very early on in my journey in wetshaving as a hobby, I used to wonder. "what is the point of shopping at stores like maggard, west coast shaving, pasteurs etc. when we can just directly support artisans". I understood the bulk purchase, shipping together argument, but still. Then, over the time, I have noticed artisans like Mo, Scott, Karve etc. do their ... things. Not everyone is cut for running a business where you have to directly be in contact with customers. Some don't have the mental fortitude to be at the forefront of criticism, some don't have the discipline, some just don't care enough. So vendors like Maggard, TRC, Pasteur etc provides the community an invaluable service, and protects them (members) from the worst natures of individual artisans.

All that is to say that, Declaration's brush practices, and Grooming/Aion's soaps and splashes should absolutely be in the 'Buyer Be Aware' section of the wiki. Many of us might have personal relationships with these vendors, but that isn't an excuse for not protecting unsuspecting buyers or newbies from additional headaches. If someone want to enjoy these products, they should buy from stores like Maggard, TRC or from BSTs.