Isn't Limebarb the scammer?

Did you try God Save The Queen?

Limebarb is a scammer anyway, don't do it.
I thought an anon was getting around to filing a lawsuit against her for never refunding over $3000 after not receiving the costume within the time agreed (which was like two years or something).

Ever heard of God Save the Queen Fashions? Look them up on FB or go to their website, they're much more reliable and less shady.

DO NOT USE LIMEBARD SHE WILL SCAM YOU.

She ripped some friends of mine off for like $5k

But that's another lulz filled story.

I highly recommend God Save The Queen. Her work is really good, great communication and competitive prices.

god save the queen is also completely booked, and thanks for the warning about limebarb :(

I'm also open to less known commissioners that do great work that are trying to get their name out there. I know you guys are the place to come for obscure knowledge like that :D

>>5896333
that's almost an oxymoron. good workers don't stay unknown or unbooked for long unless they're charging too much.

>>5896333
Maybe you can try just looking around on Coscom? There has to be someone of decent quality.
Just start a topic asking for a commissioner.

This thread is now about Limebarb.

give juicy gossip pls, what did she do?

>>5896380
the usual story for a commission gone wrong. charges a ton, takes forever, sends you shit. just google "limebarb scam" or something similar. it's nothing really juicy.

Avoid Capes and Cowls Anonymous unless you want your costume to arrive months late, have your emails ignored, and be misled on the price and then asked for more when they decide the costume is much more difficult than they thought. Then they will ship at the very last minute and have to use the most expensive shipping method, and will demand payment for it.

I also had a negative experience with capes and cowls anon. Will post my story when I'm back on my pc.

>>5896435
Please do. I can post mine as well if anyone is interested but it's extremely long and stretches over a period of about 7 months.

I guess this explains why they suddenly "merged" with another commissioner.

>>5896448
Oh right they merged with cosplaymandy or something like that didn't they? I have no idea how they're like but I'm planning on not commissioning from them either.
And please do post your story. Mines probably not as bad as yours though.

>>5896475
Peachykiki's company, right?

This all happened right around the time I threatened a lawsuit so it was weird timing indeed.

In a way it worked out because it gave me the initiative to start making my own costumes. I'll write mine up and post it here in a bit.

The Hag/Lani on cosplay.com does awesome patch commissions.

>>5896319
I would love to hear that lulz filled story.

>>5896481
Oh right I got the name mixed up somehow.
That merge was around when I got my costume :/

>>5896484
how much do they usually charge for a one-off patch with/without velcro?

>>5896502
In all honesty I can't remember single patch prices, but I think $60ish for two custom designed ones last time I ordered from her. Very happy.

>>5896513
if it's $60 for 2 different ones that's fine since i'll probably be getting a few designs anyway.

There's no way to hide who I am by posting this but I think you guys should be warned so you're protected. I'll try to keep it as short as I can.

I wanted to have a certain visual kei musician's dress made. At first I was ok with it not being 100% accurate but then I found nearly all the materials his uses so I decided to go all out.

Capes and Cowls Anonymous (CCA from here on) were the only commissioner to contact me back aside from a local seamstress who wanted $5000 to make it (the originals probably cost 5 times that or more). I was quoted $1800 for everything by CCA and was asked to pay $1000 and use the $800 to buy materials. To give you an idea of how much went into this dress, the base fabric alone was $500 for 10 meters on sale! I also needed 60 meters of one variety of black lace so this is a very decoration-heavy dress.

I paid in September 2011 with a deadline of Valentine's Day.

Communication around the time I paid was great. I'd get multiple replies per day. Once I sent my measurements and a box with sample cuts of the materials, replies slowed. Halloween commissions, ok. After that I got a mail saying that a mockup would be sent since there was time. It never came... Not until January, one month before I wanted the costume, after I asked for a refund. I was suddenly sent pictures of the completed mockup and materials she had bought herself and was told that I would only get a partial refund. It hadn't even been started on because she hadn't told me how much of everything she needed. I found that out and sent everything in mid January.

One week before I wanted the costume by, I received an email saying the dress was almost done, and a request for that $800. No apologies for being misleading in communications about price, just that "I need to pay my employees and it isn't fair if I cut you a break." I said I'd pay if I got the dress on time.

Well, I didn't. I got a mail a few days before guilt tripping me that she was staying up all night working on it. The day I wanted it by came and passed with no apology. I was promised progress pics and got them a few days later after nagging. It was maybe 60% done and clearly pinned to look like it was further along than it really was.

I said okay, shit happens, I want it by early March for another upcoming event. She said okay. I would ask for progress pics and wouldn't get them. March date came and went. I filed a PayPal claim for all payments made and still no reply to my emails. I called my credit card company and filed a chargeback, then consulted a lawyer and posted on the company Facebook that I'd sue her for not only the payment I made to her, but also the cost of all the fabric I had sent her (about $1200 give or take). The comment was deleted and I finally got an email then and was told to calm down, that she'd send it to me, that she's busy and has had personal problems preventing her from working on the dress.

I eventually got it at the end of March, unfinished. She sent it the fastest way which cost $330 and expected me to pay despite having said that I wanted it sent express by X day so it's only cost $100.

I never paid the $800 or the $330. Call me an asshole but I don't think I should.

I can't complain about construction really. It's a beautifully made dress, though some things are off (inner skirt waist is too big and length is too long, but the outer skirt waist is too small, hips of the skirts are fine but too small on the bodice). I've put in hundreds of hours finishing and fixing it. I learned my lesson though. I'll never commission again.

>>5896397
>>5896435
lol plus their leading lady is a butterface and her boyfriend is a shady fucker

>>5896670
her personal problems are that her and her stupid fucking boyfriend are on the rocks constantly and she's batshit insane and he's a manwhore. #vendetta-chan. I DON'T EVEN CARE. ain't even mad

>>5896690
That's kinda funny because he was the one who mailed me saying she was staying up all night, killing herself to get it done.

I'm still mad about this but she had all these good reviews and lots of experience so I thought it would work out. It pissed me off more that her personal costumes and newer commissions took priority.

>>5896714
oh, her work is gorgeous when she actually does it, but she's batshit, i'm sure she DID stay up all night to do it, but I have close sources that tell me she's batshit, i.e., their close friends (I went off trip for this hahahaha just because I can't even WANT this drama) and the fact that HE used to be into me. or still is on and off.


not counting the 'i'mleavingherforyouourrelationshiphasgottensobad' ship that kept sailing.

they have drama like crazy and i'm sure that is why your stuff didn't get done on time, because if i REMEMBER correctly, november and december and january were when their 'ROUGH PATCH' was.

>>5896448
>>5896475
>>5896481
CCA merged with PeachyKiki? That's disappointing, I was just about to recommend her.

I had a good experience commissioning from Peachykiki- prompt, good communication, and a great fit. I don't know if things have changed if they merged, but my experience was good.

>>5896734
PK is AMAZING. Her work is CONSTANTLY beautiful and flawless.

>>5896723
That explains a lot. I was supposed to get the mockup in November.

I can understand serious personal issues. Illness, death in the family, etc, all perfectly understandable. But fighting with your boyfriend...?

I think I'm pretty patient. I would wait weeks or even a month before checking up on things in the beginning because I figured she was busy with it and didn't want to be a pest. Toward the end, I was mailing nearly every day.

I wish I had written about it when it was happening but I was afraid I wouldn't ever get it.

>>5896745
Yeah, she's the only person I've ever commissioned, so I was very pleased when I had such a positive experience.

This is what I commissioned, a couple of my pics are used as example pics.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/57783128/iron-man-2-ironette-costume

This CCA person sounds like a nightmare, so I'm wondering if there's truth to the rumor that they've merged? I really have no idea.

>>5896768
you paid 1800 dollars.
1800.
you didn't even get the finished perfect product that you expected.


dude, 1800 ISN'T CHEAP.
that's my rent for like four months ... actually it's MORE than my rent for four months.
the fact you didn't get it in less than two months is BULLSHIT.
my best friend who is an AMAZING seamstress has NEVER charged me to make a costume, i just pay meterials, which I UNDERSTAND your materials were expensive, but that's just ridiculous. I'm so sorry for your shitty experience, hopefully everyone sees this on blast and knows better. PK is amazing, CCA I am COMPLETELY biased against, but I ultimately dislike either way you spin it.
Hopefully we learned then this time eh :/ I'm very sorry for that experience occurrin' to ya

>>5896773

Why the fuck would anyone pay $260 for this is beyond me...

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>>5896782
The rent is TOO DAMN HIGH!

>>5896782
>my best friend who is an AMAZING seamstress has NEVER charged me to make a costume, i just pay meterials

You say that like all commissioners should do that or something.. she doesn't charge because she's your friend, derp?

Rest of us here need to make a damn profit.

pk is definitely banking. it is high quality, but personally, as an adult, I'd rather learn to sew than spend all my money on either pk or cca.
JUST SAYING.


OKAY VENDETTACHAN OUUUUT.

>>5896817
yeah, but it gets a little ridiculous. like the anon said above, 260 for an ironette costume? RIDICULOUS.

>>5896817
Why the fuck do you desperately need to make a profit off of this? Maybe if you got a real job and knew how to manage your money, you wouldn't be ripping people off.

>>5896773
It's no rumor. Both of them posted about it on their facebooks.

>>5896782
Yeah I know. I guess I was too patient. Lesson learned and sewing skills under my belt.

>>5896831
$260 isn't bad at all? You're too used to chinese labour prices anon (which I would guess at $100~ ish). You need to charge more in the US to be able to charge for time and make a small profit.

Materials: $40~
Time: 12 hrs x $15 = $180

So I would charge maybe $40 less but I would be pretty fucking close to that.

People who haven't tried being self employed and running their own business please gtfo this conversation.

>>5896804
>>5896831
I didn't look at the price- I got mine when she was first offering them for $200. It does come with absolutely everything, though, including all the lights.

At the time I was way too intimidated to attempt spandex, and it's got all the stitching details that the actual costume has. It's one of those that's deceptively simple until you see the stitching details and cast-resin belt buckle and whatnot.

Now that I know how to sew spandex I still probably wouldn't attempt to make this costume without seriously considering just buying it first. Dif'rent strokes for dif'rent folks and all that.

>>5896851
Some people are seamtresses/dressmakers/costumers as a trade anon or are you a complete retard and unaware of this?

Why on Earth would someone you don't know WANT TO MAKE A COSTUME FOR YOU WITHOUT PROFIT?

>>5896855
Huh. Welp. I hope PK's quality and service doesn't go down after the merge. We'll see, I guess.

>>5896860
You get no sympathy if you choose this as a "legit' business and you aren't making a profit. If you would have picked something more useful...

>>5896872
Refer to >>5896878

That is all.

>>5896878
I don't make cosplay for customers, I *AM* however a dressmaker, so I know how this shit works.

Of course I'm making a profit idiot, or I wouldn't be doing it.

>>5896885
Don't get mad that you aren't rolling in the dough since you chose a shitty trade to do now-a-days.

We have Chinese people to make clothes, why didn't you pick something more useful to do like engineering?

>>5896903
.. I make enough money thanks. The reason being I don't have cheap ass, entitled cosplayers as my clients.

Nothing in the world would make me want to work for you jackasses, believe me.

>>5896924
>entitled

There's that buzzword being thrown around again and I don't think you people know what it means...

>>5896930
It means someone believes they deserve something, as though they are owed. In this case, with no actual merit.

Expecting commissioners to work for little or no profit is incredibly entitled behaviour.

For some reason this is only the case with cosplay commissioning, despite the fact it's very similar in aspects to dressmaking and costuming commissioners which ARE legit trades.

It's funny, because you wouldn't go up to say, a mechanic and expect him to work on your car for only materials fees. He would laugh in your face and tell you to get fucked.

Feel free to get your chinese labour costumes, good luck with that. So many of my friends cheap ebay costumes turned out abysmal. I should know, had to fix a fucktonne of them.

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Hey guys,
Peachykiki here. Just to clear a few things up, the CCA girl has been a long time friend of mine, she was still in school, working and trying to graduate. She wasn't ready to run her own business and I think she learned that.
I have been struggling with soooo many commission orders that I was more than happy to have a bit of help on tasks that she is perfectly capable of doing and I still over see every step of the process.
I try to answer emails promptly, the customer is always right and my personal projects will never take priority. I try my best to do right by all of you, and from the sounds of things, I've been doing all right ;)
Thanks to all my customers for being awesome, past present and FUTURE =D

>>5896969
I wouldn't do that because I know car parts are expensive as hell, even the simple parts. I also know that i'm always going to need people to fix my car since cars break down. I also know being a mechanic is not a simple job and many times you are diagnosing issues that could be a multitude of problems. And you also fail to realize that certain jobs aren't going to make a lot of money. You shouldn't expect to be raking in cash for something as mundane as costuming, especially if the quality is crap and it looks like crap. If there isn't a high demand for it, you get nothing from it, simple right? So why does your little "entitled" self feel as if you need to make a decent profit when several places don't?

>>5896994
>You shouldn't expect to be raking in cash for something as mundane as costuming,
But that anon has said many times that they don't do costumes? And making a profit =/= "raking in cash".

You also don't seem to understand that sewing is something where price is heavily influenced by the seamstress's talent and quality of work. No shit someone who does custom work for a living will cost more than eBay.

>>5896782

Speaking as an ~*~amazing~*~ seamstress who makes costumes for friends, and never charges them, throw the gal some cash every now and then.

Seriously.

Making costumes is fun, but can be frustrating, VERY time consuming, and the added agony of a friend hovering over your shoulder telling you to fix this or that, add this, remove that, when they're not even paying you can be... draining. I love my friends. I love to see them happy and thrilled with the costumes I make for them. But I would not turn my nose up at $40 if they decided to throw me a tip every now and then. I gotz billz.

>>5897015
Doesn't matter. You can't compare the job of a mechanic to a seamstress nowadays because one is still needed and the other isn't as much.

Also, raking in cash= making a profit. If you are making money, you are raking in cash. Not every job can rake in cash because the demand for that job is low. Stop being so silly.

>>5896994
'Decent profit' is subjective, dumbass. I pay my bills and live quite happily, that's good for me. I'm not out to be a millionaire, but if someone is doing work for you, you should be paying them for their time /regardless of what it is/.

Also as >>5897015 said, I don't do costumes. I am a DRESSMAKER. I work mostly for middle age/old ladies and the occasional prom girl.

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>>5897018
If you have bills then get a real job. Damn, is this concept really that hard for you seagulls to figure out?

>>5896987
Best of luck to you both, then! I'm very happy with my Ironette and I hope you both do very well in the future.

>>5897037
No, that's not how jobs work. If the job is simple and the demand is low, then you don't get paid much. Simple as that. It's the reason why you don't see fry cooks getting paid the same as gourmet chefs. Or in your delusional world, why seamstresses aren't paid the same as mechanics.

>>5897081
<3 you too potato!

>>5897088
Where on Earth did I say they should be paid the same?! I just said that they should be paid *period*.

Some anon was acting like making a profit as a cosplay commissioner was some awful thing, which is retarded.

>>5897103
Since when did I say you shouldn't get paid at all? I'm saying you shouldn't expect to make a decent profit if you run your own business in something with no merit or use.

>>5896851
Actually, anon's chain of logic breaks apart here. Whatever price is worked out between the two parties is entirely their business. If a seamstress and his customer agree to 260 dollars for a good, anon can't say that the producer charged more than what is "right" (that is, unless the producer, say, lied about the quality of the materials used) because that is only for the customer to say; in which case, the customer would choose not to agree.
There is no such definition of a "real job". Objectively speaking, it is something one does within the legal framework of society to attain a standard of living. If being a seamstress allows that, then it is not anyone's place to tell them to do something else; it's a gross infringement on freedom.
The other ANON (the one in caps) did do it the right way when he prefaced it with "if it were me, I would not pay that much", which is fair enough.

Note: not a cosplayer, costume maker, nor anyone involved. I just dislike it when a person takes a stance devoid of reason.

>>5897048
Oh, PhiPhi, you tired showgirl! I have a real job of course! But a tip here and there for really intense hard work is always, always nice.

>>5897113
I never said you were specifically, but some anon was. Also plenty of people do the cosplay commissioning thing well. God Save The Queen does brilliantly.

I would never want to do that though because cosplayers are awful clients. Much happier with regular people, they appreciate dressmaking as a skill far more..

And bespoke seamstress work will always have a place, as will costume work. You can get it done abroad but there's a good chance it'll be shit. Good clients will always want it done by someone reputable close to them. All the best theatres have in house production teams, for example.

>>5897116
>stance devoid of reason
>some jobs don't make as much as other jobs, don't be surprised
>devoid of reason

Yah, oke.

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>>5897122
Well as long as you have a real job and don't depend on this for putting food on the table, I'm okay with that.

The people bitching about dressmakers not being a real trade must be extra poor. My family has a dressmaker we've been going since before I was even born and we always pay $500+ for a piece of her work. It's a real job that requires time and dedication, and given your level of talent it CAN be a steady flow of income.

>>5897129
Actually, this was the original assertion
>Why the fuck do you desperately need to make a profit off of this? Maybe if you got a real job and knew how to manage your money, you wouldn't be ripping people off.
It was in response to this post >>5896817, which was in turn addressing the point that ANON's friend does not charge him for labor by saying that he does not charge because he's a friend.
The dispute arose because you and ANON think that $260 is too much. You differed in saying that it was a rip off because it includes costs exceeding that of the materials. You essentially used the $260 point of contention as an a priori case of how seamstresses should not charge for labor, when 1. it is an a posteriori deal having already been agreed upon 2. you do not have any say on the legitimacy of legal monetary-service exchanges when you're an uninvolved party.

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>>5897170
What's wrong with you? If I'm paying for something and I'm obviously getting ripped off, I do have a say, especially if the provider is some no-name out in the middle of Nowhere, Kansas.

Sorry sweetie. If the product doesn't match amount paid, the consumer has a say in it. That's why you can return items.

>>5897193
Look back on the thread of the posts. Again, the point of contention is that seamstresses should not charge beyond the costs of materials (ie, make a profit). See >>5896817 >>5896851. And so it's clear that you would not be a customer in this case; thus, you do not have a say.
And don't conveniently forget your second stance of what does not entail a "real job".

self-employed people, remember to deduct business expenses on your taxes
fuck yeah, business expenses like your sewing machine and shit like that
at least, i do that with my photo gear (the one good thing about being a 1099 and not a w2) and the irs hasn't come hollering

The other anon who had a problem with CCA here. Sorry I just got back. I'm just going to skim over all the arguments about seamstress prices...

>>5896678
I wish someone told me about this before I commissioned her. Sigh.
>>5896670
Thanks for posting your story anon. I'm at my PC now so I'm typing up mine.
>>5896987
Peachykiki, I don't know if you're still in this thread, but if I had a problem with my CCA commission should I contact you?

>>5897346
YES! Absolutely, if its a problem still in process let me know on my etsy and I'll talk to her. She's kind of vague with me about the details of this stuff (tbh I didn't know about any of this dramu before)
But I can bug her to talk to you and get whatever done that needs to be done

>>5897346
I'll make this short since it's nowhere near as interesting as other anon's.
>Sent her a commission request around late Nov / early Dec.
>Communication was good, got replies like within 24 hours, so I decided to go with her even though she was a lil expensive ($200ish for a plain dress)
>Deadline set to late Feb, and she's going to send a mockup around late Jan. She allowed a payment plan which I thought was very nice of her.
>Didn't want to bother her so didn't send any emails until after when the mockup was supposed to come. By then it was almost 45 days after payment. Didn't receive any emails from her at all.
>Sent a few emails asking for progress, didn't receive any replies. Waited for almost a week and finally had to open a PP dispute before she replied.
>Told her I'd close the dispute once the mockup arrived. She said there were delays, and she was working on it.
>It arrived soon but didn't fit. I had lost some weight so that's part of it, but I sent updated measurements back to her.
>Then it was almost time for the event I needed the costume for. I sent another email confirming if it'd be here in time. Ended up having to upgrade to 2day fedex to make sure it would.
>She didn't finish it in time and sent it via 1day fedex.
>And it still didn't fit me.

>>5897446
Mfw accidentally hit submit. oh well.

>Emailed her telling that it didn't fit, sent pictures, asked her if there was something she could do about it.
>Note that I emphasized fit was really important to me considering the simplicity of the costume and how it hugged the character's curves.
>That's why I asked for the mockup which cost me $50 on top of the cost of the actual dress.
>And it still didn't fit me.
>Never got a reply.

>>5897346
It seems we pretty much had the same issues with lack of communication after payment and then last minute, expensive shipping. It's all really unfortunate because I can't knock her skill at all. The costume was really beautifully made. Maybe now, working with someone things will go more smoothly but I still can't recommend her based on my experiences :/

>>5897458
Anon, send me an e-mail as well, I'll see what I can do for you.
Doing commissions full time is hard, you're constantly juggling everyone's deadlines and trying to make everyone happy. It takes a good work ethic, self motivation and customer service experience. I'm very sorry that you all had to deal with this >.< Not everyone is cut out for it.

Hey OP, in the event that PK can't do your commission, I'd be happy to. I'm not very well-known but I'm cheap and I've never had a complaint. I just ask for a few months notice because I'm a student. Attached my email, I'd be happy to send you examples of previous work.

>>5897571
Not OP, but sent you an email

>>5897592
Failed sage. Shouldn't have posted when half asleep...

>>5897571
Claire is also a very sexy (and talented) lady ;)

>>5897602
Haha thanks =) hope you don't think I'm trying to steal your business, just offered it up in case you were unable to take it on.

>>5897637
Not offended at all darling!
I just want people to have costumes they're proud to wear and everyone to remember what cosplay is all about: HAVING FUN! As long as they get a good commissioner, that's all that matters at the end of the day :)

bump, everyone should see this.

This thread is starting to give me the warm fuzzles.

>>5896994
Uh... I'm a mechanic and I have to tell you that you are a moron. lots of car parts are cheap. It really depends on what kind of car you drive.

Generally brakes cost about $75-$300 depending solely on car. Thats pads(some as cheap as 19.99 for a lifetime warrenty) and a set of rotors(25.99+ per rotor). Current shop labor is about $98 an hour. I can change any disc brake setup in about half an hour as long as the calipers aren't frozen.

You would be amazed at how much money shops get from people that don't know how to work on cars... even the simple shit.

Also look on craigslist I bet you can find a mechanic willing to drive to your house and fix your car in your driveway for next to nothing.

Since this thread is about commissioners do any of you guys have any advice for starting out doing commissions? I'm interested in starting something up though only part time I find myself concerned with getting the sizes right for people since I know a lot can't come over for fittings when selling online. My work is somewhat good but I'm use to actually fitting people in partially done garments.

>>5899318
Get an adjustable dressform for starters.

>>5899318
should be obvious but don't get overwhelmed by orders. probably the most important thing of all. if you can only do two commissions well in a period of time, so be it. better than having ten bad ones that you send out late.

>>5897446
>>5897458
For the record, I emailed PK about this and CCA contacted me back offering to fix the dress. I do hope things work out as her skills are great as the other anon said. If they don't I'll keep people updated.