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Hi , i have been doing commissions for awhile now , but an issue always pop up with online commissions.

For example , an US customer have 30 minis they want done. I can charge $90 , or accept $110 ish in unwanted minis.
which is ok , until the shipping issue occurs.

Assuming that it takes $15 to ship them to me , and it takes $15 to ship back , thats total of $30 wasted on shipping alone.
And because its our first transaction , people might hesitate to send them all at once ( usually 1 squad first )

That means , assuming it'll be split to be commissioned twice ( 2 total shipments ) that would be $60 wasted on shipping already.

How should i deal with this situation Dakka?

So far i suggested 2 things:
I will commission the whole thing they want done at once. I will create a thread on dakka as a record of our agreement.
And i will provide full tracking and confirmation of the return shipment.

Tell them to send it. You are Luna, you are awesome. You painted those MANz and everything. Everything will be OK.

To be honest, what it comes down to you are competing with other painting studios, you would have to look at what they charge/ offer/ do business.

Tell him to pay the shipping.

I agree with Tacobake. Shipping should be factored into your price.

The cost of the shipping is what it is. You are not 'forcing' them to ship them to you, they are choosing to do so. You also do not set the cost of that in any regard.

If you think they need a 'warm fuzzy' then just let your clients know you will charge actual shipping, IE what will be printed on their shipping label (plus packing supplies).

I would charge shipping on top of your fee. Just don't even take their shipping the minis to you into account (that's their end...) and add the appropriate amount to cover your shipping them back.

It's more than reasonable

Make sure all costs are clearly stated before a contract is made (so, for example - and I am certain you would not do this, but for the sake of clarity - no saying "These models will cost you $100 to be painted" and then, when the deal is finalized, be all like "Plus shipping, fool!")

If someone is going to work on a physical object, physical shipping is a fact of life. This is so obvious I am almost embarassed to type it. People should know this. If they do not, I want to know how the manage to tie their shoes.

Could you not cut out some shipping by arranging for the guy buying the commission to send you money to purchase the models yourself, or perhaps arrange to have models shipped to you when they are ordered from the supplier? Obviously, this would not work in all scenarios, but it would help in some.

Almost all of the main painting commission businesses I've dealt with (and I'm in charge of advertising on Bartertown) require that the customer be responsible for shipping costs each way.
It is up to THEM to get the models to you, and it is up to YOU to pack them well and take them to the post office for an accurate price quote.
Once you have accurate prices, email them a list:

Airmail = X
Global Express = Y
Surface = Z (note that surface is almost ALWAYS a horribly slow option for international trades/sales. Moreso for those going over water)

Eric

Yea, shipping a test model and then an army back and forth could get costly in terms of shipping costs relative to the total service cost.

Regarding trust issues; it'd help to have a portfolio of commissioned work you've accomplished in the form of a website. Having testimonials and positive reviews from your past customers readily available should help too.

If someone sends you a single model or a squad for a 'test' job; take good pics of the completed models and send them to the buyer. If they like it then they could send you the rest of their army; once you're done just ship them all back including the test models and you would save the person some shipping costs. However its understandable if the buyer would want to see the test models in person but with good enough pics he might opt to save $ instead.

Customer pays shipping unless you state that it is included. They can specify carrier (USPS / FedEx) / method (Parcel Post / Ground / 2nd Day), and pay accordingly.

What JohnHwangDD said.

It is standard business practice for a supplier to offer shipping at cost.

The buyer can collect his goods in person if he wants to avoid delivery charges.

Kilkrazy wrote:What JohnHwangDD said.

It is standard business practice for a supplier to offer shipping at cost.

The buyer can collect his goods in person if he wants to avoid delivery charges.

QFT. BTW Luna, how much are you charging? I suck at painting

Gwar! wrote:

Kilkrazy wrote:What JohnHwangDD said.

It is standard business practice for a supplier to offer shipping at cost.

The buyer can collect his goods in person if he wants to avoid delivery charges.

QFT. BTW Luna, how much are you charging? I suck at painting

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/237992.page

It varies between whether i have to assemble them or not , or if they are plastic or metal lol.

The customer pays for shipping. It's a known fact and I do offer the chance for me to purchase their models for them or for them to have them shipped directly to me from online purchases but all shipping is in the hands of the customer. I've also got it laid out on my website and I make it clear in my quotes though to make sure it's as obvious as possible