Don't Get Scammed Out of Commissions + Art Trades

Note: This is a crosspost from my old advice website. I'll try posting here instead, since I already have a pretty big watch base Please enjoy. 

With all of the terrible things you hear about artists having commissions they have yet to do for over a year and continue to take some regardless or the “friends” who suddenly disappear once you do their side of an art trade, it’s no wonder that some people will in turn become paranoid about contributing to the art economy. Here is a guide that you can use to help you decide whether or not to go ahead and send that email asking for a commission or trade

1. Google That Artist

Do your research! There are many communities out there dedicated to keeping a log of irresponsible artists and warning people against them. One such example of this is Artists-Beware which is dedicated to warning others about commissioners who take too long, refuse to refund people or are otherwise unpleasant. Aside from checking this log, you might be able to find other people who were dissatisfied with the services they receive or on the other hand you may find people who were incredibly happy with their experience. Make sure to exhaust the possibility of walking into a trap that everyone else knows about before you continue.

2. Observe Their Behavior

In all honesty, chances are that a Google search didn't return anything too useful regarding commissions or art trade scandals unless the artist is fairly popular or the pages involved happen to be rich in the keywords Google searches for. In this case, it’s time for you to do a little manual work yourself, which shouldn't be too difficult.

If the artist you want to eventually commission or trade with has a conventional place where they display their art, such as DeviantArt, FurAffinity or a separate Tumblr blog, it’s as simple as pressing the Watch/Follow button. I myself love DeviantArt because it allows you to sort people you watch into lists and as such, I maintain a list of potential artists I’d like to commission separated from the list of artists I should talk to more often.

The reason you should observe an artist before ultimately deciding to communicate with them is to determine whether they give off any warning signs. This includes being nasty to people, coming off as too cynical or anything else that would make forming a relationship, even a temporary one, with this person unpleasant.

Of course, observing an artist does not mean you are just watching them and waiting for them to act out, it also means that you are aware of what is going on in their life. For example, an artist who has a job and is in college probably has more to worry about than an artist who is in middle school. You should keep these kind of things in mind and be considerate.

3. Check Their Turnover

Turnover is how long you have to wait before you get the product. For example, having to wait 2 weeks for shipping after placing an order online is turnover. Knowing how long you should expect to wait is essential to lowering your anxiety about ordering and not bothering the artist too soon. Many artists list their own turnover in their information, but in the case that it’s not listed, it’s wise to expect 1–2 weeks for people who don’t have school or jobs and 2–4 weeks for someone who does.

Another thing to be aware of is the amount of people in the queue, the other clients that the artist has to deal with other than you. You may want to wait until the orders are less crowded, or in the case that they keep piling on, hurry up and claim your spot.

4. Everything Checks Out? Start Simple

After all is said and done, the wisest thing to do is to start simple. All these precautions could mean nothing if the morals of the artist suddenly changes and you happen to be the unlucky one that becomes the first victim of their irresponsibility. Go for smaller items first, like a head-shot or a sketch, then you should go ahead and go for the big-ticket items.

I Still Got Scammed!

The best thing to do after this is to count your losses and try your best to contact the artist and get everything settled. Should this still end up badly, report your experience to Artists-Beware so that other people can be aware of it and avoid being burned as well.

Here’s to hoping the best comes out of your Secret Santa projects! Good luck everyone and Happy Holidays!

All images courtesy of GettyImages