The sad fact is, I feel I've been scammed. I will never again support Un-established fursuit makers on FA. I've given two fledgling crafts persons the chance to make something, and instead they scammed me out of money. To be honest, the second fursuit maker has until February to produce the goods, but I haven't heard from her in nearly a month and her FA page is "voluntarily disabled." What does this mean for my money? Well, unlike some people, I have the means to fly to this persons hometown, track them down and get my money, in either cash, or property. I've been more than fair in my time allowances, and after getting burned the first time, won't let it happen again.

Here are some things that fledgling makers should keep in mind:

1) if you make a promise, keep it. Everyone has hard times, and likely, so will you. But if you tell someone that they will have what they purchased by a certain date, keep that date.

2) A commission is a business transaction. No one wants to hear about your computer crashing, your busy school schedule or that your dog chewed up the project you've been working on. The commissioner has bought, in good faith, a product you have offered for sale. Think of it this way: you go to a dealership and put down a deposit on a new car. The salesman tells you the car you designed will be ready in a week. One week goes by, your excitement build and the day comes for you to pay for the rest of the car. When you arrive at the dealership, the salesman's computer crashed! Oh no! Sorry, you don't get your car. And the deposit you put down in good faith is also gone. Sorry. The salesman needed it to pay for some bills that came up unexpectedly. Sorry bout that.

3) see rule 1

A few bad apples have spoiled the barrel. The sad thing is artist beware is FuLL of artists that have scammed commissioner out of money. That's not to say there aren't commissioners that haven't scammed a maker, but I have always been fair and trusting, and don't go out of my way to scam money from people.

Tips for commissioners looking for a fursuit/art/whatever:

1) do research. While the second maker was not on artist beware, she will be if I don't get my paid for item. FA also does not like it's artists to scam people out of their money. If you get scammed, let the admins know.

2) if a maker does not keep their word, give them one chance. Hard times do occur. However, if a maker has a track record of unkept promises, it's going to end badly for you. Keep emails and receipts and screen grabs of every encounter. You may never need it, but you be glad it's there if you do.

3) Trust must be earned. Don't pay more than the minimum deposit for fursuit commissions. If a fursuit maker says they can put your suit on the fast track by you paying more, my advice is don't do it. You've waited this long and chances are, you're going to bump someone else from their spot. That means someone can bump you if they pay more.

4) Only give your money to established makers. I know, everyone has to start somewhere, but if you are going to entrust your money into a new maker, do research on them. Ask past commissioners how they like their suits, how was the maker to work with, DID THEY KEEP THEIR PROMISES?

5) finally, if it sounds too good to be true, it is. I once saw an ad that stated they would make a full fursuit for $100. That is impossible, even using scrap fur and foam. A fursuit is an expensive investment. Don't blow your money on ridiculous claims that a maker can't possible follow through on.

These are just tips that I wish I would have learned before being scammed out of money.

Good luck.