The Energon Pub

Morning all,

Lately I have been asked several times in numerous places (here, my YouTube Channel, and DeviantART to name but a few) if I would be willing to do a TF custom for sale.

Only recently have I decided to throw caution to the wind and try it out for myself.. (I mean, I started it out as a hobby, and people want to BUY what I make.. so, what the hell!! ) I have however, hit a wall. I have no idea what so ever how to come up with a price for my customs. This is where (hopefully!) some of you can help me!!

If there is anyone out there who reads this and has accepted a custom commission before or does so on a regular basis I would really appreciate some advice on this.

I thought about charging for the purchase of a mold to repaint, + time spent repainting said mold, + any materials and resources used + the cost of shipping the item to the buyer/commissioner. If that is correct, what numbers should go to those details? Do I charge the same price that I had to buy the mold for? or do I go more or less?.. It's those sort of details that have be stumped at the moment.

In addition to that, any other tidbits of sage advice or knowledge would be appreciated to!

I also figured that if enough of my fellow Transtopians leave information in this thread, it might become a useful resource to any other people out there, who find themselves in the same position I am in the future!

Thanks in advance everyone, I look forward to hearing from you all!!

If I where to do commissions for customs I would charge the exact amount what the custom cost me, so what I spent on the toy and the materials I used for it plus some money I think would be worth my time and work that I put into it and shipping goes without saying.

But I tell you what if this thread does get helpful replies and thus is a good resource I will sticky it.

Dead Metal wrote:If I where to do commissions for customs I would charge the exact amount what the custom cost me, so what I spent on the toy and the materials I used for it plus some money I think would be worth my time and work that I put into it and shipping goes without saying.

But I tell you what if this thread does get helpful replies and thus is a good resource I will sticky it.

Thanks Dead Metal! ..I appreciate your input on this!

If enough information does get posted here, and you do sticky it, I'll change the title to "Commissions!! advice on pricing, liaising and negotiating, for beginners" ...if it fits of course.. lol.

I do hope this becomes a valuable resource. I started out doing repaints as a hobby, and whilst it will remain as such at its most base level, its very flattering that people out there want to pay money to own a piece of my work. I'm sure in the history of repaints and customs I am certainly not the first person to experience this, and I should hope I'm not the last!!

If it has any bearing on the conversation.. my first commission is for an Animated Deluxe Galvatron. The commissioner had seen the video review I had done for my own Animated Galvatron Custom and asked if he could get one of his own. More info on this custom can be found here if anyones curious.

Registered today just to find a person who is willing to do commission work for figures that I already own. I don't have the time or skills to do some of the amazing work that I've seen lately but I'd be willing to pay someone else to do it.

Ideally, I'd like to see the works of all the artists that are willing to the work, all in one place. That way, I'd be able to compare and contrast style, pricing and the like. Feedback from buyers would also be helpful.

Currently, I'm looking for a artist that has LED experience. If there were a place to go that shows artists who can do such mods, and be able to contact them, that would be great. I saw a custom by a user name 'hakka' that was outstanding but I'm hesitant to send a PM to someone that doesn't have time or isn't willing to do commissioned work.

If there's already a thread or forum like this, please let me know!

Best,