Terms of Service

Last edited October 28, 2020.

By making a payment toward a commission you are acknowledging and agreeing to abide by the following terms.

Age Requirement

All customers must be 18+. If I have not worked with you before I will need to see a picture of you holding a photo ID with your name and birthdate to verify your age. Any other information on the ID can be blurred out.

Quotes & Retainer

After receiving a final price quote, a 30% retainer fee must be sent by the date specified in the quote to reserve your commission slot. This will be applied to your final total. $1,000 of this retainer fee is NON-REFUNDABLE to compensate me for time spent conversing, researching, sketching, ordering supplies, etc in the event of a cancelled commission. After I receive your retainer fee changes can no longer be made to your commission details or reference sheet.

Payments

70% of the costume must be paid before I start work on your commission. The remaining balance plus the cost of shipping will need to be paid upon completion. Costumes will not be shipped unless they are paid in full.

Communication is very important! Please plan accordingly and let me know if an issue arises and you cannot pay on time. If an unexpected financial emergency arises, I can push your costume back in the queue for up to 90 days while I work on other projects. After 90 days the project will be cancelled (see the “Refund & Cancellation” sections).

If you have not paid your balance within 30 days of a costume’s completion and I have received no communication from you, it will be considered an abandoned project. The 30% retainer fee will be forfeited, and the costume will be modified and sold to another buyer. Any payments beyond the 30% will be refunded. See the cancellations & refunds sections for more information.

I will send you a Paypal invoice for you to make payments through. Credit cards, Paypal credit, and bank transfers are accepted via Paypal. I do not accept cash, checks, or money orders.

Shipping & Customs

Shipping is not included in the original quote and must be calculated and paid for by the customer upon completion. Insurance and a signature confirmation are required on all of my packages.

International customers must pay all customs fees and/or taxes on their costumes. Unfortunately, these fees tend to be very expensive and vary by country. Please speak with your local postal service to determine what customs fees will cost before committing to a commission. I will not mark packages as a “gift” to avoid fees. Shipping quotes are rounded up by $5 - $15 to cover the cost and time spent boxing up items. Local pickup is not available.

Measurements and Duct Tape Dummies

If you are commissioning a full body costume tailored to fit an individual, I must have a duct tape dummy (DTD) from you. There are many tutorials for duct tape dummies online. I do not work from measurements for tailored bodysuits because it is not a skillset of mine.

There are other measurements I’ll need along with a hand tracing, shoe size, etc. The appropriate instructions and forms will be sent to you after your commission is confirmed. If you are commissioning a partial costume with arm or leg sleeves, a duct tape dummy of your legs and arms is recommended for the best fit.

If you are commissioning a mascot costume to fit a variety of performers, I will need to know what type of people will likely be wearing your costume (teenagers, adults, etc). By default mascots are made to fit someone who is roughly 6’ tall and 180 pounds. A duct tape dummy and additional measurements are not needed.

All measurements and a DTD are needed by your costume’s start date. If I have not received these within 30 days of your start date the project will be considered abandoned. The 30% retainer fee will be forfeited and any payments beyond the 30% will be refunded. See the “Cancellations & Refunds” sections for more information.

Communication

Communication will primarily take place over e-mail. Work in progress photos may be sent through Telegram with screenshots taken of every interaction. Any “important” communication involving payments, shipping, measurements, etc will be done over e-mail only. I ask that you respond within 24 to 48 hours Monday through Friday to keep the commission process running smoothly. In order to maintain a written record of all communication, no phone or video calls are accepted.

If there is no communication for 30 days the project will be considered abandoned. The 30% retainer fee will be forfeited and any payments beyond the 30% will be refunded. See the cancellations & refunds sections for more information.

Work Order

I work on costumes Monday through Thursday, roughly 30 hours a week. Etsy orders, emails, bookkeeping, and other tasks take up the remainder of my week. With the exception of commercial projects, I do not accept hard deadlines (see the “Deadlines & Timelines” section).

Projects are worked on in the order they are accepted, provided they have paid 70% of their balance and sent all required measurements. You can see my queue and where you stand at any time by visiting my Trello: https://trello.com/b/TdllQtTZ/sps-current-que

Style & Edits

I strive to bring every commissioner’s vision to life through my costumes, but due to the nature of this art form my style will come into play. I use similar eye shapes, expressions, and airbrushing techniques for a consistent style. Please look through my past work to see if I will be a good fit for your character. I will not mimic anyone else’s style or elements that are out of my area of expertise (gore, taxidermy realism, etc).

I am more than willing to make minor edits throughout the building process to bring the project closer to your vision. Edits are restricted to three changes per piece, and I reserve the right to refuse further edits if I feel it is unreasonable or will damage the piece. Further edits may be done at an hourly rate. If anything looks off in the work in progress stage please let me know immediately! The shape of a head, for example, cannot be changed after furring but it can be prior to patterning.

Major decisions like the faux fur being used will be decided upon after a commission is accepted. Once a fur, construction technique, detail, etc has been chosen it cannot be changed. If you have any doubts about a particular color or material it must be addressed prior to construction. Any changes after the fact may be denied or charged an hourly rate to adjust.

Reference Art

Reference art of every character is required for costumes with the exception of an artistic liberty, free reign, or commercial projects. Concept art can be made for commercial projects at an hourly rate. For all other projects it is your responsibility to provide me with reference sheets or photos.

Repairs and Warranty

Stuffed Panda Studios has a 60 day repair warranty on costumes. In the unlikely event a costume is damaged during normal wear due to my construction or doesn’t fit well because of an error on my end; ship it back to the studio and I will repair it at no cost. Shipping will be paid for both ways. Damage beyond the 60 day warranty can be repaired for an additional cost.

If an adjustment or repair is needed because of your error (DTD made incorrectly, heat damage, etc) you will need to pay for shipping both ways as well as an hourly fee to make the repairs. Local pickup is not available. If a costume is sent in for repairs and it is dirty, smelly, or has damage from neglect it will not be repaired. The warranty will be void and you will need to pay for return shipping.

Please inspect your costume in full upon receipt. In the event of any shipping damage, retain ALL shipping materials and contact me immediately so we can make a claim with the postal service. Photos of the damage will need to be provided. After confirming there is no shipping damage, please inspect your costume thoroughly and report any defects or other issues to me within 72hrs of receipt of the costume. If no contact is made within 72hrs, I will take it as an acknowledgement that you accept your costume as delivered.

Durability

At Stuffed Panda Studios I strive to make costumes that are extremely durable and well made. Despite this, costumes need to be treated with care. Mistreatment of your costume will void the warranty and is not my responsibility. Mistreatment includes, but is not limited to, smoke damage, water damage, taking it through the mud or dirt, improper storage or cleaning, trying and failing to make your own adjustments, etc. These costumes are pieces of art with some more “delicate” features. Airbrushing, small details, and resin based heads will withstand the test of time with proper care – so please take the time to do so! Be sure to reference the care guide included with your suit.

Cancellations & Refunds

I reserve the right to cancel or decline a commission for any reason. I may decline a commission if I am not comfortable with the style, features wanted, etc. Customers are able to cancel their commission at any time, but the refund received will vary depending on the situation.

If a commission is cancelled by me for my own reasons, you will receive a full refund. In the extreme circumstance that I cancel a commission midway (commissioner is difficult to work with, I have a medical issue or accident and cannot complete the project, a major life event happens, etc) it will be refunded in full unless the customer requests a partial refund. In the event of a partial refund the customer will keep any completed pieces and I will refund based on the percentage of work that was not completed. If the customer wants a full refund I will keep, edit, and resell any costume parts that were made.

If you cancel your commission because I went far beyond my initial time estimate (see “Deadlines & Timelines” section below) or you don’t like the look of the final product (see “What do I do if I don’t like the look of the final product?” section below) you will receive a full refund. If the costume has already been started or completed I will edit the design and resell it. You may also purchase/receive a partial refund based on completed work instead and keep any pieces.

If you are canceling a commission because you simply no longer want a fursuit, can’t afford it, major life event, or any other reason, you forfeit the $1,000 non-refundable retainer fee. If anything has been paid beyond the $1,000 it will be refunded to you. Any costume pieces that have already been made will be edited and resold unless you would like to purchase them. As stated in previous sections, lack of communication, lack of payment, and lack of measurements will also result in an immediate cancellation. The $1,000 retainer fee will be forfeited.

There are no refunds after the final product has been completed, shipped, and approved by the commissioner.

Deadlines & Timelines

With the exception of commercial projects, I no longer accept hard deadlines. I am the only person who works on fursuits here. If I get sick, take a short vacation, or have an unexpected emergency I can easily fall behind on work. However, this does not mean you are not protected from long wait times.

When I give you a quote I will give you a rough estimate on completion time (ex: spring 2021). In this example spring will end June 19, 2021. If I go six months beyond the end of the expected season completion date (December 19th, 2021) you are able to cancel the commission and receive a full refund. The rules in the refund section will be followed, which means you will not be able to keep any costume pieces if you go this route. A second option is keeping any work I have completed up to that point and receiving a refund based on the percentage of work that is incomplete.

What do I do if I don’t like the look of the final product?

If you are unhappy with the final look of your costume you must tell me as soon as you see the final photos. This situation is rare, but if it happens there are four options:

We cancel the commission and you get a full refund. I keep the costume, edit the design so it is no longer an exact replica of your character, and sell it to recoup time spent. We part ways.
We proceed as normal. I’m paid in full + shipping, the costume is mailed to you, and you can resell the costume on your own. We part ways.
I remake the part of your costume you’re unhappy with. I don’t charge you for the remake, but I keep the original and sell it after making some changes. Ex: You don't like the look of the head but love the rest of the fullsuit. I remake the head, edit the original, and sell the original.
I remake the pieces of your costume that you’re unhappy with. I charge you for the pieces I need to remake, and you get to keep the original. You’re free to do what you want with the originals.

If I am not confident that I can remake your costume to fit your vision, options three and four will not be available.

Allergies & Pets

I have a miniature schnauzer in the studio with me. Schanuzers are considered hypoallergenic, and he is not allowed on any fur or supplies.

Liability

I am not responsible for any injury or mishap you may have when in costume. This includes and is not limited to heat stroke, falling, tripping, etc.

It is your job to ensure that you have a handler or spotter to look out for you and help you through crowded areas. It is also important to take frequent breaks out of costume for water and fresh air. Use caution and know your limits involving heat and vision.

These Terms

Stuffed Panda Studios reserves the right to change these terms of service (TOS) at any time.

I have read and agree to these terms.
Signature: __________________________________ Date: _________________________