- Make a Terms of Service: This sounds tedious, but everyone has a right to make one. This is generally for listing what you will or won't do, how you prefer to be contacted and paid, your general style of organizing things, your preference when it comes to alterations on a piece, etc. You can find an example of mine right here. Keep in mind everyone has their own preferences and that journal happens to contain mine.
- Artists Beware: It is your right, as a seller of art, to check up on a client. You'd be surprised how little artists check, get screwed over or harassed, and later find an article of A_B about that very buyer doing to someone else exactly what they did to you.
- Do not force yourself into a subject you're not comfortable with: If you are not comfortable with drawing porn or a fetish of some sort, don't force yourself. Chances are, it'll look terrible and your buyer will be unhappy with the result because you didn't do a good job. Should someone ask you for a subject piece you're uncomfortable with, politely tell them you are not comfortable and ask that they take their business elsewhere.
- If you come across a rude buyer: Politely tell them you do not wish to do business with them. If they harass you, simply report them. Do not retaliate with threats or insults; that will make you look bad, especially if they decide to wrongfully report you (trust me, it does happen).
- Never rush because someone wants you to: If there's a buyer who's rushing you or continuously asking about their piece, politely tell them you are working on it and that they need to be patient. If they persist, try telling them if they cannot be patient, then perhaps they need to find a faster-working artist.
- Keeping a buyer in the loop: Some buyers appreciate seeing a sketch or flat colors to check over. They are buying your art, after all, and should be shown a sketch or the flat colors to make sure you're giving them what they ask for. This helps with having to deal with alterations later on.
- Do not get upset if someone asks for a refund: As a general rule, don't spend the money someone has given you until they have their piece and are happy with it. If a buyer does ask for a refund, give it to them. Do not tell them "I hope you die" or to "Fuck off" or anything like that. It is extremely rude, stupid, immature, and very unprofessional. (Yes, I have seen this happen)
- Reposting and recoloring: Unless you buy the rights to a piece along with the art, you cannot claim the art as yours. The artist still has copyrights to it unless they sell all rights to you. This includes rights to repost, resell, recolor, etc.
- Threads: If you post a thread about selling your art, don't randomly *bump* your thread with art and examples. Save those for the OP. If you constantly bump the thread with examples and random pieces of art, it gets confusing (not to mention there is a "No bump" rule). If someone hires you, then it is alright to *bump* the thread with the finished piece (though it's better to give someone their art via email).
- Ask for detail: If your buyer isn't specific, make sure to get all the details you need. It may feel like you're annoying them, but you, as the artist, need every detail possible to produce a piece that your buyer will enjoy to the fullest.
For the buyer:
- Read the artist's TOS: If the artist you'd like to commission has a TOS, read it through, then read it again. Take in consideration their will's and won'ts.
- Prices: If you don't agree with an artist's prices (such as you think they're way too overpriced), find someone else. Do not insult the artist by saying "Your art is not that great, you shouldn't price it so high!" In this fandom, it is not about the quality of art. It is about what someone will or will not do for your money. Artists in high demand can and will up their prices accordingly; if you don't like it, keep looking.
- Manners, manners, manners! If you are rude, do not be surprised if you get reported, even if you are frustrated. Do not say "Do it" or "I want to see this" unless the artist specifically asks "What would you like to see?" Always use "please" and "thank you". If the artist is being rude, ask for a refund; should they refuse, go through the steps to dispute it. If you use Paypal, there is a specific link to dispute a purchase. Keep in mind, however, that once the 45 days are up, you cannot dispute it further.
- Don't be afraid to check up on the artist: When commissioning, it's a pretty good idea to look through Artist's Beware. Just as an artist has a right to check up on you, you have a right to check up on them. If they have an article, it's up to you to decide whether you want to risk it or not.
- A seller's comfort zone: Every artist has one. It is always a good idea to go through their gallery, see what they do, and politely ask if they would be interested and comfortable in drawing what you'd like. If they are not comfortable with nudes, porn, etc., do not beg or insist you will pay them to do it.
- Waiting for your art: Every artist works at a different pace. Some work faster, others work much slower. Never rush an artist! Even if you are paying them, it's rude and disrespectful of the artist as a person. They're still human! It's okay to ask how a piece is coming along, but do not constantly ask about it (such as send a new email every day; every couple days is just fine).
- If an artist doesn't mean their own deadline: Should the artist you're buying from give you an allotted time (such as 10 hours for a piece) but does not meet that deadline, ask about it. If you do not get a response after a day, ask again. If you really feel that they are ignoring or avoiding you, report them. Unfortunately, some artists are dishonest and will ignore you as soon as they have your money.
- Refunds: As a rule of thumb, do not wait until the artist is half-finished with a piece before asking for a refund. Make sure, in their TOS, it does not say "I do not give refunds". If it doesn't say that but they still refuse to refund your money, dispute it with an administrator or Paypal.
- Reposting and recoloring: If you commissioned lineart and want to color it (which most people do), ask the artist for permission. If you'd like to repost said lineart and/or any other art (again, which most people do), make sure to fully credit the artist in your comment box.
- When hiring: If someone offers up their services to you, do not insult them. By that I mean if they've bothered to offer up work for your money to give you what you want, don't email them and say "I hate your style" or "Your art is a piece of shit! Why are you showing me this?!" Simply say "I'm sorry, you're not what I'm looking for" and move on. No need to go into specifics. We all have preferences in style and such; that's no excuse for being blatantly rude.
- Detail: Be specific about you want. Species, pose, background, emotion, etc. If you are not specific, that leaves an artist with little to work with. A little note: Artists do love to have artistic freedom in some sense. As long as you give them a character and a theme, most artists will have fun with it and the results are (usually) fantastic! If you have specifics, however, be sure to let the artist know. Something to keep in mind in case you're not specific: You might find something you don't like and thus want an alteration. Some artists won't have a problem if you ask them to alter something, but it's quite annoying to even have to do it. Be specific as possible. The more detail, the better.
This is something I found in the FA forums. I think it is way more execific about the Do's and Dont's fo Hiring and Selling than MY article. Hope it helps!
Article by: Radio-Gaz
