I wrote this essay for college, and i didn't originally didn't intend to submit it here to deviantART. But given all the complaints about the new commission widget deviantART has released I decided to submit it since it does a good job of explaining my thoughts on making money off of artwork.
Yes, the relation between commissioner and client is different than the relation between a business and a customer in some ways. But overall it isn't that different. There's still fees, there's still mark-ups, there's still price competition. Commissions are a business. You're going to have to accommodate for fees such as the dA fees, the paypal fees, the shipping fees, etc. if you don't want your business to go under. This isn't ripping your clients off, this isn't disrespecting them, this is running a business and ensuring you will be able to continue running it for future clients.
Also, here's the piece I reference in the essay:
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Yes, the relation between commissioner and client is different than the relation between a business and a customer in some ways. But overall it isn't that different. There's still fees, there's still mark-ups, there's still price competition. Commissions are a business. You're going to have to accommodate for fees such as the dA fees, the paypal fees, the shipping fees, etc. if you don't want your business to go under. This isn't ripping your clients off, this isn't disrespecting them, this is running a business and ensuring you will be able to continue running it for future clients.
Also, here's the piece I reference in the essay:
