/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

I can't count the number of times someone has approached me with serious intentions of commissioning me only to have them turn out to be some teenager who backs out. I have had people tell me "sorry, my mom said I can't have it anymore" and one girl kept trying to buy items asking if she could send me cash in the mail (I don't accept concealed cash) but her mother thought I was a scammer and that my Etsy shop was fake. I don't start projects until I've been paid or at least been given a sizable down payment if it's something pricey but it is annoying going through the whole process of quotes and details and setting up plans for nothing. I'm happy to give quotes and explain things but it's when they start saying how they want to get it and acting committed and ready to pay that I get annoyed when it falls through.

Most recent gripe: Customer asks me about a custom I had at a certain con. Wants their own but slightly different. Work out details, they tell me they want it so I'm preparing to start. Ends up at $40 with shipping. "Okay well I can pick it up at the con next year cause I'm not in a hurry". The con just ended so it will seriously be an entire year. Yeah, no, I can't hold an item for you that long and I don't even know if I'll be there. I politely explain this. "Okay I can pay you online then" Thank you. I give them my PayPal address and some extra information about the custom process. "Oh. Yeah, I can't buy it until Christmas but I'll come back. " Then why are you doing this now?!

>>8534020
ooph, that' rough anon. I would maybe go for 18+ only?

>make custom stuffed animals
>customer asks for corgi
>ok, $75
>M.O. is make it then list it.
>customer asks for payment plan
>grown ass adult
>can't even make first payment

Eventually just sold it...but still.

It drives me nuts that sooo many people expect custom costumes to be made for the same price as China stuff. Like… I'm one person, not a factory, and I use quality fabric. Usually materials cost around what the same costume costs from China. And they just don't get it. My favorite is when they try to tell me that companies that are clearly made in a factory are "just the owner sewing!" Um no.

Anyone who gets their cosplays commissioned aren't real cosplayers.

>>8534137
I think there are even a couple chinese factories posing as "just the owner sewing" type operations now. I've started asking potential clients what they are looking to spend or saying it would be in the range of $X before I actually work out a specific price because I was wasting so much time quoting things for people who turned out to be expecting Chinese factory prices. From a practical standpoint, who doesn't know that mass produced chinese factory products are cheaper than bespoke? And you just got through telling me how fantastic my work is. You honestly thought you could get it for the same price as a throwaway costume from China made from "uniform polyester" and missing all of the details? Please. And even with what I'm asking I'm still undercharging pretty substantially.

>>8533978
Never forget.

>>8537885
>those 4chan people can suck it!
>8D

God that's bad.

I once had someone come up to me and try to make me make them a cosplay. This was in school, where my powerlevels were hidden enough for nobody to know that I was a weeb, and the person in question had just discovered that I could sew. She proceeded to walk me through what cosplay was, how she came across it, and why Princess Peach would be easy enough to make without her having to pay me, not even for the materials, because she had an old curtain I could use to make it. She honestly expected me to make her an outfit with no measurements and no payment out of something that belonged in a dump. Delusional doesn't cover it.

>>8537885
I'd say this looks like a red garbage bag, but an actual garbage bag would be more flattering and better constructed. How is this something someone was willing to wear, let alone commission and pay for? And how delusional do you have to be to think this came out "very well overall." (?!)

>>8534036
You charged $75 for this?

>>8537945
it's pretty big, and it was a different pattern than what I usually make.

Probably would just say 'nope' for something like this. I think I sold it for close to $35.

>>8537998
Still though, that can't be more than two yards of fabric, can it? And it's not like it's an insanely complicated pattern... $75 can buy you much nicer plushies, probably even bigger. $35 seems more right for something of this scale.

>>8538014
oh fuck off. point of the story was that the person agreed to pay, after seeing the item, and didn't follow through.

>>8538014
How is $75 expensive, let alone $35 for a big plush? Nigga get a job.

>>8538014
>$35 seems more right for something of this scale.

"I think it's fair to expect people with a specialized skill to work for half as much as they'd make flipping burgers while stoned at McDonald's."

>>8537885
It's a shame because the fabric actually looks like decent bridal satin and could be saved with some seam pressing. Even then...that sleeve attachment....

>>8537885
Whatever happened to Assley anyways?

>>8537924
>an actual garbage bag would be more flattering and better constructed
Truer words were never spoken.

>>8538113
The fabric looks cheap to me, but it's hard to tell under that mess. Nothing could save that. The construction is worse than if it had been stapled together. I can't even figure out what she did to make the stitching and fabric around the frog look THAT bad. That's so bad it's almost a talent. And the longer I look at it the more horrifying it becomes. Does one of those princess seams go into the armscye while the other goes to the shoulder? How did she do *that*? It's like gazing into a non-Euclidean Lovecraftian fabric abyss.

>>8537885
those sleeves are going to give me nightmares

>>8538123
AFAIK she began to get her shit together but her makeup is still roughly on the same level as her sewing. I think she stopped being so desperate for attention though, more bad cosplay/makeup material than lolcow.

>>8538123
Just went to her Deviantart, looks like she's better at drawing than literally any other area of craft. Pic related is a 2009 commission, not the best there is but a far cry from the renown Shit Brooch that was her claim to fame.

I might be getting hired by a small convention to do some props for a Vampire the Requiem LARP. Basically some weapons and amulets and stuff that will be up for "auction" as part of the story.
I sent a materials estimate already, but how do you guys charge for labor?
Too little and you end up making below min-wage for your time...

Where do you guys shamelessly self promote, other than coscom? I am not a cosplayer myself and I haven't been taking cosplay commissions that long so I don't have a built in fanbase or really strong word of mouth yet.

I'm actually looking for someone to commission cosplay wise. I can't sew for shit and I really wanna do Sugar Mountain from Jojo VII. She's such a fuckin' cutie.
I put my email in the name spot and would appreciate a response.

>>8538014
I would expect to pay $35 for a "big" plush from a retail store. $35 for a custom commission that's hand-made by an artist? Yeah, I'm gonna agree that you're delusional.

I tried to get a commission and for some reason the person just vanished on me. I changed it once and even had the payment ready and they just stopped taking my emails. I'm not sure if I did something wrong or what. I posted it here before but what happened was:

>Ask for a commission back in December or so for a weapon
>Was going to give the payment in the beginning of the year or so
>Something happened to my cosplay so changed of plans I have to get something else for another cosplay now
>Ask the commissioner is it ok to change?
>They say yes so I ask for a helmet instead to fit my new cosplay. Even offer to pay extra for any troubles
>They give me a quote and say that they will do an invoice
>I give them my email and information and ask for it
>Wait one to two weeks and nothing. No invoice
>Email them back and they said they sent the invoice already "You didn't get it anon?"
>Email them showing that my paypal has no invoice
>No reply back at all.
>Ask another person for the same commission since con is coming up
>They say they can do it but it's going to cost like 500 dollars because it's custom.
>That's too much so I ask for something simpler that also has a helmet thinking well maybe I can do that so I won't feel bad for wasting their time.
>No reply back.

Am I doing something wrong?

>Learns that a friend is good with making wooden props.
>Asks for a simple small shield
>Friend agrees but wants me to pay once finished only
>Couple of weeks later, no news, I contact him, he hasn't had time to start it. Okay.
>More weeks later, no news, contact him, says he had to buy a new tool to work on it, tries to charge me for it.
> More weeks later, dude says he's worked on it and gonna be ready soon.
> Still no news weeks later, no wip too, con coming soon, tells me its done in 2 weeks. No further replies
> A month and a half later, now a week away from con, almost 8 months since I asked for the shield, apologizes saying the thing fell out the window down 4 stories and broke in many pieces, has to start it all over
>What.
>Fuck this shit, I'm out.

>>8538014
Dude, good quality plush toys like this usually go for quite a lot. I don't know what you are surprised about. They are also often hard to make. They aren't just pieces stuffed. Items like ears and tails have to be sewn on after the initial body is set up while being able to hide the seams.

>>8537885
Making this kind of stuff requires skill. I seriously doubt I could make something this awful even if I tried. This took fucking effort to make it suck so bad.

>semi complicated cosplay I want to commission
>I can make it myself but I'm feeling particularly lazy and I'd like to help a fellow Cosplayer out
>saved up almost a grand for a cosplay that should cost like 500 at the worst.
>ask around for commissioners
>email at least 6 people for quotes
>no response from any
>it's be two months.
>fuck it. I'll make it myself.

A "No" is a better response than no response at all. I'm down with people being busy but it's been three months since I said "fuck it" and I still haven't gotten any emails back.

Anyone have an estimate for about the cost of this whole deal minus the belt?

Also a place to get commissions done, online seems to be the best bet and there's no places in my town that do costuming.

>>8544095
Ask on cosplay commissions FB?

>>8544219
A few grand.

>>8540382
Got curious so I checked and no, that's a different Ashley.

Pic related for the lolcow you're thinking about.

To keep this on topic, the cosplay community I'm a part of is the absolute worst when it comes to commissions. I recently posted on my facebook that I was opening up commissions and instantly got flooded with requests and messages. I was extremely happy until I realized they were are from 13 - 16 year olds who wanted costumes done for incredibly cheap (talking in the $25 - $50 range, material included). We have a local event/"con" coming up and they all want some elaborate ass costume to be made with the best material out there. In my post I mentioned taking wig commissions as well and according to some of them that meant it came with the costume automatically, free of charge of course. Oh did I mention that the event is in a week? I started weeding through the messages awhile ago and honestly I'm only able to find maybe two or three that don't sound ridiculous and that aren't for the event. I'm probably going to accept maybe five at max for the time being, just to settle myself into all of this. Man fuck entitled kids; they're the worst.

>>8538014
>people should work for less than minimum wage because I'm too cheap to buy things at the proper price

>>8540808
estimate how long it's going to take to make each piece, then pay yourself at least the minimum wage. More if you're talented.

>>8544610
I recently had someone request an elaborate commission that he needed in a week, and was willing to 'pay generously' (which was of course below a fair price for a normal time frame) because of the deadline. I tried to be relatively polite and explain what he was asking was unrealistic, and he emailed back to say he'd be willing to pay for overnight shipping, like that then made it a totally reasonable request. Fuckwad.

>>8544219
If you want it to look half decent, you're looking at at least $1500 if you're lucky. If you want something of the caliber of the average toku cosplay (read: not that great), probably a few hundred. I imagine that Fourze would be more expensive than, say, Kuuga or Ghost due to the patterns on the undersuit.

As for where to look, there are a bunch of guys in Japan and Taiwan who do commissions for really nice-looking helmets. Also, there are a number of forums out there revolving around people making Stormtrooper or Spartan armor - most of the techniques used there carry over to toku cosplay, so you might have some luck finding a guy taking commissions.

>>8544610
You should state that you're only taking commissions with a minimum of x months deadline to (hopefully) keep all the last-minute kiddies away.

How do you guys ensure a good fit for a customer you'll never see in person?
measurements can only tell you so much.
Is sending a muslin a viable option?

>>8544753
I send a muslin for corsets, strapless dresses, some pants, and anything else that's closely tailored and/or complex/expensive and difficult to tweak for fit after the fact, or is something like a wedding dress where fit is extra important. I'd also send a muslin if the person said they had a body asymmetry. I've never had an issue not doing muslins for other things. Most designs are not hyper sensitive to minor fit variations, and most people who don't sew don't even recognize very minor fit issues. They buy everything off the rack and that tends to fit worse than long distance bespoke.

>>8545133
I see, that makes sense.
Do they send you a photo in it? How do you check the fit?

>>8546195
Typically a combination of having them pin to fit, marking it, and a photo.

Never post an ad on coscom. Ever. I had someone email me asking for a quote on a ryuko cosplay, including shoes and scissorblade. When I gave them a quote they emailed me back saying I was a scammer and they could get the costume on eBay for 100$. They sent me MULTIPLE EMAILS linking to ryuko cosplays on eBay, saying I should be ashamed for trying to scam innocent cosplayers, etc.

>>8544260
>cosplay commissions FB
link?

>>8538014
Why are you stingy?

>custom order a kigurumi
>person I'm commissioning it from says it should be done in may
>think, that's good, con's in july, I should be fine
>put faith in them
MISTAKE
>June comes around, still no cosplay
>check their cosplay tumblr constantly
>they are completing personal projects as well as other cosplays
>email them asking them what's going on
>no response
>see them posting on /cgl/ yet no response to my messages
>message them again and only get a response after the convention
>she messages me blaming me for not giving her a due by date
>ask for paypal refund
> am given tons of other excuses, she never takes blame, only throws more excuses out and blames me.

As someone who has done commission work myself, you know what I do when something comes up? get on my phone and email them, saying "hey, I'm not going to be able to make the deadline, would you still like your product?" and throw in a free gift as an apology. not BLAME THE CUSTOMER.

My mistake for believing you'd finish the cosplay in May when you said May, coscakes.

Once commissioned a cosplay from psychedelicpaprika. :l Never again.

>>8548077
/groups/cosplaycommissions/

>>8548115
name and shame girl.

you talking about chubcakes?

>>8548203
it's right there at the end of the post

I had someone ask for a fairly large prop but only wanted to pay $40. We agreed it would be basic cheap materials.

Then they'd keep sending me different, more elaborate versions of the prop other people had made and a week before the con got pissy because I pulled the commission and refunded them because i was over the screwing around and ended up losing $60 over it. The same person then harassed my mate who quoted double their budget for just fabric alone to not look bad. The cosplayer tried to argue my mate down to making a dress with headgear for $90 total.

>>8548115
You too? I'm still waiting on one, though on one hand I didn't specify a due date but I haven't heard anything regarding progress since, what?
Feburary. Goddamn. Would be nice to even hear that the lights are still on over there.

>>8548141
Details anon, details

>>8548059
jfk, I'm sorry. (Did you resist the urge to email them back asking wtf they aren't just buying on ebay, then?) I get most of my business through coscom and it's been fine, but I do get so many emails from people who expect me to work for less than minimum wage. Or think I can sneeze out a nice costume in 2 hours for about $20 in materials, I guess. (I wish, guys. I wish.)

>>8548348
are you going through the same person?

Trying to decide for this local group I run if I should post a topic and pin it like this:

“I have seen people looking for cosplay & wig commissions and others offering. So those looking post what you need done. Those offering commissions link to your work & mention what type of work you do. Be sure to check your other inbox and please decide the details of timeframe, payment, price in a private message. Thanks.”

or with a form

“I have seen people looking for cosplay & wig commissions and others offering. So those looking post what you need done. Be sure to check your other inbox and please decide the details of timeframe, payment, price in a private message. Thanks
Those offering commissions copy and post this

Link to Work:
Type of Work:
Experience:
Willing to ship? Willing to meet?”

>My grandma is an seamstress
>Runs her own bussiness
>She raised me
>Want to follow her steps
>Attract cosplay and lolita customers to the bussines
>Making profit
>I help her (but still not good as her) so I take my own commissions (way cheaper because my skills) apart
>Accepts a big cosplay commission
>Gets super excited
>Trinity blood cosplay
>omg.jpg
>Doing an sketch and explain to her the cost and how will look the final result
>Show photos of previous jobs of mine
>Explain that my grandma would do it better (she just have gold hands) but the price raises a lot
>shows grandma's photos
>the girl gets 1200% amazed
>but she only can affor my price
>ok
>I ask for 50% of the final price at first, as everytime
>She paid fast
>fabrics and stuff costs the 70% of final price (as I knew)
>3months until the con, and I have a decent amount of job
>starts on first day, all must be finished at time
>That trinity cosplay just take 1/3 of my time
>ends 1 month before con
>very satisfied with final result
>call girl
>"oh! Arigatouuuuuuu!! I will pick up it tomorrow!"
>next day
>shows the finished piece
>she gets stunned
>feelingproudashell.jpg
>"Hmmm, anon, there's something about I want to talk about..."
>yes?
>"hmmmmm, I think the price I payed was a great deal, but I don't want to pay anything more"
>EXACT WORDS
>At first I thoughtshe was kidding because she was smiling kindly all the time
>"Ahahaha, of course!!" *laughs*
>"oh , great!!"
>She grabs the cosplay and tries to get out
> WAIT WHERE ARE YOU GOING
>"eeeeeeeh? you said it's fineeeeee....!!"
>NO
>"anon I thought you were kidding"
>"but I payed so much already"
>"anon the materials just cost 70% and you payed 50%"
>"Well you should economize better" *smiles*
>WAT
>Trying to chill
>TRYING HARD
> Grabs the cosplay
>"I will keep it until you can pay the rest, honey"
>She just get out
>One week later
>Suddenly a woman enters in my grandma's bussiness

cont.....

>>8548702
f5f5

>>8544610
FUCK I was so glad she'd cleaned up her act. Ah well.
Have a pony pinafore that looks off while also looking like it's decently constructed, kinda. Their Deviantart is full of this stuff.

This 'FantasticWho' store just got advertised by ThinkGeek and made thousands of dollars in a day.
Every single item in her store is just cheap shit from Taobao.

>"Many of my products come from partners whom I personally know in other countries such as Australia,UK and even china yes. I know each individual and know that they hand make."

Absolutely fucking despicable. THIS is why people who actually hand-make their crafts can't make a sustainable living out of it any more. Cheap, lying shits like this.

>>8548734
Gamestop bought Thinkgeek (outbidding Hot Topic) so welcome to hell.

>>8544610
Maybe post pics and price ranges as well? That might help to keep the cheap crowd at bay. Also mention that they'll need to pay for materials, in case you get a landwhale whining about how they had to pay more than some 5"2 twig for the same costume.

>>8548702
cont

>I'M ANON'S MOM, YOU STOLE THE MONEY OF A LITTLE CHILD!!! HOW DARE YOU?? (the daughter was 17 years old)
>She starts yelling and my grandma
>She wants the money back AND cosplay
>Told her NO
>She become agressive
>She threaten to grab the money and cosplay by herself
>grandma was alone
>after some minutes the woman leaves
>"I have lawyers, I will sink your **** bussiness"
>She never appears again

>Then 2 days before the con anon-chan finally payed the rest and take the cosplay
(I wasn't in the store again)

>At con
>She wears the cosplay (with horrible makeup and wig)
>She claims she did it by herself
>She enters in the cosplay contest (which doesn't allow buyed cosplays)
>She won 1st individual prize (even if her performance was very lame)
>Some people report her because they know about the story (I told to some friends also we are pretty knowed here)
>She negates everything
>Thing she didn't know is the con managers and the local sewing bussiness are in touch
>We are putting a distintive hidden tag with a pink flower on every costume we made , as other had doing for 4 years now
>So the jury examine the cosplay for last time
>Now manager between them
>Finds tag
>Girl get trhown of the cosplay contests
>Being forced to give back the prices (a nintendo 3ds plus Miku figurine)
>They literaly have to take them by force because anon chan didn't want to give them back
>After 10 minutes all con knews
>She didn't appear the 2nd day

After few weeks
>Some friend send me a facebook link
>Anon chan cosplay review
>The photos showns teared, stained and even burned in some parts (like a cigarrete mark) cosplay I made
>Title: "My nightmare with **** commission"
>She lied about averything
>View comments
>Everyone make fun of her and no one believe her lies
>She even have photos with the cosplay in good condition
>"But that was the one I made" "Someone stole it lateeer"
>All knew about the cheating
>She gets mad as fuck
>She's popular for being a nasty liar girl

>>8548748
Hoooooly, you have no idea how happy I am that it worked out this well for you.

>>8548748
Gold. Pure gold. Someone screencap pls?

>>8548702
>>8548748
mfw reading

>>8548748
Why didn't slap anon moms face?
If someone yells at my grandmother like that I would kill them

>>8548748
This is why I don't take commissions for anyone but my friends, I'm not risking getting spoiled brats like this
jfc anon I'm sorry you had to go through this.

>>8548702
>>8548748
Disgusting brats these days
I'm glad it ended well anon

>>8548748
I was so angry, but then the ending soothed my anger. What a nasty girl.

>>8548771
You can't read?
She wasn't at shop

>>8548771

You just don't fuck with someones grandma. That's just not nice.

this one time i spent 50 dollars on a commission, and while it did come fast (about a month) it still had needles and pins in it when it came in..

>>8548702
>>8548748

is 3 weeks enough to get a Seraph of the End - Yuichiro cosplay done by someone i know who does commissions or would that be stressing her out? I would probably get the pants hat and sword. (front character)

>>8548748
Well, the mom (even if she was mean) was right; even if the anon is 17, is still a minor, you legally CAN'T take her money.
Technically you had to gave the money back, but not the cosplay

>>8548857
that's like saying "a minor can't buy stuff from the store"

>>8548886
Isn't there some thing that minors can't legally own money or property? My dad always yelled that at me when I was a kid to remind me he was a big man.

>>8548851
only if she's completely out of work to do. 3 weeks is really on a short notice

>>8548890
No, your father was just abusive. Sorry.

>>8548890
your dad just wanted your naive self to listen to him

>>8548890
English is not your first language is it?

>>8548890
Your father was offbase. You could buy a house if you're a rich kid, but if you try and get a mortgage a bank most likely would reject you. Here's some info if you're curious.
http://biztaxlaw.about.com/od/contractsandagreements/f/Can-I-Enter-Into-A-Contract-With-A-Minor.htm

>>8548637
Yeah, Chubs.

>>8548996
did she give you a date? She wont do yours at all unless you specify one according to what she told me. just get a refund tbh and have someone else do it, don't support that.

>>8548903
Is that supposed to be an insult or what?

>>8549008
Ugh, that's fucking bull. I'm going to try sending her emails to try and get something out of her. What a goddamn shame.

>>8548802
I spent $300 dollars for a cosplay at cosplay.com and it still had pins and needles and looked like shit.
that and instead of sewing in details it's painted on horribly.

Can commissioners please start posting progress pictures?

I just bought a costume from somebody on coscom and they made the trim entirely the wrong colour - something I could have pointed out if they had even provided a basic progress shot anywhere along the lines.

>>8549055
Some commissioners do provide progress pictures on their own, and some will do it if you ask.

Not entirely /cgl/ related, but I seriously wish I'd never placed an order with KPP.

$165 and 4 months later, they haven't even changed the status of my order from "Payment accepted" and won't respond to any of my emails asking for a refund. On top of that, their quality has SERIOUSLY dropped.

I only ordered out of convenience - I could have made my own set for like $50, and you can bet your ass it would have looked better than the cheap shit they're producing now.


I just filed a Paypal claim, because they won't respond and because I don't want to give them a 20% 'administrative' fee.

>>8549013
I ordered in February as well. you know how much of my costume she had done by July (post con mind you) when she told me it'd be done in May?

"I bought the buttons"

even if she emails back thats pretty crappy to dissapear like that.

>>8549055
>Fucking this
I'm tired of the petty excuses of why they can't snap a picture or two. If commissioners actually gave some sort of update issues and discrepancies can be discussed and fixed before it's too late.

I'm also tired of commissioners going silent for months at a time. Then pretend like it's too much of a bother to update the people that have already paid them in full.

>>8548492
Gotcha. Didn't know if anyone was interested in hearing the story.

>commission daiya cosplay on 9/20/14 because i love the fabric she used
>tell her deadline is 4/3 (anime boston)
>tayla responds promptly
>paypal the full $120 on 9/24/14
>communicate rather frequently
>start checking in with her monthly
>she starts to barely reply (extremely delayed)
>yikes
>am told that she is sending out the cosplay approx. 5 days before the con
>no tracking offered but whatever
>try to not make a fuss about it as long as it arrives in time
>no commission
>after the con now
>gives it a few more days to arrive
>no response from tayla
>4/20 ask if she ever sent the cosplay or not
>(copypasta from emails) "No I haven't, I realized that I didn't sew the buttons onto the heart piece on the front yet and have to go pick them up today to finish it!!!"
>what... you told me that weeks ago???
>"My due date was April 3rd, though. I was under the impression you were done and sent it out a week prior to that."
>no response, how surprising
>4/30 i send the follow up, "Could you just paypal me back the $120, and keep what you have done? I think it would be easier on both of us. Please and thank you."
>"Sorry for the costume being late but because the costume is done and finished there's nothing I can do at his point,it's already been mailed out to you now and it should be arriving within the next few days."

/end

Let me know if you're interested in seeing what came in the mail. LOL

>>8549170
Sort of interested? Also was this commissioner well known or just someone you found off the cosplay Craigslist?

>>8549190
PsychedelicPaprika

>>8534036
>>8537998
No offense but I agree that I wouldn't buy it either, not because $35 is too much (that's actually a steal for a big plush) but because it's just not very cute.

I like my corgis regular colored. I'm assuming it was the customer that requested it to be pure white and heterochromic, yes? What an ugly color combo. I'm really glad someone bought it from you, fuck that customer and their shit taste in corgis.

>>8548115
>>8548348
Oh shit, I opened this thread because I was thinking about ordering commission from Chubs but I'd forgotten her name and was thinking of asking if anyone remembered her.

That's disheartening, guess I'll be taking the job into my own hands. She'll probably start charging extra now if you want any sort of priority on your order, even if it's several months away.

>>8549131
She sent me a photo of the fabric she received, this was back in February, mind. Asked for an update in march, said she was working on someone else's at the tim. Sent another email in April because I don't think it's pushy to want an update once a month or so, but no response. I sent her another email last night so I'll see if anything comes of that.

>>8549231
It's really disappointing, I was excited to commission her because her work looks great! I'd still be happy to get my kig, but she's being difficult to contact and as far as we know hasn't made any progress on her commissions in several months. God knows if there's anyone else still waiting beyond me and the other anon who wanted the cat who's name I forget.

>>8549281
Honestly, don't support her. I'd only get it if she discounts you for the hassle.

Its painful to watch her dick so many people over like this.

>>8549284
When or if I get a response from her I'll try and set an ultimatum due date and ask for progress updates in the meantime. Otherwise I'll try and get my money back and look elsewhere. Do you know of anyone else who does good quality kigus who are open for commission?

>>8549204
Yeahhhhh, I like my corgis to be breed standards myself (i like cardigans myself), but this was a request.

>>8549170
I'm interested! Post pics please!

>>8549170
Oh my, that LOL don't sound so good. Please post them.

>>8549055
I hash out colors and details before I buy fabrics. I don't send pictures of half finished stuff both because the average non-seamstress doesn't know what they're looking at and explain this mass of fabric to them is time I could spend sewing and because generally when I'm at the point of actually cutting out and assembling something, it will be finished quickly.

>>8548115
>>8548348
WTF Chubcakes?
Did she give you the refund or is she sitting on your money?

>>8549170
PLEASE do!

So gulls... how many of you have encountered cosplayers who lie about their commissions?

Pic related. I know this dude is a seagull and I feel no shame in calling him out. I'm so sick for seeing him promote himself everywhere I look.

AOK Cosplay commissioned this Azir entirely from Sayakat Cosplay and is soaking up all the attention he can get on social media without crediting her. It's not that he's denying the commission, but he sweeps it under the rug in every post I've seen. I even commented about it in a previous thread and he ignored it and just responded to the posts complimenting his cosplay.

I'm using him as an example because I know this commonly happens with commissions and I just wanted to know how you commissioners deal with it?

>>8549767
I'm familiar with this commissioner. I agree he's giving the impression he actually created this costume. Especially when the person asked about materials and the work put into it, that's a perfect time to mention the commissioner.

>>8549731
She gave me a refund very quickly.

>>8549190
>>8549329
>>8549369
>>8549746

these aren't the colors we agreed on, btw. loose threads everywhere, the heart and hood are barely sewn on, nothing is hemmed, etc. she had 6 months to work on this. come on.

>>8549951

inside of the hood and one of the sleeves (neither were aligned properly).

>>8549957

the belt. it's just fabric poorly glued on to cardboard and bias tape. :U what gets me is that the circles weren't evenly spaced out?

>>8549964
...And here I get anxious that my customers will notice spots where my topstitching is a millimeter off and be displeased. I find it unfathomable that anyone could take money for this and send it out like this.

>>8549951
>>8549957
>>8549964
you gotta be joking me, this is complete ass.

>>8549951
>>8549964
>>8549957
This is unbearable

It wouldn't have even taken that long to make the hoodie decent

(What's this for btw)

>>8549964
IS THIS REAL LIFE

>>8549951
anon, if you every wash it, do not put it in the dryer. it will never be the same.
I made a thing to sell from that fabric, washed it as I usually do...and totally ruined it.

I'm so sorry for that ugly shit.

>>8549957
does she not have a sewing machine????????

>>8549767
That's fuckin creepy

>>8550000
>>8550021
>>8550026
>>8550032
that's PsychedelicPaprika for ya.

>>8550022
daiya from part VIII jojolion.

>>8550029
fuck. appreciate the heads up, anon. :/

>>8550044
yeah, it looks pretty bad out of the washer too, line drys back ok.

>>8549077

Ugh. I had two orders from them earlier this year. They were before the hiatus they went on (which was understandable) except they said had the notice that orders before the cutoff date would be finished in a month. Then it became two months... To which they only then updated that one order was out of stock. No offer for refund, just " we'll eventually have some again' when their wait time was now "8 - 10" weeks. It took asking for a refund for that specific item to get one, heh.

The other - a custom order of ears - took at least four months or so. I only ordered from them since a friend specifically asked for them, but honestly I could have gotten them faster and better quality, even if I paid more.

Looking up reviews (of course only after I ordered) people were saying that it took up to eight or nine months before they got their stuff shipped..

>>8549951
This is appalling, what makes me angrier is that she kept your money and probably just laughs about it.

>>8549731
I haven't asked for a refund yet but it's on the books

>>8549077
What's KPP?

>>8549374
Same, I learned pretty quickly not to send full body pictures of something half done because a few people freaked out about things that would be finished later, i.e. hems, trim... I send detail shots until I have finished pieces.

This happened to me around 2009, I didn't do comissions but this girl was my friend and knew that I know how to sew, also she was pretty insistent.
>A friend from highschool wants a kuroshitsuji Sebastian cosplay
>At that time I was not really good but knew to not get the ugly shiny fabric
>Ask her for deadline
>"3 weeks from now anon!"
>yikes
>explain how little time it is but she insists like mad
>she doesn't pay me anything to get material so I buy the nicest fabric I can with my budget and message her all the time to get her approval
>she doesn't answer
>call her home, she doesn't answer, call her cellphone two times.
>"whatever it's okay, get the cheaper one"
>bought everything I needed

cont

>>8550502
>She keeps refusing to come to get her measured and I was at college at that time
>She sends a friend to get measured for HER cosplay, a GUY
>"it's okay he's pretty skinny"
>okaaay
>Classes are killing me, my grandma who had her dressmaking shop helps me, literally makes almost all of the cosplay.
>it's 1/2 week before the con, we are working like mad and have 85% of the cosplay done
>I call her to come please, and try it on so we can check if the measurements are correct
>"Ok I will tell my dad"
>Waiting for her response
>"I'm almost there"
>wtf, but ok. I wait for her outside my house because people get usually confused with the houses around mine
>She comes, I tell her to get inside and try it on
>"take it outside, hurry"
>what? ok
>She literally takes it off my hands, unfinished, throws something like $25-$30 dollars at me and gets back to her dad's car that speeds up and leaves in a second
>what
>later she calls me telling me that it's no problem because her aunt "knows how to sew a little", and she had to leave in a hurry because her dad didn't want to get her to my home so she yelled at him until he did and was mad
>later see photos of the con
>ugly ass photoshoped nightmares, the cosplay was okayish but it was absolutely not what me and my grandma did for her

>ask her casually about it

>"uh, I borrowed it from a friend since yours was poorly made"

>>8550513
What about this situation, at any point, made you think this was a good idea?

>>8549767
He's a seagull, huh?
If you see this, dude, you're a fucking dick. Your life must be pretty barren if you have to soak up accolades for another person's work.

>>8550641
I was desperate for money, because I needed school supplies, so I said yes, then she said that about it being 3 weeks due and I said no, but she insisted that I already said yes and everything and was super nagging. She's that kind of person, she wants everything perfect and at the moment, also it was my first time doing a comission so I didn't know better.

>>8549153
People who do that stuff aren't good at running a business. Most sales come from repeat customers, and you get repeat customers by making them feel like you care. People are more likely to go back to somebody they felt paid attention to by with a good product than somebody that blows them off with a great product.

>>8550513
Another one, with another friend, this what not my work but he got a shirt that was horrendous. At this point I would take comissions with months due to the cons they would plan to go. I'm still at college.

>friend asks me to paint the spider man logo on a t shirt, I say OK! since this takes me 2 day the most between letting in dry and going to school
>he comes, gives me the shirt saying that it's for a spider cosplay, I say ok and ask him $5 dollar sfor it since I'm just applying fabric paint to an existing t shirt
>I get behind because family issues but still not a problem
>The shirt was HORRENDOUS, I could't find get the center of the shirt alright, it had a hoodie that was literally just a rectangle bad sewn on a HOLE that was supposed to be the collar

>the whole shirt is a rectangle with smaller rectagles for the sleeves, somewhat like those boxy cut shirts but really bad done, and they where way too small for my friend arms to get into and he is skinny

>do my best because I have no time to make him a better shirt and I wanted to do that for free because that thing was shit

>obviosly this person doesn't not shit about sewing clothes, I can't stop finding loose thread and holes everywhere and it's a basic shirt with a hoodie.

>Give it to him in the morning, ask him who sew that for him

>"a friend"

>uh, okay.

In the end I found out because of some photos that it was a girl who brags about making her own cosplays but she's awful at sewing. The girl from the other story bought an armor or something from her and she ended broking it (the girl doing the cosplay prop, not the comissioner) because she was jealous my friend (the comissioner) would steal her boyfriend... what

>>8550675
You were desperate for money, but you bought materials without a deposit?

>>8550692
This is not true for custom cosplay projects. Most of your business is not repeat (how many costumes do you think any one person, on average, commissions in a year?), and the repeat/word of mouth business you get is because of the quality of the product, attention to detail, and your reliability in terms of delivery/completion times. Word of mouth reputation is built on what you deliver and how professionally you deliver it, not how often you chat with someone before sending a mediocre item.

>>8550722
yeah I tought of it as an inversion and used little money I had, I got it back because I used like $15-$20 dollars for the fabric, she asked for the cheaper one, still not my best decision

>>8549153
Wait, people really send stuff out without having the customer approve the item first?
I thought it was common practice that you take pictures of all of it so that they can approve it before you ship it and you can fix anything that may be off in the customers eyes?

>>8550834
I think they're complaining about commissioners who don't send in progress pics. Sending a completed pic is standard practice, but it's not generally for fixes (typically too late to change much of anything) but for proof of completion before a balance is paid.

>>8550878
Most of the time they won't offer to do fixes or charge even more for their own obvious mistakes.

I got a robe trim come in the complete wrong colour and now I have to pay quite a bit for the fabric and hope a friend of mine can fix it before the end of next month.
I was told it was just lighting and didn't want to pick a fight. Regretting it now.

I'm actually pretty concerned I won't finish the costume in time for the convention.

>>8550883
That kind of thing sucks, but it's often not entirely the commissioner's fault, either. Color interpretations and lighting in reference pics and photos vary. Color options in materials aren't limitless, either. If it's orange instead of blue that's one thing, but if it's orange instead of red, that's not obviously a mistake. When you're ordering something it never hurts to go over those kinds of details before materials are purchased.

>>8548748
The gods love you, anon.

>>8550910
This is why I always ask for customers to send me reference pictures that they choose, rather than just telling me which character. I also have them check the fabric colors first if I'm ordering online. I've never had a problem with color matching,thank goodness.

I offer minor repairs and alterations for free during the first year, but the customer has to pay for shipping. So far I've only had one person need to take me up on it, but I think people like knowing that it's an option.

>>8550306
>>8550878
I send pictures as each piece is completed, but not usually half-finished stuff unless it's specifically requested. like others have said, most people who don't sew just get more confused seeing a half-finished garment. I think the bigger thing is just not disappearing. Pictures are nice, but just staying in communication goes a long way.

>>8550702
>... what
My thoughts after reading this grammatical mess of a story.

>>8550702
Shit anon, I feel your pain. It sucks when people think that hot glue is the ultimate solution and that loose threads will vanish by themselves. At least you did something nice for your friend, I guess.

Don't take commissions from your local anime club...

>>8551780
>mfw I did this a few years back and just now realized I never got paid for labour

I'm finding a lot of commissioners think this is my day job and keep asking for photos and progress updates during the week during work hours.

When I do most of my work at the weekends and then none during the week as there's not time for me.

I had taken for granted how much faith my friends have in my abilities that they don't constantly send messages of 'will it be done?!! will it be done?!! the con is days away!!' when there's like...a month to go.

Every post (forum, facebook, wherever) that starts along the lines of:

"Hey I have like this character for my novel I'm making and could anyone draw my character for me I want to see how it would look!!!!1"

or the other version

"Hey I started a webshot could someone design me a mascot lmao I'll pay you $10"

>commission plugsuit from relatively popular cosplayer who happens to live in my state
>has 3 month deadline
>trusted her work because she makes most of her cosplays and they look pretty good
>everything is going well, fabric gets bought, i pay her for that portion of the cost
>she only lives 2 hours away so i drive there to do a fitting with her
>looks really good, i'm happy with it
>never see a progress picture again

>deadline is in a month and she's made a lot of progress but worried because she won't send pics and keeps making excuses
>asks me to pay for the armor materials, says she plans to use worbla, eva foam and resin as well as new resin molds
>pay her within a couple days

>con is in a few weeks, still no pictures, not responding at all
>thursday night of the convention very late she finally responds and says oh yeah it's done!
>super relieved, plan to meet up friday morning
>no response all day until she asks if we can meet up that night because she has photoshoots
>still doesn't respond until really late that night, says she'd rather meet saturday
>that's the day i'm wearing the cosplay but okay
>has my roommate drive me to her hotel so i can pick it up from her
>hands it all to me in a grocery sack
>get back to my hotel, get into the suit and realize it's literally only worbla and no resin or foam like she said
>worbla has no way to attach to the suit
>visible stitching on plugsuit knees was obviously handsewn and really sloppy
>end up hot gluing the worbla pieces onto my body
>contact her after the con about whether she actually used any resin or foam, never responds, unfriends me

why can't commissioners just take progress pics or at least be honest and say they haven't worked on your cosplay? also i'm never agreeing to meeting up with a commissioner at a con again.

>>8553214
I only ever do con drop offs for friends or people I otherwise know.

>Someone I didn't know asked me to bring the outfit to the con because they didn't want to pay postage (cause I insured, track and sign for all commissions so if it gets lost I know about it and can claim the value back from the postage company).

>I spent the whole day trying to get hold of them via phone and facebook and it was a pain carrying around the awkward shaped commission. But no response.

>They'd paid in full. It's not even like they were bailing on payment.

>Two weeks after the con they contact me saying they'll pay the postage. Their phone had died at the con apparently.

>Con was 3 days. Have you not heard of a charger? Borrow a friend's phone?

>Never again.

Out of interest, what would a ballpark figure for pic attached cost? Obviously not needing the socks made from scratch but possibly sock-toppers, also not including the staff. For a US size 8, I know that's not much to go on. No deadline - how long would you say it would take, roughly? I'd like to commission this at some point but I don't like to commission someone without knowing I have at least 80% of the money for it right now.

>>8553611
I think the price would fluctuate highly based on how the green stripe fabric is tackled.

If the commissioner gets the fabric printed they'll be looking at maybe £20 per metre. And they're gunna need about 1.5m (gah sorry I know America works in yards) to do the skirt and bow.

Also whether the commissioner pays attention to the scallop trim on the petti, sleeve ruffles and collar. Cause that's gunna take god knows how many hours to do even if the commissioner has a crescent embroidery function they can use to create the edge and cut away the excess. So that will escalate the cost if you want that as a detail.

Provisional fabric elements:
2.5 m pink
1m cream
2 m white
2 m lime green
Total: 7.5 m

At c. £7/m : £52.5

Allow £8 for a role of brown bias tape.
Allow £5 for a packet of frogs for the bodice clasps
Allow £5 for fabric paint to do the Sakura petals on the collar
Allow £5 per knot and tassle on the belt

Now total: £80.5

Add the 1.5m of green stripe at £20/m

Total: £100.50
Which is c. $156.

And that's without labor costs. Which as I mentioned before will depend on the level of detail you want or how much the commissioner is willing to put in.

It's also possible you can use cheaper fabric, I estimate £7/m to float postage costs because I personally can only access fabric online. But that would be something else to keep in mind.

I'd be really interested to hear other people's estimates?

>>8553640
>crescent embroidery function they can use to create the edge and cut away the excess.

I have exactly this but I've never thought to use in this way. Holy shit.
I'm going to do every CLAMP cosplay now.

>>8553649
It's genius right? I use it so much and it's so lovely. People keep asking me where I bought my trim.

>>8553640
I'm not the OP, but have you got a page, anon? I'm in the UK and I commission a fair amount, always looking to find new commissioners.

>>8553659
I do but I'm kind of worried about putting my page up to the scrutiny of 4chan.

>>8548762
Here you go.

>>8553692
Yessss, thank you!

>>8553665
Throwaway email for you, don't worry about it too much if you're too worried though.

>>8553707
Glad to be of service.
It's really easy to do, just press print screen and paste it in paint. Then cut out the part you want and save it.

>>8553708

Look for swagcosplay on facebook.

Feedback would be good I guess.

>>8553727
Thank you! I love your MKR costumes.

>>8553734
Thanks!

>>8548059
At this point you should just tell them to fuck off and buy it from eBay instead

>>8553611

I'd ballpark that at $350-$400. There are a few things that could be tweaked to save a little on labor cost, but I couldn't get it in under $300.

>>8549951
>>8549957
>>8549964

Holy fuck. And I get nervous about one crooked stitch.

>>8553924
Same anon, same

Someone who likes me commissioned a Homura ring from a professional jeweler. It came out way better than the official cospa ring, and even has a real gemstone in it.

>>8554239

>>8554243
Really thankful for it. Wearing it every day as a casual ring, wondering if anyone I come across outside a con would have the power level to realize it's an animu ring.

>>8554248
I'll post a pic of it on my hand after my nails dry.

>>8554239
>>8554243
>>8554248
That is gorgeous. Do you know how much they paid for it? I was going to get one 3D printed (around $50 for metal printing) but it might be cool to invest in a fancier one.

>>8554269
Over $900, I dunno the actual price he got it for. Probably between $900 and $1000

>>8554311
>who likes me
>$900

He either has a lot of money to spare or he REALLY likes you

>>8553611
For the scallop stuff specifically, there is someone in the Love Live thread that can do it with a heat gun. If they get commissions set up, you can contact them about the scalloped bits and have another commissioner tackle the rest.

>>8554332
**hot knife, guh

>>8554316
He REALLY likes me. For the record, I didn't ask for it, k was just sad that I missed the preorder for the official ring (again) because I'm so paranoid about ordering the wrong size and have to always triple check my ring size from different jewelers before buying. It lead to me missing the preorder like 3 times already because when I'm ready to order they close.

So I vented about it and then he just flat out commissions it for me professionally from a jeweler to surprise me. He's really really into me, and turns down other girls because he's too focused on chasing me.

>>8554488
Are you sure you aren't just leading him on at this point?

>>8554488
he doesnt really like you hes just really bad with money trust me

Careful not to derail the thread, guys.

>>8554488
This is so cringey.

How much should I expect to pay for pic related?
I mean, it's not too complicated so it wouldn't be super expensive, right?

>>8554798
For the outfit tbh you could expect from $100- $200 on the safe side. Depends on the commissioner.

>>8554341
The hot knife trick is great, I used it to cut feathers for a Scouting Legion flag so that they wouldn't fray.

>>8554488
>$900 ring, he's really into me

If you have no interest in dating him, tell him so and be on your way. You're leading him on and $900 is a lot of money. Worse case, who knows what he going to want in return for that ring or anything else expensive he buys you.

>>8549767
Fuck, I've seen that asshole all over reddit and he totally gives the impression that he made that himself.

The best response I've seen is to still be polite "Wow you look great in that, so-and-so cosplay did such a great job making that for you! Personally I had good experiences commissioning form them to so I def recommend them to anyone who is looking for a similar costume! Check out their fb page for progress pics (link)!" It's nice if someone other than the commissioner comments because asswipes who steal credit like this also probably love to hold vendettas, though pic is of a commissioner handling it themselves.

>>8554243
I really don't like the way that gem is set
what stone is it anyway?

>>8554488
He should've gotten you a Madoka ring instead because that's literally Homura fruitlessly chasing Madoka.

>>8554949
I hope anon-chan's seen the ending to Rebellion, then.. for her sake..

>>8554925
> anon found dead, ring finger missing.

>>8554812
$100 would be very low. I'd be skeptical of the quality of the work at that price.

Do commissioners like little jobs where it's just a major altercation, not an entirely new cosplay being made?

With that said, if there's a relatively simple dress sewn to fit a 5'7 size 16 woman that needs to fit a 5'3 size 6 woman, what should the commissioner charge?

>>8555122
Like I said, depends on the commissioner. I've seen some people greatly undervalue their work even though it's good. I would say it would be a lot closer to $200 for someone who can sew well and know how's to price their shit. Probably more if they really know what they're doing.

>>8555129
>major altercation

lol.

I don't know if most commissioners would take alteration work. I wouldn't; it's crappy work and no fun. Someone who needs the money might, but it would be much easier to simply go to a local tailor if it's a fit alteration or repair to an existing cosplay.

If you're referring to cutting a size 16 down to a size 6, definitely do not bother. That is only worth doing if it's your mother's wedding dress and you're desperate to get married in it. It involves taking the dress apart and completely recutting and remaking it. It's not even possible for a lot of styles because you can't recut the shoulders small enough.

>>8555163
You gave the impression that would be a normal price range to expect, and I was merely clarifying that it's really not. $100-$200 is the extremely low end of the price range through the low end. (And starting from a point of "some people really undervalue their work" when answering a question about reasonable price range is partly how we get a bunch of people expecting quality work for almost free.)

>>8555238
God damnit I double checked for typos before posting, too

Anyway, that's too bad - I have a friend who's bored of a cosplay of one of my favorite characters, so I was wondering if it was worth the hassle to take it off her hands and cut it down. I'm probably going to pass now. Thanks a lot for the info!

>>8555258
Good point anon, my bad.

I came here once because a friend of mine wanted to cosplay and wanted me to make some props (I do wood and metal work) so I figured I'd come here since I usually hang on /v/ and shit anyways.

I stayed for the drama, and cringe/horror threads that was like 5 years ago.

I can assure you that its not just a "cosplay" thing like you'd expect with girls generally being particularily catty to one another.

I do commissioned woodwork. Nothing super fancy but I usually make small things. Custom coffee tables with built in storage, custom boxes with foam inserts (like pic related). I can assure you, people are just fucking dinguses.

>Endless emails back and forth
>People assume I'm trying to rip them off when I often make less then minimum wage on certain commissions
>Tons of time goes into finishing. People can't seem to understand that I can't force paint, or stain, or sealer to dry faster.

So my worst story.
>Old woman
>She wants something similar to pic related but 4 of them for her daughters as a Christmas gift
>She comes in on Dec. 1st.
>I have family over, and its usually really shitty weather wise here and my work is predominately outside
>Wants to pick them up on Dec. 21st
>Its an acceptable timeline under normal circumstances
>Tell her the price per unit (I'm throwing her a bone here)
>She wants a bulk discount
>Inform her I can't
>After literally 1 hour of haggling she finally concedes and writes me a cheque for the deposit
>Get to work immediately drafting up plans
>Woman calls me literally every single day (Sometimes twice) for updates, taking anywhere from 10-30 minutes with questions and changes
>Finally put my foot down and tell her she needs to make a decision on finishes because I'm going to paint it the second I hang up the phone
>Tells me she wants a certain finish
>Finish staining all 4 boxes
>Phone call
>She wants it different
>Going to make a lot of money on this order, these will sell at some point since they're a favorite finish

>>8555317
>She wants a custom finish thats gaudy as fuck and I would never normally do, nobody in their right mind would want it
>She insists thats what she wants
>On Day 6 of this garbage (I don't work the weekends, so 4 days of work, on top of other work, and family stuff) find out the check bounced
>Finish working on the originals since I may be able to sell those/give to someone before Christmas as a last minute gift
>Next time she phones me I inform her the check bounced and I can't continue until she comes in and pays me.
>I won't accept another check from her, has to be cash.
>She comes in and pays cash. Literally fucking change.
>Not rolled or anything, literally have to spend a fucking hour sorting change for this old cunt.
>3.50 short (wish I was lying)
I've considered telling her to straight fuck off many times at this point, but I'm still young and growing my business and that would be some bad fucking publicity.
>She now wants 5, since she wants one for herself.
>Fucking kill me
>This woman is putting me behind on all my other clients
>She is now "low priority"
>Finish all my other commission work first, disregard a lot of family time to get this shit done
>Continues to phone me daily
>Its the 14th
>She comes in
>She wants to pick them up on today, a week early
>Not what we agreed upon, they aren't finished.
>Tell her I'll get them to her by the 17th if she comes back
>To do that I literally have to disregard everything else, work my ass off for 2 days and crank up the heat in the shop and pray that the stain and finish dries in time
>Sweating bullets, finishing these stupid fucking boxes
>Phone call
>She needs them tonight
>"Its not going to happen, come in tomorrow at closing and they'll be finished"
>Threatens to not pay me and sue and all this other bullshit
>"Fine, come get them now, but I won't accept a check from you"
>First time in life contemplate murder

>>8555353
>F5F5F5

>>8555353
>4 boxes that still need to be sealed, but are otherwise finished. Albeit ugly as all fuck because thats what she wanted
>She gets in
>Informs me she doesn't like it, she wants the original ones i made for her (their displayed on the shelf, for sale)
>tells me she'll take the originals, but because its not what she ordered she wants them for 50% off (literally just walk away)
>Politely decline and say I will not sell her those ones, she ordered these disgusting ones and demanded them weeks earlier then agreed upon and those are the ones shes going to get
>Informs me she wants her deposit back and shes leaving
>My contract is airtight, she won't get shit back
>Tell her this.
>Tries to pay with fucking change again for the rest of it
>This time she's 29 dollars short
>Contemplate murdering her with her jar of change
>No, fuck this woman.
>Tell her she can take them when she pays me in full
>She leaves (I almost call the cops)
>She comes back the next day (for god knows why I fucking finished the damn things after she left)
>Her son is there
>Expect him to try and kick my ass
>Wants to just let this whole thing go
>He wants the stuff and to not pay me either
>Brings that fucking jar of change back
>Its still fucking short
>Tell him he can go to an ATM and get my fucking cash and then just never come back
>He does and returns
>I'm counting this fucking change in full for the third god damn time
>Tries to run off with the good ones, not the gaudy ones
>Stop him
>After 30 minutes of fucking screaming at him that he's stealing from me
>Finally get the stupid fucking boxes from him
Now I'm not fucking proud of this next bit.

>>8555317
It's always old people that pull this shit.

>>8555372
>I am fucking furious at this point.
>Fuck these people
>Bring the boxes out
>Bring a sledgehammer
>Throw them onto the sidewalk
>Bash them with a hammer
>Smashed to bits in all their gaudy glory
>Rip up the contract in front of him
>Have all the fucking change this old cunt left me in a giant glass jar
>Bring it outside
>Throw it at her retard sons feet
>Jar smashes
>Jews around the world cry

"MERRY FUCKING CHRISTMAS YOU STUPID CUNT. NOW PICK UP YOUR SHIT AND GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE"

>walk inside, close and lock the door.
>Stare as this retard and his mom spend the next 2 hours picking up change on the sidewalk like fucking animals while I calm the fuck down
>Finally they leave
>Stay in the shop that whole night in case he comes back
>Thankfully, thats the last I ever saw of them

Commissions are now started after 75% of cost is covered. No work is started until all the checks have cleared.

Nothing has ever been nearly that bad since.

>>8555387
>>Bash them with a hammer
>>Smashed to bits in all their gaudy glory

That must have felt so good after what you had to deal with.

>>8555387
>>Jews around the world cry

Aw man you just had to make this personal didn't you?

Awesome story tho.

>>8555393
Nothing personal kiddo.

>>8555387
I'm pretty sure you can refuse certain forms of payment. You can't pay for parking tickets in pennies or dollar origami pigs for example.

>>8554239
You gonna marry them or what?

>>8554501
>>8554649
>>8554925
>>8554949
Didn't reply because I'm trying not to derail the thread, but too many people responding. He knows I don't like him. In fact, I flat out told him I'm only into girls.

But he also knows that I've literally never been in a relationship ever because I've only ever liked 1 girl who rejected me. Aside form her, I've only ever liked 2D girls. So, he's convinced himself that I simply have just never met a guy I like because my standards are ridiculously high, but he's brimming with confidence and believes he has what it takes to swoon me over. To his credit, he's very handsome, very charming, has lots of relationship experience, and has never been rejected before. So, I've kinda been the only "challenge" he's ever encountered romantically I guess. I can understand, from a psychological aspect, how he can become so fixated with me after such a strong rejection. Romance sucks.

Still, I tell him multiple times that he has zero chance with me. In fact, pretty much everyone does, because I'm so fucking picky and I don't care enough about relationships to settle. But he's a very good friend, and I always decline this gifts and offers as much as I can.

Probably won't reply after this to questions unless I post update pics.

>>8554946
It's an amethyst. I like the way the stone is set, it's very floral looking.

>>8554971
I have, and Homura did nothing wrong.

>>8555718
Holy shit, you gonna end up dead anon
That guys a psycho

>>8555387
That sounds terrible. Do you have an example of how shitty they wanted the finish? I'm imagining smeared paintbrush looking or something.

>>8555718
Anon, you gonna die. He's going to come up one day and demand he money's worth and when you don't give it up, ditch time (maybe). Stopped accepted gifts (especially expensive) ones from him. It's going to come back to bite your ass.

>>8555810
She gave me a piece of wallpaper from the 1970's.

This is similar to what I recommended for her. Its classy and fairly timeless. I have to freehand the wood grain so they all get a unique look.

>>8555733
>>8555825
I don't think she's gonna die, but by accepting ANY romantic gesture, she's definitely leading him on.

>>8555859
I dunno, you keep telling someone flat out you're not interested, it doesn't seem like it's your fault anymore if they insist on still buying you stuff.

I hate when girls hate and tease and lead on, but telling someone "no" repeatedly isn't leading on.

>>8555387
I know you learned and had shirt horrible customers

but still kek at you being proud of a having temper tantrum and ruining merchandise you spent your time on and made nothing

>>8555912
>>8555372
See final line of second quote:
>Now I'm not fucking proud of this next bit.

Having a meltdown was the worst thing I could've possibly done. I should've taken the pennies and left it on my shelf as a fucking reminder to trust my gut on commissions and to be assertive with heckling customers. I was legitimately worried I was going to be on the local news, and my family were watching it every night hoping for some poor old lady go on and say what a horrible person I am. I was worried my budding business was going to be destroyed and my reputation would be ruined forever.

Take it as a cautionary tale with doing commissions for others, or getting a commission done. If you get a bad gut feeling about a client/commissioner you should absolutely back out of the deal

>>8555387
I'm. Kind of proud of you for putting your foot down at least. You didn't destroy the sellable ones though right?

>>8555873
Especially if that "no" is coupled with "I'm only into girls" to give even less hope. By that point, there is no leading on. Also it was stated that it was a surprise present, so there's no real "declining" the present by that point since it's a custom that's made in a specific size that probably won't be refundable.

>>8555926
My bad I totallllly misread that wow

>>8555873
>>8555956
But she is, whether she meant to or not. He's going to see her acceptance of it as her warming up to him and hold out hope. You can't tell me that a $900 ring is a "just because" gift between friends; if that's normal I want your friends.

>>8556278
It's not normal, I agree. And the guy is probably doing this because he thinks it'll somehow change her mind.

But just like I have little sympathy for girls who "hint" at guys that they're not interested, I have little sympathy for guys who are told "no" straight out and still act like lovesick puppies.

>>8556283
The kind of guy who gives extravagant gifts to try to buy someone's affection deserves the kind of girl who accepts the gifts, tbh. They're both pretty awful.

>>8553924
What you need to be worried about is one crooked bitch

Is anyone familiar with the Cosplay Commission group on FB? Are the regular commissioners there decent?

>>8555926
I do similar work and would of just told her to fuck off after the first check bounced.

i thought some of you might like this. i use a similar guide when pricing out garments for classes at my school
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xR3JyYRDzs
but this is a simple break down. guess you could take some stuff off the list he shows you or lower some stuff if you want but this is mainly used in the fashion industry when several people are working on it at once but this give you a good base to start pricing stuff

Where is patterning taken into account here? Is it part of the 2.2 margin? Patterning is a pretty substantial chunk of both the total time involved and the skill needed for a project.

Does anyone have recommendations for people who do bikini commissions?

I have a couple I'd really like to wear but no time to sit down and figure out how to make myself.

>order commission
>super nervous
>never done anything but an art commission
>accessory for coordinate
>wait 3 weeks for it to be made
>It's so beautiful I feel like I should wear it with gloves on so I don't accidentally get it dirty

All of you that do commissions are beautiful and I admire your craftsmanship

>>8553727
Did you just.... not bother to brush this at all..? Before putting it on your commissions page?

>>8549964
>>8550044
Please don't post emoticons here anon.
BTW, couldn't you have demanded proof she already sent it out or that you could've sent it back immediately and still demand a refund?

>>8559735
Oh that's because this was a photo from about....4 years ago? When I took photos of all the wigs I had for myself so I could scroll through to see what I had. So no I didn't brush everything at the time besides the odd finger teasing.

When I was asked the question about the buns (which was, as you'll note, the purpose of the album) that as the only photo I had of the kit together on a wig head without digging through three boxes of wigs to find the ponytails and base wig.

>>8559735
>>8559763
This photo, which was taken at a later date (some two years later) features the wig brushed. But I understand that's not immediately obvious.

>>8559763
I saw that the questions were about the buns, but you'd probably have just been better off with the worn picture rather than that hot mess.

>>8559776
The hot mess was closer. But I appreciate the point. Might replace it one day.

>>8548857
Are you sure that seamstress-anon is located in the same country as you, with the same laws? Where I live you're liable for any contracts and agreements you enter into from the age of 16.

>>8548900
oh well that explains a lot

>>8556278
She said it was a surprise. He made it difficult for her to not accept it by already paying in full behind her back on a custom project that won't be refundable. Nobody is going to buy that ring for the price he paid, if they wanted to they would get it custom made like he did. If she had the .money to pay him back for the ring, she would have gotten it herself. Saying "no" is telling him he wasted his money. At least accepting it means she can cherish something he gave her.

>>8559772
It's okay, my natural hair looks like your wig in the first photo even after brushing.

>>8560000
>Saying "no" is telling him he wasted his money.

which he's doing anyway, because she isn't interested.

>>8560000
Look, he thinks he's got a slim chance with her and he's trying everything he can think of to get her to warm up to him. He purposely made it difficult for her to refuse. If she had refused and he lost $900, it would've been his own fault for trying to buy her affection.
I'm not saying she did it on purpose. I'm not saying it wouldn't be difficult to refuse. I'm saying it was the wrong move to accept.
You know what happens when an animal is rewarded? They want to repeat the action. My advice would be to return the ring when he pulls another stunt like this. Apologize and tell him it was a mistake to accept.

Could I get a price estimate on a final boss Veigar costume? Price w/ staff and price w/o staff please.

Also, where's the best place I could get this done?

>>8560481
probably $700

>>8555261

Did she make it? See if she'll size it down. Most craftspeople don't want to deal with other people's mistakes or trying to figure out what they were doing, but if she made it to start it might work

Are there any people that do commissions for specific accessories? I'm trying to complete a cosplay of a UFE pilot from Aldnoah.zero and all I need is the full body harness and the neck brace thing. (pic related)

>>8560508
Ohhh~!

Is there anyway you or anybody else could recommend me a person/site to get a custom made suit done?

How much would this cost?No cape and not the belt.And i would do something different for shoes.

>>8561414
Sorry forgot the image!