Minor Commissions

[paradedemon.livejournal.com]

I'm currently a minor and I'm wanting to take Fursuit partial commissions.
I've noticed most people tend to not commission minors because of the legal contract issue.

Are there any ways I could show I really do want to be professional about this and complete commissions?
I want people to trust I will complete their partial in reasonable time at a good quality for the price (I've been thinking 250-300$ ) and I won't scam them
 
I was thinking to send WIPs at set intervals but I don't think that would really be enough?

(btw, if I've done anything wrong, please tell me, I'm fairly new to AB)

Comments

[taasla.livejournal.com]

Legally, there is nothing that protects any potential clients should something go wrong on the contract. The best they could do is attempt to hold your parents legally responsible.

The best thing you can do is wait until you are of age to do commissions. It may not be what you want to hear, but it is perhaps the most mature thing to do.

[mazz.livejournal.com]

This, people want to be covered legally.

You could always see if the transactions could be made through your parents if your parents are ok with that and know you'd hold up your end as not to screw them.

I won't take money from a minor for art unless I have the parent make the money transaction because I want to be legally covered if something were to go wrong.

[lem0ntrees.livejournal.com]

$200-300 for a partial is honestly very cheap, to the point that you are seriously undercharging for your services. Good quality fake fur is not cheap, I don't think that $200 would even cover materials, let alone labor.

I would make some premades and try selling those off. That way you can build your reputation while gaining experience and learning how to price your art.

[marus-puppy.livejournal.com]

I agree with this.

[growly.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I would just wait. Hone your skills, learn all the business side of it, prepare. Then when the time comes, you will be ready to rock n' roll. :D

Or sell premades- that's significantly less risk than commissions, since the item in question is already finished, it just needs to ship. I sold premades for the first few years of my suitmaking "career" (it was a hobby back then) when I was a teen.

[paradedemon.livejournal.com]

I found this old thread browsing through the AB posts, I had completely forgotten about it.
I've mostly settled on premades (I've sold one right now, all went well. C: ) and taking One or two commissions for a head base.

Luckily, premades and small commissions will help build up a positive review of me by the time I've gotten closer / teacher the age of 18z :)

[kadaria.livejournal.com]

This is just my opinion but I think the best thing you could do to show good faith would be to wait until you are 18 to start selling commissions.
Use this time to get a job that could possibly help with your dream such as working for a seamstress or even a retail job at a fabric or craft store. Also use this time to get experience by making them without a deadline or customer attached. See how long it takes to complete, what methods work or don't work and how much materials will cost. You can also explore the fur suit maker communities for ideas and support. If you are in high school you can add classes that will help you such as economics, theater, art and graphic design.
When I knew I wanted to be a vmt, I didn't just jump into the profession as a 15 year old. I worked hard in school, had animal related summer jobs, shadowed when I could and eventually got a degree that allows me to continue this dream.
This community has many examples of artists who while being adults have made grave mistakes in terms of turn around time, handling money and budgeting or even making a good terms of service contract. You can use this time to learn for their mistakes so that when you turn 18 you will be ready with everything you need to invest in and start your own business.

[paradedemon.livejournal.com]

I really love this comment. Especially the last part. I've mostly been selling premades which lets me make things as well as get use to handling profits and material costs more.

:)

[shukivengeance.livejournal.com]

I gotta agree with the suggestions to wait until you're 18 and just work on your skills in the meantime. Not only will it give you time to improve, but you would also have built up a good portfolio and gotten a feel for your personal strengths and weaknesses in the craft.

[fenris-lorsrai.livejournal.com]

Legally, better to wait until you are 18 to take commissions. Get more experience under your belt meantime.

If you need to cover the materials cost, do premade stuff and put up for auction. This will let you get some experience and cover costs (hopefully) and your age should be less relevant as its a premade item. It should also avoid most of the contract issues since it then boils down to "did you send the item and was it as described" with no complications involving changes, timelines, etc.

[animecat.livejournal.com]

Like others have said, I would think it best to wait until you're 18 to start taking on commissions. In the meantime, why not make some pre-made partial suits as practice and sell them through auction sites? Have your parents join with you on a PayPal account, and use that for your business transactions, so that your buyers have some kind of protection. And in selling pre-mades, you'll not only bring in a little cash, but you'll aslo get some great practice on making costumes and after all that practice, by the time you're of legal age, you'll ahve lots of experience under your belt, which will help you with commissions!

[silvertales.livejournal.com]

I'm going to echo the suggestions to wait until you're 18 to start taking commissions, and the reason is this: as a minor, you are not legally able to enter into a binding contract, ergo your client is not protected and has no recourse should something not go according to plan.

[vaekke.livejournal.com]

Or, you know, you don't have to advertise your age. Just saying!

[marus-puppy.livejournal.com]

That's true, but it kinda leaves a bad taste in my mouth after coming here with concerns about keeping everything kosher.

[syrusb.livejournal.com]

Agreed, that's a bad way to go. The artist wants to do right, best course is to be honest and upfront.

The suggestions of making originals to sell as is, I think is a great idea. Maybe they can start off with popular/common combinations. Perhaps after they've gotten a good reputation for work they can put up journals or polls asking for color/pattern combination suggestions and continuing to sell on a first-come basis. So they can't take commissions yet, but they can get experience working, building, and interacting with customers.

[grandioze.livejournal.com]

Yeeeeeeah, that seems kinda... dishonest to me? What happens if something messes up with the commission, and the client doesn't find out that they can't do anything about it until it's too late? Or what if their parents (or whoever is running the PP account) isn't trustworthy? There are plenty of parents that would steal money from their kids and tell them that they didn't get any money, just sayin'.

[poizenkat.livejournal.com]

Oh wow, I definitely say no to that. No legal protection with no warning? That's really shady.

[ocelotish]

May advice for you: just make pre-mades! It's a lot of the benefits of commissions: namely money coming in, with none of the down-sides (unhappy clients, deadlines, etc.). It'll give you a chance to really work on your techniques, hopefully get paid for it, and do it at a pace that keeps it fun for you.

[familliaraver.livejournal.com]

This! Pre-mades all the way. Manage your money from each sale to put back into buying more materials and better equipment.

[zaulankris.livejournal.com]

This sounds like a great idea.

Also, ask for customer reviews on a place like http://www.furaffinity.net/user/fursuitmakerreviews It really helps to know what sort of things people expect from a fursuit before you go whole-hog and offer commissions.

[toscaterrier.livejournal.com]

As a minor who's taken point commissions on dA before? I'd echo everyone else and suggest you wait until you're 18. Most people won't commission underage makers for something as serious as a fursuit anyways, because there's no legal options for them if the deal goes sour. And since minors can't legally enter contracts, you can't hold any potential customers to a ToS.

[tealmoonxiv.livejournal.com]

As everyone else has said wait till you're 18 and sell premades till then.

Also with pre-mades you'll:
Be able to determine how much time it takes to make one and how much it costs.
Be able to develop your style and expirament.
It's good practice so you have quality suits when you do open commissions.

Sorry for any spelling errors.

[lichdog.livejournal.com]

On top of that, you don't want adults getting your address. There's some really sketchy people in the fandom and they could do some messed up things to ya.

I think it's safe to say AB had the best general idea and do premades til you're of age.

[lackoflollies.livejournal.com]

When and if you do premades, and if you do send them off, I suggest getting a PO box to avoid said sketchy adults finding your legitimate address. :3

[paradedemon.livejournal.com]

Can I ask how to do this. I find having a PO box would be quite useful.

[lackoflollies.livejournal.com]

https://www.usps.com/manage/get-a-po-box.htm

[paradedemon.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[10thdoktor.livejournal.com]

Echoing everything that's been said. I would never commission a minor, especially for something that expensive. Or even buy premades. It's not that I don't trust people, but paying the price that fursuits can cost with absolutely no legal protection is stupid.

And I would definitely say no to lying about your age, that's very shady and if that ever happened to me I would certainly advertise against other people commissioning the person in question.

[skanrashke.livejournal.com]

"Is there anything I can do to show I really do want to be professional about commissions?"

Yes. Wait 1-2 years until you are 18.

I know that sounds harsh, but realistically there are a number of factors at play here, be they social or legal. Your best bet really is to wait.

Now, if you're serious about doing this, what you can do is start building a portfolio. You can say "Hey I'm under age now but am serious about this so want to start building a portfolio- I will do work for you if you provide materials or cost of materials and shipping", etc. Then nobody is out thousands of dollars for investing in a minor, and they feel more secure about it.

[paradedemon.livejournal.com]

Just skimming this thread again.

4 years to go 'til I'm 18 actually. D:

I'm reading over this again and the last part is quite interesting. Luckily I've got 4 years to improve and build a reputation. :D

[skanrashke.livejournal.com]

Oh, hell, or you can apprentice to someone in your state if it's available. Make sure to tell them you're a minor so they can check versus child labor laws(some states/countries view apprenticeships as apprenticeships versus child labor). That way you can build your skills while making a little cash on the side.