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Well, I had it happen to me. After being into Warhams for almost a decade, I finally decided to try getting a commission - and it went bad.

On May 3rd, I reached out to someone who I knew from Dakka who I knew had done commissions, and currently runs a painting blog. I had never met this person in real life but have known them for many years via Dakka and felt I could trust them.

I asked about commissioning some Sororitas heads, and this person agreed that sounded OK and sent over a fair price. I made several mistakes here, the first of which was not giving a firm deadline - I felt I had gotten such a good price, why rush them? I sent them the heads - 40 Sororitas bare heads - and then the money via paypal. My second mistake - I did friends and family via Paypal. Classic idiot move, but hindsight is always 20/20. May 11th money and heads had been sent and confirmed received..

June 25th, I asked if I could add on some more heads - I had gotten some more Sororitas. We agreed same price as the previous (still uncompleted) commission in progress. This is my third mistake, obviously - when writing this all out, I seem so stupid in retrospect. I sent them and the money via Paypal, again friends and family.

September 8th, I check in, and get a response - sorry, been real busy, have not forgotten about you, will send them out to you within the next 2 weeks. I feel relieved.

October 7th, I haven't heard or seen anything. Send an email, no response.

October 14th, I send another email - this time offering an offramp: hey, I know sometimes stuff happens, I was in over my head once too on a project, but lets figure this out; I'd at least like the heads back. No response.


So now I am stuck. I've sent $175 for the comission, but more than that, I have sent over roughly 50 Sororitas heads; mostly for heroes - Junith Eruita, Canonness, Morvenn Vahl, Celestine and her 2 attendants, Dogmata, Palatine, Sacrasents, and worst of all, Tariana Palos - that made-to-order limited edition sister from last year. That is going to suck to replace, she goes for $100 now.


I know I seem like an A-grade moron, re-reading this, but a lot of you have been through stuff like this, so any advice for what my next steps might be? I don't want to name and shame this person yet because I know this is a really hard time, for all I know they are very sick (although their blog has been regularly updated), so that seems unlikely... but I want to assume good faith.

Thanks for any advice, or well-earned ridicule for being so naïve.

Commission painting pretty much requires some level of trust however you do it. You're going to need to send money and models to someone and trust you'll get what you paid for. Paying everything up front is a bad idea but it seems like you'd be pretty substantially out of pocket even if you just paid a percentage since you had to send the heads too.

Normally I'd say wait and see, give them a bit more time. As you say, things happen and real life can intervene but if the person's running this service as any sort of business communication is absolutely key and not doing so is really unprofessional. In this case I think you've got more of a right to feel aggrieved since this person is still updating their painting blog, so it's pretty clear they're still active.

Given that, I think the best thing is probably one last message asking for an update and real progress (or return of models and money) before naming and shaming. Word of mouth is a very powerful advertising tool but it goes both ways and I'm not really sure what other recourse you have.

Not intending any kind of name and shame, as that would not be productive, but if you met this person through Dakka, are they still actively posting on here?

If they’re not, there does seem a fair chance they’re having a generally rough time.

I know that when I used to do mass looting, the actual postage took me an age, because I found it curiously draining mentally. If said poster also struggles with Head Weasels, that could be the background here.

Fingers crossed this gets sorted one way or the other.

You must have the address you sent them to right?

I do, yes.

I would suggest that if polite emails are not working and you have exhausted any method of getting a refund from PayPal, then your only recourse is to involve law enforcement.

Edit: If you PM me the name of the user in question here on Dakka, I can try to reach out to them to see if this can be brought to an amicable resolution but I'm afraid I don't have much leverage.

failed commission from 5/3/21, wow! you listed your own faults, so at least you've learned a life lesson. As a commission painter myself, I feel really bad for you, but in any industry there are bound to be some rotten apples.

Always require some 'receipt' like Paypal goods and service invoice, and a reasonable timetable, typically the artist require partial payment upfront but not whole until the job is done and approved by the patron; get their personal info beyond the name and address, like their phone# and social media so there is a fast line direct to the artist if there is any problems/corrections. if they have a Plog on here or elsewhere you can post your negative experience to warn their potential future patrons, usually that's more damning to them than its worth to swindle you $200.

always try commissions locally first before you go regionally, or across seas; because laws are different; involving law enforcement for $200 will most likely not result in anything, take it like a traffic ticket and move on.

Do the poster have an active swap shop thread that also advertises their service? If so, the subforum used to have a transaction report thread process years ago to relate bad experiences but i haven't traded for years and don't know if that is still a thing there.

That's a good idea, thank you - there is a commission painting thread in the swap shop and indeed that person has a post there.

I am kind of hoping the existence of this thread helps to spur them into action, if you're wondering why I am so hesitant to just call them out yet. I am much more interested in getting back my heads at least then I am with me being empty handed and them having a ruined reputation - so hanging onto that for now - especially since it is possible something awful did happen IRL.

But, should it come to that, I will reach out to a swap shop mod who generously offered to help out if possible, see where that goes before we do the whole ugly mess.

Glad to at least possibly help and I hope it works out for you.

 Big Mac wrote:

always try commissions locally first before you go regionally, or across seas; because laws are different; involving law enforcement for $200 will most likely not result in anything, take it like a traffic ticket and move on.

Problem for OP is likely that's not just 200$. It's the heads. Which aren't easiest things to replace. Especially for limited stuff. 100$ for replacing just one head basically...

Some can be got fairly cheaply maybe. Basic sisters could probably be got though bit store stock supplies suck atm. But special characters and limited ones are lot harder to replace.

Thanks Tneva, just so. For basic sisters I am fine with just using helmeted heads, whatever really, but I'm out the heads for Junith, Tariana, Celestine & co, Sacresants, Morven, Dogmata, Palantine, and so on and so forth.

Maybe find one of those helmets all the time Sisters players willing to maybe help out?

Update: the commission person got back to me and said they will send everything out by the end of next week. Fingers crossed!

Finished or untouched?

 Ouze wrote:
Update: the commission person got back to me and said they will send everything out by the end of next week. Fingers crossed!

It's a shame that you (and others in the past) have to escalate things like this in order to gain satisfactory resolution but I am glad that you will get your stuff back.

Keep us posted Ouze! Thanks.

I definitely will. I hope to hear something within the next 2 days.

 Ouze wrote:
I do, yes.

Good news then, because the person has committed a federal offense known as mail fraud, and you have legal recourse against them through their local law enforcement officials.

Obviously you probably don't want to exercise this option, but its leverage for you if you need it.

 warboss wrote:
Finished or untouched?

Neither, as it turned out.

Well, it was not in fact resolved. I got a promise to send it out soon on Oct 21st but that did not happen. I am getting ghosted again.

I have talked to Filbert about trying to mediate (thank you again for the kind offers).

For you guys that have tried talking to law enforcement, postal inspectors, small claims court etc - have any of you actually done that, and if so, did it actually work?

So basically just a delaying tactic to just get two weeks of peace/plausible deniability? Sorry to hear that if it is the case. I've been ripped off twice years ago in online minis sales/trades but both were international so the police couldn't help. Admittedly, I didn't contact Interpol but assumed they wouldn't do anything. It's why I stopped doing any international mail shipping out on my end.

At this point you can stop feeling kind for him and do what should have been done long time ago. Name out so no-one else gets scammed. Don't do what scammer wants you to do(keep scammer hidden)

 Ouze wrote:

 warboss wrote:
Finished or untouched?

Neither, as it turned out.

Well, it was not in fact resolved. I got a promise to send it out soon on Oct 21st but that did not happen. I am getting ghosted again.

I have talked to Filbert about trying to mediate (thank you again for the kind offers).

For you guys that have tried talking to law enforcement, postal inspectors, small claims court etc - have any of you actually done that, and if so, did it actually work?

Son2 is a deputy in a county near me. He says basically you would be paying a fee to have a warrant taken out on the turd. Local LEOs don't go looking for him, but if he's pulled over for something he gets arrested. Would also get him busted when going to register vehicles.

 Ouze wrote:
For you guys that have tried talking to law enforcement, postal inspectors, small claims court etc - have any of you actually done that, and if so, did it actually work?

Hearing about stuff like this is awful.

There are a few LEOs in my gaming group. I passed along a link to the thread, a couple might reach out via DM.

 CptJake wrote:

 Ouze wrote:

 warboss wrote:
Finished or untouched?

Neither, as it turned out.

Well, it was not in fact resolved. I got a promise to send it out soon on Oct 21st but that did not happen. I am getting ghosted again.

I have talked to Filbert about trying to mediate (thank you again for the kind offers).

For you guys that have tried talking to law enforcement, postal inspectors, small claims court etc - have any of you actually done that, and if so, did it actually work?

Son2 is a deputy in a county near me. He says basically you would be paying a fee to have a warrant taken out on the turd. Local LEOs don't go looking for him, but if he's pulled over for something he gets arrested. Would also get him busted when going to register vehicles.

Just telling the guy this is the plan might be enough to make him see sense. I get the feeling often when this type of stuff happens it's the result of depression / drug abuse / some other factor rather than a premeditated plan to defraud, and the threat of real stuff with consequences like this hanging over him might be what it takes to force a resolution.

JWBS wrote:

 CptJake wrote:

 Ouze wrote:

 warboss wrote:
Finished or untouched?

Neither, as it turned out.

Well, it was not in fact resolved. I got a promise to send it out soon on Oct 21st but that did not happen. I am getting ghosted again.

I have talked to Filbert about trying to mediate (thank you again for the kind offers).

For you guys that have tried talking to law enforcement, postal inspectors, small claims court etc - have any of you actually done that, and if so, did it actually work?

Son2 is a deputy in a county near me. He says basically you would be paying a fee to have a warrant taken out on the turd. Local LEOs don't go looking for him, but if he's pulled over for something he gets arrested. Would also get him busted when going to register vehicles.

Just telling the guy this is the plan might be enough to make him see sense. I get the feeling often when this type of stuff happens it's the result of depression / drug abuse / some other factor rather than a premeditated plan to defraud, and the threat of real stuff with consequences like this hanging over him might be what it takes to force a resolution.

Be careful with that, it could cross the line into being perceived as coercion/extortion or blackmail which has its own legal ramifications associated.

I know I am splitting a fine hair here, but I want to make a distinction between updating my own situation (which is something that might be better suited to a personal blog, or maybe a transaction report as suggested) and providing a topic for larger community discussion (which is appropriate for here). So going to try and walk that line by doing both:

1a.) I got an update from the artist with some almost-completely done pictures (which i had not seen before!) and a promise to send them out at the end of this week. My fear was they had not been touched at all and I would not get them back but it looks like the work is almost completely done.
1b.) I have been hesitant, and still am, to name and shame for a few reasons - for one, I'm not sure if that is a rules violation or not. For two, I don't want to worsen my chances of this working out (even though I agree with what Tneva said in principle). But mostly because... man, I did a big project once and it went sideways and I also got stuck in a hideous negative feedback loop of not wanting to update my backers with delays, depression, delays, not wanting to update... it was a really bad sad place. RiTides helped me out a lot when that happened and I eventually made it right but I have a lot of sympathy because I don't think this person is in any way a scammer - they're not RSO, I think they just had a lot happen. Which is not an excuse at all, but.. I known how it feels and how you can be basically paralyzed into inaction while knowing you are making it worse.


2.) Thanks for the law enforcement updates. I had especially not considered the US mail enforcement which is a dumb oversight - my wife used to work for the USPS and I know those inspectors go HAM.

Have any of you guys actually done any of that stuff, especially small claims court? Or even small claims not related to a commission, really. I know how it works on paper, kinda, but I sure have not ever actually done it.

Never pulled the trigger but I threatened it once, when I pointed out to the kid that I had his name, address, signature confirmation, and some other information and spelled out the crime he committed and the potential impact of it, he acknowledged that the potential consequences weren't worth the $20 he was trying to steal from me and sent me the mini he promised me in the trade.

This has been resolved satisfactorily - the completed heads were sent out and received this morning.

Thank you all for your suggestions and especially Filbert for reaching out.

good news