Packing video proof for handmade and personalised gifts

Film each piece as you wrap it and let the buyer approve their personalised order before it ships. When a case says “not as pictured” or “never arrived”, you show exactly what you made and sent.

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A hand-poured candle in a clear glass on a warm, light background
  • Buyer approves spelling before dispatch
  • Gift orders filmed to the last ribbon
  • One evidence file for any case
“When the buyer approved the spelling, the spelling is no longer the argument.”

How do I protect my handmade shop from “not as described” claims?

Record each piece as you pack it and let the buyer see it first. PallasMark films the item, its details and its wrapping in one take, bound to the order number and sealed with a SHA-256 fingerprint, a digital seal that shows if the file is ever edited, then sends the buyer a private link to approve it before it ships. If a “not as described”, wrong-engraving or “not received” case follows, the video, their approval and tracking are one evidence file.

Last reviewed

A gloved hand holds a kraft gift box tied with twine above a packing table

What a handmade order dispute turns on

A small shop's disputes are personal: a name spelled wrong, a colour that looks different, a gift that someone says never came. Three things settle them.

  • What exactly did you make?

    The piece, on camera

    The finished piece shown next to its gift box, colour, size and detail visible, before it is wrapped.

    The recording app

  • Did the buyer check it first?

    Their approval of the custom details

    The buyer sees their personalised piece in a private link and approves the spelling, or reports a problem, before it ships.

    Buyer approval

  • Can anyone check the video is genuine?

    The fingerprint

    Every file is SHA-256 fingerprinted when stored, and anyone can re-check it on a public page without an account.

    Tamper-proof video

From your workbench to an approved gift

Four steps on one order record, built for a shop where the maker is also the packer.

  1. Your orders arrive on their own

    Connect your Shopify or WooCommerce store and new orders are ready to record, each with its own order number. No copying orders between tabs.

    Integrations

  2. Film the piece, the details and the wrapping

    Scan the order, turn the piece to the camera, show the engraving, the colour or the glaze up close, then the tissue, the box and the ribbon, without stopping. Photos carry your shop name, the order number and the time burned into the image.

    • One unbroken take from piece to sealed box
    • Works on the phone you already have
    • Works offline and uploads later
    The recording app

  3. The buyer approves their custom piece

    The buyer gets a private link with your logo, watches their piece being wrapped and approves, or reports a problem with a photo. A spelling slip caught here is fixed on your bench, not in a case.

    • No app or account for the buyer
    • Approve can stay locked until they watch
    • Their decision is kept with time and device
    Buyer approval

  4. A case is answered with one file

    If a marketplace case or a chargeback (a buyer asking their bank to reverse a payment) arrives, the evidence file puts the packing frames, the buyer's approval, tracking and the timeline into one PDF or secure link.

    • PDF for the payment provider, link for people
    • Buyer's address hidden on shared links
    • You submit it; PallasMark never decides it
    Chargeback evidence file

What the camera has to show for a handmade gift

A handmade claim turns on what the piece looked like and whether it went into the parcel. This is one gift order, filmed from the open box to the taped carton.

The packer opens a small kraft gift box and shows it to the phone on its standThe shipping label is peeled from its backing beside the small gift boxThe small gift box is placed into a larger open kraft carton while the phone recordsThe sealed, labelled kraft carton on the bench with the phone showing a green tick0:04

The gift box is opened to the camera so the piece, its colour and its personal details are visible before anything is closed.

“The name is spelled wrong”, with and without a record

An engraved wooden board is delivered as a wedding gift. The buyer says the couple's name is misspelled and opens a not-as-described case.

Without a record

Refunded and remade
  • The buyer sends a photo of the board and says the spelling is wrong.
  • You know you copied the order note, but nothing shows the buyer agreed to it.
  • The case is decided on their message and a photo taken after delivery.
  • You refund, remake the board and cannot sell the first one to anyone else.

With PallasMark

Answered with one file
  • The engraving was filmed up close before the board was wrapped.
  • The buyer watched the video and approved the spelling before it shipped.
  • Their approval, with its time and device, sits on the order next to tracking.
  • You share one secure link in the case. The spelling they approved is on camera.

What a handmade order record contains

Stored with the order automatically, so a one-person shop has the same answer to a case as a large one.

Piece and packing video
One unbroken take from the finished piece and its details to the sealed, labelled carton, against the order number.
Stamped photos
Photos carry your shop name, the order number and the upload time burned into the image.
SHA-256 fingerprint
Of every stored file, plus the original upload; re-checkable by anyone on a public page.
Buyer approval
Decision time, watch time, device details and the exact media shown; location only with consent.
Carrier and tracking
Read from your store's fulfilment and shown in the timeline next to the recording.
Evidence file
Order, items, shipments, packing frames, fingerprints, the buyer's approval and a full timeline, as a PDF or expiring link.

The rules Etsy, PayPal and the EU apply to handmade orders

Small shops sell under the same rulebooks as big ones. Most of them protect the seller only when the seller can show what was sent, when, and that the buyer knew.

  • Etsy covers up to $250

    Etsy's Purchase Protection for sellers covers up to $250 of a refund on eligible cases; any remaining amount is charged to the seller.

    Etsy, Purchase Protection for Sellers

  • Etsy: matches the listing, but claimed not

    Covered cases include an item that matches its listing description and photos while the buyer claims it does not, plus non-delivery and late or damaged arrival.

    Etsy, Purchase Protection for Sellers

  • Etsy: ship on time, with tracking

    To qualify, the order must ship within your stated processing time with valid tracking or an Etsy label, and you must reply to the buyer's help message within 48 hours.

    Etsy, Purchase Protection for Sellers

  • EU: personalised goods are exempt

    EU buyers get 14 days to withdraw from an online purchase, but goods made to the consumer's specifications or clearly personalised are excluded from that right.

    Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU, Articles 9 and 16

  • PayPal: 30 days for not as described

    PayPal's buyer protection covers items significantly not as described, such as a completely different item, and buyers have 30 days from delivery to open the dispute.

    PayPal Purchase Protection Program (US)

  • Banks read documents, not videos

    Stripe tells merchants that issuing banks will not review audio or video files or links in dispute evidence. The evidence file turns each video into still frames inside a PDF.

    Stripe, responding to disputes

Selling handmade, defined

Personalised item
A piece made with the buyer's own name, date or design, which cannot simply be resold to someone else if it comes back.
Not as described (SNAD)
A claim that the item received is significantly different from its listing photos or description.
Handmade variation
The natural differences in colour, grain or glaze between two handmade pieces made the same way.
Gift order
An order paid for by one person and shipped to another, often with a note and no price on the packing slip.
Etsy case
A dispute a buyer opens with Etsy after messaging the seller, for non-delivery, damage or an item not as described.
Processing time
The days a seller states it takes to make and ship an order. Shipping within it is a condition of Etsy's seller protection.

Every handmade piece and gift you send

Wherever the colour, the finish or the personal detail is the point, the same recording shows exactly what you made.

  • A handmade soap bar on the packing bench

    Soaps and bath

    Colour, shape and wrap of each bar shown before it is boxed.

  • A turned wooden plate on the packing bench

    Woodwork

    Grain, finish and any engraving up close, so variation is on record.

  • A leather wallet on the packing bench

    Leather goods

    Stitching, initials and edges shown before the piece is wrapped.

  • A small ceramic house ornament on the packing bench

    Ceramics

    Glaze and every side turned to the camera before the padding goes in.

Film one of your pieces, right now

Pick up something you made and record a short clip on your phone. It goes through the real pipeline and ends on a real verification page, the kind of link a buyer or a case reviewer opens.

  1. Scan the code that appears and the recording screen opens on your phone.
  2. Film your piece for a few seconds.
  3. You get the sealed record and its public verification link.

Takes about a minute. Nothing to install and no card needed.

Sellers who record every order

All case studies

Handmade and gift order disputes, answered

How do I win an Etsy “not as described” case on a handmade item?

Show that what you sent matches the listing. Etsy's seller protection covers cases where the item matches its description and photos but the buyer says it does not, if you shipped on time with tracking and replied within 48 hours. A video of the finished piece being packed, with the buyer's approval of it, is the clearest way to show what you sent.

A buyer says the personalised name is spelled wrong. What can I do?

Prevent it before it ships. With PallasMark the buyer watches a video of their engraved or printed piece and approves it, or reports a problem, before you post it. If they approved it, their decision, its time and the video they saw are on the order and in the evidence file.

Do I have to accept returns on personalised items?

That depends on your own policy and the marketplace's rules. In the EU, goods made to the buyer's specifications or clearly personalised are excluded from the 14-day withdrawal right. A faulty or wrongly made item is a different matter, which is why a record of what you actually made matters.

How do I handle “it looks different from the photos” on handmade work?

Explain variation in your listing, then record the actual piece you send. A video shot in steady light, turning the piece on every side, shows its real colour and finish at the moment it left you. The buyer can watch that video before dispatch and tell you if it is not what they wanted.

The gift recipient says the parcel never arrived. What evidence helps?

Tracking shows where the parcel went; the packing video shows the gift was inside it. PallasMark keeps both on the same order timeline, with carrier and tracking read from your store. Etsy also expects valid tracking, or an Etsy label, for a non-delivery case to be covered.

Can the buyer approve a gift without spoiling the surprise for the recipient?

Yes. The approval link goes to the buyer, the person who placed the order, not to the delivery address. They see the gift and approve it privately; the recipient only receives the parcel.

Is this worth it for a one-person handmade shop?

It is built to be. Recording uses the phone you already have and takes about a minute per order, far less time than remaking a disputed piece. For a small shop with few reviews, letting buyers see their own piece before it ships also builds trust that photos alone do not.

Which shop platforms does it work with?

Shopify and WooCommerce orders arrive in PallasMark automatically, and carrier and tracking are read from your store's fulfilment. The evidence file is a PDF or a secure link, so it can be uploaded or shared wherever a case or dispute is handled. See the integrations page for the current list of platforms.

Send your next handmade piece with its proof

Connect your shop, film the next order on your phone and let the buyer approve their piece before it ships.

Start free, no card required
Gloved hands pack items into an open carton on a wooden bench

More claims and industries the same recording covers

One packing video per order answers every one of these. What changes is which part of it you show, and to whom.

What makes it work

Start freeHow it works