Well, it is true that some people who might commission you, could be really unreasonable. Just set some rules, like don't constantly bother me about your commission, or it's not happening, and don't start it until you get paid, or at least partially paid. And hey, I love your stuff, so I'd love a commission sometime. ^^

Oh and also, don't let the commissioners send any details about the commission through the PayPal payment or AlertPay, your account could be suspended. You probably already knew that though.

Try not to make any references to FA in any Paypal notes, like the optional message. I heard even using names of the artist or commissioner might put up flags or something.

I heard of this new, apparently more convenient Paypal alternative other artists are starting to use.

Hopefully it helps you out one way or another.

https://www.dwolla.com/

see my comment below about Dwolla

d'oh

I'd still recommend paypal, just make sure you don't have any moron clients who basically write erotic novels in the money transfer details, because officially paypal does not allow porn. Just tell them to say their username or whatever so you can track it, or have them send their email details in private to you so you have a good idea of who is who.

Alertpay is a big no-no atm, since they don't allow for funds to be bank-transferred

Dwolla is USA only, so no international sales


Basically just go with paypal and discuss all details in emails or notes before, then there should be no trouble at all.

I've heard about that. Man I'm gonna have to take notes. XD

I've used paypal for years, never had a problem
sure it could be cheaper/better, but atm it's the best we have for international transfers

As far as payment is concerned, it's pretty straightforward.

Tell people so send PayPal with only their username in the payment comments box. I've heard mentioning "FA" won't cause problems, but to be safe, it's best to avoid it. There's misinformation all over the place about FA and PayPal. I've heard you are allowed to sell porn via PayPal, but it must be a physical product, not a service. Since commissioned art is generally a service and often not mailed to the commissioner, this causes confusion about the rules. Avoid it altogether by only mentioning user names in PayPal comments.

Don't ask people to send payments as "gifts", because if you get too many of those, PayPal may freeze your account on grounds of trying to avoid transaction fees (which is exactly what would be happening). Either take the PayPal fee into account when pricing your work, or ask for an optional tip to cover the fee. I always cover the fee, even though no artist has ever asked. I send almost all payments as "services" since I don't want to give out my mailing address if I won't be receiving anything in the mail.

Try not to spend the money until the commission is done. It's a good idea to screen for potential bad customers, but any number of things can happen that may warrant a refund. Maybe they like the sketch but don't want color after all.

Having asked for over 100 commissions over the years, I can tell you that every experienced artist asks for payment up front. If clients are interested in paying half-n-half, charge them an extra 30-50 cents (US) for the extra transaction fee you'll have to bear for the two transactions. The standard fee for PayPal is 30 cents for the transaction plus a 3% fee. For a $15 commission, that would be 75 cents. Larger payments have a lower percentage fee, but I forget what the cutoff is.

Keep a written list of commission names, PayPal addresses, alternate contact address, and the date you were first contacted. This makes it easier to look up the original notes and references, and lets you contact the customer easily if FA blows up [again]. Also write down the PayPal transaction number once you know what it is.

Like it or not, though, the person receiving payment is always at a disadvantage when it comes to PayPal disputes. Be nice, but watch out for people who are pushy and indecisive. If they file for a dispute, it will be tough to keep the payment you've received. This is true for most transaction systems, though, including credit cards.

As for AlertPay, I know they are having an issue accepting payments from VISA and Mastercard, but American Express cards are still working. This means that you'll likely not get much use out of AlertPay, but it is still an option. Unlike what Macavity said, I was under the impressions that bank transfers are also still working, and only credit cards are having problems, but that might have changed recently. Better check the site to make sure.

Oy, my kingdom for a simpler solution to all this. Eh, It's just one of those things I'll have to get used to doing I guess. I'm sure that I'll have some annoying ordeal using Paypal at some point though. I really don't like using PayPal.

I'm afraid it doesn't get any simpler than PayPal (at least when it comes to receiving payments).

It's really the business of doing commissions which takes some organizational skills. Processing the payment is easy.

I see im going to have to get to work on setting up proper accounts and such. Also, a little black book.