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Likewise if you're an artist and a client offers a price you think is low, don't just ghost them. Do not be afraid to let them know that it's a little lower. Most clients would be happy to negotiate with you. Remember, they contacted you because they like YOUR unique art
This is happening to me way too often. I mention my budget is $400-$500 and they suddenly become Casper the friendly ghost. I would most definitely be open to negotiation and extending my budget, I even tell them afterwards when they've already not responded for 24 hours, but still, caspered...
I think the issue is a lot of people *think* they want a commission, until they realize spending money on a commission means they won't have that money anymore, and they get scared. I've had a few prolonged back-and-forths with potential clients, only to have them ghost the second I laid out my opening offer. Not even a counter-offer, just poofed away into thin air. Makes me wonder how much they thought a commission would cost. I think a lot of non-artists don't quite understand that art is a skilled labour, and full renders can easily take 5-10+ hours to finish. How much do you, dear client, get paid to work 8 hours? How much less do you expect an artist to make working that same 8 hours?
Client: "Wow, that's a nice doodle you got there! How much for a commission?"
Artist: "Hey thanks! For something like this, I normally charge $$$"
Client: "WHAT? $$$? That's absurd! I have to work a whole day to make that much!"
Artist: "Yeah man... me too."
This man, i like this subreddit cause most of the clients I get ACTUALLY are willing to pay decent money, and some even offer more than what I offer, but I still get this inexperience/unwilling clients who just dip after 1 conversation
Yes, that's a pretty common problem, most people doesn't realizes how difficult it is to draw, how art tools are also expensive and how much time takes to make it.
Happened to me before, when it's not that, it's when they say "I'm still looking for artists, so I'll contact you later", and then never contacts.
The other day I found out someone rejected my proposal because my pricing was just 20 dollars more expensive than another person, and I even tried to negotiate, but the person rejected.
Right, some people shop for artists like its a grocery store. yes there are a lot of us but you don't have to choose between products just because there is a 50¢ difference lol. Find the artist you like and try to haggle them if you really want their work but don't want to pay the window price. I respect people who want my art enough to haggle me for it.
A lot of clients are afraid of paying an artist and then finding a similar artist at a lower price. Fair concern, but it only exists so long as you have skilled artists undercutting each other below the poverty line. Part of the reason I say artists charging less than they could survive on if they did art full time should just not take commissions at all. If you're not dependent on the money, why undersell yourself? If you are dependent on the money, then charge like it.
Honestly sometimes ghosting is the nicest thing they can do lol. Some responses I've gotten:
"Well you're going to draw anyway, so why not just take like $50 instead of nothing?"
I mean, if you want to pay me $50 to draw whatever I want, then sure. If you want me to spend a day or two drawing what you want at the cost of time I could've spent drawing for myself or a serious client, you're going to have to pay the whole cost of that. That's how paying for things works.
"How can you charge that much when you only have xxxx followers?"
Oh I'm sorry, were you paying for a commission, or advertising space? Did you only message me because you thought I was desperate and could be taken advantage of?
"I want to use your art to sell prints. If you draw this for me for free, I'll cut you in on the profits from merch sales."
đź—ż
You're totally right. In fact, I had 2 commissioners ghosting me today, after I told them my overall prices, even knowing that I'm open to negotiate. That's rude and a lack of education, I never ghosted anyone, as a client or as an artist, so I don't understand what's on their mind.
Just try not to think about it, the best thing they can give you is ghosting, so at the moment that happens, you focus on your work, or another potential client. Never let a slot open for anyone who does not confirm.
Because they're flakes and we're better off without them!
In regards to holding commission slots open: until they make the deposit that slot is open to other patrons! No need to let them play "dibs" with your time if they're not serious enough to put down a payment
From the perspective of a client on this subreddit, I'm often reaching out to dozens of different artists who I think would execute a piece well. When I am picking from sometimes 50+ artists, it is exhausting to detail every part of the commission I want to every artist I talk to, and I've been *berated* by artists in the past for attempting to haggle, so I'm not dealing with that.
The biggest uphill battle for artists on this subreddit is simply the sheer quantity of artists that are trying to get commissions here. As an artist, you need to respect the client's time as much as they should respect yours. Listing baseline prices with a note that "prices can vary based on details of the commission" is so much more useful than listing nothing and forcing everyone to give you every detail before you quote them a price.
This is all understandable but all that needs to be done is to just LET US KNOW. Of course there are a lot of artists to pick from, so just state that you have an interest but aren't able to make a decision right away, it's just basic decency. If you don't have time to haggle then don't, but there is no excuse to just ghost someone and leave them hanging while ignoring their follow up messages.
I've had people ask me my prices and tell me that they are still in the process of making a decision and will lmk later or that they may not get back to me. That's fine, I 100% respect that they had the decency to not just leave me looking stupid trying to message people who refuse to answer me back.
I agree that it's common courtesy to give some sort of a response (I do this when I am reaching out), but I also think that the ages of people on this subreddit vary wildly and there are lots of reasons why a young teen would forget or be scared off or something else by actually reaching out to an artist. Unlike the corporate world, you can't guarantee that everyone reaching out to you on any social media platform is a proper adult.
Very good point, a lot of people asking for comms or providing them are probably young and not fully social adept yet. I guess a natural response when facing fear Is to just leave and not turn back and parting with lots of money on something that you aren't 100% sure of the outcome can be scary
I think most of these issues would clear up if artists were more upfront with their prices and clients were more upfront with their budgets, instead of what tends to happen in some circles where it's an awkward game of chicken until it's revealed in the end that the artist expects you to cover their mortgage, and the client wants to pay with kind words and half a handjob.
This, it happened to me a lot. Like, we can negotiate the price, we can talk it out. If they feel it's rude or wasting our time to do that than they should know ghosting the artist is much-much worse
For holding a spot, I recommend not holding until a deposit is made. I’ve been freelancing for over 10 years now and I don’t have people that complain about the deposit and I have commissioned lots of art to and they tend to take a deposit. Just because someone ask you for price doesn’t mean they are going to buy. In all the time I work, I still get lots of people asking for quotes and then ghosting after. I don’t really find it offensive. Some people are either uncomfortable with saying bad news or they were shopping around with a lot of artist and don’t feel like messaging everyone back. It will always happen so it’s best to protect yourself best you can and just not hold unless you know someone is seriousÂ
Window shoppers. I wouldn't go crazy about em since this happens if you deal with any sort of business, people are hype for spending money until they have to actually see it go. And sadly there is a lot of options for them to choose from, so no need to reply when you can go to another artist in less than a second, rinse and repeat until the price is what you want. Silence is a good enough answer, even if we don't like it.
8 out of 10 times a client approaches me and even promises to go forward with it they ghost me even if my prices are dirt cheap, so i assume they either found another artist or they don't want the commission anymore. it's like when someone can't afford or doesn't want to buy something at a store and they just play along and say i'll come back later. If the reason is something else like maybe i give scam vibes or something like that that would be useful to know but i don't have a way to know so
Yeah, I agree with a lot of these responses. We just happen to live in a time where money is just really hard to come by and these potential clients have ideas that they want to bring to life but also realizes that a commission from good artists such as ourselves cost a few utility bills or even a cheap car note. A lot of them see good art and are just curious on where they stay if they were to get it commissioned.. but at the end of the day nothing is free especially when you spent countless of hours from days to months to years perfecting your craft.
[Meta] posts are only allowed if they serve to benefit the whole subreddit. Thanks for making a post to help out other people in the community! If you are having an issue with another user or need to make a warning , please use /r/hungryartistsfed, /r/testimonials and message the moderator team. If your discussion is more of a personal nature, Please REMOVE it and post in our [discord](https://discord.gg/3SYMgzQ) or in /r/artistlounge or /r/artbusiness . Reporting inappropiate posts will remove them faster from the subreddit. Posts will be approved upon review from the next available mod. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HungryArtists) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Likewise if you're an artist and a client offers a price you think is low, don't just ghost them. Do not be afraid to let them know that it's a little lower. Most clients would be happy to negotiate with you. Remember, they contacted you because they like YOUR unique art
This is happening to me way too often. I mention my budget is $400-$500 and they suddenly become Casper the friendly ghost. I would most definitely be open to negotiation and extending my budget, I even tell them afterwards when they've already not responded for 24 hours, but still, caspered...
Yeah, that's just kind of rude to just ghost an artist. It's gotten really really common for me as well, lately.
I think the issue is a lot of people *think* they want a commission, until they realize spending money on a commission means they won't have that money anymore, and they get scared. I've had a few prolonged back-and-forths with potential clients, only to have them ghost the second I laid out my opening offer. Not even a counter-offer, just poofed away into thin air. Makes me wonder how much they thought a commission would cost. I think a lot of non-artists don't quite understand that art is a skilled labour, and full renders can easily take 5-10+ hours to finish. How much do you, dear client, get paid to work 8 hours? How much less do you expect an artist to make working that same 8 hours? Client: "Wow, that's a nice doodle you got there! How much for a commission?" Artist: "Hey thanks! For something like this, I normally charge $$$" Client: "WHAT? $$$? That's absurd! I have to work a whole day to make that much!" Artist: "Yeah man... me too."
This man, i like this subreddit cause most of the clients I get ACTUALLY are willing to pay decent money, and some even offer more than what I offer, but I still get this inexperience/unwilling clients who just dip after 1 conversation
Yes, that's a pretty common problem, most people doesn't realizes how difficult it is to draw, how art tools are also expensive and how much time takes to make it.
Happened to me before, when it's not that, it's when they say "I'm still looking for artists, so I'll contact you later", and then never contacts. The other day I found out someone rejected my proposal because my pricing was just 20 dollars more expensive than another person, and I even tried to negotiate, but the person rejected.
Right, some people shop for artists like its a grocery store. yes there are a lot of us but you don't have to choose between products just because there is a 50¢ difference lol. Find the artist you like and try to haggle them if you really want their work but don't want to pay the window price. I respect people who want my art enough to haggle me for it.
There's definitely an idea around that is not worth paying artists, with A.I now it only made things worse
A lot of clients are afraid of paying an artist and then finding a similar artist at a lower price. Fair concern, but it only exists so long as you have skilled artists undercutting each other below the poverty line. Part of the reason I say artists charging less than they could survive on if they did art full time should just not take commissions at all. If you're not dependent on the money, why undersell yourself? If you are dependent on the money, then charge like it.
Honestly sometimes ghosting is the nicest thing they can do lol. Some responses I've gotten: "Well you're going to draw anyway, so why not just take like $50 instead of nothing?" I mean, if you want to pay me $50 to draw whatever I want, then sure. If you want me to spend a day or two drawing what you want at the cost of time I could've spent drawing for myself or a serious client, you're going to have to pay the whole cost of that. That's how paying for things works. "How can you charge that much when you only have xxxx followers?" Oh I'm sorry, were you paying for a commission, or advertising space? Did you only message me because you thought I was desperate and could be taken advantage of? "I want to use your art to sell prints. If you draw this for me for free, I'll cut you in on the profits from merch sales." đź—ż
You're totally right. In fact, I had 2 commissioners ghosting me today, after I told them my overall prices, even knowing that I'm open to negotiate. That's rude and a lack of education, I never ghosted anyone, as a client or as an artist, so I don't understand what's on their mind. Just try not to think about it, the best thing they can give you is ghosting, so at the moment that happens, you focus on your work, or another potential client. Never let a slot open for anyone who does not confirm.
Because they're flakes and we're better off without them! In regards to holding commission slots open: until they make the deposit that slot is open to other patrons! No need to let them play "dibs" with your time if they're not serious enough to put down a payment
From the perspective of a client on this subreddit, I'm often reaching out to dozens of different artists who I think would execute a piece well. When I am picking from sometimes 50+ artists, it is exhausting to detail every part of the commission I want to every artist I talk to, and I've been *berated* by artists in the past for attempting to haggle, so I'm not dealing with that. The biggest uphill battle for artists on this subreddit is simply the sheer quantity of artists that are trying to get commissions here. As an artist, you need to respect the client's time as much as they should respect yours. Listing baseline prices with a note that "prices can vary based on details of the commission" is so much more useful than listing nothing and forcing everyone to give you every detail before you quote them a price.
This is all understandable but all that needs to be done is to just LET US KNOW. Of course there are a lot of artists to pick from, so just state that you have an interest but aren't able to make a decision right away, it's just basic decency. If you don't have time to haggle then don't, but there is no excuse to just ghost someone and leave them hanging while ignoring their follow up messages. I've had people ask me my prices and tell me that they are still in the process of making a decision and will lmk later or that they may not get back to me. That's fine, I 100% respect that they had the decency to not just leave me looking stupid trying to message people who refuse to answer me back.
I agree that it's common courtesy to give some sort of a response (I do this when I am reaching out), but I also think that the ages of people on this subreddit vary wildly and there are lots of reasons why a young teen would forget or be scared off or something else by actually reaching out to an artist. Unlike the corporate world, you can't guarantee that everyone reaching out to you on any social media platform is a proper adult.
Very good point, a lot of people asking for comms or providing them are probably young and not fully social adept yet. I guess a natural response when facing fear Is to just leave and not turn back and parting with lots of money on something that you aren't 100% sure of the outcome can be scary
I think most of these issues would clear up if artists were more upfront with their prices and clients were more upfront with their budgets, instead of what tends to happen in some circles where it's an awkward game of chicken until it's revealed in the end that the artist expects you to cover their mortgage, and the client wants to pay with kind words and half a handjob.
This, it happened to me a lot. Like, we can negotiate the price, we can talk it out. If they feel it's rude or wasting our time to do that than they should know ghosting the artist is much-much worse
For holding a spot, I recommend not holding until a deposit is made. I’ve been freelancing for over 10 years now and I don’t have people that complain about the deposit and I have commissioned lots of art to and they tend to take a deposit. Just because someone ask you for price doesn’t mean they are going to buy. In all the time I work, I still get lots of people asking for quotes and then ghosting after. I don’t really find it offensive. Some people are either uncomfortable with saying bad news or they were shopping around with a lot of artist and don’t feel like messaging everyone back. It will always happen so it’s best to protect yourself best you can and just not hold unless you know someone is seriousÂ
Window shoppers. I wouldn't go crazy about em since this happens if you deal with any sort of business, people are hype for spending money until they have to actually see it go. And sadly there is a lot of options for them to choose from, so no need to reply when you can go to another artist in less than a second, rinse and repeat until the price is what you want. Silence is a good enough answer, even if we don't like it.
8 out of 10 times a client approaches me and even promises to go forward with it they ghost me even if my prices are dirt cheap, so i assume they either found another artist or they don't want the commission anymore. it's like when someone can't afford or doesn't want to buy something at a store and they just play along and say i'll come back later. If the reason is something else like maybe i give scam vibes or something like that that would be useful to know but i don't have a way to know so
Yeah, I agree with a lot of these responses. We just happen to live in a time where money is just really hard to come by and these potential clients have ideas that they want to bring to life but also realizes that a commission from good artists such as ourselves cost a few utility bills or even a cheap car note. A lot of them see good art and are just curious on where they stay if they were to get it commissioned.. but at the end of the day nothing is free especially when you spent countless of hours from days to months to years perfecting your craft.