The Mysterious Disappearing Vendors

It always breaks my heart when an indie business I'd enjoyed either goes under or screws up and pisses off their customers. There was a soapmaker who had excellent stuff, but she slacked on a bunch of orders, got tons of bad feedback, and disappeared. And then there was the perfume maker who I SOOOOOOO badly wanted to reorder from, but they were just plain GONE. My most recent disappointment was a bakery that made the most SCRUMPTIOUS caramel corn. Like eat it all in one sitting and lick your fingers and feel sad when it's gone. So I went to go buy some more, and *poof*! Into thin air. After some Google searching, it seems that they had a Heartsy deal that overwhelmed them so they hightailed it offa the internet. So I beg of you sellers out there- if you get overwhelmed or have something come up, just COMMUNICATE! Most people are really understanding, and I know that when I buy items from individuals, I have to accept the fact that these are regular human beings, not big companies. Computers crash, illnesses happen, family members pass away, and heck, sometimes we just get busy cleaning the house. Don't hide, all it does is piss people off, make you look like a heel, and generally force you to shut down or slink away. When I buy handmade, I'm paying for the individual touch- I understand, really! So don't bite off more than you chew and keep those lines of communication open. It might make the difference between losing everything you've worked for and finding out that most people are inherently kind :)