/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

>>10502087
>Christmas and holiday shopping is already starting, are you seeing an uptick in sales recently
I'm seeing the exact opposite. It's abysmal

>>10502120
Same. I recently started working retail again (lost my fulltime job) and even our store sales are abysmal. Everyone’s either holding onto their money because they’re unsure of the future or waiting it out until Black Friday.

>>10502120
Hopefully with change of office we get another stimulus check soon anon (if you live in America)

My sales have been going up but I’m also releasing new products, so I don’t know if it’s general holiday behavior or if it’s just people want the new things I have.

>>10502176
>Hopefully with change of office we get another stimulus check soon
Doubt it desu. The Democratic party leans center/slightly right of center and is still anti-social programs.

>>10502087
>are you seeing an uptick in sales recently?
doing about the same YoY this month
>>10502176
not if the dems lose both senate races in GA, leading to a GOP majority senate.

>>10502087
I feel so stupid for asking this but how do you guys track business expenses? I've been using excel sheets which is fine, but I wonder if there's a better way to manage expenses.

>>10502176
I released some new products as well but they haven't budged. Now I'm wondering if it's because the item itself is a flop or the timing is not good. I'm holding off on getting new stuff made because I dont think new items are going to produce new sales for me at the moment.

>>10502120
Same...getting kind of anxious. I missed a big chunk of xmas sales last year because of a really, really unfortunate shipping mishap, and now this year we have a pandemic lol. I don't rely on my merch income much but of course it's nice to have especially during this time, so it is a little anxiety-inducing having my sales be so mediocre. In fact, July was my peak month--I haven't been hitting anywhere close to that recently.

reposting question from last thread
>for self-branding, is it okay to use the same handle across your portfolio if you do a lot of different (no smut) things or is it better to have one for each thing?

>>10502445
Bumping the thread with the same question. My merch shop’s style is pretty different from my usual art style, so I was wondering if it’s too narcissistic to have a separate account just for shop stuff.

>>10502120
Same. I thought it was just me but my best sales months were in the late summer as well. It’s been really slow for November.

>>10502120
>>10502163

I'm not sure what I'm doing differently from everyone else but I've actually seen a steady increase in online sales this year because we don't have conventions. In some of my busier convention months I actually earned as much as I would have in person at a con. This is what the last 30 days report looks like on my Etsy.

Are you guys still releasing new merch/prints on a regular basis? I've been pretty steady with my production schedule and it's been met with a lot of enthusiasm. I've noticed that people aren't buying my old stuff as often but all the new merch I've been releasing gets snapped up really fast. It just might be the tedium of the pandemic making people crave new releases? I'm not sure.

>>10502519
What type of merch do you sell? Are they fanart or originals?

I was thinking of releasing more new fanart. But with all the EG and ghibli takedowns causing Etsy stores to be shut down for good. It makes me feel more anxious than before.

>>10502608
>all the EG takedowns causing Etsy stores to be shut down for good
It’s bullshit that EG goes after fan artists so hard but won’t shut down shops that slap official art on things and call it a day.
Pic related is a Depop shop that just makes vectors out of manga panels and anime screencaps and puts them on clothes. They have over 500 sales and are verified by Depop despite not holding any of the ips are ripping off.

>>10502642
I heard from another artist that got in contact with EG that he is only responsible for reporting Demon Slayer on Etsy.

>>10502519
Ive been releasing new stuff and just released 4 new products this last week and not a single sale despite a ton of favorites.

>>10502658
>not a single sale despite a ton of favorites.
Same, drives me nuts.

>>10502608
I do a healthy mix of both! My originals have been getting a lot of love recently though. I think building up hype for your merch is really important regardless of fanart or original art. I post WIP shots and prompt for feedback ("Do you prefer A or B?" "Should I make the background X or Y?" etc) so people feel like they have a hand in the creation of the final product so to speak? And because they've been keeping up with it from the sketch phases, they're more eager to purchase when I make them available on Etsy.

>>10502658
Ahh, I'm so sorry to hear that, anon. I hope people are saving their money for BFCM sales coming up!

>>10502650
He’s done takedowns on Instagram too. I got a post previewing my upcoming Inuyasha merch taken down by EG.

>>10502650
No, he does takedowns on Aniplex series. KnY is the most aggressive but none of the popular series are safe.

>>10502710
I mean Demon Slayer specifically on Etsy. Inuyasha is Viz and they are targeting everything.
>>10502714
Did he take down Demon Slayer and Aniplex stuff outside Etsy too?

>>10502739
Someone I follow made Demon Slayer inspired masks and their Instagram post for those was taken down. I think it's because the caption mentioned that they would be selling them on Etsy once they made enough stock though.

Not particularly interested in lollipop charms, but does anyone know of an Alibaba manufacturer that offers glitter acrylic like this? I'm guessing this isn't Juno because I've enquired about their glitter acrylic and they only have it in blue (and the chunks are much larger).

I would much prefer it over epoxy, the amount of defects I end up with from denting is ridiculous.

>>10502782
what are you looking to do with it?

>>10502783
Just regular acrylic charms, I really like the look of glitter but hate dealing with epoxy

>>10502445
>>10502450
If your style is wildly different or you don’t want your future employers to see your merch, make a separate account.

Recently I’m seeing that a lot of enamel pin shops have made their shops/social media private or password-protected. Is this just to avoid takedown? I’d think this is seriously detrimental to sales.

>>10503032
Yeah it's to avoid takedown. A lot of shops also password protect their sites between drops though, it's a common practice.

saging just incase this is a dumb inquiry and don't want to bump the thread lmao

would anyone who frequents here know how to start up/have people believe you about opening up orders for bulk production on product? kind of like if someone goes to vograce or a taobao seller for charms?
i run an embroidery shop (smallbusiness) and do well with my own items and commissions, but i'd really like to open up to doing products like this for anyone who would like embroidery items in their shop or booths. also because i don't see a bigger amount of shops having those services available and a lot of kind of really expensive. :(
my machines are big enough to do shirts/jackets and hats too-- but alas i'm dick at advertising that sort of thing and wouldn't know how to get people to trust in a newer person/business doing bulk orders?

sorry this is probably a mess of a text wall, just asking for some advice from actual vendor artists. :))

>>10503231
I would suggest looking at how other manufacturing shops design their pages and create separate branding for your production service, and run a separate shop page for it. There's a bunch of small business manufacturing in the resources doc linked in the OP to reference. Even if you use your own designs for your product examples, I think it would still be really beneficial to have a whole separate setup specifically for manufacturing. I've ordered from a few places which were obviously just one person who invested in a piece of equipment, and it was really awkward, as they only did email orders. I've ended up favoring sites where I can just plug in my order numbers and upload the art automatically. It helps when the sites have templates and tutorials about how to prepare art for production too, so I feel more confident in what I'll be receiving.

One thing to keep in mind, is that there are probably many Chinese manufacturers that can already do what you do, for much cheaper, and many artists who are making large bulk orders of product already know this and will probably not order from you. You will probably never compete with prices from China, you will never match the quantities that a full factory can produce, and you shouldn't try to. The reason a lot of folks don't use chinese manu's is the language barrier and the complex ordering process, particularly for people who are not that advanced in making merch, and those people would probably be your customer base, so it'd be important to streamline the ordering process.

It's kind of a lot of work, but if it's something you're serious about, it'd be worth it in the long run.

One other thing: if your shop does blow up, be really careful not to be overwhelmed. If orders start becoming delayed because you have too much business, close the shop until you catch up. A lot of startups like you have ended up overwhelmed once they got popular.

>>10503231
if you have some friends with decently sized followings who might be interested you could give them a discount in exchange for them sharing what you made/posting about your business

>>10503231
Agreeing with the others, honestly the most powerful tool you have is word of mouth through customers/clients who really believe in your work. I've seen a bunch of people who, despite the lack of a professional website etc., get recommended all over the place because their work is good, which makes others more inclined to try/look into them.

(I'm not going to lie though, sometimes I'm reluctant to share my suppliers because I know how small the team is, and that they have gotten overwhelmed more than once...)

>>10503607
Sorry, adding on to my comment. I'm not a manu or anything but as a consumer I tend to expect a nice, easy to navigate website that contains: clear pricing, or at least some way to estimate it, how the process works (and any templates/formats required), lots of examples of your work, easy way to contact you. Social media presence doesn't hurt, especially to help give a face/ID to who is behind the scenes (accountability). But as I mentioned, if your reputation is good enough, you can maybe bypass a few of those.

>>10503347
>>10503607
>sometimes I'm reluctant to share my suppliers
I considered suggesting approaching artists too but then thought of the tendency of artists to hoard suppliers as well. Since this is a person who is trying to get their business going, it might be poor advice, to waste their time with people who are not actually going to share them as their source.

>>10503327
i'm going to see if opening up a small simple online shop separate from my etsy for this purpose would be worth the overhead costs, or just run it along with my normal store (hmm..) !
i have enough machine to be able to do 200ish per item of orders for someone and up, but you reminded me of the china competition dilemma lmfao. i'll keep this in mind and see if i can do any bonus' to help the decision. :))

>>10503347
>>10503607
>>10503639
i do have some friends and loyal customers who have kind of big following-- they've already helped pushing my own store but i can always try in the "hey manu here" angle. :0

thank you for the advice!! i'll post here again if i have any more questions or updates for stuff :)

pic slightly unrelated-- stupid joke patch my friend wants me to make/sell for events but i refuse lmfao

>>10503739
If you do no/low MOQ for patches and other embroidered items, I would be interested just for making things for shits and giggles even if it's more expensive per. Some of us aren't hellbent on having a ton of quantity and would rather have limited runs of things.

>>10503833
Same, I've actually been looking to make patches but I'm not serious enough about it to do the legwork on finding the "best" manu. I just wanna try it out and experiment with it a little, but there's not a lot of options for that that I can find (outside of purchasing my own embroidery machine)

>>10503833
>>10504245
i do commissions for singular patches and tiny runs (5,10,25etc) all the time! if either of you are interested in seeing how it's done or would like an example with your artwork/design i encourage you to email me (with a design of some kind probably lol) and i can show you what entails/how cost breaks down/etc :))

>>10504259
durr durr forgot to put my email lmfao

>>10504260
>>10504259
Sent an email over to you! Thank you for offering to do this here, I've had trouble finding a reliable manu that doesn't require a huge volume of product.

why do people not want to share what factories they use like it's some big trade secret and you're trying to steal sales from them personally?

>>10504876
Read the thread, anon here >>10503607 mentions why
>(I'm not going to lie though, sometimes I'm reluctant to share my suppliers because I know how small the team is, and that they have gotten overwhelmed more than once...)
When a manu gets overwhelmed turnaround increases and quality decreases.

>like it's some big trade secret and you're trying to steal sales from them personally?
To add to this, many artists who've found manus they're happy with has spent time and resources on them. You have to find manus and spend time and money on trying them out and getting samples from them. Just giving away those and vouching for their quality basically means you've done the work for other artists.

>>10504880
>When a manu gets overwhelmed turnaround increases and quality decreases.
are they small indie factories? shouldn't they be upfront if they can't take more clients?
>Just giving away those and vouching for their quality basically means you've done the work for other artists.
so just because someone went through struggles, the next person has to go through the exact same struggles too instead of making progress?

>>10504884
>shouldn't they be upfront if they can't take more clients?
Then original artist is still screwing themselves over because supplier operates on either a waitlist or a preference basis.

>>10504884
>shouldn't they be upfront if they can't take more clients?
No, because they want to make as most money as possible, so what happens is that they take too many clients and either creates a queue or quality control suffers.

>so just because someone went through struggles, the next person has to go through the exact same struggles too instead of making progress?
Look, I'm not one who thinks everything should be hoarded as some huge industry secret, but this kind of entitled attitude is exactly why a many artists has no desire to share their manus with lazy randos refusing to do their own research while begging others to share.

>>10504884
You expect your subjective opinions on quality to match well enough to another random human being that you believe they should share their specific manufacturer with you?
You expect, knowing how much effort goes into finding a manufacturer, to be given information that will potentially make the manufacturer an artist likes inacessible to them because of long wait times or drops in quality?

If you can't put in the effort, and very material cost, into finding a manu you like, go through a middleman because you are not capable of dealing with the difficulties that come from interacting with a factory one on one.

There ARE resources out there, like a long list of enamel pin manus with frequently updated quality reviews as well as info on specific contacts within the company. But, because you seem unwilling to look into this, you don't know that.

So save literally EVERYONE the trouble and go through a middleman in your country.

>>10504919
This. Some people are so lazy, if you want a good product you have to work for it.
I don’t owe you my sources, cry harder about that.

>>10504884
People like this also forget that this community and the art comm in general is competitive. Everyone is trying to make sales in an over saturated market.
No artist owes you anything.

>>10504884
Why would someone give away proprietary information to potential competition? You clearly don't know anything about business. Finding good suppliers/manus is a skill in and of itself and requires time and effort, and you asking someone to hand over their hard work for free.

>>10504260
Sent an email!

>>10504884
> so just because someone went through struggles, the next person has to go through the exact same struggles too instead of making progress?

Know that when an artist makes their supplier for say, some very niche item, accessible, you can bet that that niche item will be widespread and probably no longer unique in sometimes just a matter of weeks or months.
Or, as mentioned above, when a supplier gains too much popularity, wait times could go from an average of 2 weeks to 3 months, even more.
People invest a lot of time and money into finding a supplier that works for them.
So when you have randos coming up to you, at con or in your DMs, without ever having spoken to you before and with the sole purpose of getting your supplier out of you, it really doesn't make sharing sources very appealing. Even if it's not a niche item, some people make it obvious that they haven't done their research by asking stupid shit they could have gotten in a 2 second google search.

Respect the fact that some artists will say no when you ask them their sources, and if you get upset about it, it's because you're entitled. It's not because they're "ohhh so selfish and gatekeepy." If you don't at least understand the risks of overloading a manufacturer, then clearly you have your own research to do too.

How can I market an original plushie design? It’s not fanart so it doesn’t automatically come with the fan base... any ideas or is it impossible? Does the fact some plushies start on Kickstarter have any advantages to just preorders or buy it now?

>>10504996
I'd say post on all your social media (try out Tiktok too), join FB groups that allow you to promote your work, and have a generally cute/attractive design that even normies can appreciate.

>>10504996
Check out itemLabel on twitter, they market non fandom plushies in a pretty fun way and their releases seem to sell out very quick. Their promo tweets give the plushes a lot of character and makes you feel a lot of affection for them.

>>10504884
>so just because someone went through struggles, the next person has to go through the exact same struggles too instead of making progress?

Here's the thing, anon. Most of us are pretty happy to share sources with friends. You're acting like we're all out here like "Mwahaha, I hope other artists SUFFER!!!" Like... I'm more that happy to help out my friends because I know they would do the same for me. This is like asking people why they wouldn't do a favor for a complete stranger.

I've literally seen artists being harassed for sharing a source with randos out of goodwill but the quality dropped bc the randos shared the source with everyone and they were publicly bashed for "giving out bad sources". Frankly, I'm not putting myself at risk because I don't trust strangers not to operate in bad faith.

I'm also happy to guide people in the right direction and let them know how to start searching for manus if they ask me nicely. But if entitled people like you DM me and demand my sources without even following me, I just leave them on read.

>>10504876
When you were in school (if you aren't still) did you expect people to allow you to copy their homework? Like a close friend would probably let you, but would you go up to a kid you've never spoken to and expect them to let you copy?

If the shoe's on the other foot, would you do your homework and just let any kid copy you? Would you continue to let people copy if once the first couple people ghosted you after they got what they wanted?

are the people who run fanart kickstarters just really ballsy or does ks not do anything about it?

>>10505211
half ballsy half dumb, ks does remove it if people report

>>10505161
This reminds me of high school. Nayrt but I would actively punish kids who cheat off me by writing all the wrong answers on purpose, and then leaving a note on the back of the exam for the teacher that had my real answers and explained who the cheater was. Once some kid tried it on a final when the teacher had to leave the room for an emergency and I got a 100 and he got a zero. Deserved it if he was more willing to take my answers when I asked him not to than just figure the answers out on his own.

>>10505236
how young are you to brag about high school on 4chan? embarrassing.

>>10505236
Imagine being this much of a narc and then bragging about it on the internet.

Sounds like you didn't get shoved into enough lockers.

>>10505267

I was just reminded of it because of the level of entitlement people also feel towards artists' manufacturers/sources and all. The appropriate response to that level of entitlement is to teach people a lesson.

No one shoved me into lockers but a lot of boys groped or sexually assaulted me in the hallways regularly so I hated men and hated school I used every opportunity I could to put awful men in their place. I'm not so angry now but I cant help but feel justice is served when people who are shitty to others out of a sense of entitlement get their comeuppance.

>>10505270
>>10505267
Sounds like you two are the kind of kids who got assblasted when someone didn't let them cheat.

>>10505275
nah, I let people cheat off me because I didn't give a fuck and I wasn't a narc. why should I give a fuck?

>>10505278
It's more principle I'd guess. Anon implied they didn't ask or were told no and did it anyway which is rude. If your friend asks and you let them it's not an issue.

>>10505278

I have a hard time believing people who care so much about narcing have answers worth hoarding or keeping private anyway.

Hi guys. I am just looking for some opinions/critique on a product idea. I currently have a manufacturer available to make knitted cardigans. I wanted to do something quite lolita inspired or cute but I'm not sure which one I like. I'm happy to take brutally honest crit!

>>10505298
first or third! i think the multiple bows down the front are a little too crowded-- just my opinion tho. but i love the design super cute!!

>>10505314
Thank you! I did think it might be too much too. It seems like the third is getting the best responses! I might make the third with the bow being removable.

>>10505298
First for sure, second looks like a clown outfit, third a little too boring
>source: am lolita

>>10505298
I prefer the third design.

>>10505298
Normal cardigan lengths don't really work for lolita just btw, they're usually too long and don't work well with poof

also I have an AP cardigan that has bows like the second, but are removable.So if you did something like the first or third, and then had detachable bows with it, it might be cute.

>>10505324
You got a giggle out of me there thanks
>>10505330
The third design does seem like the best one!
>>10505338
I am an avid fan of boleros with JSKs and would absolutely love to make one, but I'm trying to cater to a mixture of jfashion and casual style with a lolita aesthetic. It's hard to explain and im dumb.
Also agreeing with the removable bow idea. I could give a set of detachable bows for the wearer to put where ever.

Pic related. Quick sketch I made of the sort of style im going for.

>>10505369
I was for the 2nd design since AP and LL had similar bow button cardigans, but with this long oversized design I think the 1 is best

What is your primary social media for your art following? I do pins and stickers of OC but I noticed recently my following on Insta has hit a plateau even with regular updates.

>>10505408
Instagram has stunted my growth recently two (well, four months ago actually) and with the new shopping tab I’m seeing more and more people saying they’re just going to leave the site altogether. Twitter is toxic as fuck and literally makes me want to an hero sometimes so I can’t really see that being the next thing for me personally, so I really don’t know anon.

>>10505408
I use instagram and while i initially had a huge amount of followers, its been slowing down a lot more.
>>10505427
God why did they do this. Moving all the useful shit to the top right??? It's almost like they pushing the shop idea

>>10505408
My main is insta and twitter but I hate both.
IMHO tiktok is the next big contender. The organic reach and algorithm isnt completely nerfed yet either, though im sure they'll do it eventually to try and make ad money.
There is a surprisingly active art community on there, just check out other peoples videos and content if you need ideas about what to post

>>10505408
instagram seems to be a shit platform if you're not constantly jumping onto trends.
Twitter is such a shithole though. Feels like im walking on eggshells and I see other artists get harassed over stupid stuff. Tik tok is great for reach but you can run into the same crazies that twitter has.

>>10505408
I’ve ironically heard good things about moving back to tumblr. I doubt it’s going to happen but there does seem to be some people going back after how toxic Twitter has become

>>10505560
>but there does seem to be some people going back after how toxic Twitter has become
The community isn't too bad at the moment. Most of the drama-crowd and assholes moved over to Twitter when the porn-purge went down. Assuming you draw primarily SFW content, it's worth checking out.

>>10505603
>Most of the drama-crowd and assholes moved over to Twitter when the porn-purge went down
I find it hilarious and also depressing that antis went to twitter with the purge. You'd think tumblr would be their sweet spot after the ban

>>10505608
>>10505560
>>10505542
uhh, its not the platform, its the people. Every mainstream platform will have the same amount of crazy people because they all use those platforms.

>>10505638
I wouldn't mind the crazy people if the sites themselves weren't so fucking ass.

we can all agree that social media giants have destroyed communities, why not go back to livejournal?

>>10505697
livejournal got bought by russians and purged everything not conforming to russian law, kind of a bummer if you wanna say mean things about putin or post gay content

How are you guys coping with all this cancel culture and “anime characters have rights” nonsense that’s rampant on social media now? If you draw or like characters under “18” or even draw them kissing you’re a predator and pedophile.

Personally I never thought people would try to censor fiction this much, this might be the end of the anime culture in the west. Reminds me of the whole “banned books” things that puritans tried a while back.

>>10505823
It's been pretty depressing. I have been booted from tabletop roleplaying communities at the application stage for submitting a child myconid (a mushroom race which is just adorable and no intention of sexualization) for being a pedo, and another game I was considered for asked if I was the same race as my character and when I said I wasn't, I was turned down and shamed on their group for appropriating POC.
What the fuck is wrong with the world these days? It's a fucking fantasy game, I'm sure you're not asking the half orc if the same question.

>>10505829
I feel you anon. I’m writing a comic currently and even though I’m biracial, I want nothing to do with my “POC” side because I don’t want anyone being like “oh you’re appropriating, just because you’re mixed doesn’t mean you can appropriate something you’re only half apart of” (similar to something I’ve seen on Twitter)
It’s so nauseating, not to mention if you like anime that has any sort of sexualized character or whatever you’re a creep too automatically.
I remember back in the day where we all knew this shit was fake and if you drew black characters you were appreciating them not “appropriating”.

>>10505823
>>10505829
>>10505838
I'll take things that didn't happen for 500, Alex.

>>10505845
Must be nice to live in a bubble. This disproportionate reaction and outrage over racial features shit is happening left and right in most of my hobby spheres and it's all so tiresome.

>>10505851
Maybe it wouldn't be a problem if you didn't have white people pretending to be minorities to "get ahead".

>>10505857
Why would anyone pretend to be a minority lmao

>>10505857
Drawing or roleplaying a non-white original character shouldn't be only allowed for POC. This is just getting ridiculous.

>>10505823
Its ironic because that same crowd that screams at you for shipping Sesshomaru and an aged up Rin are also flicking their bean to MHA high school boys taking it up the ass.

>>10505851
Understanding that black hairstyles are used against black people when they wear them is nothing new. Black people have been told that their natural hair is not work appropriate, not clean, not cute, all that stuff for ages. When white people wear black hairstyles, they generally are seen as trendy or inventive, and white celebrities have been praised for things that are seen as ghetto or low class on black women. This is old news. If you aren't listening at this point, you're willingly ignoring issues.

>>10505858
An Indian man pretended to be black so that there would be less pressure for him to have to do as well get into med school. imagine being such a failure you aren't good enough as a student to get a score that aligns with people's positive perception and high expectations of your race that you take advantage of lower expectations set for less privileged minorities who tend to struggle because of lower incomes and worse upbringings. Instead of just being a normal Indian doctor like the rest of them.

Also have you not heard of Rachel Dolezal, Shaun King, or like, basically any racially ambiguous educated white person that wants woke points?

>>10505864
>Because I can’t wear them no one can either!
Yeah the traditional employment system is fucked, but take that up with the company saying it’s okay for whites to do and blacks not to.
Telling whites they can’t wait their hair however they want because “muh dead ancestors” is a take for a pissbaby who can’t realize, yeah, some people in like WILL have it better than them no matter what.
The same applies to pretty privilege. Some people will never be beautiful and that’s just something they have to live with.
Grow up and get over yourself.

>>10505862
Precisely. These people are the absolute WORST type of hypocrites. Double-points if they're butt buddies w/ an actual pedo/MAP.

>>10505862
But Deku and Kacchan have such an intense and complex relationship.

>>10505864
You're willingly misdirecting your anger at a civil issue towards individuals with no ill will and even admiration of the styles. Most of these individuals aren't doing it out of mockery, they are doing it out of a harmonious place.
To shame them, dox them, "cancel" them and other extreme reactions are not warranted.

>>10505823
You ignore them. Unless you're getting actual death threats, these are not the people you want as your fans anyway - I've had at least one character of mine be called a rapist and I laugh my way to the bank because he's the most popular of the bunch.

>>10505638
Nah, the platforms are pretty fucking horrible for showcasing art. Even Instagram, which is meant to be a picture platform, condenses all in one square thumbnail only showing the first picture in a collection. Tumblr is unironically a good platform for art and images because you can customize the front and the timeline is less fucked by algorithms compared to the platforms with billions of people.
The biggest problem with using it to promo your merch and shops is the link posting issue.

>>10505823
I'm looking for advice on this, actually. A friend of mine got removed from a project for being "a pedophile" because they drew nsfw involving underage characters in 2013-2014 (an old, dead fandom nowadays). Clearly people with lots of time on their hands can comb through anyone's accoutns and create a problem, so what's the best way to prevent a callout/stop them before they escalate?

>>10505911
There's no reasoning with them.
>t. someone who wrote nsfw fanfictions about myself and draco malfoy when we were the same age like 15 years ago

>>10505911
I dunno, maybe look up to some of the bigger hentai artists like slugbox for advice? He draws hentai of everyone regardless of age and I look up to him for being so brave in this climate.

>>10505944
>He
There you go, men will usually get overinvested guys to defend them. Doubly so if they're straight.

>>10505911
The only way I've really seen a callout de-escalate is when either they don't get the traction or attention they want, or more people show up to yell at them than agree with them. Callouts only become a problem if they hit a big account, which is when the support numbers get high enough for people to feel confident attacking. Before that, not engaging works, but once people start sending DMs and trying to fuck with your employment or personal relationships, under the guise of "spreading awareness", is when it gets out of hand. I've only ever seen the same cycle after that, which is the victim having a mental breakdown and leaving the site, followed by a reversal of vitriol on the big account which either they ignore or causes them to ALSO have a mental breakdown.

I think just showing you're not a person who engages with bullshit helps. It makes you a less sexy target.

>>10505961
>Callouts only become a problem if they hit a big account
I should clarify, only a problem when they COME FROM or are echoed by a big account.

>>10505926
Sad but this is how we feel about the situation right now

>>10505944
I don't know many hentai artists sadly, but if there are any to recommend with advice on this topic I will forward them to her!

>>10505961
> they don't get the traction or attention they want
We're hoping for this. She's never had a callout before (neither have I) so we're really lost

>>10505968
Try messaging bepdelta on Twitter, he has like 10k following and loves saving artists from harassment.
He’s super anti anti and I think he’s be happy to help.
His followers all feel the same way that harassment towards artists is stupid

>>10505891
This is the right answer.
>>10505911
thats the project's loss, not your friend's.

>>10505971
>bepdelta on Twitter
10 minutes in and i've had enough exposure to outrage culture for the rest of the year. How do people even survive living day in and day out being outraged over pointless things every day?

>>10505971
Thank you! Wow, there is a lot more drama on twitter than I realized. it's really nice to see some bigger artists on twitter who are trying to stop harassment.

>>10505975
Aw, that's so sweet! I'll tell her that, everyone here has been very kind and helpful with advice

>>10505865
I fully believe you in that there has been people pretending to be another race to take advantage of the system or to get woke pity points, but Rachel Dolezal is literally the only person I've heard about doing this, and she sounds plain crazy. It's hardly a common issue to try to commit fraud this way.

Also for fucks sake, when you say shit like
>that aligns with people's positive perception and high expectations of your race
I mean come on. Why is racism okay if it's "positive"? Just because you're Indian you should do well in Science and become a doctor like expected?
The point in this thread is that not everything is or should be about race, especially when drawing fantasy weeb anime characters with green hair. People and their characters are allowed to have curly hair or be good at math without having to shoehorn those traits into a race.

>>10506160
>I haven't heard of it so it doesn't happen
It's really common for some minorities, and your ignorance doesn't change that. You're acting entitled to something that isn't yours to claim.

>>10506190
Get some reading comprehension, I just said that I fully believe that it happens, but there's no evidence of there being any such widespread fraud. Most people don't go out of their way in normal life to pretend they're black, because black people in the US has a real disadvantage in situations where the police gets involved.
Why don't you link to a statistic or articles where this has happened a lot then?

And stop your bullshit about entitlement, you're the one with the victim complex acting like it's okay to be prejudiced towards someone as long as it's "positive". Because you're privileged after all, that means you should be happy with being shoehorned into a lot of assumptions people have about you and your race. Stop being a hypocrite.

>10506234
>there's no evidence of there being any such widespread fraud.
Take a look at indigenous people. Fraud every where in multiple countries. Please explain the US census vs actual statistics from Nations don't match up.

And that anon wasn't me that you're referencing. I also don't think that's okay.

>>10506234
>>10506241

>>10506241
>Please explain the US census vs actual statistics from Nations don't match up.
Then can you link to either? As I said, I absolutely do believe it happens. I'm talking about how big of a problem it is.

nice AA thread guys...

>>10506243
Again your ignorance is showing. Just look it up. It's a huge problem that affects the lives of people who are said minority. How often it happens doesn't excuse your behavior when those that receive harm are telling you to stop.

Spoon feeding you for the most obvious Cherokee Nation.
>https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/Article/index/5990

>>10506160
I mean he was trying to be a doctor as an Indian but pretended to be black to get it easy. The racism isn't okay but he wanted the prestige of being a doctor and chose that career path knowing the expectations and stereotypes and stress. Rather than accepting he wasn't as good as the standard people wanted and doing something slightly less prestigious he instead decided to take advantage of the fact that black people are expected to underachieve due to less resources throughout their lives.

I have nothing against dumb or less smart or less studious people or Asians or anything. But instead of pursuing acting or accounting or something less rigorous he took advantage of systems or accommodations meant for others by lying about it. The lying and twisting things is the part that is disappointing, not his lack of ability to live up to stereotypes.

Rachel Dolezal is actually interesting in that while bad and wrong for lying I didn't find her pretending to be black that harmful. She claimed to have done it to make black people around her more comfortable because they seemed more comfortable when they thought she was black, and her race issues only got brought up because her younger black adopted sister accused her white older brother of sex abuse as a child and they were worried Rachel's testimony as a white woman of her own abuse by that brother would legitimize it so they found this out and publicized it to discredit her for the purpose of her brother getting away with abusing her and her sister (assuming they were being honest). Her parents were the shitty religious type so they sided with the brother.

Y’all need to stop responding to bait before this whole thread gets nuked

>>10502087
So getting back on topic, how are Christmas pre-Black Friday sales doing and are y’all running discounts or promotions this year? What are your expected sales for the weekend?

>>10506269
it's picked up from where it was a few weeks ago, but given the period, still not all that hot.
Thinking of doing 15-20% off. What percentage discounts do you guys usually do for BFCM?

>>10506269
This is insanely optimistic but I'm hoping to hit 10k for the weekend. I've done it a couple of times in the past and my sales this year actually have been trending up compared to last year so I think it's doable.

>>10506300
I do 15% off for BFCM but I also run concurrent sales to clear out my dead stock so some of the stuff I'm trying to get rid of might even be discounted as much as 50%. I also offer a bunch of blind bags that are only available during BFCM and throw in little "thank you gifts" to every order above $50.

>>10506269
Sales picked up slightly but still very very few sales. Was gonna do 20% off total order and some specific product sales. Want to do some freebie after spending a certain amount as well but dont know of what.

Does anyone here make their own pin display cards? Would posterboard do the trick?

>>10506538
Like the backing cards? I order mine through a business card printing business and get them on heavy cardstock. Poster board could work if it’s mid or heavy weight.

>>10506538
I order mine directly through the manufacturer.

>>10506538
I’m not sure what poster board is, sounds a lil thick. Typically people use business cards, but I think cardstock is fine

>>10506812
Nayrt but posterboard is pretty much thick cardstock.

>>10506538
>>10506812
>>10506817
I don't know if they've changed it since I was in school, but it's thinner than a standard business card. I wouldn't call it a cardstock, which tends to be a bit sturdier.
I think posterboard would be fine if you're going for an indie look. Ordering cards looks much more professional, mostly because cutting them yourself is always going to have some variation and look more handmade. But either way, posterboard would probably be thick enough to make a backing board, unless you're making very heavy pins. Don't go TOO thick because it'll get hard to push the pins through.

>>10506836
>>10506812
>>10506674
>>10506670
Thanks for the advice! I just got a Cricut so I wanted to make a unique shape and cut them with that. It would cut the holes for the pin too. Waiting on transfer tape, but I wanted to do my logo on them with holo stickers.

For what it's worth, the posterboard I picked up is thicker than my business cards.

Have any of you gotten a job with convention and ecommerce work as your only experience? The last "real" job I worked was 2 years ago and that was in a factory.

>>10506924
I have but in the sense that I've gotten freelance illustration project offers from fairly big name companies and not like a full-time job for said companies.

>>10506269
I'm running 20% off on my Etsy and $2 off each item at the few small art and craft markets I'm doing (I mostly sell jewelry). Sales have been abysmal this month and I wasted money on fb ads just to tank my conversion rate. I don't know what's going on because I was doing decently when I started selling earlier this year.

>>10507075
The GOP in the Senate decided to fuck over Americans again and not give any support/protection for job loss and etc.

Sadly, a lot of Americans are struggling to pay rent/medical bills/find employment so "fun" hobbies get pushed to the side

For those of you who sell various sizes of prints, if you have, say, 11x17s + 5x7/4x6 postcards, do you just send them in a tube? I'm a bit worried/paranoid that the post cards will be really hard to flatten out.

>>10508516
I send postcards in rigid mailers! big prints just go in tubes though.

>>10508616
Ah sorry, I meant if you're sending them together! Thanks for the input though!

>>10508516
Cardstock is pretty hard to flatten out, so I rather have it shipped as a separate envelope than rolled into the tube.

>>10506269
Had a pretty big sale and got about a hundred orders which was nice.

>>10508623
Oh! In that case I do large print in poster tube, postcard in rigid mailer, and then I stick both in a poly bag. I stock bags in a size big enough to fit a 12" mailing tube so that way if someone orders a print with any of my keychains, I can mail them in 1 bag instead of printing off multiple labels. It's useful since they also fit bulkier items like totebags or really big orders!

>>10508747
Nice anon! I was really pleasantly surprised by the number of orders too. I think I ended up with like 260+ but I did start my sales a day earlier!

>>10508747
Wow 100 orders? I only got 5 lol

>>10508910
NAYRT but anon, are you keeping your sales going until at least Monday? I started my sale exactly on Thanksgiving Day and I’m close to 300 orders already. The orders definitely add up so leave your sale going on this weekend!

>>10509070
I'm leaving them up for a whole week. My sales have been in the shitter since October.

How were everyone's Black Friday weekend sales?

>>10510015
Got a couple of sales but mostly just people mass favoriting.

>>10510015
I discounted nothing and had a big uptick in sales

Eric green is striking again, be careful everyone.

>>10510196
She’s a big account with a personal site and an Etsy. She has about 60k followers on Instagram and My hero academia plushies is what she sells majorly.

>>10510197
She would post photos of her getting about 100 orders a week.. each of plushies were about $60 a piece so I don’t know if it’s the fact it was such a high profit margin or the fact she was so popular that made her a obvious target.
The only thing that confused me is that it doesn’t seem like she was using exact designs? Like the characters were in different outfits and given different nick names, so I wonder where the line is drawn for parody or remix and “inspired” type of designs.

>>10510196
>>10510197
So she basically makes her store and promos a secret club and relies on existing followers as customers? I get that you can do that with 60k followers, but doesn’t that make it pretty much impossible to reach new people?

>>10510204
Usually when they DMCA’d they put their store on private for a month or so then open back up.

>>10510201
I mean this is Eric Green we are talking about. He's not exactly picky about who to DMCA. She was probably first to get hit.

>>10510201
I got hit by Eric Green like two weeks after I opened my Etsy with only a handful of sales, and I’m a nobody. He takes down basically everything he finds.

So I saw a stray tweet floating around about how Vograce stopped their PET printing, and my rep just confirmed with me that that's correct. Does anyone have any comparison/current merch pics of what the printing looks like now? I heard the PET was nice so not sure why they changed (or when).

>>10510208
Wasn't the PET the new printing method? I thought they stopped doing UV

>>10510212
Well, that's what I thought, but...(see image)

I'm looking at the new image he sent me but it honestly looks like UV printing *squints*

>>10510215
Okay, confirmed they're doing UV now--rep insists that their new technology is better but doesn't really explain further lol. I guess I'll have to make a small order to check it out.

>>10510197
I just googled this artist to see what their art looked like and honestly, they deserve the DMCA strikes. I don't understand artists who mass-manufacture fan plushies and think they're not gonna get sued out the ass. Plush pillows and dakis are one thing because that's your art (presumably in your own style) printed onto something but manufactured 3d plushies cease to be transformative fanwork and fall squarely into the "bootleg" territory.

It's the same reason why artists making fan PVC straps also doesn't sit well with me. Both PVC straps and 3d plush are the backbone of official anime merchandise. Just stick to acrylic charms and printed plush pillows.

I don't like Eric Green but this agijagi person kind of had it coming. Artists who keep muddying the waters between fan merch and official merch are gonna get fan merch banned altogether from conventions one of these days.

>>10510257
>Both PVC straps and 3d plush are the backbone of official anime merchandise.
what if it's from a genre that typically doesn't do that, ex western vidya and pvc straps?

>>10510298
I specifically brought up anime merch because the person in question was known for selling My Hero Academia plushies but you raise a pretty interesting point! I think it might be more acceptable to make PVC straps for Western video games specifically because it's not such a widespread industry thing that the IP holders might not take it as seriously? I think enamel pins are a bigger borderline bootleg problem for Western IPs.

Re: anime& PVC - I've worked with certain anime license holders and they absolutely loathe fan PVC straps and anything else that overlaps with official merchandising in anime IPs. Acrylic charms pinback buttons, and prints they turn a blind eye to usually because the art style is enough to set it apart as "fan work". Stuff like 3D plush and PVC keychains they come down HARD on.

>>10510257
*looks at the official acrylic charms, pins, and stickers I own* ???

On one hand, I can agree in terms of say Animal Crossing characters if plushies are being made that look exactly like the in-game models, but fan-made plushies can still be original/different from bootleg merch and look different from each other based on the artists' styles hence the multiple Fire Emblem fan made plushes that exist.

>>10510303
It's not only a matter of style, if you're moving large quantities of factory made medium ticket products like plush toys, you're in the "get a liscence" territory.

>>10510303
You don’t have to believe me if you want but I’m strictly speaking from actual anime licensing POV. (As in I’ve worked with certain US license holders and sometimes even helped with DMCA noticea.) Official charms, pins, and stickers use official key art and have copyright info directly printed on them as well as the packaging so it’s easy at a glance to discern they’re official when you put them next to fan acrylics, pins, and stickers.

Official plush designs vary on which companies the IP holder is licensing out to. Look at the million different Sailor Moon plushies or even this attached example of ALL official MHA plush designs. Because there’s no one “defined” look for official plush, from an IP holder’s POV, you’re hurting their brand and profit margins because it’s not clear to the consumer AND you’re competing directly with one of the mainstays of their revenue stream. And like the prev. anon mentioned plushies have a large MOQ so they KNOW you’re selling hundreds vs stickers which you might only be selling like 20 of.

The other stuff is considered pretty small fry. Frankly official acrylic charms weren’t popular until about like 4-5 years ago w/ the boom of ita bags while official plushies have been their bread and butter for literal decades.

The FE plush people are playing with fire too. It’s incredibly stupid to mass manufacture big ticket items that directly step on the toes of the IP holder.

>>10510309
no.

>>10510326
Interesting! Since you worked with licensing in the past, would you mind going more into the details of what is considered passable fan merch and not? Prints I'd imagine are fine, but what about apparel designs like bags, pouches, shirts, etc?

>>10510345
Ok, just don't get butthurt when you get dmca'd.

>>10510303
>hence the multiple Fire Emblem fan made plushes that exist.
Many of those too are awfully similar though. The thing with plushies is they all have to be a similar deformed chibi shape to be able to manufacture the body and hair, and the faces are also usually very simple. I understand the argument about how those easily look like bootleg products because official plushies rarely emulate the actual artstyle either.

>>10510390
I agree with you and I don’t think it’s smart to make fanart plushies at all, but when does it become “inspired”? Agijagis plushies didn’t resemble the official characters all that much, and she put them in different outfits. Where do we make this distinction that it’s an “inspired” design and not IP theft?

>>10510376
production scale has fuck all to do with whether the product is too close to official or not.

>>10510401
yeah honestly just because the moq for charms is small doesn't mean there aren't artists selling hundreds either lol

>>10510406
(replying to myself) oops i thought you were replying to someone else. but i agree with anon that plushes are close to official. but does the scale have that much to do with it? well either way we're all toeing legality here, the plushes are just a more conspicuous example

>>10510407
The chances of you being able to afford said license increase with scale and profit margin, I wouldn't tell an artist that sold 10 charms to try to make their operation legal.

>>10510407
i was initially replying to >>10510309 who isn't just talking about plushies.

>>10510394
I'm not to make that call, I just think it's useful to know that companies are less likely to let plushies slide compared to prints and charms and the like, and the reasoning makes sense. Selling fanmerch is a gray area already, if you know you're more likely to get DMCA'd by selling certain stuff then it's on you to take that risk.

>>10510394
>Where do we make this distinction that it’s an “inspired” design and not IP theft?
I mean, fanmerch is IP theft already regardless of what merch it is. It's not related to style or "inspiration". If Eric Green wants to take down your KnY and MHA charms and prints then you're not gonna get away with calling it an AU in your own style.
If companies will strike harder down on plushies because they view that as a bigger threat, then there's little to do about that.

>>10510449
>then you're not gonna get away with calling it an AU in your own style
This is really dangerous legality tho and a big problem with how overreaching the protections for the copyright holder are. Just playing devil's advocate, where is the line? We could throw out many specific examples of how much should be changed before it becomes legal, but we can't regulate the "spirit" of the person making it. If there are two characters in a show who are represented by a flower and a feather, and someone makes a flower and a feather enamel pin in their color schemes, should that be regulated, for example, because the spirit of the person creating it was fan merch? What if you're making fan merch of a public IP, such as literature? It is still not yours, and is not any morally different. You are still banking on an existing popularity to make profit. The only difference is whether there is someone who will come after you. Just saying, it gets incredibly messy if you just say "well the company has rights over it even if they change a lot and draw it in their own style" because the fact is that there are people who are doing this in perfectly legal ways. Copyright law is messy.

>>10510555
nayrt but copyright law is specific as far as public domain stuff though, it either is copyrighted or not, and if it was previously copyrighted but now isn't it's public domain, is it not? It's not about it being "not yours", it's about the person whose it is having some legal control over you reproducing their ideas for as long as it is protected.

>>10510561
I agree with you, but many people conflate the legality of selling fanart with morality. Making enough changes to an IP to make it legal or at the least hazily legal does not make those people bad. There is a tendency for people who argue against the sale of fanart in these threads to talk down at the people who sell it, as if they are shittier people because they don't sell original, when all it's based on are laws made by Disney anyway.

>>10510576
Fanart against the wishes or permission of the copyright holder is illegal though, that's not hazy. It's not hazily legal just because you haven't been caught yet.

It is a little lazy and uncreative but not morally wrong in any way, just illegal in a vast majority of cases. If I was ever selling only fanart and not in any unique style beyond just anime art or whatever and no original stuff though I feel like I'd have self esteem issues that no one wanted my original pieces of art.

>>10510576
Fanart is immoral if the content owner says "hey don't do that please this belongs to me" and you just do it anyway because "fuck them they have enough money I want money without having to put in as much thought", the same way it's somewhat immoral/douchey to do anything unnecessary with someone else's belongings that they have asked you not to, just for your own financial gain.

>>10510582
>>10510581
We're talking about this tho
>then you're not gonna get away with calling it an AU in your own style

>>10510592
Even in that context changing stuff up to barely make it technically okay possibly is just the "I'm not touching you" equivalent of copyright violation tho

>>10510597
If someone is making that effort, who are they hurting honestly? Disregard the morality or assumed intent of the parties involved. If someone is changing enough that the IP is barely recognizable, it sets a dangerous precedent to allow companies to attack that, is all I'm saying.

>>10510349
I'd 100% stay away from apparel - especially shirts.

It's complicated obviously because not all IP holders feel the same about this stuff and some of their reasoning is really arbitrary. But anything that is in direct competition with their merch mainstays are a no-no. So no 3d plush, no PVC keychains, & no shirts. You might be able to get away with like hand screenprinting a limited run at home but if you're contracting a printer, they'll be pissed about it.

Bags & pouches should be okay as long as they're like... "smaller ticket" if that makes sense? So tote bags and zipper pouches from a//rts/c0w are often seen as more fan merch but any bag with a structure like a backpack or messenger bag, they don't like fan artists doing.

They generally seem to be okay with your art (in a distinct style, separate from the official show style) printed onto something. (As long as that something isn't shirts.) So they're generally lenient with things like prints and acrylic charms. They're specifically looking for your work to be transformative so it can't be mistaken for official stuff.

All fan merch is a legal grey area and they can legally go after you for prints and charms too but a lot of the times they'll turn a blind eye as long as it's distinct enough from the source material and doesn't specifically infringe their main official merch. A lot of this has to do with foreign licencees too. They want to keep the companies they've contracted with happy because these companies pay like hundreds of thousands of dollars for the exclusive right to produce official plushies or whatever so they're the ones who get upset if artists start making bootlegs.

>>10510613
If it really is barely recognizable then it isn't a violation. If it is obviously recognizable to fans then it kind of is.

>>10510613
NAYRT but I mean in the context of this specific discussion (aka agijagi's My Hero Academia plushies) - they're still 100% recognizable as MHA characters. This isn't even like an "AU". There's literally nothing transformative about this.

>>10510617
That's based entirely on perception though. A dad from middle america might look at this picture and not be able to match the characters, because he would have no context. A lawyer with no exposure to anime might deconstruct those and say that a hairstyle or eye color isn't something you can own. A fan who is intimate with the lore would see it immediately, of course, but that's not the line for legality.

>>10510624
For art, trademarks, etc. it is often up to whether the market is confused and some works create market confusion by being too similar to official stuff, like artists drawing in the show style rather than their own style, or a plush like those above.

>>10510592
Because you're still using characters from an existing IP. Parody laws are its own thing and maybe you could get away claiming that, but just because you draw it in a different style and setting then using what are obvious existing franchise characters is still copyright infringement.

>>10510624
>a hairstyle or eye color isn't something you can own
It's everything taken together as a whole anon. It's not just the hair style or the eye color. It's the same hair style, eye color, distinctive clothing (all the plushies in that photo are wearing pretty much their canon outfits exactly) and the fact that apparently this person even uses their exact character names in their shop.

Like the other anon mentioned this is more than enough to create market confusion and more than enough basis for a legal team to go after them. I do fanart too but I don't understand how this shit is even remotely defensible unless you're doing something similar and are projecting.

>>10510624
Well a random person with no knowledge on fashion wouldn't be able to recognize knock offs half the time, but that doesn't make them any less illegal. I can't go buy an AP knock off and say "well the lace is different so it's an entirely different product!"

>>10510634
So can we say same eye color and same hair color would technically be “legal” then? If difference clothes?

>>10510645
Anon, if you draw your own OC donut steel then it’s okay. If it’s a copyrighted character in some form, then it’s not. If you draw a character with the same hair and eye color and name them the same then you might get DMCA’d.
If you somehow think you have a legal chance with this then go ahead and try your luck with a lawyer. No one here going to define a definite line for you, so please just use some common sense unless you honestly believe that you have a case by insisting on it being ‘inspired by’ or ‘a coincidence’.

So does anyone have an inkling of what prompts Paypal to take holds on your money? I'm planning on releasing a new item soon for preorder. I know preorders are against their TOS, but i've seen so many people/zines hold long preorders successfully. Could it be the presence of the keyword "preorder" in your listing? I know it's dangerous to keep money in PP in the first place, but I'm a little worried that somehow there'll be a chunk of money I can't get to fast enough before PP takes it. Otherwise I'll have to find another method.

>>10510992
They react if they detect "suspicious activity", so typically a huge amount of preorders in a short time.

An update from AgiJagi. Guess Eric Green can’t technically take down any merchandise since he only has digital rights?

>>10511117
This is making sense now. Heroine_creative on Instagram countered one of Eric Greens DMCA (hit through Etsy) and Eric Green just let it expire and didn’t take legal action even though he threatened to in the initial DMCA.
Has Viz media been pretending to own merchandising rights all along as a deterrence? Isn’t that fraudulent, almost in a way?

>>10511121
Viz probably doesn't own the rights desu. Even in japan, the anime/manga publisher doesn't have merchandising rights for the series.

I’d sell the used condoms from all the times I have romantic and spiritual sex with my boyfriend daily, because everyone deserves some romance in their lives, but sex is just so incredibly personal and intimate and emotional and spiritual and romantic and loving that I just can’t disrespect the wonderful act of sex by selling condoms used with such passionate love

>>10511117
Updates worded like this are why younger artists are so confused about whether they can sell stuff or not.

Do you factor marketing (time spent algorithm massaging on social media) into your pricing at all, or just materials and labor?

>>10511244
No. Commissions maybe, but general artwork and merch, no.

>>10511121
Despite counter claiming Etsy still didn't reinstate their store which shows what a fucking shit show Etsy is when it comes to how they handle DMCA and trademark notices. No wonder stores send false notices as a tactic to wipe their competition.

Lol @ grifters in this thread trying to find ways to make their illegal merchandise not illegal

>>10511572
Is a counter claim really legally valid though? The reason Shueisha usually don’t have merchandising licences is because they sell them, which means you still don’t have the rights.
I make and sell fanmerch of franchises I like myself, but I’m not deluding myself to believe it’s a right I have. When I get hit by DMCA I just lay low for a while or sell the stuff at cons. I don’t understand why so many people try to justify it legally.

>>10511587
Its not a matter of justifying it legally so much as on Etsy any shmuck can claim they are so and so or have certain rights and get stores shut down. Counter claims are suppose to offer a means of defending yourself against bogus claims like that but if Etsy is just going to be like "well you got reported so fuck you" then why bother having a counter claim system? Even YouTube handles it way better.

>>10511589
Oh I absolutely agree Etsy is a shitshow, but there isn’t really any gray legal area about selling fanart. It comes down to whether the companies turn a blind eye to it or not, since it’s also about not having it be worth it if it’s just small scale stuff and they wind up smothering a fandom by being too strict.

>>10511590
I also absolutely agree and have been trying to push originals more lately anyway because I tend to like original merch way more. The problems on Etsy also extends to original works which is even worse because you cant even counter claim trademark claims.

>>10511590
this isn't true at all. things like touhou or similar indie series are greenlighted by the creator for fan art sales and derivative works.

>>10511594
That’s true but I meant in general, when no greenlight is given. It is illegal by default unless specifically stated otherwise.

>>10511576
Why do some anons in this thread have such a boner for corporate bootlicking?

>>10511649
They’re roleplayers, anon.
Probably the same people who sold unpopular original art in artist alley but since COVID has come around they have to get 9-5 jobs now.

>>10511649
Because copyright goes both ways, anon, if people weren't able to defend their copyright corporations would be able to take your fanart and sell it without giving you a cent.

>>10511649
imagine thinking only corporations on copyrights

>>10511649
>>10511659
Anons, I brought in over 10k this Black Friday weekend with fanart and even I know that IP holders have every legal right to hit me with copyright strikes any time they feel like.

Being realistic about the legalities of selling fanart isn't bootlicking ffs

>>10511649
please stop taking obvious bait

This Christmas is already looking depressing sales wise.

>>10511820
I feel like everyone blew through a lot of disposable income on Black Friday (my store made nearly 10x what it makes on a normal day). Plus with states in the IS going back into lockdown, people are getting laid off or getting hours cut again, so I don’t blame them for being conservative with their money right now. The future isn’t certain so they’re gonna hold onto any income they have.

>>10511891
>Another lockdown
Where is the second stimulus check already!

>>10511820
I can't keep up with all the orders i'm getting and have no clue why i'm getting so many. I've really neglected my etsy shop too, to focus more on my shopify store, but my etsy shop still continues to see a lot of sales.

>>10511820
anon--i also had a dismal october and november but this week my orders started to pick up quite a bit. don't lose hope!! people always do last minute shopping, and i'm sure that'll happen again this year (despite everyone being told they should start early, ha)

>>10511937
Congrats, anon!! Etsy's always the best platform to be on close to Christmas because everyone does their last minute shopping on there. I get a TON of grandparents trying to find something their grandkids like.

I've been packing something like 150 orders almost every day since Black Friday.

>>10511979
>>10512248
That's amazing. What do you sell to get that many orders despite the pandemic?

>>10512257
Your typical artist alley fare, mostly. Things like posters, enamel pins, acrylic keychains, etc. I have a lot of expensive/big ticket merch so I average about $31 per order. I carry a mix of fandoms which works out really well because people can find something for all their nerdy friends/family members regardless of what they like in my shop. My original stuff has been doing really well this year too.

I used to do a lot more smaller stuff like postcards and stickers and bookmarks but those will 100% eat into your overall sales. If you want big money, it's better to focus on more expensive merch. It's alright to have a couple of smaller things for people to grab as impulse purchases but never reuse the same art as your big prints on your postcards. If you do that, people will opt to buy the cheaper option over the big one very single time. I usually do simpler illustrations or use the chibis I draw for charms on postcards. And I don't print a ton of them.

I used to pull in like 1-3k at conventions when I focused on making smaller "affordable" merch but once I dropped pretty much all my cheaper merch and started focusing on big ticket items, I started seeing huge leaps in profits. Before the pandemic, I was easily pulling in 5 figure numbers at most cons with my record profit being around $26k at a single convention.

Generally, it just takes time. I've built up a pretty steady following over the years and even though we're in a pandemic, people remember me from conventions so they come to me when they want to buy a gift for someone.

https://twitter.com/CarysCuttlefish/status/1335080994945187843
there needs to be more awareness that the entire process of making a thing to sell costs money and many artists end up earning minimum wage or less on their time

>>10512261
That's awesome anon and a lot of great info. I'm slowly building my following and branching out into original works which tend to do well especially among parents with their kids. I also used to do buttons and the first con where I stopped selling them I saw my biggest profit yet at a con I did pretty badly at the year before. I also notice sets do very very well especially with posters. Despite my progress this year the last couple of months minus Black Friday have been pretty big stinkers sales wise though so Ive been trying to adapt with people having less spending money.

>>10512285
Not just because people think artists are charging too much but also to show newcomers that selling as an artist is a ton of work and can be very costly and isn't as simple as just opening an Etsy store.

>>10512376
> sets
I always wonder about this, how many pieces should be in a set/how many customers actually order a full set? Sometimes I see sets of 10 acrylic charms at cons and I can't help but feel like no one is going to order that much from me

>>10512392
I find 4-5 to be the sweet spot for sets. Some people do ask and buy full sets above that but I tend to get better results with those numbers.

>>10510208
I recently received my vograce charms with all new designs. I found that half of my charms are vivid. While the other half looks a bit dark and grayish. It maybe due to my art files idk, but I suspect the busy holiday season forced vograce to turn on their UV printer to help complete orders.

>>10512392
adding to what >>10512477 said, you can try out doing popular pairings of characters to see how they sell and then start making bigger sets.

>>10512376
Yes! I love original work for that reason too. It works out for people who love my art style but aren't really into the same fandoms as I am because then they can still support me and buy my art! It's also really exciting when parents tell me that they've decorated their kids rooms with my art.

>>10512392
For posters, 3 is the golden rule since most people do a buy 2 get, get 1 free deal. For everything else, it depends on the actual IP. For example, if you're doing Sailor Moon charms, you'd want to draw at least the 5 inner senshi as a minimum "set". For something like FE3H, you could get away with just drawing the 3 house leaders as a "set". You could even do all the various main characters of Ghibli movies as a "set". There's no pressure to draw ALL the characters from a series at once. Start with a grouping that's recognizable as a "set" in some form and slowly add on characters. Things like shipping and character affiliation (good/bad, are they on a team?, are they in the same class?, etc) will determine how big of a set you'll need to do.

Your goal isn't to get people to buy the full set. Your goal is to get people to buy more than one. This means drawing characters that are often shipped together or characters on the same team, etc etc so that people have an incentive to spend more money at your table/store. Offering a variety of characters is important because people are more likely to shop for their friends as well instead of just for themselves so you can make double or triple the amount of money by providing a wide selection for them to choose from.

>>10512525
I don't really know, my rep is implying that they stopped doing PET completely, especially because he kept insisting that their new UV is better and that they would never use "worse" technology. I haven't really gotten back to him after that cause I don't have any new designs right now haha. I think it's just interesting since PET seemed to be a whole big deal but now it's back to UV?

>>10512569
Hard agree. You really just want the variety for people to choose their favorite characters from. Very few people (in my experience) get the full set (for me that often means 8+ characters) but a LOT of people often get 2-3, either for a ship, or for a friend, etc. And sometimes if you have a deal going on they will go out of their way to get that 3rd charm, but that won't happen if the selection is small.

>>10512477
>>10512538
>>10512569
>>10512572
OG anon for sets here, thank you all for your responses! I do always worry for ships that people will be upset if that ship gets a lot of hate but this is some great information for me to think about!

>>10512581
That's why you do separate characters and let the customers buy the ships they want. That way you make more money and avoid the shipping drama altogether because you're selling individual character charms instead of 1 charm that has a specific ship on it.

What's a good place to get feedback on my Etsy shop? FB groups? Any particular forums? I'd rather not post the link here and throw myself to the wolves/come across as a spammer

>>10512619
Try the /cgl/ Artist Alley discord? It's fairly active with pretty good advice. I just noticed that the info isn't in the OP anymore so copy pasting from an old thread:

>If you want into the CGL AA discord, email cgl.artistalley.discord@gmail.com with a picture of your table or merchandise. It is not a jury, just to make sure you do cons.

>>10512624
Unfortunately my first con was supposed to be this year and it got cancelled before they even opened for artist alley applications. Do you think they'd accept me anyway? Thanks for the info btw!

>>10512632
You can just send them photos of your merch or a link to your Etsy store - they just want to make sure that you are actively selling your art!

I'm late to the conversation, but does anyone know how companies feel about fanzines? I'd assume since prints are fine then fanzines would be too, but some come with small plushie keychains which sounds like a grey zone. To be specific, I'm interested in a Hades fanzine but they're doing a physical run and I'm worried that will get them cancelled

>>10513115
>but does anyone know how companies feel about fanzines?
Same as with other fanmerch, some ignore it while others might shut it down but thats usually only if you’re stupid enough to launch a kickstarter or something that draws attention. Most fanzines are pretty small scale and some barely break even after providing the contributors with a zine/merch bundle + shipping. Many are also for charity, and even if they’re for profit no one organizing or participating are expecting much money. They’re almost always passion projects.

I can’t see fanzines being considered much of a threat, I would guess most companies view them in the same way as prints. You should be more wary about the professionalism of the mods and the likelihood of them actually committing to finishing the project. May I ask which zine you’re considering?

>>10513125
Mostly the highschool AU one. They said they've contacted SG so I'll wait for that, but their information doc currently includes physical+merch and potentially being for profit which is why I'm scared it'll get cancelled.

>>10513115
>I'm interested in a Hades fanzine
Didn't supergiant said not to make fanmerch? Unless they changed their position since the last time they brought it up, yeah, that thing is going to get shut down.

>>10513141
>>10513181
SG updated their fanmerch policy some weeks ago: https://www.supergiantgames.com/blog/policy-on-fan-merchandise/

They explicitly say that limited run merch is generally fine, and stresses that it should be obvious that it's unofficial. I don't think a fanzine and fanmerch bundle should be a problem.

Those of you who got a lot of sales over Black Friday, for the holidays, etc. Do you have an efficient workflow for packing orders? I'm seeing a big uptick in sales and even though it's a fraction of the number you guys have mentioned, I'm finding myself starting to get overwhelmed. I don't really know why it takes me so long to pack (though writing a thank you note takes up much of the time), but just packing like 10 orders seems to take forever.

>>10513289
I find for me its more of a mental barrier because packing so many orders is just really really boring. Try to find something to listen to maybe that makes it more bearable. Normally I only listen to music but even then Im finding myself bored of that, try and listen to something more engaging if you find it helps

>>10512624
I also had noticed earlier this thread that it got dropped. I didn't want to shill it, but it might be helpful to add it back to the next OP.

>>10513289
well, my thermal printer make printing shipping labels 100 times faster compared to when I was using an inkjet printer.
I just look at what was ordered for the day, grab those items and the number of packages i need, print out the shipping labels, and start packing the orders. It helps if you have just a few standard sized packages and save the size and weight, so ordering the shipping label for the order just takes like 2 seconds with 1 or 2 clicks.

>>10513289
I don't do any personalized thank you notes specifically because I would not be able to pack efficiently with the volume of orders I get. If you still REALLY want to do them, I recommend writing them out ahead of time and leaving the recipient's name blank so all you have to do while packing is write their name in instead of writing the whole note.

I streamline my packing system kind of like you would at a factory? So instead of printing out a label for order #1, grabbing merch for order #1, packing order #1, and then moving onto do the same for orders #2-#10 - I print out every single label at the same time. I grab every single piece of merch for all orders at the same time. And then I pack all orders. This way I'm not messing with my workflow. It's easier to stuff 10 mailers in a row instead of constantly getting up and grabbing things - if that makes sense.

It also helps to group orders by similar items. So if orders #1, #4, #6 and #10 are all charms then do those first. Leave the "mixed merch" orders for last.

>>10513289
I have a prewritten generic thank you message that is the same for every order except the last line (think "I hope you like your [insert item]!) so it's fast and easy to write a bunch ahead of time. Maybe something like that would help? But if it's still taking too long you may want to consider a printed message with a handwritten signature instead.

>>10513376
>>10513366
>>10513352
>>10513337
Thanks guys! I've definitely thought about doing a printed note but I've had so many people comment on how nice the personalized note was that I was hesitating. Though it's a huge bottleneck right now, so I'll probably just get it printed (at least for the holidays, then we'll see after that..)

this may be a silly question but i want to cover my bases. do pins that are nickel-plated run any risk to someone with nickel allergy, or is that more for thing that are always in contact with the skin like jewelry?

Do you mind if people sell prints that they printed at home?

>>10513449
Fully depends on how well your printer prints.
Feels like you coulda gotten the answer to this from 5 min of lurking on AANI tho

>>10513423
My sister has a nickel allergy I think pins are fine. If you wanna be safe, maybe make them out of something else. Probably they'd only be a bother if they put the pin on a close fitting shirt.

I'm going to get a cameo portrait to finally make my own sticker sheets. Is there anything I should have into consideration?

>>10513193
explicitly also says hand-made and not for profit entities so it could be a problem still

>>10515292
> However, you are not permitted to mass-produce or mass-distribute items without our express permission. If you wish to make items at scale, or you are a for-profit business, you need to reach out to us via the Contact page on our web site for licensing inquiries.

Yeah, that basically rules out most merch nowadays.

>>10515206
You can up the speed on your machine, but watch out for the machine going slowly off-center as it goes down the sheet, it might be the machine going too fast.

>>10512285
It's a good video but fuck people buy that garbage?

>>10515669
Wow rude asf? They’re not something I’d buy but they are cute in a way. Don’t be jealous that her art is obviously selling well.

>>10515771
lmao what
Literally just eyes on some clay vegetables. Dont get me wrong, its good for her that they sell but they're ugly af

>>10515771
>wow rude asf
Kek What the fuck do you expect on here

>>10515771
I won't be rude about it but I also don't understand why people buy stuff like that. Shows how difficult it is to get in the mindset of general consumers honestly. I frequently make stuff that only I really want and no one ever buys.

>>10515771
Can I assume you're Cary then?

Would anyone here who has operated a table before be interested in answering some questions about the behind-the-scenes process? I already read the FAQ and I have a few more specific questions. I had an idea recently for essentially a visual novel / simulator about running a table at an artist alley and I'm trying to decide if this is worth pursuing further and turning it into a full game.

>>10515996
Sure, shoot. I personally don't think a visual novel at a regular artist alley table will be worth it. It'd be much better to go to a con like MAGfest that focuses on video games and get a table at their indie games booths. The audience for AA isn't really gonna be interested in that stuff. They usually just want their favorite characters/pairings and depending on what con you're planning to go, it might be too crowded for anyone to stand still at your booth for several minutes to play through a demo.

>>10516000
Well the larger idea would follow a cast of characters as they each operate tables at a variety of cons over the course of a year. You'd have a 'calendar' system, similar to Persona, where you make decisions about what you want to spend time doing (making art, etc) when to spend time with other characters to improve your relationships. You'd also make decisions about what kinds of merch to make and bring with you.

How do you typically sign up for a table in an AA? Do you reach out to event organizers manually, or is there some sort of automated process? Is there typically any "vetting", like "You must be this big in terms of sales/followers to have a table here" or is it more first-come-first-serve? Do you have any control over where your table will be or is that decided for you?

How do you typically decide what to focus on when it comes to making fan work? Do you prefer to bring stuff from series you're personally interested in or do you try to chase whatever has been popular in the last few weeks/months?

What is the setup process usually like? How early are you usually let in ahead of the opening of the event? Do the event organizers provide any additional help in terms of supplies or labor or are you basically on your own? What about teardown?

What is the actual day-to-day, minute-to-minute experience like? Do you regularly work solo or do you bring friends/collaborators with you? What do you do on your downtime, just sit and peoplewatch or do you work on other stuff?

What are your interactions with other artists like during events? Is it common for artists to be talking to each other during events or is everyone kind of in their own separate bubbles and focused on their own stuff? It's not like I expect you to all stand around the water-cooler and gossip but I imagine you don't just ignore each other entirely?

Finally, how many cons do you attend per year, on average? Are they mostly local or do you do a lot of travel outside the county/state?

>>10516011
Oh sorry! I misread your question as wanting to SELL a VN at an artist alley. I'd be happy to answer these questions.

Each convention has a different sign up process, so it's up to the artists to check the convention websites/social media to know when and how to sign up. Sometimes it's FCFS (for example Anime Expo) which means you just need to be lucky and have fast internet. Other times it's juried based on your portfolio. Some comes do half FCFS and half juried - or they'll do juried FCFS which means they'll still go through your portfolio to make sure you're not selling bootlegs even if you get it on first come first serve. Juried cons don't really look at follower counts and instead require portfolios that adhere to their Artist Alley rules. They're judged generally based on skill and by how the fandoms you draw relate to the con. (For an example of a rubric, I'd recommend looking up Fanime's portfolio jury rubric.) Not all cons have a rubric or disclose it to the public. 99% of the time, you do not get any control over where you are placed although you are free to make seating requests.

Generally speaking you need to have some familiarity with a subject in order to make appealing merch for it. The more you like a series, the more it shows through in your work. A lot of customers will stop by and want to chat about your work so it's best to have a rudimentary knowledge of whatever fandom you're creating for. I generally try to focus on popular things that I still like so it's not awkward if a fan wants to chat.

Set-up depends on the con. You can be let in as early as the day before or you might have to show up early in the morning the day of the con to set up your table. You are 100% on your own in the AA although if you choose to go to the Exhibit Hall instead, you can pay to use contracted union con center workers. It generally takes me about 2 hours to get my table completely set up. Teardown is the same.

(1/2)

>>10516015
The minute-to-minute experience is talking to customers who stop by, grabbing their merch, and taking money. It's like retail if you were allowed to sit. If I've had a particularly good day, I might take some time to reorder prints for the next day. I'm a solo artist but I have too much stock to handle on my own so I always bring a helper with me. I pay for all expenses including flight, lodgings, food + pay them for their labor. Not all artists do this however - some compensate with just a free badge. And others find other artists to split the table costs with. Ideally, you won't have any downtime! At a busy con I barely have time to eat. If there is a lull, I'm on my phone posting about my table on social media. Sometimes I'll sketch new merch ideas at the table because inspiration tends to strike me at cons quite often since attendees will make suggestions/requests.

We generally hang out with each other AFTER the convention. Unless it's a super slow con, I don't really have hang out sessions with other artists since I'm busy making sales. The only exception is if I'm placed next to a friend - in which case we usually chat if there's a brief lull. But once the AA closes, I'm happy to go grab dinner with my artist friends and talk about the day's sales and catch up. A lot of artists often room with each other if it's a convention they've traveled for so most of the socialization happens back at the hotel room.

I do probably somewhere around 20 conventions a year? (Of course, when it's not the pandemic.) But to be fair, I'm a full time convention artist. I have friends who only do like 2-5 a year as hobbyists. I travel all around the country although my state in particular has a lot of conventions (California). A lot of Canadian artists will travel out of the country to come to conventions in the US.

I hope this is helpful!

(2/2)

>>10516016
>>10516015
That answers a lot of the questions I have, yeah. And sorry, I should have better clarified that I was interested in making a VN ABOUT the artist alley culture and not just selling a VN there.

>>10516024
Good luck with your game! It sounds super interesting. Another thing you might consider is what kind of merch a player character choose to make. For example bigger goods like acrylic charms, plush pillows, and notebooks sell at higher price points but take up more space in a luggage if you're traveling. Prints have the highest profit margin but usually sell less well when compared to things like charms. Cheap items like postcards and stickers are impulse-purchases but can eat into your overall profit if more people choose to buy smaller items over larger ones.

>>10516015
>>10516024
I don't know if question anon is still here, but may I add a few points?
-Some cons have a lottery sign up process also.
-Some cons (like Fanime) DO have table selection, which is usually a chaotic mess. Table position affects sales tremendously at large cons so it's highly competitive (AX has seniority sorting).
-A LOT of artists chase flavor of the month stuff because if you catch something at just the right moment, you can make insane profit. It's safest to have a combination of passion projects, reliable fan favorites, and fotm, if you're doing fanart. Full original artists have a completely different approach, and there are many fully original successful artists in AA.
-I always bring a friend or helper because there's nothing worse than sitting alone at a table while having bad sales, and it's essential to have someone to watch your table while going to the bathroom. Artist behavior depends a lot on the crowd. I've been at shows where I literally didn't have time to sit down all day, and shows where I didn't sell a single thing.

I'm not a frequent convention artist anymore but I have been doing them for over 10 years and have done a few of the big ones, plus quite a few very terrible ones. It's important to keep in mind these are frequently organized by groups who don't have it together, professionally, and are either just doing their best figuring stuff out, or completely power tripping. AA is always full of drama.

>>10515996
Ooo I had this same idea a few years ago that never got past the initial design doc and a few character sketches. It’d be interesting to see what you create.

>>10516280
Although thinking back, my idea was more centered around making friends among other artists than finding someone to date lol

What would be the ethical thing to do in this situation? I made something that is similar to someone else without realizing at the time. I "got an idea" for something, illustrated it, and got it produced.

Then suddenly I remembered seeing something similar in 2018 at a con, where I guess I got the subconscious idea for.

As an example, let's say someone made a notebook that said "Poems about my otp" and I made a notebook that said "Poems about my ship".

Should I just eat the cost and trash them?

>>10516638
Whats the issue?

>>10516638
The example you gave is vague enough I could dismiss it as an overlap of ideas since that sentence seems like a general fandom thing. It would also depend on the color scheme/design of the other notebook

>>10516638
This is highly dependent on your execution of said idea. If everything else about the two items are different other than a similar phrase (poems about my otp vs poems about my ship), I would just sell it with a clean conscience.

But if it's uncomfortably similar where people would accuse of art theft (similar color schemes, same layout, same design elements, etc), then maybe you could put them in blind bags or give them away with orders above a certain amount?

Anyone have any suggestions on shipping candy charms safely in a bubble mailer? I have about a jillion mailers and just want to use those rather than getting a whole bunch of boxes just for candy charm orders (I will if I have to, but I'm hoping there are good alternatives).

>>10517240
If you’re in the US, you can actually get free boxes for USPS. They’re technically supposed to be used for priority flat rate only, but my post offices will accept packages in those boxes even if they’re not priority.
Otherwise, like when you ship anything else, pad the shit out of your mailers. I’d also try to pad it in a way where the wrapping is all level so the charm can’t get squished/popped in transit.

>>10517282
I really wouldn't rely on USPS's free boxes as your main source of packaging. If you're shipping in any kind of quantity they're going to notice someone burning through their box stock. They work in a pinch but if boxes turn out to be the best way to ship it'd be best to purchase them.

>>10517240
>candy charms
didn't know what you meant by that, so I googled it and saw something I was not what I expecting. Guessing you mean charms designed like candy.
anyways, just use several layers of bubble wrap and it'll be fine.

>>10517282
>They’re technically supposed to be used for priority flat rate only, but my post offices will accept packages in those boxes even if they’re not priority.
I really don't think thats the norm and isn't allowed typically.

>>10517282
Nah man, that's a problem waiting to happen, I had someone ship stuff to me in one of those boxes but they paid for normal shipping. I had to pay the difference to the post office to pick it up.

>>10517346
Haha! I think I know what you're talking about, got similar results on twitter before. Anyway they're basically inflated bags (like a chip bag, but obviously a different material) with charms inside, hence the "candy." They're completely fine being thrown around, but being squashed is a different story...though I haven't exactly tested to see how much pressure it can take before it would pop/burst.

>>10517282
Thanks for the tip! but I'd rather not, actually...my post people are pretty big sticklers about that kind of stuff. But yeah, I suppose using lots of bubble wrap would be fine!

People with online shops, when do you suppose the holiday shipping rush starts to die down? My preorder items arrived and are ready to ship but I'm thinking it might be prudent to avoid shipping hell as best as possible. This is my first holiday season so I'm not sure how long it continues to be crazy. I've heard it goes all the way until February? Might not wait that long, but I'd like to at least avoid the huge rush to get Christmas packages delivered (and maybe not contribute to postal worker stress).

>>10517396
Shipping has been hell ever since Trump appointed DeJoy as postmaster general.

>>10516638
Is it the same fandom? Similar format? Same characters? I've seen multiple people doing for example pocky charms but I wouldn't consider that art theft

>>10517282
Please don't be this anon, sometimes the customer will have to pay the difference and even if they don't the USPS is struggling enough already. They're already the cheapest option in the US, why make things worse?

>>10517240
I've shipped a few in bubble mailers with a lot of bubble wrap padding, but even with the protection some people told me theirs got squished/lost all the air. I switched to boxes because I was too nervous to ship more like that.

>>10517396
I mean personally for me if the items are pre-orders I want to ship them as quickly as possible since my customers have already waiting long enough for the item, but I can see where you’re coming from, a lot of packages are going to get lost or delayed at the current moment.
But I don’t think with the pandemic anything is going to slow down when it comes to shipping since people are trying to stay home now and thus ordering more.
I’d just ship them now if I were you.
Speaking of the pandemic (US side) I think we’re going to have another lockdown and people might start taking things more seriously since more people are realizing those around them are dying. I think I’m close affiliation to me about 4-5 have died and I’m already seeing people who didn’t believe in the virus starting to take it more seriously now.
If anyone knows finances are close I’d be a bit extra careful with spending in case we do do lockdown again.

Anyone have experience with making charms with Juno Creatives? Is it normal for them to be so slow/horrible at communicating? I heard okay things about them and gave it a shot.

I figure they might be swamped in orders, plus the holidays and the pandemic, but taking 2+ days to respond to one sentence and also not addressing most of my questions while having me repeat other details is pissing me off. I also paid for glitter epoxy samples, and they provided me with double board prototypes, which makes me think they're not reading my messages in full.

>>10517758
Unfortunately, yeah. I think since their account started growing, they've gotten worse and worse with communication and even quality control. The communication bit I might be able to understand, I still don't know if they're running a one man show wrt twitter DMs, but it's honestly unbearably frustrating. I used to like them a lot, but I can no longer recommend them.
When they get stuff right the quality is amazing, but more often than not they make a lot of mistakes, have bad communication, and if you happen to get unlucky their epoxy is full of defects, dirt (?), etc.

>>10517810
I contacted them via Alibaba instead of Twitter and wondered if I should have DMed them instead, but it sounds like I would have had the same result. It seemed there was only one point of contact on Alibaba too.

Fuck. I read in the archives that there were defective epoxy charms from them, I might go apeshit if they send me an entire box of either defective charms or double board after all this awful communication. Maybe double board could be salvagable, even if it's not what I requested...

They told me it would take 12 days for the glitter epoxy. Since this is my first time making charms, I don't know if that's normal either but I hope to god those days are for letting the epoxy cure properly.

>>10517758
I ordered charms via Twitter waay before the pandemic and they were literally sending me one reply per day. Their excuse was they had a bunch of DMs.

Any original merch artists here who specialize in food art specifically?

I currently work full time as a nsfw fetish artist, making $6k+ a month from commissions, patreon, subscribestar, comic sales on payhip. I am a little sick of it since fetish art isnt really my passion. In my free time, I draw a lot of fantasy food (think of crazy neopets style food but drawn a bit more realistically.) Would it be worth it for me to make the move into food art themed merchandise? (Assuming its a normal year and not a pandemic one)
Do you see a lot of sales in your food art themed items? What particular pieces of merch wirh food art on it sells the most? I can imagine keychains and stickers do? Not really shirts and posters? lol
Does it sell better online than at AA tables?

>>10517758
>>10517810
>>10517828
Ahhh this is disappointing... I was LITERALLY just about to start an order with them.
Would I be better going with Vograce?

>>10518327
How long time does Vograce usually take to respond? And has anyone ordered through their website instead of through Alibaba?
I put in my first order from them last Friday when they had a discount on totebags, and was wondering how long time they take to get back to you about the order or digital proofs and the like.
I've only ordered through Zap before, and though I've heard complaints about their customer service I haven't had any problems, and they're decent with updating you about the order progress.

So what are all non EU anons planning to do regarding EU vat? Just stop shipping there?

>>10518389
Did you get something mixed up? That's an exclusively UK issue

>>10518392
Aren't all sellers going to be required to collect vat starting july 1st?

>>10518395
source? ive only heard about it being a uk issue

>>10518389
I’m going to stop shipping there from my Shopify, but give my Etsy the availability since Etsy is collecting the tax for us from what I recall.

>>10518389
it's only a UK thing. If the US was affected, you'd know they'd make a big deal out of it.

>>10517828
I expect that the wait time is pretty much the same. I really hope they can get some people to help, that's not very sustainable.

And, while I don't know how "normal" that is (vograce has done it faster), yeah...I hope so too. I'm sure they've gotten no shortage of complaints about it.

>>10518327
For some reason it's a little difficult to find their bad reviews if you're searching just social media. But once you get into the forums/chats you'll see all sorts of difficulties people have had with them. Their colors are amazing, but if things go wrong it is really is not worth the time and energy. Just stupid mistakes and delays all around that could have been avoided had they (/their designers/people at the factory) done it right the first time and paid attention. Don't get me wrong, they can honestly produce great stuff, but sometimes the process to get to that point is stupid and will probably cost you more time (and wasted product) than necessary. Do I sound bitter yet? ha ha. Anyway, you might be one of the lucky ones, who knows.

>>10518340
It probably depends on your rep. Also with the move they might still be struggling to fill in some holes. My new rep is great and pretty available it seems, so we usually actually get a lot done in a single night with back and forth messages. If you're ordering through the website I've heard through the grapevine that they've been skipping out on a few people's proofs--you might want to double check on that.

>>10518327
I haven't ordered from them, but I've seen recent complaints about them ghosting people for weeks. If I recall, a few months back they moved offices which caused a delay in responses.

>>10518473
At >>10518327 oops sorry I was unclear but that rant was about Juno.

>>10518392
>>10518395
>>10518431
>>10518463
Wait, I really thought non-UK sellers were affected too, which is why Etsy is going to be pretty saturated with UK sales since they do the VAT thing for you? Any other marketplace like Shopify won't which is why some people are just opting NOT to ship to the UK to not deal with VAT stuff. I'm just pulling this from all the info I've been seeing elsewhere, including the twitter guide someone whipped up:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/18e-nNefCsPeK-hrVG2Lj1kX2EqXqrcmBsZW6N_gpOQM/edit

>>10518509
yea, non-uk sellers are affected, but its a UK thing, not an EU thing.

>>10518431
>>10518566

isn't that what https://www.avalara.com/vatlive/en/vat-news/eu-2021-ending--22-import-exemption--import-oss-returns.html says?

>The EU has therefore agreed to scrap the import VAT exempt threshold. Instead, it will require EU and non-EU sellers to charge VAT at the point of sale for consignments of €150 or below.

>>10518571
i have no idea. I ever seen that before. Only heard about the UK thing a few days ago. With how complicated it is and how few sales I make to the UK and EU, i'll probably just stop shipping there.

Did anyone get an email from Vograce about a membership program? Is this new?

>>10518836
post it wtf I wanna be coco's top bitch too

what's your opinion on stating that you're lgbt/women/etc-owned in your shop?

>>10520301

>>10520301
For me, it doesn't matter if you write it or don't write it. I only steer away from artists that are well known pricks and/or dramawhores.

>>10520390
Same, even if it is like 90 percent of them kek

>>10520301
What >>10520390 said, although feeling the need to state that kind of stuff in your bio is certainly a red flag when it comes to potential drama. The majority of people who do AA or have related online shops are female, that's just the default expectation. It's easy to read as virtue signaling.

How do I get Paypal to quit holding my money hostage everytime someone buys something from my Shopify?

So, has anyone gotten any nightmare customers demanding where their package is yet? I feel so bad for USPS workers right now.

>>10520834
yes, been happening for months for me.

>>10520982
Really? Maybe my volume is too insignificant to have a real sample size, but I've only gotten one and most customers seem to be pretty understanding. Do your packages make it there eventually? I've heard so many people say their packages have been stuck for weeks (5-6) but the worst of mine was probably 2-3 weeks.

>>10520301
I don't think it's a big deal. Some people feel good supporting lgbt, bipoc, women, etc, so it can drive sales, while keeping away people who see simply stating your identity in a bio as a red flag, who you would probably not want as a customer anyway. Stating these things can also mean your inclusion in promotional hashtags or lists.

>>10521011
Its been like this for me ever since august or september. around half my packages taking a few days longer to arrive than expected, and around 20% taking over a week longer than expected, with some taking 2+ weeks. Some customers have been understanding, but others very annoyed.
but yes, all my packages eventually make it. Not had any lost packages.

rip https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/12/21/usps-delays-christmas/

>>10521266
Hmm would y'all suggest waiting to ship orders until after Christmas? Would waiting to ship a few days after Christmas help at all?

>>10521412
i don't see what it matters. it either sits around in a warehouse for a few days/weeks, or your space for a few days/weeks.

>>10521464
Yea I guess I'm a little worried it'll get lost in the mail with their current volume.

>>10521412
I'm not located in the US and ship mostly without tracking, so I just ceased shipping in early December with a notification that all orders past that date would be shipped in January. My customers have been understanding.

If you have tracking then it probably matters less, but my reason for waiting is because I'm worried it'll get lost in the mail during the holiday rush.

>>10521473
>>10521598
its not more likely to get lost during the holidays, its just more likely to sit in a truck or warehouse for longer.

>>10521627
Your customers will have to wait anyway, so do whatever makes them and yourself feels better.

>>10521646
well, if you actually ship the package, there is a chance it arrives on time, rather than the 0% chance it will if you don't ship it.

>>10521688
>there is a chance it arrives on time
Yeah nah. Especially international in December is just fucked.

>>10521688
My store's ship date already says that orders ship within 2 weeks so I can ship whenever in that time frame and my customers know that. Regardless of if I wait or not they'll still be *on time* I've got a few packages that are currently lost/their tracking hasn't updated in 1-2 weeks so that's why I'm a little worried about sending out more at time in case more turn out like that.

Has anyone used Vograce's website recently for their tote bag special? Do they send you a proof or anything/is it going smoothly?

I'm curious how everyone's online sales have been this year compared to last year! Any anons want to share their Etsy/store yearly stat comparisons?

>>10521886
March and april were down, but then the rest of the year had growth YoY as expected, 20%

>>10521709
My experience this year has been packages sent Dec 1 - Dec 10 got stuck in the cybershop rush and are sitting at the bottom of the stacks in distribution centers. Packages sent after that are on the top of the pile and had a better chance of not getting stuck at a distribution center.

>>10515996
fill it with absurd bullshit con drama, like art theft and sanrio's lawyers showing up to beat the shit out of someone

>>10502087
I have a con in June that was supposed to happen last year that I suppose I will be attending. Is it worth investing in more merch, or should I play it safe and just sell what I have at the minute?

>>10523563
Don't invest in more merch unless you have an online shop. You can still be sketching out more ideas, but unless you have an outlet to sell them, it really is not worth it to have stock just piling up in your space doing nothing for the sliver of hope that we'll actually be able to attend cons next year.

>>10523544
Lol it could have a stealth mode where you have to hide certain fan art pieces from company lawyers walking around.

Do you put your signature on acrylic charms or is that considered unsightly?

>>10523672
ok, thank you anon. that con in june probably won't go ahead anyway, my country isn't doing so hot with the 'rona.

>>10523853
If it's small text on the edge, similar to the copyright you sometimes see on official merch, I think it's fine. Anything bigger that's covering the actual art would most likely deter people from buying.
Personally I add signatures/watermarks only when publishing art online, and leave them out from art that's sold as physical copies, regardless of if it's stickers, charms, or prints. Haven't had a problem with art theft so far, but again I don't think that anyone will have a problem with a relatively discreet signature/copyright if you're worried about it.

>>10523853
I don't see the point, it's not like they're going to scan the charm in and steal it

>>10521882
I did. Got digital proofs, did some corrections, no problems with communication so far besides them being slow at first.

I have a feeling plush creators are gonna fuck up the fan art grey area for everyone.

>>10525231
Ugh that artist, she made a plush of a super popular character in a FFXIV she hadn’t even met yet and some of her other ones just lacked quality and care into their creation compared to her favorite character (incorrect hair color, obvious outfit inaccuracies on printed details not related to simplification). Totally in it for the cash grab it’s disappointing.

>>10523898
it's mostly wondering if it's a good way to get people to find you again because I recently spent a couple hours trying to find out who made a charm I bought at a con 5+ years ago when receipts weren't a thing

>>10525344
Don't be shy, drop them deets.
Looks like low quality, quick to produce so you're the first on the market, stuff. Very curious.

>>10525877
(1/2)
Basic run down of FFXIV, there is a base game, A Realm Reborn (ARR) then 3 expansions, Heavensward (HW), Stormblood (SB), and the latest, Shadowbringers (SHB) with each expansion introducing new characters. FFXIV wasn't as big as it is now pre-SHB which was released in mid-2019 so unlike games like FF7 or Persona, if an artist was making merch of the game, they definitely played FFXIV. This is not written to be a fandom "gatekeeper", but personally, plushies are one of the items I love the most and are something, in my opinion, should only be made by a fan creator if they absolutely love the character and will do them justice, not just for a cash grab.

This artist started playing FFXIV mid-2019 and in November 2019, shared that she was making plushies of two characters, Aymeric from the Heavensward expansion and an unhooded Crystal Exarch from Shadowbringers. At this point from her tweets, she was in Stormblood, but hadn't finished so she hadn't finished meaning she hadn't met the character, Crystal Exarch, since you don't meet him until the beginning of SHB. Crystal Exarch is one of the MOST popular FFXIV characters, but she didn't even get to the start of the expansion until January of 2020 and you don't even find out the identity of Crystal Exarch till near the end of the expansion.

(contains Exarch identity spoiler)
Sources:
https://twitter.com/starrynuinui/status/1133516389384413184
https://twitter.com/starrynuinui/status/1213637510691246080
https://twitter.com/starrynuinui/status/1192656663674793984
https://twitter.com/starrynuinui/status/1192863308388417538

>>10525941
(2/2)
Her two first plush, Crystal Exarch and Aymeric, were made pretty well I will be honest about that (overlooking some quality control issues I heard about). So despite the fact she didn't actually know the character Crystal Exarch he at least looks cute and well made. However, she made another set of 3 plushies of beloved characters from the HW expansion, Haurchefant, Estinien, and Ysayle which in comparison to Aymeric from the same expansion, looked like sample prototypes that were unfinished/"good enough". It's very obvious personally just looking out of the four I sent in the previous post, which is the artist's favorite (it's the one on the far right).

These HW characters didn't have any plushes made by any other artists prior to this and the FFXIV fandom loves these characters so of course, a lot of people would buy them despite the quality. The most obvious things I can point out to show are that Haurchefant's hair is grey on this plush when in-game and in every official (and non-official) depiction of him, his hair is a light blue color. His bangs are also going in the wrong direction and are too short.

This is also my opinion on her Emet-Selch and Amaurotine keychain plushies in which Emet's top is incorrect (the top is printed onto the fabric so there isn't a reason why it couldn't be accurate. It's still inaccurate after she had revisions made to the top...) You can look at his outfit up and compare yourself.

(Contains FFXIV 5.3 Spoiler and Exarch Identity spoiler)
Sources:
https://twitter.com/starrynuinui/status/1328915189614465025
https://twitter.com/starrynuinui/status/1339212348977000450

>>10525946
>>10525941
>>10525344
isn't SE one of the companies that are super anal about fan-made anything?

>>10525946
(2.5/2)
Sorry for the info dump (rant?). This is something that has really bothered me for a while since I've wanted plushes of FFXIV characters for years and seeing the difference in quality is upsetting when you know they can and have done better.

>>10525950
I have heard that from other artists I know that have been around longer than I have, especially when it comes to kickstarter/larger scale items like bags apparently, but I haven't personally seen or heard anything first hand so I can't say.

Sooo did anyone actually sign up for Vograce VIP?

I suppose it'd be pretty good for people who consistently do large/group orders.

And side note, has anyone ever gotten a drastically different shipping quote from their agent vs the website? I just tried on the website and got a quote about $80 cheaper than what my agent just told me. Don't know if I should bring it up or just place an order through the website haha.

>>10526203
If you spend more than $400 (before shipping) a year then it's worth it, but I'm not gonna commit myself to anything right now. I doubt my country will have any cons next year until fall at earliest.

Holy shit AANI got nuked

>>10502087

New thread:

>>10526517
>>10526517
>>10526517
>>10526517
>>10526517