Commissioning stuff - how it all works...

I sometimes get queries from people who may not have done a lot of commissioning before, and even if they have, everyone has a different way of doing things. So I thought a wee step-by-step might be helpful as a reference. I've been doing international commissions (mostly to the States, although I've had clients from Europe, Australia, Asia and South America) for a couple of years now, and I've got a pattern I like to follow.

Step 0

"Ooo!": you find a model you like (I hope! be it on Ebay, CMON, or something a friend has bought)

Step 1

Contact me or have a look at the site - if you're just after a model check out the For Sale or perhaps Bribe Me section. If there's something more specific on your mind then have a look at the Pricing section and contact me to have a chat about the details.

This is probably the most involved part of the process- it's the bit where we sort out exactly how you want your minis to look, what sort of time-frame we're looking at, whether you want it all at once or as an ongoing project with a certain amount per month, the whole shebang. So it's fine to drop me an email with something as vague as 'Space wolves' or 'High elves' as I can talk you through the rest of the process if you're a bit unsure about it, or if you've got heaps of ideas already that's excellent.

This is open discussion with no obligation on your part, so feel free to throw out as many ideas as you like as it's not committing you to anything at this stage - I want to be clear that I'm not going to take a random statement, spend two months knocking up a golden demon model and then hit you up for huge amounts of cash - nothing goes ahead until we're done and you say so.

On larger commissions I ask for a $100, non-refundable deposit when we book a time in my schedule. This practise is one I started after a few income-costing experiences where people were superkeen until the last minute and cancelled, leaving me with a big gap (until the work I'd booked after them started) and issues paying my rent for the period. The deposit is small, but is indicative of serious intent.

Step 2

Either you send me the models, or the money to buy them myself - some miniature lines are sadly unavailable in NZ. Believe it or not, the only local model shop is a Games Workshop... But if I can, I'm happy to mail order stuff on your behalf. I've had excellent transactions with both Fantization.com and The Warstore - both send email invoices so I can send you a copy for your own records. However, the simplest way to deal with mail order is for you to order it and specify my address for delivery. This saves messing about with multiple exchange rates.

If I'm buying minis from the local GW, please be aware that the cost may be different to the US dollar cost locally (or Euros etc) - I'll be taking the NZ shop price and translating it to the US dollar price based on the exchange rate at the time. Sometimes the cost may be a little less, sometimes a little more, but it does tend to work out to less than posting all the models.

If the models attract a fee at customs I'll ask you to pay this at the end of the commission.

This is also the stage where you send a down payment - if it's a commission under $200 I don't generally ask for a deposit, but anything over that and I need up to 50% upfront for expenses, feeding and housing myself while I'm working on your minis, that kinda thing. Please note that if I'm purchasing minis for you this deposit is in addition to the miniature price.

Step 3

If you've asked for in-progress shots I'll be sending some of those (these are usually pointless on a small commission as the models will likely be finished very quickly), otherwise it's good-quality pics of the completed items. I let you know the total including postage, and you send it on over. Unless we've organised something different at the start of the commission, I'd want payment within a week (if paying by Paypal, as a money order is going to be subject somewhat to the whims of the postal system) so that I can actually budget my life :-).

Postage varies according to weight, but NZ postage is quite reasonable and they have a very helpful site for working it out ahead of time. FedEx is also an option, usually hideously expensive unless the models fit into the 10kg standard box, in which case it's about $90 US.

Step 4

Once I've got the payment, the minis will be on their way in as little time as it takes for the payment to download from Paypal (3-5 days) or for a money order to clear (generally a week). Postage time from NZ to the States is around a week-10 days, less to Australia, more to Europe for some reason. FedEx generally takes 4-5 days.

Step 5

"Ooo!" again. This is the bit where you get your minis, think they're fantastically awesome, and commission enough models to keep my cats in catnip heaven for the rest of their fuzzy little lives... :-).

The breakdown - the bits you pay for in summary:

• Cost of minis (if you're not providing them)
• Painting cost per mini at the rate discussed prior to commission
• Conversions discussed, including cost of bits if I have to specifically buy them rather than fishing them out of my bits box
• Postage (which can be closely approximated by weight)
• Customs fees (if charged - these usually occur if the stuff I'm receiving is worth over $200 US, and is the only cost I can't predict)

I've tried to break it all down and include as many details as possible, but if anything here seems like it needs a bit more explanation please let me know and I'll add some more info.