Welcome to Commissions! [PLEASE READ]

[Yellow Diamond 7,574]

Hello and welcome!

This topic is intended to provide a basic outline for both artists and customers who are interested in commissions. Our goal is to ensure that the process for selling and buying commissions is easy and safe. For your benefit, please read the following carefully!

Meet the Team!

These are the staff members responsible for overseeing commissions.

@Hugs of Sir Manys Responsible for the overall management of commissions and finalizing payments. He's the person to contact if you're interested in setting up a commissions shop. He can also answer many of your inquiries about commissions. 
Responsible for assisting with commissions and customer relations.

@Princess Silky-- Responsible for helping to curate your shops and market you as an artist. 

For artists -- getting started!

So, you're interested in doing business here on MLP Forums. That's great! Whether you're selling digital or physical artwork, we can accommodate. In order for us to assist, you'll need to share a few bits of information, as well as formally agree to several stipulations.

First, you must have at least 20 "active" posts on the forums. These are posts counted outside of the Welcome Plaza, Roleplay World, and Cloudsdale Colosseum. Reaching 20 posts helps artists to grow accustomed to our community -- so not only is it good business practice, but it's also a nice and friendly thing to do!

Second, you will need to provide the following:

• Some samples of your work.
• Your agreement to let MLP Forums take a 15% cut from all your sales. This cut is part of our escrow service in which we hold payments until artwork is completed. The escrow does three things: it supports Poniverse through the 15% cut, ensures you'll be paid for your work, and protects customers in the event a refund is needed.
• The PayPal address at which you wish to receive your payments.
• A complete outline of your pricing structure in US Dollars (this includes domestic and international shipping for physical artwork, if applicable).
• Any social media or art accounts you may have (namely, Tumblr, Twitter, dA, and Facebook).

Remember, all payments are made in US Dollars (USD). Consider the 15% cut and the value of the USD while setting your prices. Each item must be at least $5 USD.

For your convenience, here is an online exchange rate calculator: http://www.x-rates.com/calculator/

NOTE: If you sell custom work that has adjusted pricing based on materials and labor, we can arrange a second method of payment according to the following steps:

• Instruct your customers to send their payment through https://paypal.me/Poniverse
• Tell the customer to leave a note that the payment is for you, the artist.
• Alert us to the payment so we can process it for you.

Please note that the commissions staff also reserves the right to deny a request to open a shop on MLP Forums.

Setting up shop

If you agree to all of the above, then we can begin in earnest to discuss creating a shop for you. The system works like this: artists get a section in the forum store dedicated to them, and they make a thread in the Commissions area to set up shop. You direct customers to your store area to pay for work, and we then pass your payment along to you.

Essentially, we hold the payment in escrow. It's our task and duty to ensure both parties are compensated; as such, your share as the artist will be passed along to you once we have confirmation of your work being completed. The customer must first send us the money due to you. You are guaranteed compensation, so long as you provide proof of the work for which you are being paid.

Once the staff verifies that the customer has received the commission and is satisfied with the final product, we will send you payment as soon as possible.

In summary:

• A customer submits payment for a commission they'd like.
• We hold the payment in escrow until you, the artist, complete the commission.
• Once the commission is completed, you alert me, PathfinderCS, to the fact you've finished and have delivered your work to the customer.
• I will contact the customer to make sure everything is squared away on their end.
• Assuming everything's OK (and it normally is), we then send you the payment.

 

Terms of Service

Be aware that the board rules apply to all sections of the forum, including commissions.

We must first emphasize the exclusive use of the shop here on MLP Forums. Directing customers to pay via another method must be cleared with Path first. Otherwise, you'll be cheating us out of the agreed upon cut and hurting the community (as well as the customer) in the process. Please come and talk to Path if you're ever concerned about your payments.

Bear in mind that you cannot sell artwork which would otherwise violate our board rules. This includes, but is not limited to, art which may be excessively vulgar, is NSFW, is fetishistic, or qualifies as hate speech. Artistic expression is a precious thing, but it must be consistent with the standards of our community.

Finally, your artwork must be your own. If you appropriate any elements, such as vectors or designs, in your work from another source, it must be done with the express consent of the original creator. In other words, you need permission to sell what wasn't originally yours. Failing to do so is plagiarism and violates our community guidelines.

Violation of the above terms may result in the closure of your store and the cancellation of pending purchases. Furthermore, you won't be paid for completing commissions which violate the board rules.

Remember: If you're ever uncertain, ask first!

Once your shop is ready and to your liking, you may then go ahead and post a thread in this section. Pathfinder will approve the thread so that it is made visible to all potential customers.

 

Shop Activity

Artists that have been inactive for a prolonged period without a stated explanation may have their shop closed. An explanation must be submitted to the Commissions Team in advance.

More specifically, if there have been no commissions (completed or in-progress) within 60 days, we will contact the artist directly to make sure commissions are being accepted. This will also act as a gentle reminder that the shop has been inactive. If the artist does not respond after 2 weeks from being notified, their commission shop will be closed.

This does not apply to temporary closures communicated in advance to the Commissions Team. Similarly, this will not apply to artists who frequently have works in-progress. We understand that some artists work with materials that take longer to produce a finished item (sculptures, plushies, etc). After all, nobody wants a rushed product.

 

For customers -- a promise

To those who are interested in ordering commissions, know that you are supporting both the artists and MLP Forums. Your business is always appreciated!

Because your payments are held in escrow, we can guarantee that there is zero risk involved for you. You will always be compensated, whether or not you receive the work you requested. We will contact you to find out if your commission has been completed to your satisfaction.

In the event you are not satisfied, please let us know! We cannot assist you if you do not make us aware of the problem you may be facing. Our team is here to mediate any dispute, disagreement, or confusion surrounding a commission.

We are not responsible for physical items once they are shipped. As such, we encourage customers to look into shipping insurance. Artists who have proof of shipping will be paid, and we are more than willing to assist in arranging a new shipment if both the artist and customer agree to a new deal.


Payment Information

Transactions charged to accounts will appear in statements as Poniverse.net. The following information is also attached to each transaction:

Merchant Name: Poniverse
Website: https://poniverse.net/
Email Address: paypal@poniverse.net
Address:
1641 Lonsdale Ave., Suite 248
North Vancouver, BC V7M 2J5

Once more, please direct any questions to @Hugs of Sir Manys via PM. He will be more than happy to speak with you.

[Yellow Diamond 7,574]

AN IMPORTANT NOTE FOR ARTISTS

Sometimes business can be slow; other times you want to show off new styles or how your skills have improved over time. There's nothing wrong with a little bit of self-promotion. You may, therefore, post new samples of your art in your commission thread once every two weeks. The time limit is to avoid everyone trying to bump their threads over others by spamming artwork. Doing that would be unfair to everyone involved.

As always, feel free to contact Pathfinder if you have any questions or concerns!

[Jeric 46,854]

Note to Artists: Commissions is under maintenance and a visual rework. Staff will be updating prefixes, and original posts to help your presentation stand out more. We will be in contact will all artists to assist them in making the storefront look more attractive to peruse. If you have any questions, concerns, or ideas please reach out to @PathfinderCS and @Jeric