^ I´m someone who works with 100% prepayment unless I´m unsure and kinda inexperienced about what my client wants. (I request payment after sketch then). Didn´t had any situation yet that my client wasn´t satisfied but I still want to offer that. It makes me feel more secure xD But paying via friends and family??? hell no. That´s actually against PayPal's TOS as far as I´m aware. Whenever I see this I immediately leave/ or block. I can´t remember exactly but I think that one time on here I got scammed I paid via Friends and family. Didn´t had much experience back then. wasn´t much but it still sucks.
sorry to add to the string of pet peeve threads OTL. i just thought this would be a good place for people who buy commissions and who sell commissions to vent their frustrations. ill go first to break the ice.
when artists make you pay through friends and family, its soooo sketch. also when artist say theyll have your stuff done in one week...and never get back to you or do it way after a week. like its happened so many times and i feel like its a 'give me five minutes' type of thing. like just give me your real time frame, no need got give yourself a week if you know its not going to happen.
you all have very valid points! im going to add another complaint of mine since no one has said it yet.
when people whitewash my ocs. sidif thats the main thing that annoys me. like their skin color is very clear in the ref, why make their skin lighter?
edit: nvm someone already said it lol
new rules: please dont be transphobic or racist, i cant believe i have to say this but seriously, what the heck
Yes Friends and Family is a giant red flag, HOWEVER, it might not be super common knowledge so I find letting them know is a good move. I luckily asked the first artist I commissioned and heard to use Goods and Services, and that paid off. If you mention it to them you might be helping them out, though if they then go on to say "Do it anyway" probably best not to. If they are losing too much from the fees, either find another payment handler or they can up their prices. It loses you the very important ability to get your money back in any case where you need to. Buyer protection is good.
it's been said before but I'll mention it again..
Lack of communication really, REALLY irritates me. I've waited months and months for a piece and they wouldn't communicate with me - no updates, nothing. It was only when I mentioned that I'd file a chargeback that I got my art. Otherwise I think they would've attempted to scam me. I don't mind waiting a few months but if you tell me it'll take 3 days max then keep making excuses I don't really want to work with you (unless it's something important - family, etc!).
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v they mentioned paying upfront with it being VIA FRIENDS AND FAMILY.
>paying upfront seems sketchy
I understand that you don't like it, but please avoid using pejorative terms like this. Upfront payment is used by like 90% of people doing commissions, it's basically an industry standard, and there are perfectly valid reasons why people work this way. I could easily flip that around and say "clients who don't like doing upfront payments are sketchy", but that would be a completely baseless and unfair.
Skykristal I'm not a fan of it, but I'm sure part of that is due to being scammed more than once. As a seller, I've never had anyone refuse to pay once the work was done, so maybe that also plays into my opinion. Even if I'm not 100% comfortable with the idea I'm usually more than willing to work with a seller, but to be honest the circles I end up in almost feel like they guilt you for wanting to protect your purchase. I know it's no one's fault but mine for paying that way, but it does feel difficult when I have multiple artists telling me that's the way it's always done and I'm the odd one out. Maybe it's time for me to widen my net and start working with unrelated artists. (Also I'm not sure if it's expressly against TOS, but I do know they provide limited assistance or none at all if you pay via FF.)
Another thing about upfront purchases that bother me is that about 50% of the time communication ceases almost completely after I send payment. An artist will give me an ETA for the work, and then an entire month after the specified date I'll be chasing them down for answers. I don't mind waiting, but "I'm patient" doesn't mean "I'm fine being ghosted for months at a time." As a seller, I personally think it's our job to keep people updated and to have the maturity to let buyers know when we can't keep our obligations. That might sound rich after my vent about being non-confrontational and getting myself scammed, but it really is a frustrating experience. It even happens often enough that sometimes I get turned off of patronizing new artists. It ends up feeling easier to stick with one or two regular sellers than working with new folks, which is a shame for buyers and sellers alike.
> People who dont say "thank you" or compliment the finished work
Kinda petty and i totally get that not everyone is good at giving compliments or have anxiety but i cannot count how many times i've sent a finished commission to a user and they just don't reply. They upload the art to their characters profile so they obviously saw it. It's just weird that they dont even give a "thank you" or a "looks good!"
Im not expecting them to kiss my ass with a whole "HHGGHGHGHGHFHFH OMG!!!! SO BEAUTIFUL I LOVE YOU FOREVER!!!!! YOUR THE BEST ARTISTS IN THE UNIVERSE!!" Just at least some acknowledgment so i know that you like it cause i love that serotonin man!
Skykristal Read again, they said "I don't like paying upfront anyway because it seems sketchy". "Anyway", as in, "even if it's not through friends and family".
Nifffi yes yes I know they generally don´t like it. my response to the friends and family thing was more "in general"
Nifffi Yes, that is how I feel based on my personal experience. If an artist feels like a buyer who won't pay upfront is sketchy because they've been scammed before by internet beggers (which is a frequent sentiment), then I think they would be entirely entitled to that opinion. I'm 100% willing to work with a seller to work out something comfortable for both of us, and it has been my experience that I am expected to (and do) pay upfront for most commissions. Just because that's the accepted norm doesn't mean I'm comfortable with it, though. When people expect payment upfront it makes me nervous, and I think it's important for both buyers and sellers to acknowledge the respective experiences and feelings of the other. This is a pet peeve thread. I don't think I'm out of line for sharing my personal opinion.
Skykristal I know, I was just replying to that last bit in your comment where you address mine. I'm aware they said they don't like friends and family, and I agree with them on that, but they also said that anyone who takes payment upfront seems sketchy and that's the part I take issue with. Not saying they have to like it, they're free to work with whoever they want and pay how they feel comfortable, but there is a difference between saying "I don't like x" and "People who do x are sketchy".
Nifffi yes that´s what I mean and understood as well lol. I´m getting confused now--.
v ahh! oke, np
Skykristal, my bad, I tagged the wrong person. nekomancy that one was for you.
baddad Kind of a repeat of my last comment, but like I said, I understand of you don't like it, you're allowed to share it, but there are ways and ways to phrase things. Like I said "I don't like x" and "People who do x are sketchy", are not the same. I'm sorry you've had bad experiences in the past. it's understandable that you'd want to be careful after those.
VincentVanGoat This is actually a really good idea, even though it makes me feel silly for not doing that in the first place. I think I've gotten so caught up in a culture that expects FF payments that it's easy to forget some people don't expect or want you to do that. I agree with the sentiment about fees, too. I usually advertise the price that it will cost accounting for the fees, so I get the full amount and buyers retain their protections. I'll definitely be giving asking every time a shot. That way, I can know who to avoid if they absolutely insist FF payment. Maybe that will also make me more trusting of upfront payment, too. :)
Oh yes, I love upfront payments since it is already set to go, you get the art, you just gotta send that thank you message and you are set to share the goodness~ I can understand some skepticism if it was done in a friends and family upfront, though. But if I can help even get people thinking to ask, that's what counts!~