Question about Refund Policy

I'm uncertain about how PayPal's fees work in regards to refunds/ chargeback, so somebody else can probably clarify that; however, my personal opinion as a client would be that both choices are pretty restrictive and a bit off-putting. There are instances in which something pops up in which the client is no longer able to pay for the commission. Maybe it's an emergency, or maybe they're just no longer interested for whatever reason, but the idea of not being refunded in either case doesn't sound reassuring.

If, for example, you're partway through the commission, but an emergency pops up in which the client needs the money that they initially had to spare for a commission but is now unable to ask for a refund. It can be frustrating and even stressful for both parties involved. What I would suggest is having certain clauses instead. For example, a certain percentage is refunded depending on the amount of work that had already been done. That way, the client is still able to get some of their money back, but you're still able to keep the amount for the time and work you had already put in the commission.

That's my two cents at least, but as the one providing the service, it's up to you how to set up your TOS and for potential clients to choose to agree with it and commission you or otherwise pass it up. I hope you're able to decide on something that you're satisfied with, and best of luck to you!

Regarding giving refunds on Paypal, if you go to their payment and hit refund, paypal will give back the fee along with the money you got so the person gets a full refund.

Hope this helps a bit!

LunarMinka Thank you so much! That's really reassuring to hear--I was really worried about the fees/not being able to return the full amount! I had no idea Paypal had that option, so this was super helpful! Ty!

Avistella Thank you so much for your feedback! I appreciate it so much. You raise really valid points--I had completely forgotten about emergencies, which are super important + I want to remedy that, and I hadn't even factored/thought of a client losing interest. I also appreciate the suggestion! 

I edited the thread, and added these possible solutions that would, hopefully, help with those issues!:

I'm glad that my input was to be of some help! The solutions you came up with sound more reassuring if a client takes in the rare possibility of an emergency popping up!

As for the points in mind, I think the first point can be reworded so it doesn't sound vague instead of saying "...if I am going to work on it/ start on it right away", you can rephrase it as "when I'm ready to work on your commission" and clarify as to what clients can expect for "when you're ready." I could just be being nitpicky, but the "if" part of the sentence might give off the wrong impression that you won't work on the commission at all. I do understand what you're trying to say though and think it's a good idea to include as most clients are used to the idea of paying upfront upon order.

The other three points sound perfectly fine and reasonable. The "no refunds for completed work" is especially good to have so that clients won't be able to take advantage of you otherwise.

As for the partial refunds, how much you decide to refund depends on you and what you're comfortable with. I think the base price seems the most fair for both parties, but as an artist, it seems possible to accidentally refund more than necessary. If, for example, you're almost done with the colours but isn't fully done yet. By the standard of base prices, you wouldn't be able to refund the cost for those colours since technically you haven't finished that state yet even if you were pretty close to it.

As for the idea of clients potentially losing interest: I don't think it's something you have to worry too much if you have a reasonable turnaround time. Most clients are more than willing to wait and probably won't lose interest so soon as long as they know that the work is being done and you're providing updates when needed.

I'm not sure if this will help, but I have a Terms of Service template here (and the refund section can be reached here) that you can possibly reference for ideas on how to go about your refund policy. It might help to also look at other artists' TOS and copy whichever ones personally appeal to you. Good luck!

Avistella Thanks for the reply! Sorry for the confusion--The thing I typed out was just possible solutions, and not what I was gonna write verbatim on my TOS. Also, for some clarification: I only work on commissions after payment's been received. It's what I've been advised (for some protection for the artist).

This is what I have on my TOS: (What I already had before I wrote this thread)

I've been talking over Refund Policies + Commissions with other folk though, and we were thinking, since I already try to manage the amount of workload I take on at one time, and I don't take payment till I'm "ready" (kind of like how a waitlist/slot commissions work? Is what I'm told--I'm still familiarizing myself with the terminology), I think this would help with the issue of refund/losing interest bit.

In case of emergencies/loss of interest, you still hold onto your money (as I don't ask for payment unless I'm going to work on it right away/soon).

In the case of emergencies after I've already started work on the commission, I think I need some time to still think over what I'm going to do.

But thank you for the feedback! And thank you for the link--it looks so professional! I appreciate it a lot, ty!

Prehistoric_Salad I appreciate it! It helps me think of things I didn't consider/thought of before, and brings in the other variables that I should think about, just in case.

Are you replying to the two possible ones I thought of? (No refund unless inability to complete / No refund unless I didn't start?) For you first scenario, is that like, if I started working on it + then changed my mind or? 

If that's the case, I feel like I should still fully refund them as it was my choice, as the artist, to not follow through with the commission. I'm still new to the commission world, but it seems kind of unfair if like. Someone paid a restaurant for a meal, and the chef says they've changed their mind + only serves you half a meal (something you didn't want nor agree to) and says they're gonna keep half your money? I'm not sure if that's what you meant though, so apologies if I misunderstood!

I don't quite understand what you mean by the second one. Could you clarify? (Like, refunds unless I didn't start on it is good if I'm fast/have short turnaround times or?) Ty!

Sorry for slow, Life's grabbed me. 

Updated with this: (but still tinkering away, slowly) 

Update: New Question

If a commission is cancelled, either via client or by artist, are the artwork files sent with the monetary refund?

I'm not sure what is the norm/what other artists do, so was wondering! Like, if a client cancels the commission, should the artist send the artworks that they've finished (ofc, money is refunded) or is it okay for artist to just do a money refund? 

Thanks!

nidoran Sorry for the late reply! Also random, but I like your username! It's a great pokemon.

That's helpful! Thank you. I'll keep that in mind if I open commissions here on TH; ty!!!

hi! if a job is cancelled, a monetary refund is more than enough imo. in the industry, clients cancelling a job typically pay a kill fee (around 50%) to compensate an artist's time and effort. i wouldn't send any unfinished artwork, you don't really want to be known for your unfinished jobs and you may want to reuse those ideas/poses another time.

UPDATE: Sorry! I've edited my post a little to include situations of partial refunds, as I forgot to include that bit of information!

onessu That makes sense! Thank you. You raise some really good points.

I was wondering if this would still apply in certain situations with partial refunds? Or only in cases of full refunds?
(Apologies if something should be obvious, I'm not fully familiar with some of the terms used. Ty!)

nidoran That makes sense! Also apologies, I don't fully understand what a 'hard and fast rule' means. 

For calculating partial refunds, I was told percentages or using the prices for the commission parts (sketches, colors, shading, etc.) would be a good method? (Like, if the commission was a fully colored + shaded piece, if it was cancelled during the sketch phase, if partial it could be 15% kept while rest refunded, or if prices, if sketches cost $10, the artist just keeps $10?)

But thank you! I'm gathering opinions/thoughts from other places as well, and it's been helpful!