If you are looking to start your own t-shirt business while being at home, you have to look for a supplier, a delivery partner, & build a loyal customer base. These things might sound too hard, but if you follow this blog, we have simplified everything in small steps including a payment system, which can save you from frauds happening in today's world. 

Five things needed for starting a t-shirt/shirt business

1. Choose your niche: Picking a particular theme or topic can make your brand look unique and attractive to others.

2. Design Team: Most youngsters buy graphic tees which connect with their minds and reflect their opinions and personality easily.

3. Quality Check: The supplier must provide high-quality material, as people won't pay for cheap quality products otherwise it may decrease your brand value.

4. Delivery Partner: You need an efficient delivery partner who will delivery your goods over a particular period of time to your customers.

5. Inventory Management: You need to keep a track of all the items in demand and manage sufficient supply in order to keep your customers happy.

Shirt seller operating on Facebook loots several businessmen

Scammers are mostly operating on Facebook groups where there is no possible fraud detection process.

This is the story of Miss Sowmiya from Salem, Tamil Nadu. Sowmiya is a reseller of clothes who has started her business from scratch without the help of her parents. About a month ago, she was looking for low-cost shirts in the facebook marketplaces, where she came across "Dhitya Fashion" who was selling shirts at affordable rates. This is how scammers attract these business-minded people and let them fall into the trap easily. Sowmiya, who was new in this field, eventually talked with one of the admins of the page, Sasikala, who asked her to transfer the payment in advance so that he can start the delivery process. On 9th July 2021, she transferred INR 4220, for 11 shirts to Sasikala. Once the payment is done, Sasikala stopped answering Sowmiya's call. Whenever she asked about the tracking details, Sasikala showed several unusual reasons and excuses in her Whatsapp chat. After a month also, she neither received her order nor her refund. She understood it was a fraud and she decided to go through their Facebook group, where she came across several other customers like her, who paid and didn't receive their order. She gets hold of Sasikala's bank details and she posted it in one of the fraud seller groups on facebook. As we all can understand, a payment - once done through UPI apps like Google Pay, there's no way to get a refund in case of any dispute or fraud. How can frauds like this be avoided? Is there any alternative to UPI apps? Yes, there are effective solutions that can solve all these kinds of problems.

How to stay safe from fake Facebook sellers? 

1. Make sure to verify all licenses and documents of the seller before paying to start the delivery process.

2. Pay any advance payment with Vouch. It is a digital escrow system that releases your payment after you receive your order.

3. Make sure to check the products through video calls and verify the whether is seller is genuine or fraudulent.

4. Always try to find sellers through recommendations, contacts, and trustworthy networks, so that there is no fraud.

What is a digital escrow? 

Digital Escrow is the use of a third party account, during a transaction, which holds the money deposited by the person who is purchasing any product/service until the seller fulfills the terms of the agreement. The transacting parties are supervised by the escrow company.

How does Digital Escrow support small businesses in India?

Vouch’s Digital Escrow service is a transparent way for online sellers and buyers to build a long-lasting relationship by securing a clean transfer of product and payment. Buyers can feel assured that they will be fairly compensated in a timely manner, and buyers will feel confident that their orders will be delivered as expected and on schedule.

Vouch Digital Escrow uses a non-interest-bearing escrow account for all transactions in India and keeps you updated and informed at every step of the transaction process till the end. Vouch’s professionals are always available to assist you with all queries that you may have during the entire transaction process. There is no scope for deceit or fraud since the payments, shipping, delivery, and execution are carried out under the honest and watchful eyes of the Vouch’s professionals. With Vouch, any business transaction becomes transparent, uncomplicated, and hassle-free.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is Fraud Story #78. Check back here for more fraud chronicles and scams that you can protect yourself from.

Safety is not just about protecting your credit or debit card number. It's about having control of your money till you've delivered the product or service you contracted to! 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: This is a good-faith initiative to educate the world about how to avoid frauds like these. Do you have a fraud that you would like to report? Please write to us at letstalk@iamvouched.com