Some recent conversations got me thinking about this.
Giving or accepting a commission to make a custom item can be a bit of a risky balancing act. Both maker and client risk getting stiffed. The more custom the item, the riskier it is for the maker. A standard Woodlore shaped knife with maple or similar handle isn't a big risk, if the original buyer backs out it can be sold elsewhere, but particular profiles, custom size handles or special material requests can leave the maker with an unsellable knife. I have heard of some customers demanding price reductions after completion, believing the item is so unique that the maker won't be able to sell elsewhere. On the other side, pretty much every meltdown story involving a maker includes them having taken deposits, or worse yet, payment in full in advance, and then not being able to deliver either the item or a refund.
The stories of why payment cannot be made, or why commissions cannot be finished as promised have lots of common themes. Ill health, injuries, family emergencies, house emergencies, pet emergencies, unexpected bills, floods, and fires. Its as if there is always something waiting in the wings. I used to live with a guy who seemed to have the worst luck imaginable, but he made choices which stacked and compounded and eroded his options and resilience when things went wrong.
No one gets too bent out of shape if they put their name on a list, no deposit, and some months later the maker lets them know that there has been a catastrophe and they cannot see that they are going to get to their name on the list. Not so simple if money has changed hands already.
Payments in full in advance (even in full as work starts) have a very bad track record for getting spent and not being available for refunds in the event that ill health or other emergency halts work and the client cannot wait in hope.
On another forum I saw a long thread discussing these matters, and the makers who had been around the longest, and were still taking commissions, had some common strategies. They took deposits when work started, not before. They then took staggered payment as work progressed. Seemed a bit of a pain in the butt, but it protected both sides in the event that work got stopped or the client's money ran out.
Best wishes and good luck to all.
Chris
Disclaimer:
If you agree to take on a commission or give a commission to someone else here, and problems arise, there is little or nothing that the moderators or forum owner can do. Feel free to ask advice (for what it is worth) but its hard to see a situation where the forum or the volunteer moderators could or should become involved in a private financial dispute between members.
Giving or accepting a commission to make a custom item can be a bit of a risky balancing act. Both maker and client risk getting stiffed. The more custom the item, the riskier it is for the maker. A standard Woodlore shaped knife with maple or similar handle isn't a big risk, if the original buyer backs out it can be sold elsewhere, but particular profiles, custom size handles or special material requests can leave the maker with an unsellable knife. I have heard of some customers demanding price reductions after completion, believing the item is so unique that the maker won't be able to sell elsewhere. On the other side, pretty much every meltdown story involving a maker includes them having taken deposits, or worse yet, payment in full in advance, and then not being able to deliver either the item or a refund.
The stories of why payment cannot be made, or why commissions cannot be finished as promised have lots of common themes. Ill health, injuries, family emergencies, house emergencies, pet emergencies, unexpected bills, floods, and fires. Its as if there is always something waiting in the wings. I used to live with a guy who seemed to have the worst luck imaginable, but he made choices which stacked and compounded and eroded his options and resilience when things went wrong.
No one gets too bent out of shape if they put their name on a list, no deposit, and some months later the maker lets them know that there has been a catastrophe and they cannot see that they are going to get to their name on the list. Not so simple if money has changed hands already.
Payments in full in advance (even in full as work starts) have a very bad track record for getting spent and not being available for refunds in the event that ill health or other emergency halts work and the client cannot wait in hope.
On another forum I saw a long thread discussing these matters, and the makers who had been around the longest, and were still taking commissions, had some common strategies. They took deposits when work started, not before. They then took staggered payment as work progressed. Seemed a bit of a pain in the butt, but it protected both sides in the event that work got stopped or the client's money ran out.
Best wishes and good luck to all.
Chris
Disclaimer:
If you agree to take on a commission or give a commission to someone else here, and problems arise, there is little or nothing that the moderators or forum owner can do. Feel free to ask advice (for what it is worth) but its hard to see a situation where the forum or the volunteer moderators could or should become involved in a private financial dispute between members.
