Beware: Zipperface

Orginally posted on Apr. 1st, 2013 by vaerinn

WHO: Zipperface

WHERE: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/zipperface

WHAT: Coloured+shaded wing-it commission, $50

WHEN: On 12 March 2012 I commissioned Zipperface and paid them. A few hours later I was sent a WIP of the picture for approval, which I gave. A month went by without anything more from the artist, though they were still active on FA and their Tumblr at the time. On 25 April 2012 I sent them a note asking for an update, at which point I was told they were in trouble. A few months later they'd cleaned up shop and left FA entirely.



PROOF:

Initial exchange:




Proof of payment:


Later note:


FA page as it is now:

EXPLAIN: Zipperface had a journal offering a single slot for a one character wing-it, coloured and shaded, to be done using some new colouring method or style they wanted to experiment with. I noted them and got the slot, paying them as soon as they asked. I was sent a WIP just an hour or so later, and after that, nothing. About a month later I saw they were open for pencil sketch commissions and noted them asking how my commission was coming along, only to be told that the picture was coloured but that nothing more could be done till they replaced their broken tablet. I was willing to wait, so I was willing to let it go. Just a few months later, though, I stopped by Zipperface's FA and found that all scraps, favorites, contact info and journals had been deleted, and that their Tumblr (name of which I can't remember) was deleted when I checked in on that, too. Since then I've tried noting them, leaving shouts, and even e-mailing them, but I haven't heard anything and, judging by the other shouts on their FA page, neither has anyone else.
Long story short, I'm out 50 bucks and Zipperface is MIA. I have no idea what's going on with them, or even if they're still around. If they're still active somewhere online, I have no idea what name they're going by now.