Fellow makers, as an experienced fiber artist, here's a quick heads-up from something I ran into today. Let's call it what it is: an employment scam.
If you see posts recruiting crocheters for a "team," please watch for these red flags before you say yes:
- Red flag 1: They won't answer anything about the proposed job in the open thread — not the pay, not the terms, nothing. Questions get pushed to DMs or WhatsApp instead of answered where everyone can see them.
- Red flag 2: They want you to BUY the yarn and materials from them before you earn anything. A real client supplies the materials or pays for them.
- Red flag 3: They won't tell you the pay rate, no matter how many times you ask. Pay terms come BEFORE you commit, not after.
- Red flag 4: They ask for personal details like your address, age, and phone number before giving you any job terms.
- Red flag 5: They want a free sample first, and say the whole order gets canceled if you miss a quota.
- Red flag 6: There's no written contract. An employment contract is a requirement — it protects you as well as the employer. If they won't put the terms in writing, don't start.
One rule that protects you: always keep all communication within the platform. On Instagram, there's a record of everything said, and you can report it. Once the conversation moves off-platform, you lose both.
Here's the simplest test: a job pays you. If you're paying them, you're the customer, not the employee. That's the scam.
A real buyer can answer "how much per piece, and how do you pay?" in one sentence. If they can't, walk away — and please don't send money or personal information to get started. Your skills are worth real pay, up front and in writing. — Guppy