[sailormoon846212]

Hello,
Now, I don't usually cosplay, like ever. But after going to ACEN and seeing people having a great time dressing up and meeting other fans, I'm really considering giving it a go.

The thing is, I know nothing about designing cosplay or costumes or anything related to that manner. So, I ask my fellow anime people if you know anyone or are a cosplay designer to please contact me. (links to websites are appreciated)

Now, this needs to be done before ACEN 2013 which is May 17-19, which I'm hoping gives plenty of time to design an outfit for me. The general anime I am going for is Sailor Moon. I have a few ideas in mind and would like to discuss with the designer about everything. i.e- price, time needed for completion, payment option, measurements, etc.

I can pay via paypal or if you live close by, can meetup and pay in cash. I can also give email, but you need to pm me first on here. Thank you, I hope to find someone real soon.

Note to Moderators- When you make a 2013 ACEN forum, could please move this thread to there? Thanks.

[sweetbeanpaste]

Yeah, you can find commisioners all over the cosplay.com forums. Just click on "marketplace"

I tried commisioning for a while but I realized that if I actually charged minimum wage for costumes I made, I'd end up charging hundreds of dollars for them and nobody actually wants to pay that.

How anyone actually makes money off of commissioning, I'll never know. But people do.

[sailormoon846212]

Thanks, I signed up, posted a thread and got some replies. I can't wait for next year!

[linlindesu]

I would actually be VERY wary of cosplay.com. I ordered some things that from china would have been about $80 . A girl who had some skill by the name of "cosplaymandy" offered. She pretty much ordered from china and then gave me $80 of work for $180.
So I would actually use their Reviews section to your advantage more so. The transactions made on cosplay.com are not usually protected and it is definitely more of a risk even than with things known as "risky" ( aka ebay)

[Washu Takahashi]

sweetbeanpaste, on 30 April 2012 - 09:08 AM, said:

How anyone actually makes money off of commissioning, I'll never know. But people do.

I was wondering this myself. This is the first year I made a cosplay for someone else, and they were a friend so I only charged them for materials. But materials alone were 80! And it was a fairly simple cosplay, I can't imagine anyone willing to pay maybe 80-120 for it. If only we knew their secrets...haha.

[Millions_Knives]

lol we ( well at least i) dont make much at commissioning com paired to min wage lol

commissioners are hit or miss
you should always go through their stuff and see if there are bad reviews of them before agreeing to any thing

i watch the cosplay.com for interesting props or armor (done a few commissions off the site)
but there are less then honest and novices who do commissions thier too
there is one that is pulling the china labor and ramping up the prices for americans
now this angers the lagidamit commissioners like crazy
we post warnings in her threads and bury them but she keeps making more
so id say that the commissioners try to keep the place clean with their limited power

most commissioners only make enough to really help pay for their own cosplay stuff
but there are a few who are good enough to survive on (not well lol)
from what ive seen id say there are a few general types of commissioners (just what id call them)

AAs (artist ally)
these ppl make a ton of small stuff with a small labor charge (maybe $5 per item)
they make their living off bulk

[Millions_Knives]

~long post?~
~ah the copy paste is messed up~
~ok fixed it~

Gorilla cosplays
these ppl make costumes from the cheapest materials available reasonably quickly (you can still get quality)
these commissioners are for cosplayers on a budget (most cosplayers lol)

Designers
the higher end commissioners are like walking in to a designer dress shop (you know what you want and you better get it)
these ppl are skilled and want to be payed for their time

pic

id say id fall into designers
now this may sound crazy but this was a real commission
with real costs of materials (go ahead and look them up)
with honest pricing
but in the end i doubt id made min wage for my time



3mm. PVC sheeting=$64
1mm. PVC sheeting=$24
wonderflex=$11
small glove=free/(ill use an old glove)
stockings=$15
snaps, eyelets,straps, ect.=$10
paint,glue,screws,ect=$15
3 weeks labor= $300
total=$439

so id still like you to send comfortable shoes i can mod if possible
and id be more comfortable if you got the spankies and sports bra on your own
though these may need to be custom dyed so ikd

oh and i dont make wigs but can send the head peace and pig tail attachments so they can be easily added

This post has been edited by Millions_Knives: 01 May 2012 - 01:35 PM

[sailormoon846212]

Well, what if they gave you info such as a reference page and a very detailed price quote? Should I trust that?

[Millions_Knives]

hmmm
more info is always better

well the more pics of their work the better id say
if its mostly things that have made for themselves
they may not have vary much experience making things for others (making cosplay for others is much harder than just for your self)

you also want to pay attention to their style
if you want a dress and they mostly have pics of leather work
they may not have the experience to work outside their style
a good commissionaire will not try to produce work that is not of quality
a bad one will just nod and take your money

~ realizes your looking for a sailor moon costume~
ok so i know award winning sailor scout commissioner
~tabs over to get link~
shes been making them for years
id bet you could get cheap sailor costumes from china
or from a random commissioner
but she dose a much better job
and she does consistent work

i dont know her prices (never asked)
but i've been in several masquerades with her
she would know who i am if ya say knives

you may not go with her
but she is at least worth talking to
link

oh ah sry for the rant
i kinda miss read your post

good times to all

This post has been edited by Millions_Knives: 01 May 2012 - 09:19 PM