First, from an objective position, I'd work a bit on verbal presentation. The emotes don't belong in a professional exchange, but I'll admit I'm guilty of it on occasion myself.
Second, you'd have to go through your parents' paypal, because legally people can't enter a contract with a minor. I think that for your sake and your commissioners, that would be the best way to go. Also, don't spend that money until you've delivered the product for the commissioner, just in case. It's not really 'yours' until you've finished your end of the deal anyways.
Third, price appropriately. Don't undersell yourself, but don't expect to make a killing right off the bat. There's a great community here on LJ called Teenycom that lets you advertise <$10 commissions there. It gets a ton of traffic and is well maintained, so it's a great place to start.
Fourth, build a portfolio of relevant work. People want to know you can follow their references and deliver a product they feel was worth their hard earned money.
Fifth, the phrase up there "having a ToS that you both agree to before you start sending money or anything, so if there's any problem on either side, you can throw it at the commissioner and run :3" sort of scares me a little. A TOS is there to protect both you and your customers, but they are not the end-all-be-all. There will undoubtedly be instances where things come up that aren't covered and you've got to be professional enough to work through them. That's what about half of the posts here are, things that slipped by the TOS and caused a problem (I've had my share too).
I'm not trying to discourage you, but realize that this has to be handled in a professional matter. It stops being a hobby once someone has paid, and you have an obligation to fulfill your end of the agreement. It should still be fun for you though, so don't take on more than you can handle and burn yourself out!
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2011-11-29 10:26 pm (UTC)Second, you'd have to go through your parents' paypal, because legally people can't enter a contract with a minor. I think that for your sake and your commissioners, that would be the best way to go. Also, don't spend that money until you've delivered the product for the commissioner, just in case. It's not really 'yours' until you've finished your end of the deal anyways.
Third, price appropriately. Don't undersell yourself, but don't expect to make a killing right off the bat. There's a great community here on LJ called Teenycom that lets you advertise <$10 commissions there. It gets a ton of traffic and is well maintained, so it's a great place to start.
Fourth, build a portfolio of relevant work. People want to know you can follow their references and deliver a product they feel was worth their hard earned money.
Fifth, the phrase up there "having a ToS that you both agree to before you start sending money or anything, so if there's any problem on either side, you can throw it at the commissioner and run :3" sort of scares me a little. A TOS is there to protect both you and your customers, but they are not the end-all-be-all. There will undoubtedly be instances where things come up that aren't covered and you've got to be professional enough to work through them. That's what about half of the posts here are, things that slipped by the TOS and caused a problem (I've had my share too).
I'm not trying to discourage you, but realize that this has to be handled in a professional matter. It stops being a hobby once someone has paid, and you have an obligation to fulfill your end of the agreement. It should still be fun for you though, so don't take on more than you can handle and burn yourself out!