Dear Bunz,

If you see a maker who creates something you’d like to have for yourself - whether on this platform, etsy, or anywhere else - I implore you, please do not ask them questions like:

“How can I make it myself?” “Where can I buy the raw materials for this so I can make it myself?” “Can you give me your recipe?”

I make a lot of different types of items, and am on the receiving end of these types of questions on an astonishingly frequent basis. I alternate between feeling like the irl version of these emojis: 🤔🙄😡 when I receive them.

I typically just delete these messages and move on with my day. However, I thought it would be useful to put a reference post on my profile to explain why I’m gonna ignore you if you waltz into my inbox with these questions

1. I have spent HUNDREDS of hours sourcing materials and perfecting development of every single item I post. That’s valuable knowledge that I worked really damn hard to acquire, and I’m not just going to give it away
2. On multiple occasions I’ve had bunz contact me asking these questions under the guise that they wanted to DIY, and then several weeks later post copycat items for trade on their profiles which is RUDE and hurts my heart (and on more than one occasion I’ve had other bunz contact me saying they got these copycat items in a trade and they were ineffective or had side effects or whatever, which YIKES)
3. Many of the products I work with can be unsafe if handled improperly, used in the wrong ratio, or you don’t use the exact products I use. I’m skilled at this and know what I’m doing so that both the process and end product are safe. You could misinterpret directions or accidentally use the wrong thing and end up hurting yourself and I’m not having that on my conscience
4. Many of my materials come from vendors who aren’t accessible to the general public, so info about sourcing is of no use to you anyway
5. I’m not going to give you my extra time, for free, to write out instructions and teach you how to make something so that I DONT get compensated for the product in the end

I want to make something clear: When you ask makers these types of questions, you are asking them to give away their intellectual property for free.

It’s not like just asking your coworker to share the yummy keto salad recipe she found on the internet, or for your BFF to divulge where she bought that cute dress.

What it IS like is asking a clothing designer to give you a pattern so you can sew a knockoff, or asking your fav neighbourhood bakery to give you their cookie recipe so you can make them yourself instead of supporting their business.

I hope this helps clarify why I don’t/won’t answer these types of inquiries, and why you shouldn’t ask any maker these types of questions. Even if your intent isn’t malicious, it’s still frustrating and inappropriate.