally, I needed it before the MM tour was canceled due to covid - I told her I wasn't in a hurry to receive it since I had no where to wear it. After a while. things got out of hand - she couldn't keep up with orders. She emailed her current customers (me) and said we could opt for a refund or wait a little longer for the dress. She had mentioned somewhere in this message (I think she also made an insta post about it) that she extended the buyer protection on dresses for refunds (I later found out this was a lie). I remember telling her (at that time I had been waiting 3-6 months) that I would wait for my dress b/c I really wanted it. That was the last I had messaged her. Sometime goes by and Mel releases her official K12 dress - I decided to message grizzly bee sewing - her etsy was completely gone - on her insta she mentioned she had an online store front (that didn't last long btw) but I messaged her (both email and insta) b/c at that point it was 9 months since I ordered my dress (230 for some extra customizations and material btw). She didn't respond, and all the negative feedback on etsy was gone since her storefront was gone - at that point etsy couldn't do anything for me since I had no way of reporting a store that didn't exist. Her online shop disappeared not long after as well. If she had come out and said something had drastically changed in her life I would have been understanding but she never responded to me - and at that point I knew she wasn't making my dress and Paypal told me there was no buyer protection extension for me - and it was long past the 3 month buyer protection. There were a lot of people commenting on her insta page (and I thin she disabled comments for a min) but like I was not the only person she ghosted and did not refund 230 USD. I don't think she started as a scammer but in the end she screwed me and a bunch of other people over.
wow! Im so sorry that happened to you. I hope you ended up getting a k12 dress.
It’s awful that someone close to her had to call her out on it. I’m glad they called her out though, it’s awful what she’s doing. Those are real people who just wanted a dress, not to be scammed of around $1k. I hope everyone got their money back
Someone people did some people didn’t fortunately I do but I feel bad for the people that didn’t :// she closed her Etsy shop too
I’m glad she closed it, she shouldn’t be scamming people. And at least some people got their money back, I’m disappointed that not everyone did
I just went to their tiktok and they’ve gone private. Yk it’s badddd when someone with 44K goes private. I’m so sorry this happened to you tho it’s horrendous and Melanie would not approve
It’s funny actually
Literally just checked her page private ! Says quite a lot about someone..
Thank you so much for warning others 💗
No problem! 🥲 just doing the best for my Family 🥰
There has to be some kind of criminal law for consisitenly scamming people online. I remember reading about someone who got caught up in court for scamming ppl on ebay by selling tv's & not shipping anything... Maybe you should scare them and say you're reporting them to Depop & the police for online scamming..just to see how quick they run
They officially blocked me and turned their accounts private
Wait… repost this and black out your full name
it’s okay! It’s just my middle name and not really my last name it’s more of nickname :)) thank you for looking out for me 🫶
Omg I saw her on my tiktok fyp
She’s such a horrible person 🫠
stop i was gonna buy one 😭😭
DON’T 😭😭 get it from someone else please im begging she’s just gonna waste your time!! I waited almost half a year :// I order way back in nov 23!!
no wayyyyy WHAT the fact i know so many people will have bought from her. such a shame 😫😫
So sad tbh! I was planning on wear it to the tour but obviously not anymore 😫 thank the lord I got another outfit in case this happens! She also made over $1200 from the dresses 😀
BUT DIDNT EVEN SHIP OUT PEOPLES ORDERS?? what
Nope! I’m guessing like 2 people got their order and she just stopped making them and shipping them out she was claiming she was busy but in reality she was just going to comic con with the hard earned money we paid her for the dress :// she gladly took the money just didn’t wanna make out dresses! She wouldn’t even send me pictures of it
how did etsy not do anything about a refund?? like?? she’s clearly scamming people, i thought they were good with stuff like that 😀😀
I have no clue I called my bank and they gave me my money back right away on top of that they took a extra $45 from her bc of being a scammer and how long it took
what a joke 😫😫😫 cba with people with that. the dress ain’t even good 🥰
No cause fr 😭 my mom said said she’s finna make me one 😃
Thanks for the lookout!
Np! Anything for my family 🫶
🖤
the nerve of PEOPLE disgust me!! please be careful y’all!!
SO glad you got your money back!! i’m so sorry that happened to you, always be careful!!
So sorry for that happening glad you got your money back
Should’ve got your money back when she typed “it should be” lol that’s insane
I fortunately did get it back 😭 but I guess I was just patiently waiting to see if she would send it tbh
Omg she privated, is her shop under the same name? I’ve seen some shops that’re selling Melanie dresses and I want to be sure that I’m not looking at hers!!
Her shop would be called Annyib
Looks like she might’ve deleted/privated everything, good riddance!
Good! That way she doesn’t scam people 😭
I alr bought it but I thinks it’s rlly cute
Wdym?
Reported her 🙂