How Soon is Too Soon?

[elphane-uk.livejournal.com]

Hi, I'm after a bit of advice.

I'm new to commissioning artists.  Just over a month ago I commissioned an artist on another LJ community for a badge. I paid upfront and it was done in a few days, and I ok'ed it and sent my address for it to be mailed out.  Now the artist is in the US, and I am in the UK, so I am aware it would take a while to arrive, but a t shirt I ordered from the US two weeks ago arrived today, so I'm a little worried about my badge.

Now the artists never actually sent me an email stating that she had mailed my badge, just that if I liked what she had done she'd mail it in the next few days.  I don't want to be a bad commissioner so is it too soon to ask the artist if she has mailed my badge or should I wait a while longer?

Comments

[night-requiem.livejournal.com]

You could just ask when they posted it so that you know when to expect it to arrive. I don't think that would be unreasonable.

[tunavoice.livejournal.com]

If you've waited a month, I think you've waited long enough to ask for an update! There's really no harm in asking once in a while, so don't be afraid to.

Just message/email the artist asking politely what's up.

"Hello, I was wondering if you had shipped out my badge yet? If not, could I get an estimate on when you will ship it/when it will arrive, if possible?" should be a good way to put it.

[obsidianwolfess.livejournal.com]

You should definitely ask them! It doesn't make you a bad commissioner at all.

Sometimes artists wait until they have multiple things to mail, then send everything out in one big batch. You never know. It certainly doesn't hurt to ask what's going on. :)

And if you're super paranoid, you could request that they purchase a tracking number for the badge. (Costs a whopping $0.75 from the USPS.)

[fenris-lorsrai.livejournal.com]

Go ahead and ask when it was posted.

ALSO, if they said it has been posted, go to your local post office and ask if they're holding an envelope for you. The notices for those often get lost (or the postman forgets to leave them) and its actually sitting at the office, waiting for pickup. Packages and stiff envelopes that can't be folded are most likely to be held.

[breakspire.livejournal.com]

if ONLY international tracking was $.75... pretty sure you can only get it with express mail. which is expensive

[neive.livejournal.com]

Seconding everyone else, it definitely doesn't make you a bad commissioner to ask for some progress (especially after a month).

From what I've seen over the years the general consensus feels that as long as you wait at least a week or two since the last update you're in the clear for not being annoying or pressuring if they haven't laid down any stricter parameters about it. c: That's for drawn commissions that is, for something like a fursuit I imagine the waiting periods for that should be longer.

But anyway, especially for just an update on shipping when she told you it'd be a few days, you're definitely in the clear to send a gentle prod!

[ithinkdirt.livejournal.com]

Yep, definitely reasonable to ask. I wouldn't be "worried" mind you, some people just take a little bit to get things out for one reason or another, but it is perfectly within your rights to inquire about its shipping status. :)

[wolf-goat.livejournal.com]

A lot of artists are a bit slow in posting. There's nothing wrong with asking.

For future reference, mail from the US -> UK takes on average 5-10 working days (aside from around Christmas, then there are chances of delays of 4 weeks). If you're waiting longer, then yes, it is time to start being concerned.

[yoka-neko.livejournal.com]

Nothing wrong with asking to help you get an estimation for when your badge will arrive.
Delivery from the US > UK, or reverse can range depending on shipping options and general delays.
From my experience, when I send something by standard mail to the US & Canada, it can get to the customer between 2 - 3 weeks on average, unless I use a courier which is very pricy and used only for bulky items.

[punkbawkchicken.livejournal.com]

I would go ahead and email them to see when exactly they mailed out your badge.

One possibility could be the mail system itself. More than once I've sent out buttons to the UK and it took 2 to 3 weeks for my customers to get them.
Another possibility is that the artist made a mistake on the envelope in regards to your shipping address. I've done that before (mixed up numbers because I was in a rush to ship stuff out) and it took well over a month for the package to come back to me before I could ship it out again.

[lainmokoto.livejournal.com]

In my opinion there is no harm in asking the artist for an update. It could be that the artist is late mailing it out or even that the post is running slow. I've mailed things to customers in the UK before and it once took around a month for my customer to receive the artwork.

[tealmoonxiv.livejournal.com]

It once took a very long time for me to get a badge in the mail due to weather delays.

It's not like your asking like a day after she finished it. After a week I would have asked. So go for it.