Custom Item Trading Information

[Havoc]

• Custom Items that are not completed and in hand will no longer be allowed to be publically sold in this forum, if you have a completed custom that you would like to sell please do so in the marketplace.
  
  
• All customs for sale MUST give proof that the item is finished, in the form of a good picture. Preferably, a pic of the actual item that is ready to ship (meaning, nobody shall post a pic of their well-done custom, but in reality sends people a far less impressive item.)
  
  
• Only ONE custom/fanart per week, this is done for your protection to avoid being overwhelmed or backlogged.
  
  
• No mention of price,cost or desire to buy will be allowed
  
  
• No wait lists or want lists are going to be allowed, that is what email and Private Messages are for.
  
  
• All currently running lists need to get a realistic deadline for when the items are done, or they will be deleted by the org. If the customizer doesn't manage to meet his set deadline, we will intervene. This is for the best interest of all parties involved.
  
  
• No talking about or comparing prices, this is not a sale forum and only leads to arguements.
  
  
• No auctioning, lotteries, or deals before the custom/fanart is finished. Only exception are commissions and those should be dealt with via pm or private.
  
  
• And finally a "no commission offers via the boards" rule. If someone wants someone else to create something, they need to contact each other in private and deal with the matter in private. They can be free to show their completed comission after it is done but no more soliciting business.

The custom area was designed to allow fans to express their artistic side NOT FOR PROFIT and the last few years that has been where all the problems begin and end, various incidents show that "business" needs to be handled by the custom makers in private. We are not here to moderate your sales or run your business, the org is also not responsible for any sale/purchase so if you do decide to buy a custom or comission from a org member in private you should understand the precautions and check the Beware Trader Thread to see if there are any outstanding complaints (or to check and see the Traders feeback)

Any questions, feel free to PM us with them.
Thanks for co-operating!

Thanks to Markatisu for compiling the info

[JVS3]

In light of numerous problems that have come out of fans offering or seeking commissions from artists on these forums, we have created a detailed set of rules and guidelines to follow.

Unless it's marked with a green "Rule" in front of it, it's merely a suggestion to help you when taking part in such transactions.
The rules apply to the He-Man.org forums and deals that originate from here.
Breaking forum rules for commissions is subject to the same warning / suspension / banning practices as all other site rules.

For buyers seeking commissions:

Rule: You must PM an artist if you are interested in a commission:
All transactions involving commissions must take place over PM.
Or, if the artist has a website in their signature, you may want to visit that and contact them via any e-mail address on their site.

Avoid dissatisfaction:
You have every right to request changes to a commission if you are displeased.
But courtesy to artists is also in order.
Request a sketch ahead of time.
A sketch is a rough idea from an artist of how the composition and figure placement will be on the piece.
This can really help to iron out any concerns ahead of time.

If you find yourself displeased at the final results, ask for changes.
One round of minor corrections to a piece created on an approved layout is common in the professional world.
But your requests must also be reasonable, especially if the artist followed the layout in an approved sketch.

Also consider you are hiring the artist for their vision. While the artist should follow your instruction on what to draw, their style is their own and you should respect that. For example, don't ask them to draw a face like MOTU painter Earl Norem if that's not how they have drawn faces in all of their other examples.

Do not pay ahead of time:
Commissions can sometimes take a long time to complete.
Unless you have full faith in the artist, you should only pay once the art has been completed and a JPG has been sent to you for your approval.

Always insure and track for delivery:
Art can be expensive. When you pay the artist for delivery of the art, spend the extra few dollars to insure and track your delivery. Insist that the artist take care of this if you want to pay for the service.
You'll also want to address this with the artist in the early discussion stages before the commission is ever produced.

Find another solution when an artist wants payment early:
Refer to our 3rd party guidelines in the Avoiding non-payment section below.

For artists offering commissions:

Rule: No threads offering commissions will be allowed.
You may mention in your signature that you are available for commissions.
Users would then need to contact you privately for price/details/etc.
We are avoiding having a thread where multiple people seek to get a commission done at one time. This helps alleviate a bottle neck of work, which may result in delays and problems in delivery.
The only exception to this are He-Man.org endorsed commission threads, which will be stuck to the top of a forum if they are official.

Keep communication active with your buyer.
Commissions can take time. We know first hand since some of He-man.org's moderating staff are long-time professional artists.
If you foresee a delay in delivery, let your buyer know.
It's wise to keep them updated once a week.

Avoiding non-payment.
With our suggestion that buyers pay only when art is complete, there is a slight risk that you may never get paid for completed art.
If this is a concern of yours, and the buyer is willing, we suggest involving a reputable 3rd party (such as He-Man.org owner JVS3) to hold the money.
When delivery of art to buyer is confirmed, the 3rd party can then send on the money to the artist.
The only forms of payment allowed in this instance are PayPal and money order. Keep in mind, though, that sending payment to a 3rd party via PayPal will result in two PayPal fee charges:
one from the buyer to the 3rd party, then one from the 3rd party to the artist.
The 3rd party will not be responsible for refunding this fee. Consider it a cost of business.

For artists AND buyers:

Rule: Displaying commission art:
Artists should remember that the art that was commissioned now belongs to the person who purchased it.
The artist should only display it on their site with the permission of the buyer. This may be something an artist will want to outline ahead of time as a term of the transaction to avoid any later complications.
Also, the artist should not display the art anywhere else (eg: the He-Man.org forums; gallery showings; etc) without the permission of the buyer.
Art is a private matter. Buyer's may not wish for others to share in something that was created for them for a special purpose.
Please respect this.

Rule: Use of commissioned art:
Both the artist and buyer should recognize that use of any commissioned art, based on characters/brands/properties owned by another party or parties, for any commercial purposes is illegal.
The art should be kept in a private collection by the buyer for their own enjoyment, and only used by the artist as a portfolio sample pending agreement from the buyer.

Follow He-Man.org's guidelines:
Read and follow the suggestions in the Board Conduct, Rules and How-To's thread stuck at the top of the forum in the section entitled Protecting Yourself In the Marketplace.
These are easy steps that can help you vouch for the credibility of one another and help reduce the chance of being screwed.