Watermarks on paid printed art

Hopefully I hid the identity of this person enough so they don't get any flak or try and come at me for my very valid opinion...

Awhile back I gave a 4 star review to an admittedly mediocre artist (think fanart only/deviantart "I'm young & learning" style). Now there is nothing wrong with learning, nothing wrong if that's how you draw, either, except when you brag about how awesome and popular you are - which is only one reason why I mention this.

The 4 star out of 5 review was because they had watermarked their *printed pillowcase* their user/artist name with ugly typesetter font. 

The PRINTED, finished, paid for product. 

It is not all over the pillow per se (more on that in a second) but VERY easily seen, glaringly so, in that it looks ugly and detracts from the pillow. 

They also hid her name in the design itself!

WTF.

So I gave them 4 stars, mentioning that it was very odd to stamp your name so blatantly on a printed piece of merchandise. Their seller bio now says something like "don't listen to the less than perfect reviews, people are so weird here".

What?

I have a valid complaint! They even hid the watermark originally in the sales photos so you didn't see it, which leads me to believe they know it looks shitty but they don't care, because how awful it must be to their pride if anyone forgets they drew this lukewarm piece of shit. I know that's harsh (and seemingly hypocritical as I bought it). I bought it to use as a back pillow to sleep in front of. I didn't want to use any good designs, as I would feel bad if it got stained or washed out looking. So, yeah, I deliberately bought it because it had a character I liked but I could use it more. 

The art being mediocre is the point here, as no decent artist I've known does this. It's always the "OC DONT STEAL" ones where, honestly... no one's gonna steal it, okay? 

None of my other items I purchase has signatures in it! If you bought a lanyard or a keychain, would you asdume the artist has HEREISME.TUMBLRLOL on it as well as the art? Seriously, I was really nice in giving one star less. I could have been this bitchy and trashed them, but no. I do actually try to be nice first. But when they attack back it's just...no. I needed to vent over this.

Ugh.

Can't Choose Your Father (abuse 3)

I will try to preface all of these with saying that as I write them I am 42 years old, I am mentally scarred so badly I do not work outside the home or leave it unless I am with my husband. 

How you are raised will mess you up. Abuse will leave scars on a child for life, and may stunt them as they grow older. Don't do this to your kids. Listen to your kids. If they say, "That hurts me, it's not helping", please take it into consideration. Don't simply say you know what's "best" for them, because my family told me all my life they did what was "best" for me.

_




This takes place when I was in therapy, a preteen I suppose. I don't really remember, again, but I'm pretty sure drugs were already being forced down my throat for depression and they're part of why I have a lot of missing memories.

Which, of course, is a mixed blessing.

I was sitting with my mother and stepfather in the room. Mom usually took me, but he was there for some reason - I think because the therapist requested to see him at least once. She started to talk to him, about "his daughter", when he laughed embarrassingly and said,

"Oh, she's not my daughter."

I looked at the doctor with tears in my eyes, pleading, look? See? This is my fucking family. This is supposed to be my daddy. I had called him that, for certain, hugged him and loved him as a "real" father.

I shouldn't have, but, you know. Abuse. Childhood. I had no idea.

The psychologist stared at him with her mouth open. She then told me to step outside and I assumed she tore into him... but I'll never know. The only thing I do know? I had no father. I had a biological father that didn't care because he had new kids, a stepfather that was ashamed of me, and a grandfather I lived with that treated me the same. I mourn that grandfather the most, as he showed more care for me than any man did until my husband came along... but he did still call me a "fat, stupid bitch" to my face more than once.

The Hay Pile (abuse 2)

I will try to preface all of these with saying that as I write them I am 42 years old, I am mentally scarred so badly I do not work outside the home or leave it unless I am with my husband. 

How you are raised will mess you up. Abuse will leave scars on a child for life, and may stunt them as they grow older. Don't do this to your kids. Listen to your kids. If they say, "That hurts me, it's not helping", please take it into consideration. Don't simply say you know what's "best" for them, because my family told me all my life they did what was "best" for me.

_



This one is another of those "neighbor kids" stories, and this one's actually fairly short. 

My family comes from Northern Italy. We were farmers there, and it's in our genes as a lot of us have super green thumbs. Well, the house I grew up on had a half acre in the back that my grandfather had painstakingly mulched and turned the sand into rich, fertile dark soil by hard work and sheer force of will.

I don't really remember much again, all I can recall is the oldest kid suggesting we play farmers and move the hay from one pile to another, spreading it somewhere. I think there was a pile in the compost, and we moved it to cover some of the garden. 

Some time later my mother is yelling again. Apparently that was wrong and I was in trouble, although no one had ever told me not to do it. The neighbor kids were sent home - smirking, by the way -- and I was dragged over and over the emotional coals again until I was in tears.

I didn't know I was doing anything wrong. It was the first time I had done this action. Why did I have to be called a bad child for that? Why was it suggested I should have magically "known better"?

Mud Babies (child abuse 1)

I will try to preface all of these with saying that as I write them I am 42 years old, I am mentally scarred so badly I do not work outside the home or leave it unless I am with my husband. 

How you are raised will mess you up. Abuse will leave scars on a child for life, and may stunt them as they grow older. Don't do this to your kids. Listen to your kids. If they say, "That hurts me, it's not helping", please take it into consideration. Don't simply say you know what's "best" for them, because my family told me all my life they did what was "best" for me.

_


One day when I was young I went off to play with the neighbors. I can't recall how young I was, but you can take a guess if you know what our game was: making dirt pies.

Actually, it was more like sand pies. We lived close to the beach so dirt in most of the yards wasn't rich soil, it was sandy. 

Well, we went to their backyard and turned on the hose and played. Their mother could see out out their kitchen window, and she was keeping an eye on us and smiling. Their father walked around the side at one point to leave for something work related, and he also smiled and waved cheerfully at us four kids playing happily.

Then my mother saw me.

Screaming like a horror queen she ordered me to come home right now. I knew that tone - I was in trouble. I would be in far, far worse trouble if I didn't do what she said, so I immediately went to her side. She took hold of my ear in a firm grip and pulled me in, speaking loudly in a shaming voice. I don't remember what she said but I do remember she insisted on saying I was playing "mud babies", over and over again.

It hurt.

I was at the age where I didn't want to ne a "baby". She knew this, so grinding on and on about how childish I was being she yanked me inside. The neighbor kids just stared with wide eyes.

I do recall trying to reason with her. As young as I was I was far more mature in my mind than I should have been, and I reasoned that both the other adults had seen us playing and smiled. Why was I in trouble? I didn't know I had done anything wrong! 

Long story short, they were "wild Indians" and "filthy" and "I should have known better".

I heard "mud babies" the rest of the night as she humiliated me with it as my grandfather and stepfather came home, each time being subjected to the torture although I had already promised never to do "that" again. 

There's many a Rugrats episode where the babies make mud pies. It makes my stomach hurt when I see them.

Buyers, please do not do this!

Why yes, thank you. I believe I will reply.

Here, though. Not on eBay. Because what I did on eBay was block you for having the audacity to tell me this. Because let me get this straight; you wanted this item enough to contact me when it's been off sale for a week or so. You're one of the watchers on it (this item is one of my most watched on the site). And if so, you probably have seen where I had it for $35 and free ship before.

Yep, I was that much of an ass. :3 I raised the cost when no one bought it but everyone wanted it.

And now, for the facts - if you do think it's worth $35, then screw you. IT'S ON FREE SHIPPING. That means I have to pay $8-10 to ship out of the price listed and pay eBay and Paypal fees to boot. So I will probably not get $35 when I charge $45!

I like how they ask if it sold, though - then tell me it's too high a price. IF IT SOLD, IT OBVIOUSLY WASN'T.

Also wik, price is variable for items, especially ones that are vintage and hard to find. Just go find another if you think mine is too expensive - oh wait, IT WILL TAKE A LONG TIME to find another, and even then it will likely be the same cost or more.

Also also wik, according to the "variable" idea, there will be someone that pays the price I have listed. It may not be right away, but someone will. It always happens. I just bought a vintage soap for $20. People were watching it, obviously thinking it was "too expensive", but it's one I loved from my childhood and I'll always snag it if I see it. So I jumped in and used BIN where they wouldn't. The same thing will happen to my dragon.

Oh, and... the best part? I don't want to sell him. Not really. I just need extra money and less collectibles. But if all I get are idiots who want expensive things for free, at some point I take the items back.

*edit: holy shit, LOL. I went and checked again - MINE IS THE CHEAPEST ONE ON THE SITE. It's in good condition - there's only one better with the card still attached -- and it's the cheapest. They're all like $50 plus shipping, I'm dying laughing right now at this sad sack of bullshit that thought they could lie to me and I wouldn't know what I was selling. I should raise my price again.

:3

Eaurghhh (or, eBay's Best Offer BS)

I'm an eBay seller. I use it to garage sale my stuff that I don't want anymore or can't use, so I usually list low. So let me say I completely understand how low ball offers suck. I, however, as a buyer, will make an offer that would be good for me. Not too crappy, but with room for some going back and forth.

I offered $10 less on an item, was declined... but the best part? Asshole seller replied with counteroffer that was the BIN price. They said, "if you can get it cheaper anywhere let me know".

Bitch please.

Your gift tin item came with the WRONG items inside. Yes, there was an added item, but there weren't the right items inside.

I declined and replied back with 'I could get it with the right items inside'.

No way in hell am I buying from a snippy piece of shit like that. That's terrible, I wouldn't talk to a customer like that - especially if they gave a decent offer. Yes, the item was low. Yes, it was free shipping. BUT YOU HAD MAKE AN OFFER ENABLED. PEOPLE WILL MAKE OFFERS! I didn't offer way less, they could have even gave me a single dollar off and I might have accepted.

Geez.

D56 Pencils and Topper Lots for Sale!

Myep

Garage sales again, since we REALLY need to pay the bills, so I'm losing money but that's your gain. I just need these things out and some cash to pay stuff with!

There's an old lot of vintage (old = vintage, of course, where's my brain at lately) toppers, including a Lisa Frank easter egg and more, here: {{CLICK FOR PENCIL TOPPERS LOT}}

Aaaannnnnd...

A D56 lot of pencils with toppers, all awesome and vintage, unsharpened - Pound Puppies, DISNEY'S Gargoyles, Applause, Russ and more, here - {{CLICK HERE FOR D56 PENCIL LOT}}