artists_beware | Update on Avsun Mascots and advice request.

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Update on Avsun Mascots and advice request.

I just recently received an e-mail from Esh Avsun. This is what the e-mail said:

Hey There-

We received your Toothless foambase- he looks great! However, we just learned from Prefur that we couldn't get in touch with the artist selling the eyes- so we will have to refund your 35.00. However, commissioners are a bit wary to send payments right now due to the delays, so it may be just a little bit longer before we can get that refund to you. Prefur also sent a baggy of little black horns she handmade for Toothless- they are super cute! We have spoken about your commission and would like to offer you a free foambase for your trouble- in which case, we would wait a bit longer until Prefur gets here (she is visiting to help us catch up) and then we'd send Toothless and the additional foam head together. Let us know what you'd like to do. We'll send photos of him to you today! Thank you so much for your patience and understanding and have a great day!!

--
Avsun Mascots

Now, first of all it was 25.00$ for toony eyes that I had originally paid for, so I'm not sure where the 35.00 came from. Now here is the question that I have. Should I give them another chance or just ask them to send me the head? (Which doesn't really match toothless all that much, but that is alright I suppose.)

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It seems to me like they're just trying to dangle something else in front of you so you agree to let them take even longer than they already have on their piece. And... if Avsun was making your head, then why did they get it from Prefur? That makes no sense at all, unless she's trying to dig them out of the hole they've made for themselves - in which case people still aren't getting the work they paid for, they're getting Prefur's work.

Hrm.

Edited 2011-04-28 16:06 (UTC)

She is going to help dig them out, they have already stated that in one of their e-mails to me. I'll be making a fallow up post of all the recent e-mails between me and them when it is settled.

Show them in the emails about what you paid for what. Did you know work would be delegated like this?

Hum.
It's really up to you - personally, I'd be worried this is a burst of activity and soon they will "relapse" and would get while the getting's good. If you particularly want the second head, maybe tell them to send the toothless head NOW, and to use the $25 for shipping the second head when it's ready instead of refunding the $25?
If that's what you'd want (and I think $25 is reasonable shipping for a foam head, but please anyone correct me if I'm wrong on that)

When I had a friend over she had brought a fursuit head along to ship, since it was cheaper to ship from here than from Europe where she was from. It cost a total of $9 WITH insurance and tracking to mail it.

$25 is a grossly over-estimated price.

Ah. Well I do think they should have tracking and insurance, and IDK what kind of packing materials might be needed, but yeah, still probably less than $25. I guess they can refund the difference (when they scrape together the staggering funds, hurr hurr)

If its particularly large, it may run into the Oversize charge which would roughly double price. But a head generally SHOULDN'T trigger that unless its monstrously huge.

Shipping a fursuit head with insurance is around 30-50$ from Canada to US. I'm guessing it was from US to US at 9$?

I went ahead and e-mailed them with this suggestion. So, I'm currently waiting for a reply. If I don't get one in a few days, I'll email them once more. If I get ignored, I'll take further action. :)

Cool. Did you get your head yet?

I did not, but I got a tracking number two days ago. I checked it and it works, so the estimated arrival date is the 6th. So we will see how it is once I get it.

Sounds promising! Thanks for the update :)

out of interest, who was selling the eyes? 'cause if it's monoyasha/flurrycat, she answered a note from me about resin eyes pretty promptly just last week or so

I'm unsure. For glass eyes, they had said it was monoyasha. otherwise, I'm not sure who they were talking about in this e-mail. I was under the assumption that they were going to be making them. But I suppose one should never assume, right?

My first instinct is to say get it now before it's too late. If they really do have a base (made by... another artist than you'd wanted, which is another unprofessional matter entirely), then you should grab it now and force them to mail it to you as-is, with the horns (if those actually exist as well).

From there, you can get any number of much more reputable makers to clean/finish it up for you, or try it yourself, or whatever you feel best about. I wouldn't trust them to finish it.

Also, "wary to send payments"? Of COURSE commissioners are wary now! It's well-earned.

seems funny that they can't simply make the eyes themselves, or find another source. Especially if they're toony eyes... I don't understand, since the completed head in their gallery has toony eyes, so I assume they made them?

I *think* they suggested using resin eyes instead of toony, that's what the extra charge represented. Though I could be wrong, this whole thing has got very confusing

I had originally paid for toony, then they suggested ordering resin ones from monoyasha. They told me monoyasha had declined them, so they were suppose to go through with the toony eyes. The 25 was for the toony eyes that I had assumed they were going to make.

If they can't get the resin eyes and they can't get the toony eyes is your head just not going to have eyes? I have no knowledge of fursuits beyond this community but that seems really odd.

it's only a headbase, it's intended for the customer to fur and finish themselves. In this case, they ordered it with eyes ready to install, but as it stands they would have to make their own eyes as well as furring the head themselves

Oh ok! That makes more sense thank you

prefur makes eyes for avsun.
Shes the one with the airbrush that colors there eyes.
Avsun has been told by other makers (midori being one) much advice on fursuit building and shipping methods and it seems that the advice has been ignored.
They like to ship Fedex 2-3 day shipping which is $35 they have been told about shipping USPS for a much cheaper rate.
Theres plenty of things wrong with these makers (both prefur and avsun)but I won't get into all that.

So I guess that clears up any doubts that Prefur had no idea what was going on with these guys! Interesting.

When I asked them for a quote a few months ago, they told me toony eyes were $25, but they NEVER mentioned that they were just getting them made by someone else. That's pretty messed up if it's true....

Pretty much. I had the impression that when I paid the 25$ for the toony eyes they were going to be making them themselves. I was wrong apparently.

I think It may just be me, but when I read the response e-mail I got the impression that they don't even make the head bases them selves either, but instead get it from somewhere else. I mean they even said they where planning to order the eyes from somewhere else before in someone else's post. But I may be just looking to much into it. It just seems to read to me that they are a "small consume making business" but they really are just taking money and out sourcing. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, it would be fine if they actually got things done.But instead they have many many delays and thin excuses for them.

I don't understand either. Outsourcing only makes sense if you charge more than the people you outsource to, but this isn't the case as far as I know; Avsun have pretty low prices (hence so many people commissioning them I suppose) predilicted on the basis of them being inexperienced and looking to build a portfolio. If it's just the bases then they fur the heads themselves I guess that makes sense as furring adds a lot of value, but here it's JUST a base commission so they're not increasing the value or adding anything.

Only other thing I can think of is the company is composed of several makers spread around the country, but that rarely works out well (remember the debacle with Kitt Creations?). It might explain why they have SO much on their commission list though

Yes, they used to work under Prefur, and are obviously still using her as a crutch and heavily relying on her to help them catch up now.

I think she should make like a mother bird and kick them outta the nest at this point. They can't keep relying on her like this and she can't keep bailing them out when they get into trouble.

umm sorry but, there are MANY fursuit makers that buy the eyes premade as well as other parts (pawpads, noses, etc). to be honest theres nothing wrong with it. but yeah, id say to give them a deadline perhaps? if they dont make it then you should tell them to send you whatever they have done with the materials and a partial refund?

resin eyes yes, pads yes, but toony eyes are very idiosyncratic and define a lot of the character of a suit. I suppose if they do it routinely and always use the same supplier then there won't be any consistency issues, but if someone bought in one pair of plastic eyes after usually making their own, it could really change the look of the thing

i was under the impression that they were talking about glass eyes?

Have you received a photo yet? If not, my guess would be that your original base might not be completed either, hence the "we'd like to make a second one for you" bit.

I have offered extra pieces to customers whose deadlines I might have missed, but those pieces have been in the form of extra details they might have wanted initially but didn't want to pay for, or an extra pair of paws or something. Not a second full head base. If it takes THIS long to get a first one, how long will the second take? IMO, shipping them together should not be an option. I'd request they ship the head owed first, and then if they actually get around to sending the other base then yay, if they never get to it then you're not really technically out anything, right?

I had replied to them telling them that I'd like them to send me the toothless base. (yes, they sent me pics of it.) I told them that they could keep the 25$ to ship the second base to me later on, if the decide they don't want to, then refund the 25. They told me the second base would be of any character I want and would be finished by the end of may. I'm currently waiting for a reply from them. If I don't get one in the next few days, I'll be taking further action. :)

While I appreciate they are trying to do right by you, making a free "apology" head for a customer while there are still those out there waiting on work due last October seems extremely shady to me. Unless they think they can clear their ENTIRE 7 month backlog in 4 weeks, then they'll be putting off overdue work to appease you even though you've been very reasonable and undemanding beyond what you're actually owed

I understand that and don't like it, thus I am just trying to get the toothless head. I could care less at this point if they choose not to do the extra head. But losing simply 25$ as oppose to 125$ is a significant difference to me. I already told them that I'm wary due to the over due work so many people mention, hopefully to encourage them further into getting stuff done.

I would suggest NOT giving them more work to do, not only because they're starting to look pretty shady, but because they clearly have a lot on their plate and asking them to do more work is a really bad idea. They'd better spend their time clearing their backlog rather than taking on new work...

I didn't ask them for new work. I told them to send me my head and keep the 25 if they happen to have time for the free one to send to me. Like I said to FK, I'd much rather lose 25$ compared to 125$. I just want them to send the head they owe me right away is all. They are known for pressuring their customers.

I'm sorry for not clarifying! I was referring to their offer to send you a free foam base as compensation for having you wait longer and that you shouldn't accept it, which appears to be what you're doing.

No worries, I just didn't want there to be any misunderstandings. :)

You did not pay for Prefur work, you paid for AVSUN work. I say ask for the refund, if they are outsourcing without you knowing... Thats kinda stupid :/

My bad. Ask for whatever refund you can get AND the foam base back x_x It's too late for this XD

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Update on Avsun Mascots and advice request.

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