There's quite a few makers, depends on the style you want which will also filter the cost.

I store mine in a large tote and use that for storage as well as taking to conventions.

If you got the money, I'd suggest she does really fantastic suits, mine cost $2700, but from what I hear from other suiters it was well worth the money spent. You can also look here, they review and critique a lot of suits based on the users who wear them

I'd second here =)

there are many good builders. But there are allot that dont build good *long-lasting* suits. Both of mine are holding up awesome for their age.
But i say pick a reputable builder Who's suit style appeals to you personally.

Storing your suit. I highly recommend getting yourself one of those *suit* storage bags you can get at the dry-cleaners and hang it up in your closet. *also a good idea is to keep a dryer sheet in the bag that houses your suit* it keeps out the moisture and spiders.

going to cons. Make sure you get yourself a large size travel case. I use a large JEEP bag to transport mine to cons, Plus it collapses and thats handy when room sharing.

This is my advice.

Who to commission one from:
Totally depends on the following: 1) How much you want to pay 2) The "look" you're going for. 3) Features, such as moving jaw, ventillation fan inside the head etc.

How much to expect to pay:
For a good full-suit, perhaps $1700 and up?

The best way to store them while not in use
I store mine in his box. If you've been in it for a while and sweat inside it, it is best to turn it inside out and air it out. I put mine in front of the dehumidifier and fan it out, as well as use febreeze on the inside.

I got this goofball suit of my raccoon from Noble Productions:
http://i.imgur.com/aAt1d2c.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/mnqfCQB.jpg
it cost me $2300 CAD. He has a moving jaw, excellent sighting from inside (some suits will have good eyesight, others you might not see so well if the eyeholes are in the nose.

If you're into the "strategically placed hole" thing, then only some suitmakers will do it. I believe Noble, the same guy who did mine, does them.

Some of my favourite makers; Have a browse until you find a style you like;
http://www.furaffinity.net/user/sun.....lleycreations/ (Some wicked cute designs)
http://www.furaffinity.net/user/firestormsix/
http://www.furaffinity.net/user/mixedcandy (One of my favourites)
http://www.furaffinity.net/user/onefurall/ (Expensive, huge waiting list, renowned for quality suits)
http://www.furaffinity.net/user/b3mascots/ (Relatively cheap, affordable, and toony)
http://www.furaffinity.net/user/donthugcacti/ (Cute suits, one of my mega favourites)
http://www.furaffinity.net/user/radywolf (very asian in design)

Hope this sort of provides a bit more info.

hmm, I do like  donthugcacti's and  radywolf's designs, do either of them do either of them do that ventilation fan thingy? I'm not interested in sex holes or whatever but I might want removable hands/feet

A lot of bad reviews about donthugcactai have come to light as of late, I would be wary about commissioning them.

I'm sad to hear that, I quite liked their designs, but you're right, I just read one about them on the artists-beware tumblr.

Yeah, I like their look too, but often look doesn't mean quality.

Sad but true, I paid $2300 CAD for my suit if memory serves, but the feet are already coming apart, and the mouth doesn't quite work correctly unless you have an extremely prominent Bruce-Campbell chin, I also didn't receive my under-suit that I was promised, and have been waiting for literally 4 years now. I'd much rather have paid Joecifur $1300 for one now.

Well do a really good stuff if you want a fursuit who really look like to you character choose her I have one my self so if you have any question just ask me ! ^~^

Radywolf definitely has a unique style, but I'd say (he/she?) really only makes ones that have a very traditional Japanese appearance to them. It would really suit some characters but not all based on the style.

Not sure about ventillation fans, I think they are found only in premium range ones (ie $4000 suits from onefurall etc)

The hands and feet are usually removable. With my Milo suit, you basically have the body which consists of the body + tail + arms and legs, but the feet are like big slippers you put on over the top, and the hands are like big furry gloves on top, most suits do this.

Radywolf doesn't have a good warranty on suits though, but is very affordable, plus they do awesome cute traditional japanese designs. I had a suit design ready to go with him/her once but I never ended up going through with it.

Donthugcacti is cute, but from what I'm hearing, there are some negative reviews coming to light.

Apparently this site here has some negative reviews for donthugcacti: http://artists-beware.livejournal.com/

Also there is my maker: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/noblewolf/ But I find that a lot of his suits look very similar, despite different species. The sad fact I'm finding with a lot of makers, is there's a tendency to lean towards drama and other silly things. When my suit was being made, there were delays for ridiculous things like "cant work on it now, too horny" and other excuses, and I never received my spandex under-suit which is supposed to help keep you cool, and keep your suit clean.

I found an interesting "Suit maker meme" which might also help you pick a style and maker you like:
http://i.imgur.com/4WhJcXs.jpg

If you have any other questions though, let me know, I've been looking into a lot of suitmakers as of late, plus doing this research is really quite fun, I've been looking to get a second suit myself.

FA really should have a vendor directory for this.

Plugging ByCats4Cats who can often be seen streaming on Furstream

Nice list! The user page for B3Mascots is actually  joecifur

Whoops my bad, you're correct! I love Joecifurs suits, very toony and typical furry charm to them.

Oooo this is perfect since I'm in the process of buying a suit atm.

Depending on what you want, you can expect to pay 900-1400 for a partial suit and 1300-3200 for a full suit.

Where to get one? Check out this archive of fursuit makers http://fursuitswag.tumblr.com/post/.....uit-maker-list
However, I'm sure these are not ALL the makers currently active. Google is a great tool.

Makers are usually open for a short period of time and then they close Quotes/commissions for months at a time. Makers usually will let the viewers know when the next expected openings will be.

Most makers only take a few commissions at a time so they might have 66 people wanting to buy a suit and only pick 15-20.

Get a Ref sheet of the character you want to commission into a suit and send it in along with the quote forum they have you fill out.

If you get selected then you usually would put down at least 30%+ of the payment upfront (most of the time it's none refundable), the rest of the payment can be spread out over time. Each maker is different in this aspect though. Some might want 50% up front and some might only allow you so many months to pay the suit off before they start charging you money to house the suit or just drop your commission all together.

Good Luck!

Yo, I got you covered.

My personal favorite is  stuffedpandastudios, she does fantastic work in toony, realistic and in between though she is pricy. Her work does have the extra strength seams though so it's incredibly sturdy. I haven't bought a suit yet but the reviews are overly positive. I've talked to her a bit and she's really nice and honest. She was honest with me and just told me to wait with buying a suit from because I mentioned I was planning on losing weight and I wanted a padded suit.

Definitely worth a gander.

Stuffedpanda is fantastic. She did my body suit and I love it

i maek u good suit

Much luv

Honestly all my favorite suit makers are mostly doing auction-only or in hiatus. Nobody likes to reccommend it but you can always try your hand at making one yourself. There's a million tutorials... Though... Results not guaranteed. :p

I thought about it, it might be more fun than commissioning it

Its definitely an adventure. :3 I reccommend it at least once, especially since you're already art-minded. You might blow a hundred bucks to fail, so its not always great, but its better than blowing 2k and being unsatisfied too.

I love suitmakers. And I don't even mean to draw business away from them, they're obviously way more versed in this and know those little cheats and important bits. Just always fun to try though.

I've tended to notice a bit of a pattern with suitmaking;

Those who generally have a good grasp on art and style, will generally excel at making good suits. I've seen some people produce amazing suits on their first to second try.

Plus if you ever got into it, you could maybe even sell them for $1000-2000 a piece?

But that being said, I've seen people pour their heart into it, and whilst they reach a good level, it's only as good as they're willing to get if they don't experiment with their style. Noblewolf suits are nice, but they all look exactly the same. Perhaps experiment with making 1-2 heads first to nail the face, as that's probably the most complex part, and the rest could be done fairly easily. There's a lot of tutorials out there.

Old comment is old but I just found you so hi. :)

Suit making is one of those things where you have to get good at a lot of different stuff if you want something that's got quality and durability. You gotta know how to sew (and ideally have a machine on hand), sculpt, paint, and pattern. And that's just for basic stuff. It's great if you want to try your hand at it though. Http://fursuit.livejournal.com is a place I'd recommend if you want to learn some basics.

In my experience, the first-build suit of a new maker is rarely up to the same standard that you'd get paying some reasonable money for one (you can find them for cheap but they're probably going to be pretty dang bad). So if you want something that looks good and lasts and you just want to wear it with no fuss, hire someone to make it. If you like the idea of venturing into a time-consuming project with the potential for screw ups and frustration, make it yourself. (Don't read that asme saying making it is a bad thing. Many people like to challenge themselves.)

I won't really recommend anyone but I can say that whoever you decide on, do plenty of research on them. Being 'in the biz' myself, I've got my own opinions on certain makers but I don't share them in public. If you have anyone you want to ask me about though I'd be happy to share some feedback. :)

I'd have to highly suggest  therealurubabe She does amazing fursuits

This is a dark path you're about to walk down.

http://www.furaffinity.net/user/beastcub

I adore her designs. She might be difficult to commission though - very busy lady!

I used to know of her as Lilleahwest once upon a time. Very nice suits, but it's definitely aimed more at the crowd who want a "realistic" looking suit. Some amazing examples there!

http://www.furaffinity.net/gallery/temperance/