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A question for customizers who have done commission work


yojoebro82

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What is a fair price to charge for commission work?

 

I ask because a guy emailed me and he really likes my custom Jubilee and wants me to make him one. This kind of blows my mind because I don't consider myself an expert, but anyway.

 

The custom I did for myself (and, I guess, what he wants me to replicate for him) is more or less a straight repaint of the original with just a little bit of sculpy work. It does not involve any heavy retooling at all. If I had to honestly judge my own final product I'd say it's pretty darn good. It's definitely my favorite out of the few pieces I've done. http://forums.toynewsi.com/index.php?showtopic=2096830

 

So I guess he's willing to pay but I'm not sure what to charge. Suggestions?

 

Also, what should I tell the guy as far as disclaimers? I'm pretty sure I can do exactly what I've done again but what if he gets it in hand and he doesn't like it? The original figure is no peg warmer, in fact she goes for big bucks. I won't be able to buy the guy a new one if he doesn't like the final product.

 

Thanks!

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Commissions are very subjective. There is no right or wrong formula for pricing. Some customizers charge very low rates, mainly because they love the hobby and may not have much else pressing their personal time. other customizers charge what some people might see as very high rates. Again, those rates are reflective of their time.

 

For example, I am not a big fan of accepting commissions for a few different reasons. I view the customizing hobby as "ART" and while I LOVE the hobby, I rarely find enjoyment making a figure strictly for someone else's personal desires. I much prefer to craft out of my personal inspiration. Sometimes, our inspiration may coexist and a customer and I are feeling the same thing. Those are the few times that I actually might accept a commission. Another reason I don’t often accept commissions is because I have very little free time. so when I do get a little hobby time to myself, I like to make what inspires me in that moment.

 

I've seen some great customizers charge between $50-$500 for a single custom. On average, when I do sell my figures, they'll fetch between $200-300. If people question the dollar amount, I explain to them this:

 

there is a lot to factor into the basic costs of parts, paints, sculpting supplies, and labor.

 

Some customs may utilize three different figures for parts. On today's market (avg ML=$20 ea), that's $60 right there just for parts.

 

While the actual paint and sculpting supplies for any particular single custom may be relatively minimal, you still have to have ALL that stuff on hand already. I have close to $1000 in paints, brushes, sculpting compound, and other customizing tools on hand at any given time. You can't simply buy the 8 drops of a particular color paint you'll need for a figure; you got to buy the whole bottle. The teeny-tiny bottles of "the good stuff" that I buy generally run me about $4 each.

 

In regards to labor. I generally spend about 20-40 man hours per custom figure that I make. that includes thoroughly washing/cleaning the figure, carving parts down, swapping parts, resculpting various parts, hand making/adding accessories, and hand painting the entire figure. it's a lot of work.

 

So...If I broke the labor down into an hourly wage, it look something like this:

 

$300/30 hours = $10 per hour

$150/20 hours = $7.50 per hour (that's not even minimum wage)

 

When you look at it like that, it makes things a lot easier to understand.

 

Those who look at customized toys as a "toy" will not be able to rationalize the higher prices. Those who look at a customized toy as "art", have a much better appreciation and understanding for the craft and the costs.

 

good luck! and try to avoid the flakey customers. they are out there! oh, that reminds me...be sure to request half up front and they will pay the other half upon you posting pics of the final product for them to see. this way, if they flake out, you'll still have some $ for your time. it is also a GREAT way to weed out the flakes from the serious customers!

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I used to do commissions and the cheaper route for customers was to have them supply the parts. Sometimes hunting down the parts alone cost a lot and people don't understand that, when you have them hunt them down.. then they get it, lol. I'd say, since the regular is a hard to find one, maybe offer that option, then go from there deciding how much YOU want to charge for YOUR work.. :)

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