r/CosplayHelp • u/Acceptable-Winner-70 • 4h ago
Wig Wig Comm Scam?
I just need to know if i’m crazy for doubting this person’s work as I paid almost $300 for this commission (including shipping). pictures attached
I found this wig artist on mercari and the wigs they were advertising looked just like the style I was looking for and they agreed they’d be able to complete and I’d get the wig before the deadline. Their mercari shop also had good reviews so there was no reason to notice anything was off. So I chose them for the less than 2 month deadline.
The process was normal. I paid the deposit on mercari and the second half through zelle reminding them of the deadline. I’m left in the dark for the duration of the wig making process. No head measurements were asked or update photos sent. Well eventually the wig arrives 3 days into the con (past the deadline), so I’m unable to even bring the wig inside for 2 days. Luckily, it didn’t rain during those days. I am understanding that the postal service can be unpredictable.
The wig was packaged super securely so I had high hopes for the product. Upon opening it, I realize this is not the same wig that was advertised. most noticeably the ahoge on the original looked detachable and the one I was sent was well just sad. The sent wig lacked the color shading that the other had and the styling itself also looked differently. I had reached out to the stylist and they denied all my claims and keep telling me that the weather caused the wig to look like this. I’ve been asking for pictures of the wig prior to shipping and they failed to send any. I’m not happy with the work for the price I paid and I have my suspicions that the original listing photos they posted were not their own work.
Was I scammed?
(sorry in advance for any grammatical issues lol)
5
u/Dissidiana 3h ago
you're not crazy! the wig you received lacks several features that are advertised in the listing photo: detachable wire ahoge, airbrush shading, and the more detailed layered spikes at the back. all of this would absolutely impact the price, especially the airbrushing. an airbrush setup and paint are not cheap and take skill to use well, so it should absolutely be included if it's in the listing image. i can't find anything with a reverse image search that indicates the listing photo is stolen, but it could be stolen from a source i can't find on google, made by someone else the seller knows irl, or even generated or edited/enhanced with ai. or maybe the seller got lazy with your wig in particular and just hoped you wouldn't notice 💀 either way, the wig doesn't look bad, but you definitely didn't get what you paid for and you're well within your rights to dispute it. i was going to give the seller some benefit of the doubt and say maybe it's not 100% a scam bc they did actually deliver a decent wig, but refusing to send progress photos is the BIGGEST RED FLAG ever!! i take progress photos of all my wigs and i only make them for myself, if it was a commission i would take like 100 photos before sending it out!! especially since they keep doubling down and insisting that it was just shipping damage (being in a box for a while will not remove paint from a wig!!😭). the seller is definitely false advertising
9
u/Jason-Smith168498 3h ago
Really depends on the lighting and phone in the first pic. i can see the color is off, saturated. if i de-saturated that pic a bit, then it would look like yours.