Customers without a face

Today I was thinking about how crazy it is that you can sell things to people without ever meeting them, speaking to them or even emailing them. Buying online becomes so impersonal and automated but as cold as that sounds, it's actually really great! Who would have thought years ago that sales would go from in person, to through the mail, to over the phone, to over the Internet. Sure mail orders came before the Internet but the whole idea of having to send out a printed catalog was so expensive for printing and postage, and now all you have to do it list something online, someone finds you, puts in their card, and you never see or hear from them.

I first experienced this with graphic design when one of my design clients who had found me on craigslist had went from email to speaking over the phone and I didn't actually see or meet him in person until over a year later when finally I met him to drop off some lanyards to him and actually meet for lunch. I had no idea what he even looked like. To this day, I work with people even over the phone who I have no idea what they look like. What a strange concept it is.

The Internet definitely makes it easier to meet these faceless clients and customers and exchange work, products and money with them without worrying too much about the payment not going through. In a way, it's actually better because you can't make any judgements about the person. Like for instance, I got an email from someone who wanted to send me a personal check to buy one of my jewelry kits. I don't accept checks for that business because to me, it's too risky and takes too much effort to have to deposit the check, hope it doesn't bounce, wait until it clears and then days later send the product. And if it does bounce, your stuck with a bounced check fee from your bank. I only accept checks from clients that I trust and have an ongoing business relationship with. But I was thinking "well, maybe this person is older and doesn't have a credit card and doesn't know how to use paypal." I imagined that if I could see what she looked like and how old she was, I would be able to judge whether I think she was trying to scam me or not. But that's not really a good way to judge someone and either assist trust to them or not. I decided not to accept the check on the main basis that even if you don't have a credit card, you can still pay through your bank account on paypal. If this person found me online, chances are that they know enough online to purchase through paypal or at least have someone help them. Maybe I'm assuming too much one way or another but when it comes down to it, it's best to stick with your original policies.