Eden

Howdy! Welcome to our first post in the Scampedia. This is a relatively simple scam that involves the scammer using a legitimate artist's icon and a name that's very similar to trick you into sending them payment for an auction. In this case, they did not reply to me in my second to the last bid, but to a casual comment I made on the adopt on the same page. Thankfully, FurAffinity has clear indicators when the owner of the submission is commenting via the "OP" tag. So does DeviantArt Meanwhile, since the scammer has made a brand new account on FA, they have the "new account" tag. Unfortunately, this scam is also being carried out on ToyHouse and possibly other sites. These may not have the same indicators, so be vigilant before sending money. Click on the profile to check of it's the artist's. Know your artist. Does their auction indicate they only take one type of payment, but you're being asked to send to another kind? Such as the artist is Russian and accepts Boosty or Hipolink, but you're suddenly being asked to send to Paypal? Russian artists can't use Paypal. What can you do to fight back both as an artist or a client? On FurAffinity you can keep new accounts from being able to reply to you or comment on your submissions. Under "Global Site Settings" At the time of writing this, neither ToyHouse nor DeviantArt have ways of blocking new members from contacting you. However, on ToyHouse you can see a user's name change history by visiting their username stats page: https://toyhou.se/(USERNAMEHERE)/stats/usernames If someone is trying to run the scam using the same account, then they will have a lot of very different username changes logged here. If you want to be sure the person who is messaging you is the same person running the auction, you can click on the "Report" button to see their unique user ID. In this case, my UIN is "47055". That will never change. If the UIN of the person who is hosting the auction doesn't match the person who is asking for money, then it's someone else! What else can you do? Always report the scammer to the site they're attempting to scam on. Report the fraud to Paypal directly. They can't scam if they don't have a Paypal account. Login to your Paypal account Scroll all the way down to "Contact" Scroll down to "Message Us" Leave a screenshot and a written report on the user. Paypal will automatically censor any emails or links you put into the chat, but they can still see them. Paypal will then file a report on the user: Thank you to Noahasai for granting me permission to leave his name uncensored for the sake of this entry. He's a wonderful artist, so please give him some love on FA. https://www.furaffinity.net/user/noahasai

Rules for Participation and Commenting The following rules are for all users to follow. Failure to do so will result in action taken against your account. The goal for these rules are to keep Artists Beware as a constructive and a valuable resource. Bewarees should feel welcome to comment. Commenting Rules 1. Comments are to remain professional, constructive, and on topic. We are not a drama site. No name calling. No unnecessary hostility. Non-business related issues are off-topic. (We don't want to hear about anyone's personal drama.) Transphobic, Homophobic, and Racist language will result in an immediate ban. Well wishes such as "I hope this gets resolved, OP!" are ok, but please see the "dogpiling" section on using the like feature. 2. No excessive personal information or bewares in the comments. This includes, but is not limited to: Financial situations. What someone is spending their money on. Personal disputes. Attempts to guilt trip artists / clients due to personal matters. 3. Dogpiling will be handled at moderator discretion. Do not wait for moderators to steer the comments back in the right direction. If you see many comments sharing the same sentiment as you, please use the like feature instead. 4. Do not pressure submitters over how they want their beware resolved. If a user expresses that they do not want X or Y in relation to their transaction please do not force the issue. 5. Do not imply a beware does not belong here or that the submitter should delete it. Queue mods moderate submissions. If it's in Artists Beware then it belongs here. Users do not have the ability to edit or delete their own posts. 6. Questions or comments in bewares directed at staff will not be approved. We understand that users may feel the need to justify a comment if a moderator responds to it. Moderator responses serve to keep the comments focused and in compliance with Item 1. Thus, responses or comments meant for staff will not be approved. Please PM one (1) staff members with questions, comments or concerns. 7. No self advertisement in bewares or advice posts. 8. Do not backseat moderate. Queue mods manually approve comments, so do not chastise other commenters. If a post needs the tags updated, feel free to PM us! 9. Moderators will not approve an alternate alias unless it's 100% confirmed. No: "similar styles". No: "types the same". Yes: Same email address. Yes: Same art. Yes: Same characters. Yes: Same full name. 10. Users who spam/ harass Bewaree's with links to their bewares will be banned. We do not condone harassment. Let the original poster (OP) contact the bewaree in question. First offense will receive an official warning. Second offense is an official permaban. When Contacting/ Responding to Moderators 1. Please choose one (1) moderator to contact with questions. It's ok if you don't understand the instructions we've sent or need clarification! We will be happy to help you. Questions should be only directed to our PMs or Twitter DMs. Do not contact moderators on their personal accounts. 2. When responding to a Rejection Notice rude or abusive behavior will not be tolerated. For Revision Notices: We will give you clear instructions on what to fix. The items in your rejection notice are not up for debate. We will reject your post again if you do not make changes. For Rejection Notices: We will outline the conditions in which you may resubmit. If there are none, then your rejection is final. Zero Tolerance Policy: You will receive a permaban if you curse at, threaten, or harass our moderators onsite and/or on their personal offsite accounts. 3. The Report Content feature is for inappropriate content that requires immediate moderator attention. Don't respond to Rejection Notices, Revision Notices, or Mod Comments via Report Content. Report Content will be disabled by an admin if this feature is abused. 4. Bewares are not deleted. If you have proof the contents of a beware on you is false, hand over the information to one (1) Administrator. There are two options: Tag reversal, or complete deletion. See "So I've Been Posted to Artists Beware, Now What?" Legal threats will result in your account being banned from this site, all social media sites, and all communication ceasing. We will expect communication only via your legal representative. 5. Moderator action is final. Arguing with us will not reverse the decision. "Mod Shopping" aka contacting a different moderator will not reverse a decision. Actions Taken Against Accounts 1. Polite reminders are not official action against accounts. If your comment was not posted, then you aren't in trouble! If a moderator responds to you with a "reminder" you aren't in trouble. Moderators keep the comments focused, clean, and streamlined. 2. Official warning notices come from the built-in warning system. They are visible on your Profile Page. After three (3) official warnings you will be permabanned. 3. Temporary bans vs. permanent bans. Temporary bans are issued at moderator discretion if a user is becoming too heated. They are not permanent strikes unless indicated otherwise. We need you to take a breather! A permaban is when a user reaches three (3) permanent warnings. Very poor behavior will result in an instant permaban. Permabans from Livejournal have not carried over. You are welcome to comment/ post again with a clean slate. 4. Contact one (1) Administrator to Deactivate your account. Deactivation does not remove your content. If you wish for your email and username to be scrubbed, let the administrator know. Moderator Code of Conduct Violations All moderators are to adhere to the Moderator Code of Conduct. In the event a moderator is violating these rules please contact one (1) Administrator.

Artists Beware Moderator Code of Conduct The Duties of a Moderator All moderators listed on the Staff Page fall into one or more of these categories. Below are the ranks for moderators and what their duties are: Queue Mods - Review incoming bewares for adherence to the Submission Guidelines. Queue mods may opt out of being Comment Mods. Comment Mods - Watch the comments and forums for inappropriate activity. Review incoming comments on bewares. Comment mods always double as Queue Mods. Administrators - Work both comments and the queue. Handle back end and technical work on the website. Are responsible for direction of all other moderator categories. Official owners of Artists Beware. Special Moderator Categories The following moderators are special ranks and do not field general user questions: Forum Mods - Assigned to a specific forum, or may be a general forum mod. They do not have access to the queue, nor have the ability to moderate comments on bewares. Web Admin - For technical issues only. You may contact an Administrator to forward any problems to the Web Admin, or you may contact @Alex Wright. Please note our web admin also moderates comments when necessary. Other Staff Categories Helper - Paid individuals hired to help Artists Beware temporarily. These individuals are not moderators. If you see a Helper working, they cannot help you with site issues. Once their tasks are complete, they will be reverted back to their original status. Artists Beware opens for Helpers on our Twitter account at a rate of $16.50 USD/hr. We hire in 3 hour shifts. Code of Conduct Artists Beware has volunteer staff. Due to the nature of the community we ask that all moderators adhere to the following Code of Conduct. 1. Moderators are to remain professional and polite even when users are not. We will not tolerate name-calling, cursing, or repeated snarking. 2. What happens in the queue and direct user communication stays private. Always. We are privy to medical, personal, and private social information sometimes. Leaking of this information to the public will result in an immediate dismissal. 3. Moderators are to be in good business standing with the community. Moderators are not exempt from bewares. We understand that life happens, and a singular beware is not an automatic dismissal. Yet, if poor business behavior becomes a consistent issue we will ask the moderator step down. 4. Moderators should be able to handle disagreements with fellow moderators gracefully. Sometimes a beware will not be cut and dry, and will need extensive discussion. Mods who are out-voted must handle themselves with grace. 5. Moderators are expected to be unbiased when moderating the queue. There will be a time when the bewaree in queue is a friend or someone close. A beware will never be rejected on the basis that the bewaree is a friend, family member, or partner. If a moderator finds they can't be unbiased, they may sit out discussion on the beware without penalty. Moderators may speak their personal opinions on bewares granted they follow Item 1. 6. A moderator's outside behavior should foster trust in the community. Artists Beware submissions can have sensitive information. Our users put a lot of trust into team members. Moderators who hold racist, transphobic, and/ or homophobic views are not a good fit for the team and will be let go.

I've Been Posted to Artists Beware, Now What? We understand that being posted to the community can be stressful and scary. Before responding to a post take a minute to gather yourself and read over this document. Will Artists Beware remove a post about me? If you resolve a situation, then your post is here to stay with a resolved tag. Resolved tags are prominently displayed on the article itself, and in the preview of the article. Users do not have the ability to delete their own posts nor edit them. Pressuring or otherwise harassing an individual to delete a post about you will not get a post deleted. Staff determines if/when a post is deleted. Not submitters. Pressuring submitters to contact us to delete a post will not result in a post deletion What if the person who has submitted has lied in their post? Will you delete it then? Yes, if the user has fabricated, omitted, or done anything to invalidate the crux of their beware, please contact one (1) administrator via the Help Tickets form or via DM with proof. We will review the information submitted to us, and it will be reviewed like any other item in our queue. We may ask follow up questions or ask for more proof. Example: A client has submitted a beware and cut their caps to make it look like the artist hasn't delivered art or a refund. The artist provides proof the art was delivered before the beware was made. What this does not mean: Disputes about details within an otherwise valid beware are not grounds for removal. Example: An artist has submitted on a client who has issued a chargeback without warning. The artist didn't mention that prior to the chargeback the client had an unrelated personal fight with the artist's partner. The client feels the beware should be deleted because they feel the fight made them justified in filing the chargeback. I have proof a post is invalid, but I don't want the information public. I'm afraid to submit it because of this. Any information you send to staff is confidential unless you tell us you're ok with it being public. However, if there is a blatant attempt to lie to staff in order to have a post deleted we will release the attempt to the public. Posts that are deleted from the main site can be recalled at any time by an administrator. An administrator has agreed my post is valid for deletion. What now? You may choose one of two options: The post remains online with a “tag reversal” and a clear, prominent mod note about what has transpired. This means that instead of the post's tags covering your names, it will then switch to the person who has submitted on you. The post is deleted and scrubbed. A site wide announcement and social media announcement concerning the deletion will be posted so that users will know that you are in the clear. I have it in my Terms of Service that I don't get refunds even if I haven't finished. Can I have the post deleted? No. "No refunds ever" clauses are considered unethical, and Artists Beware does not honor them. If you have not finished the client's work prior to them asking for a refund, then they are due a refund for work not done. Do you honor non-refundable deposits? Non-refundable deposits are honored if it was made very clear to the client that they would not be receiving these funds back. Because non-refundable deposits cover a variety of costs, we do not require any amount of the deposit be refunded. While we understand that some fursuit or costume builders may opt to send purchased materials to the client, we do not require it. The submitter is harassing me offsite. Can I get the post deleted? We held a community poll on the subject. So long as the crux of the submitter's post is valid, poor behavior on their part does not invalidate their beware. However, you are welcome to report on any behavior with proof in the comments. Having a valid beware does not excuse harassment. I was a minor when a beware was posted about me, but I'm not anymore. Will you delete it then? If you were under the age of 18 when the transaction started, please fill out a Help Ticket or contact one (1) Administrator. As of 2021 we have a no minors policy. My post doesn't qualify for deletion, but I still want to share my side of the story. Can I do that? Absolutely! We are delighted to hear from you. Provided that you're civil and follow our Rules of Commenting (especially rules 2 and 5), you are welcome to participate however much you like. Messages sent to staff that are rebuttals to bewares will be redirected to comment. What if my friends want to come in and defend me? / Can people say they had a good experience with me? We will not prevent posts that are civil and do not violate any rules from passing moderation. However, just bear in mind that individuals who come with the sole purpose of whiteknighting for their favorite artists do more to harm the artist's reputation than good. In addition, we will not approve comments that are simply “I had a good experience with this artist” and will instead route them to the positive reviews forum. A good experience with one person doesn't invalidate someone else's negative experience. We have a subforum just for positive reviews, and we would be delighted if your clients shared their good experiences there. If someone said they were going to make a post about me, can I contact staff to give my side first? Any attempts to interfere with the queue will be ignored. The queue is handled without outside influence. Someone said they were submitting on me. Can you tell me if their post is in queue? The queue and its contents are confidential. We will not state what is or isn't in our queue. Help! I've tried contacting a Submitter to resolve the issue, but they won't respond. / Help! I've resolved the issue, but the Submitter won't notify Artists Beware staff! Contact one (1) Administrator or fill out a Help Ticket form, and we will get your tags updated. I'm going to sue you for defamation/ slander/ libel to get you to remove a post about me! Artists Beware is a host for content provided by third parties. We do not edit posts beyond small clerical changes, and only vet posts to ensure they meet our guidelines. We make good faith efforts to remove posts that are proven to be fabricated. In short, Artists Beware is protected under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Other things to keep in mind. Slow resolution is better than no resolution: If you can't resolve your beware immediately, work out a plan of resolution and stick to it. If you have to refund in $10 increments, then it's better than none at all. Encouraging your friends or followers to brigade a post: All comments are moderated. Encouraging people to spam a post with vitriol towards the OP will never actually reach the OP. Your friends' and followers' accounts will be banned, and their emails will be reported as spam. A public note will be made that you've encouraged this behavior. Please handle your post with grace. There's never an excuse to harass someone. Our mods will help mediate: If communication has broken down so much between you and your client, we are happy to step in as mediators. Both parties have to be willing to compromise.

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/885613.html WHO: Ninjakato http://ninjakato.deviantart.com/ ScarlingRagdoll666 http://www.furaffinity.net/user/scarlingragdoll666/ WHERE: They're mostly active on dA than FA WHAT: A long overdue trade with them that took place on FA. Communications eventually took place on dA through notes WHEN: A trade was agreed upon April 9th 2011. My half was finished relatively quickly, but their half is still unfinished. More info under cute PROOF: First initial trade contact was made on April 9th, 2011 https://www.dropbox.com/s/pluqssxagsbbnyu/proof%201.jpg?dl=0 (my FA here is Charu) My half of the trade was completed May 4th, 2011 http://www.furaffinity.net/view/5691889 Communications on FA were made. Unfortunately my notes on FA have been cleared out since then. They mostly contained information about what I'd like Ninjakato to draw for their half. Eventually I started to note her on dA as it appeared she was becoming less active on FA. Note pointing out I finished my half https://www.dropbox.com/s/wb27h1reywz2gyl/Proof%202.jpg?dl=0 There was a point she posted a journal asking her watchers if she had missed anything owed. However, I cannot find the journal anymore, but I did note her on dA https://www.dropbox.com/s/40volnp6m2yy3l0/proof 3.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/wu3kgjknydfs3cd/proof 4.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/ya85gjdo9qaamg3/proof 5.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/ckrzqijrjo2k7ky/proof 6.jpg?dl=0 After this communication had stopped until 2014 came around. I had stopped asking as Ninjakato seemed pretty busy in real life and I didn't want to be a bother. https://www.dropbox.com/s/f6cslbr0dkabp4m/proof 7.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/a3ax54y49okn5zq/proof 8.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/h5ynncfmdjut8iw/proof 9.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/9onvgxjz5fqg6h6/proof 10.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/at93e8bo9flkknj/proof 11.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/k30co67uueaqqo9/proof 12.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/roal3atboh43vj4/proof 13.jpg?dl=0 August 20, 2014 she had made a journal calling out to the person she owed a trade to (which was me). My ref links did not work so I had noted with fixed links. http://ninjakato.deviantart.com/journal/One-art-trade-477049101#comments https://www.dropbox.com/s/5nrarciibugpru9/proof 14.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/m8i4mljt8dawynv/proof 16.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/mauwqzmx0qii5vo/proof 17.jpg?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/woqc5v73w388obn/proof 18.jpg?dl=0 More time passed and I saw no sign of my half of the trade. I gave her another nudge about it. https://www.dropbox.com/s/b7uyt58myn7lyzi/proof 19.jpg?dl=0 I gave one more nudge just recently. The note had been opened but went unresponded. https://www.dropbox.com/s/1ge7uwcew3o6r5y/proof 20.jpg?dl=0 EXPLAIN: In the start of this NinjaKato was opening up for trades on FA. I was one of the ones picked to trade with her. Excited I began to work on my trade and posted to FA in a timely manner. Eagerly, but patiently, I waited for for mine to be finished. I knew very well NinjaKato was really busy with her real life and commissions, so I was in no rush to have it completed. As time passed and weeks turned to months. Months turned into years. We've had some communication throughout the time span, yet I was still mindful not to rush her. She was still posting art on dA of finished commissions and personal art. 2011 had turned to 2014 and I admit I should of poked her more often between those few years. But I was nervous to do so as she was posting frequent journals about difficulties in her life. As a artist I know very well commissions always take priority over trades, thus I didn't pressure her. Eventually I did poke her and communications had picked up once again. I had hope she'd finish it after I did remind her about it. A time of silence started again. NinjaKato was still posting personal art, newly finished YCHs and sometimes trades from others. I had given her one final poke on Nov 11th, 2015 and the note had been read. No response back. She continued to upload new art of personal sketches, redraws, YCHs, and adoptables. At this point I am not expecting to see my half and have accepted it. Primarily posting this beware to give a heads up that this artist may not always finish pieces they promise to do. EDIT: NinjaKato finished their half. This AB can be marked as resolved

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/885328.html This is my first time doing an Artist Beware, so please be patient with me here! WHO: Meteorprince, found on FurAffinity (http://www.furaffinity.net/user/meteorprince/), DeviantArt (http://meteorprince.deviantart.com/), and Tumblr (http://meteorprincedraws.tumblr.com/). Please note content on the profiles linked is NSFW. WHERE: FurAffinity WHAT: A YCH (http://www.furaffinity.net/view/17692152/) promised to be done within two weeks, and then a refund for said YCH. WHEN: The YCH was bid on late September and paid October 2nd. I was told I would be getting a refund when they responded to my emails November 18th, and it was supposed to be given to me on December 16th. PROOF: (As per community standards, all real life names and email addresses have been scrubbed from the following screenshots) Conversation on FA: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0msgqqa6lbg76it/Firstconvo.png?dl=0 First refund request: https://www.dropbox.com/s/pyidqug8x5ewj2x/refundrequest1.png?dl=0 Email conversations: https://www.dropbox.com/s/utrmjqkd51u2nap/email1.png?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/r0r257zo31a0zcl/email2.png?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/tpgpe88nuav0hg5/email3.png?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/29r6yjmwdbcba3n/email4.png?dl=0 EXPLAIN: On October 2nd I paid $50 for a YCH (linked above under "What") from Meteorprince. It was advertised as being done within two weeks of payment, no excuses. At first I didn't hear anything about them starting until it was almost due when they told me they were getting on it since it was on a time limit, then they said they were working on it on the day it was due (conversation linked above). I didn't hear from them again until they posted a journal (no personal response or offer of refunds, journal is on the FA profile linked above) citing family issues after it was already due and saying they would be back. I waited some more, and on the 9th of November sent them a message stating I would just like a refund (linked above), with no response. On the 18th of November I finally got tired of waiting and emailed them directly stating again I would like a refund. They responded and apologized, promised me a refund plus an extra $15 if I would wait until they had to the money. On the 28th of the same month they told me they were being interviewed for a job, and then on the 10th of December they stated they were hired and would pay me immediately the following Wednesday. Wednesday came and went and they didn't respond to any of my messages. I sent them a final message saying if I didn't hear from them I would be filing a charge back and filling out an Artist Beware, and here we are. I have had no response from them, and no attempt was ever made to follow through on either the art or the refund. I am of the opinion that they do not intend to give the refund, and would like to warn others to be careful when dealing with them as a result. EDIT: Meteorprince has followed through with the refund, so I am filing this as resolved in a satisfactory manner at this point.

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/884272.html WHO: RenX (http://renxart.tumblr.com/ (NSFW)) aka Rnzzz (http://rnzzz.tumblr.com/ (NSFW) , http://rnzzz.deviantart.com/ (NSFW)) WHERE: http://www.hentai-foundry.com/user/RenX/profile (NSFW) WHAT: 2 Commissions. Traditional art. WHEN: Initial conversation and payment for both commissions during the beginning of April 2015. PROOF: The artist's mother tongue was Spanish so I contacted them in that for all our e-mail conversations. Here's (1) Me telling them when I can send the payment. And (2) Me the next day telling him I sent it. EXPLAIN: I started commissioning RenX in February last year. For the first couple of commissions he (and it is a he despite the profile) got things done on time and we had no problems. Starting from November 2014 I paid them for one drawing and it took them two months to get it done. In February this year I paid them for another commission again and, like last time, it took them nearly two months to finish the drawing. Still, I didn't think much of it in either case since I've dealt with multiple artists and I know sometimes they run into personal issues where they don't have time. The actual problems began in April this year. I asked RenX if he had time to do two commissions for me and he said yes, so I sent him the details for both and said I'd be paying him in a week. Within a few days he answered with a very rough sketch of one of the commissions and remained quick to answer until I sent the payment of $240 a week later. After the payment his answers completely stopped and he started ignoring my e-mails. I never got the sketch for the second commission either, which according to him he had already done. After over three weeks without an answer (I had sent him three e-mails in the meantime) RenX answers back in mid-May saying that he was busy and he'd have them done soon. Two more weeks pass with no answer and I finally send them one asking if I can get a refund. He answers back a few days later saying it's not possible because they no longer have money in their Paypal account, but that they'll do my commissions in June. [Proof] [Proof] June comes and goes with RenX not contacting me and only answering to the second e-mail I send at the end of the month, says he's too busy and hasn't had time to do anything. I answer them and for the rest of June and July I receive absolutely nothing. I didn't even waste any time sending them another e-mail until August since I knew it would be pointless. [Proof] In August I decide to check this site and see RenX still doing commissions like normal and advertising his services despite the fact that he has done nothing I paid him to. I finally decide to send him another e-mail mentioning this and they answer the same day saying, for the millionth time, that they have been too busy to do anything. I answer and once again they completely vanish until I send another e-mail at the end of August, which he answered at the beginning of September, telling the same old tale and saying that if he didn't do the commissions within a month he'd give me my money back. [Proof] I ask him when he can do the first commission and naturally, they do nothing and start ignoring my e-mails again. Around September I also checked his profile and noticed some people also wondering where their commissions were. I contacted one of them who told me they managed to get a refund through Paypal's Dispute system, unfortunately that wouldn't work for me since I had let too much time pass already. I was also in touch with another person who never got their commission completed either. In October, rather than e-mailing RenX I decide to post in his Hentai Foundry profile and he answers by e-mail the same day saying he had problems with his e-mails and that I should send him the commission details again. I ask for a refund again and he refuses. I send him the details for the drawings again to see if he'll get them done this time. On the same day I also notice he erased the comment I left on his profile alongside the others of two or three different people asking where their commissions were. Surprisingly, I actually get a sketch three days later and for a moment I think I'll get them done already. However, that's short lived and RenX vanishes completely again for the rest of the month. He sure spends a lot of time in his profile advertising discounts (and even in the Hentai Foundry forums (NSFW)) and mentioning he's open for more commissions, though! [Proof] Finally, in mid-November, after a month with no answer, I decide to post in RenX's profile again. My message is quickly erased and he blocks me from commenting [Proof] (NSFW). He e-mails me moments after repeating the same speech where they have been too busy. At this point I tell them again to give me a refund despite knowing nothing will happen and to no one's surprise he hasn't answered ever since. I don't know what's going on with them, but after 8 months there's no excuse for their behaviour. I posted this on the Hentai Foundry forums (NSFW) and I hope more people see it here and don't waste their time and money commissioning this person. He's all about reputation and stopping people from exposing him, the moment the latter happens he's quick to appear, delete any messages, block people and vanish again. Update, January 10th, 2016: I mentioned this some days ago in the comments but I reckon I should post it here instead - I contacted Paypal last week and they told me an investigation wouldn't be possible since it had been too long since the transaction. However, they did say they might begin one if they receive more complaints related to RenX. As of today, RenX still hasn't contacted me ever since the e-mail he sent in mid-November (11th of November, to be precise) that I mention in my entry. They're still taking and posting commissions, however.

https://artists-beware.livejournal.com/886993.html I agreed to do a trade with FA user Lyshastra back in July. We met on Facebook, and she agreed to trade me for a plush that I had premade. We agreed on a trade for the plush of $10 + 4 bookmarks, and agreed to make the trade at Anthrocon as we were both attending (and I had a table, making it easy to swap). She never showed, and after the con asked me if I would ship the plush. I behaved unprofessionally in that I agreed to ship despite the discomfort I had with shipping her the plush despite not seeing any evidence that she had even worked on my half of the trade. Because of my anxiety issues, I did not express this to her and instead delayed shipping for months, hoping that she would eventually post evidence of the half of the trade I was supposed to receive. I definitely acknowledge that I didn't handle this the way I should have and I feel like I've learned more about speaking up about my discomfort in trade situations like this because of it. Regardless, no evidence showed up, she eventually became frustrated with me and my agreeing to ship but never doing so. She contacted me again in October about it. I felt really bad at this point, and finally shipped the plush to her. At this point, I still had not seen any evidence that she had even picked up a pencil to work on my trade. I asked her about their status, and she claimed to have mailed them to me already but that they were sent back to her... Some time passed after my shipping her half of the trade. She didn't respond to me for a long time (me asking her if she received the plush) until I threatened to post her on here... then she responded within seconds lol. Shortly after she posted pictures of two of the four completed bookmarks on her FA account. Weeks passed again. I told her I wanted evidence that she had shipped the bookmarks. Weeks passed again with nothing. I posted publicly on her Facebook page asking about the bookmarks and she said to message her about it privately to remind her. She never responded. This was on November 30th. I would offer screenshots of the Facebook posts made to her account but she has unfriended me. Her FA page: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/lyshastra/ Link to screenshots of our Facebook convo ( some things were cut out that were just conversational, but I can grab those if anyone needs anything else inbetween these for clarification, I just wanted to keep the post succinct): http://imgur.com/a/Gqf5u ^ I'm Sam Williamson. I've blurred out her name, though she has been posted to here using her IRL name as well. I don't expect anything at this point. She obviously doesn't plan to actually compensate me for the shipping I paid to send the plush to her that we had never agreed on me paying OR my bookmarks, but I really really highly discourage anyone from commissioning or trading her. It was a really bad experience.