What SCRAPD Looks For: The Storefront Review Standards, Explained
The transparent rundown of what SCRAPD’s review team checks before approving any storefront.
Every SCRAPD storefront is reviewed by a real person in Nashville against four standards before it goes live: authenticity (you make or substantially rework the items yourself), uniqueness (each piece is one-of-one), quality (the work meets a standard a buyer would be glad to receive), and transparency (your photos and descriptions honestly represent what ships). There is no secret checklist. If your work is genuinely handmade and your listings tell the truth, you meet the bar. This article explains exactly what the reviewer looks at - so your first application is also your last.
SCRAPD is a curated marketplace for handmade, upcycled, and one-of-one goods. The review is the thing that makes "curated" mean something. We would rather tell you precisely what we check than have you guess.
The four pillars of a SCRAPD review
A reviewer evaluates every storefront against four pillars. A storefront needs all four - strength in one does not cancel a gap in another.
Authenticity
The core question: did you make this, or substantially rework it? Authenticity rules out re-labeled wholesale goods, drop-shipped imports, and print-on-demand or AI-generated work sold as original. The reviewer is not looking for a famous name - a first-time maker passes easily. They are looking for evidence that a human, specifically you, made the thing.
Uniqueness
SCRAPD is a one-of-one marketplace. Each item should exist once - or, for repeatable styles, each piece should be genuinely individual rather than an identical mass-produced SKU. A reworked vintage jacket is one-of-one. Two hundred identical factory candles are not. If you are unsure where your work falls, what counts as one-of-one draws the line clearly.
Quality
Quality does not mean expensive or perfect. It means the work is finished to a standard a buyer would be genuinely pleased to receive - clean construction, sound materials, no obvious unintended flaws. A rustic or raw aesthetic is welcome; sloppy execution is not. The distinction is between an intentional style and an unfinished piece.
Transparency
The listing must match reality. Photos should show the actual item, not a stock image or a heavily edited version. Descriptions should state real materials, real dimensions, and any honest imperfections. Transparency is what lets a buyer trust the marketplace - and it is the pillar most often missed by makers who do genuinely good work but rush their listings.
Photo and description standards
Most review feedback is about listings, not the work itself, because makers who can make can sometimes underinvest in showing. Here is what passes cleanly.
Photos should be the real item in honest light. A reviewer wants to see the piece from multiple angles, a detail shot of texture or construction, and an image that conveys true scale or color. Natural light beats a filter every time. Stock images, catalog photos, or the same image that appears on a dozen other shops are an automatic problem - that is the signature of a drop-shipper. Our smartphone product photography guide for makers shows a setup that costs nothing.
Descriptions should answer what a careful buyer asks: what is it made of, how big is it, how was it made, and what should the buyer know - including honest flaws on upcycled or vintage pieces. A description that leads with the object and its story reads as genuine; one stuffed with generic keywords reads as a re-labeled listing. The handmade product descriptions that sell playbook covers the structure.
Proof-of-process expectations
Authenticity is verified, not assumed, so a strong application includes proof of process. This is the single most effective way to sail through review.
- In-progress photos - a piece on the bench, mid-stitch, on the wheel, clamped in a jig. These are the hardest thing for a fake shop to fake.
- Your workspace - a studio, a corner of a room, a bench. Context shows a maker, not a re-seller.
- A consistent body of work - a collection that shares your hand. A coherent set of pieces reads as one maker; a grab-bag of unrelated styles reads as a catalog.
- A brief honest maker statement - who you are, what you make, how you make it. Plain language is fine. It does not need to be polished; it needs to be true.
Common reasons applications are sent back
Most applications that do not pass on the first try fail for fixable reasons, not because the work is unwelcome. The usual ones:
- Photos are too few, too dark, or clearly stock images rather than the actual item.
- Descriptions are thin - no materials, no dimensions - or read as generic keyword text.
- No process evidence, so the reviewer cannot confirm the work is genuinely the maker’s own.
- Listed items look mass-produced or appear identically on other marketplaces.
- The storefront mixes genuine handmade pieces with re-sold wholesale goods.
Notice that four of the five are about presentation and proof. A "sent back" decision is usually the reviewer saying "show us more," not "your work does not belong here."
How to strengthen a borderline application
If you suspect your application is borderline, fix these before you submit. Reshoot weak photos in daylight and add detail and scale shots. Rewrite thin descriptions to include materials, dimensions, and process. Add two or three in-progress images. Make sure every listed item is genuinely your own work and genuinely one-of-one. Tighten your collection so it reads as one coherent maker. None of this requires money - it requires an honest hour with each listing.
Re-applying after a decline
A storefront sent back is not a closed door. The review feedback tells you specifically what to address - and addressing it is usually a straightforward afternoon of reshooting and rewriting, not a fundamental change to your craft. Makers regularly pass on a second pass after a first round of clear feedback.
There is one exception: if the work is not handmade - drop-shipped, re-labeled wholesale, or AI-generated - no amount of re-applying will change the outcome, because the standard is the point. For everyone who genuinely makes their work, a decline is a to-do list, not a verdict. For the bigger picture on how review keeps the marketplace honest, see how SCRAPD curation works.
What does SCRAPD check before approving a storefront?
A real reviewer in Nashville checks four pillars: authenticity (you make or substantially rework the work), uniqueness (each item is one-of-one), quality (finished to a standard a buyer would be glad to receive), and transparency (photos and descriptions honestly match what ships).
Do I need to be an experienced maker to get approved?
No. First-time makers pass review regularly. The standards are about whether the work is genuinely yours and your listings are honest - not about reputation, sales history, or polish.
Why was my application sent back?
Most often for fixable presentation reasons: too few or stock-style photos, thin descriptions missing materials and dimensions, or no process evidence. The feedback names the specific issue, and most makers pass on a second submission after addressing it.
What is proof of process and why does it matter?
Proof of process is evidence that you made the work - in-progress photos, workspace shots, a consistent body of work, a brief honest maker statement. It is the strongest thing you can include, because it is exactly what a re-seller or drop-shipper cannot produce.
Can I re-apply if my storefront is declined?
Yes, unless the work is not handmade. For genuine makers, a decline is a clear to-do list - reshoot, rewrite, add process shots - and re-applying after addressing the feedback commonly succeeds.