lunarhallow

Agreeing with Rendrassa, radio silence is a huge red flag.. Check to see if you're in the window to get a refund, if they're ignoring you the odds are you're not going to get a refund from the maker. I think a beware is warranted regardless of if you get your money back or not, ignoring clients is a terrible business practice. ETA: If payment is made through PayPal (not familiar with etsy payments), and you are outside the window, you may have some luck calling and making your case. Millage may vary, but it's worth a shot.

It really depends on their queue, but 6 months for paws and a tail seems like a long time unless they're very far backed up. Have you reached out to them for an update or an estimated timeframe to expect it? If so and you still haven't gotten one, I would seek out a refund if I were in your shoes.

The unauthorized use was removing credits that the species creator required and OP was abiding by. They still finished the work and you were happy with it, if it weren't for the fact they were required by the species creator to place the credits there. The chargeback with zero communication is unacceptable.

Looking back at the requirements, I may be in the wrong for suggesting a beware since money wasn't exchanged.

Adding on to this since I re-read it and noticed this at the bottom -- This alone has changed my mind from a caution to full on beware. This is super unprofessional, since as far as what's posted here, all you did was ask for edits. Seeing an artist tweet about being rude to their customers is a HUGE NOPE

I find it strange they gave you the file but not wanting payment from you? I understand washing your hands of a situation, but I don't think I've ever seen any clause in a ToS where the artist gives you the unfinished file for free and refuses payment for work. I wonder how much language barrier is playing a part in this? A caution is probably necessary. It's bad practice to agree on a price then turn around and ask for more money--unless, of course, there is an edit/additional work fee agreed on. This would usually be stated upfront/in the ToS/in the contract, though. Usually. As for using the artwork...they gave you the file, but you didn't pay for it, and the artist isn't accepting payment.There isn't anything stopping you from using it. At the same time there isn't anything stopping the artist from filing a take down claim if they recognize it. They could also turn more unprofessional and take the problem to their fans. I'd tread carefully here. Definitely post a caution/beware.

Depending on how close it is to the deadline, I'd give an ultimatum of either completed work or a refund before the deadline. If the ultimatum isn't met, file a chargeback before the window closes.

I respect artist trying to get better and fix their mistakes, but honestly? This is probably the biggest thing that needs to be fixed. Right here. This is very unprofessional, as well as the constant stream of journals always including the "I am a single parent with no time" excuses. I'm sure transparency is appreciated by your clients, Chesta, but I'm fairly certain they have all heard this song and dance hundreds of times now. When providing updates, all that should be given is an update on the client's particular commission. No one needs to know what's going on in your personal life. If something gets in the way, "I got tied up, I'm sorry. I'll get your work done [insert timeframes here]" should be all that's necessary. (And actually stick to that timeframe on top)

I get the feeling that the reason she tends to take on work before coming close to finishing old work is because she spends the money before she's done and needs to fill up again to fund the refunds. Which is in itself a red flag as well.

I've been following Chesta for a while, and while it's sad to see her here, I can't say I'm surprised. Over the years I've noticed that she has a habit of taking on more work and building on to her queue without finishing work at the same rate, and it's always made me wary of ordering something. I hope you get a resolution to this, a year for art really is too long.

Some auction styles adopts go for that much, but yeah it is hard to sell custom designs for that much. The most mine ever went for was $60 (original work full ref type thing) in an auction war. $5-$30 seems to be the normal range among the furry community as I've seen over the years.

I used charge for the time I put into it. Like, if I used a base, typically coloring would take me 30 minutes if it's simple or a hour or more for more complexity. Then anything I add, like jewelry as your example, would add to the time. Back when I did adopts, I charged at least $10 an hour, so they would range between $5 and $15 as a result. If you go by the hourly price, make sure you're charging at least your area's minimum wage.