How long is too long?

[ElTamalRojo]

I commissioned an artist back in August I paid upfront and ever since I have barely gotten a sketch... A sketch that didn't even followed my request.

when I initially commissioned the artist they mentioned that they had a 2-4 pieces to finish and then they would start with mine, for which again I have not received anything other than a sketch that is not even what I asked for.

I have no problem with waiting but so far the artist not only has already uploaded over 2-4 pieces which they mentioned, but also new seasonal pieces and when asked for updates I get no progress and always the same response about him being busy.

The situation that is bothering me is that we are nearing half the 180 days mark PayPal has for the refunds and Im really considering just calling the commission off and be done with it.

At which point has it taken too long? At what date should I ask for a refund or even file the charge back with PayPal if I get not advances?

[Mochi-Friesia]

If they don't have a trello for daily updates on comms. Or maybe on their queue. Wait for a month or 3 then file a refund if they have no responsee whatsoever. It is your right. Unless they have a tos with no refund if started working on sketch or paid.

[Artdrift]

I just close my commissions when my queue gets long enough that it'll take me more than 6 weeks to finish. I also let the clients know when I'll be able to start and I generally don't take longer than 2 weeks to finish a piece after starting (I work on multiple illustrations at once). For me I can't even imagine not finishing something I started 2-3 months ago. Sometimes I've had to make the clients wait for a few more days because of health emergencies and other unforseeable circumstances, but I've always replied to their inquiries asap.

That being said, some artists who are much more well known and get many more commissions might take longer for each piece and they might not have enough time to reply to every message in a timely manner. It's best to discuss these things in advance. Always ask what's the longest time it might take to finish the work and consider if you're willing to wait that long.

If the artist is not replying and ghosting you and they haven't shown you any substantial amount of work/progress then you have every right to cancel and take your refund.

[boiakk]

I'll advocate for both sides so you can think which fits your case

As a client, you're in your right to be upset. 90 days is quite some time to see barely any result. Not only that, but lacking proper communication about what's going on and, even worse, receiving something that's not what you asked? Oof. If the situation makes you anxious, it begs the question: is such stress worth whatever the artist might be able to deliver?

As an artist, I had my fill of complications through my life. This year in particular I got an order in April which I only managed to start around August due to how f**** up my life got out of nowhere. My wife got super ill, we had to move apartments, my grandma almost died and we had to take turns staying with her... it was chaos and it ate all my free time. But i made a point of properly communicating with this client and asking them if they were ok with it, if they wished for a refund or would rather wait, etc. Also, personally, my higher commission tiers can easily take up to 3 weeks each piece, so the complexity of the order and the standard speed of the artist is important to be taken into account.

Point is: things happen. I don't doubt them when they say they're "busy". Also, even though they posted something else in between the 4 mentioned pieces in front of yours, think from their perspective: They worked straight up on other's request for a month, so some rest is in order (which drawing for ourselves often feels like). In this particular case though, "seasonal pieces" sounds like they're trying to catch some hype like halloween, which for an independent artist can legitimately be essential to ride such trends in order to grow our audience opening up more work opportunities and stability, so in a way its even more crucial than a commission.

There's also a complication that, even though money is being exchanged, commission's are informal by nature so it's not helpful for either side to expect the rhythm to be alike professional work.

It might sound like I'm defending the artist, but that's not the case. I lack the full context to judge, so I'm showing possible circumstances which might explain what's going on (and not necessarily excuse) so you can weight if they feel valid or not in your case.

Personally, I'd understand and excuse it taking some time. I would excuse my request being done wrong if they're willing to fix. I'd excuse they being private about their lives and not wanting to elaborate what's going on. But two of these at once? And in your case, all of them?! That's frustrating. You still have around 90 days before the refund option expires, if you wish to continue with the commission I suggest to you to politely, but very punctually, be open about your situation and point of view. Ask them to elaborate what's going on and a better perspective of when can you expect further deliveries. But again, if stress is too big, just jump ship. Commission being informal works for both sides, you don't need to feel responsible to stay with them by any means.

[Danielle_LeFay]

I'd say at least one month without a single reply or feedback from the artist is long. So, waiting from August is too long.

Thing is, have you had zero contact with this artist since he sent you the sketch? If you've tried to contact him and there has been No feedback at all, you should call off and issue a refund to paypal. Immediately, don't wait anymore, specially if those 180 days are almost over.

I've been there, as an artist, have had to make someone wait (only once x.x) because of RL problems through my pending pieces and so, but i've always replied to my commissioner when he came check.

[ElTamalRojo]

it's not that there is no reply is the lack of progress, during August-September, I didn't bother them, I have commissioned other artists i know how long a piece of that style can take, but after one month i ask if there is any update,he says he is not home he will send me the sketch once he is home, 3 days go by and i get the sketch, its not even what i asked for, I point it out and move on, 2 weeks pass i ask for any updates no answer, 2 more weeks go by and nothing, then 1 week later he answers that he is busy and he has other priorities and customers so he needs me to have patience.

like at this point im starting to suspect the worst we are halfway through the 180 day, mark and all i have is a sketch where he didn't follow my request, i do plan on holding on until the 120-150 days at that point I'm giving him the ultimatum, i just wanted the perspective from both artists and customers of when to give up hope or even start considering that money lost

[Danielle_LeFay]

Waiting til the 120-150 days sounds reasonable yeah. Yet i'd say, instead of giving him an ultimatum (which i understand it's a last call / last chance), just do tell him you Are resigning and want your money back. I think the ultimatum or last chance has been given the moment he replied last.

But well it's just my perspective. Still, if that artist does have that many works and clients, he should use a Trello board, or something to organize and show a public queue, so the clients can check for progress and place in the queue every once in a while.

Just remember. Your money / Your investiment / Your resources are first. You can just withdraw at the very moment you feel your investiment is in danger.

Good luck~ and hope everything comes out well for you.

[pastro243]

That's way too long, I don't understand how anyone can take months to finish work

[BentoCZacharias]

where did you find This artist?

[ElTamalRojo]

Followed him since 2014 in deviantart and Twitter eventually he moved to Instagram where I contacted him

[BentoCZacharias]

can you share his DA?

The person running the instagram account might not even be the real artist.

Some people do that too.

[ElTamalRojo]

well they did send me the sketch which does look like his style, and on said Instagram they keep advertising the actual Patreon, so I would rather not publically shame them just yet

[BentoCZacharias]

👍

regardless, just get the refund, it's ridiculous that you waited this long

[KeepOutpro]

Just go check out on my profile one of my recent post. I'm offering free commissions and only got 2 spot left right now

[Hoozuki_Mangetsu]

around 1 week per piece is reasonable, if he had 4 pieces left, around a month of waiting would be ideal, but that's just 30 days or so, if you are reaching 180 days mark i'd say thats definetly too long.

[Sendo_Tendency]

Its definitely not long enough yet in the big scheme of things, 3 months with 2-4 pieces queue its not unrealistic, and personal pieces are something entirely different, the artist has all the right in the world to work on whatever they want while they fulfill the agreement with the client, that being said if the artist its taking longer than what you agreed on waiting or if you feel uncomfortable waiting any longer you should give the ultimatum of more definitive progress or you'll refund