/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

>>8006207
I resell shit
2 months
ya
None yet

slimyeels on storenvy
> What do you sell?
right now just have buttons up. Weeb shit. Going to have prints soonish? And hopefully expand original stuff.
> How long have you been doing it?
Couple of months, getting more serious now.
> Do you enjoy it?
Yup!
> Funniest/Worst customer story?
I'm still new to it so I don't have too many strange stories. Just nice interactions so far! (tho I have had some strangeee shit happen irl at cons)

>>8006252
Adorable.

>>8006252
I know it's not on-topic, but mind sharing a story or two about your con experiences?

I did cosplay commissions for a little while, until I just couldn't handle the stupidity anymore.

>Girl wants dress for Kiki's Delivery Service
>gives me her measurements
>seems a little strange, she's almost 2x wider than the dress is long
>ask her to double check them, and send me a photo so that I can make sure the proportions are correct
>they are
>okay.jpg
>make dress, constantly double checking measurements
>make it extra big since it's supposed to be a loose-fitting dress, add 10cm all around so it hopefully fits properly
>take photos with tape measure to confirm correct measurements
>she gets it
>message two days later
>IT DOESN'T FIT THIS IS WAY TOO SMALL WHAT DID YOU DO FEIUFJIDJFDJHEIWFEI
>send her screencaps of her measurements she gave me + the tape measure laid onthe clothes, explain that they're the size she asked for and then some
>she demands a full refund even though she took it to a seamstress to have it altered and it's literally in pieces so she can't even return it
>she escalates the claim to etsy's customer service shit
>they rule in my favor
>close shop
>never make anything for anyone else ever again

>>8006267
Oh anon I'm so sorry.... I could never take sewing commissions like that. I'd always be worried about the measurements being off. Was that the only commission you ever took?

>>8006265
Sounds on-topic enough to me. I'd be interested to hear some of their experiences taking their stuff to a con.

>>8006259
Thank you! (Berserk gives me so much pain)
>>8006265
Alright. The weirdest thing to happen so far was at a recent con and I'll greentext the rest

>Be setting up table
>Pipes still only half put-together, portfolios sitting on table half-opened
>Guy comes over, squints at our stuff, asks if we do requests
>"No, sorry we only do commissions"
>Guy leaves
>Comes back later asking if we do hentai, etc..
>Friend and I make awkward glances at each other, say yes because I don't fucking know why
>Leaves again
>Comes back with GF
>Cue them standing and asking about prices for how many characters, etc.. gist of it is that they want Death Note hentai.
>Originally wanted Sakura from Naruto and other characters but was to expensive
>Settle on Light and Misa from death note. In bed/doing The Sex
>"Can they be talking?"
>"Sure, what do you want them to say?"
>-sloppily writes down something-
>-read what is there- "Misa: Light can we get married?" "Light: Yes but first you have to kill L"
>mfw
>Then they're trying to decide who they want to draw it. GF likes friend's style, Guy likes mine (just like last year)
>Both sweating hoping 'not me not me nOT ME'
>They can't decide and ask us if we can collab
>Say yes because I still don't know
>Ask if we take card.
>Yup
>Card declined
>oH THANK BABY JESUS

They kept coming back all weekend asking how the progress was doing and etc.. But.. never paid.. and we kept telling them 'Well we can't do it until you pay'.

They said they will find us at AB this year (but I don't think they will remember us, since they hadn't before and we had the same prints as the previous year...)

sage for OT

>>8006267
Can you post the photo of the dress next to the tape measure, that sounds horrific

>>8006275
It wasn't the only one, the rest went off more or less without a hitch, but everyone always had something to bitch about. The material was too thick or too thin, it was too hot for their summer con or too cold for their winter con, they would have used x stitch here (then make it yourself, asshole) or some other complaint. I've always had friends and people at cons tell me that my construction is really good, so I guess I just got some shit customers?

>>8006288
Sorry anon, it was over a year ago and I don't have them anymore.

I want to get back into it, but I'm so afraid of another fiasco. I only charged like $75 for the damn thing in the first place, because I had the material left over from making my OWN dress. It was on sale, so I bought a shitload of it, thinking I could use it for something else later because it was cheap and pretty nice. Maybe she was pissed she didn't look as nice as a thin girl did in the same dress or something. I'm like 100 lbs soaking wet and used the photo of my cosplay for the listing, so maybe she was expecting it to fit the same way on her? I don't know.

>>8006267
When people give you their measures it's really hard to ask if they are correct without asking if they really are that fat. Kind of awkward every time.

> What do you sell?
Fake sweet accessories
> How long have you been doing it?
About a year
> Do you enjoy it?
I do! It's really fun. I go to cons as well, and sell there, and I recently got offered to do consignment at a local shop!
> Funniest/Worst customer story?
I have a current customer who wanted custom items for november, but now can't pay till the new year. Good thing I take non refundable down payments. She seemed fine at first, bought a lot from a con, was super friendly but now she's just a flake.

>>8006395
Oh what's your store, sounds pretty cute!

>>8006207

Is Storenvy preferable to Etsy? I've been thinking about opening up a store and would like some input from people who actually run a store about the differences between the two

>>8006423
Storenvy requires you to have a business paypal, so if you're not doing any kind of high volume, etsy is definitely better.

>>8006395
ooh im interested. What's you store?

>>8006423
I guess Etsy is easier, OP here and I used to run an etsy but I got tired of the fees so I started selling directly through PayPal. I didn't know about the PayPal requirement for storenvy though!

>>8006267
>>8006267
There's this vendor that does hand-made earrings. I asked them if it would be feasible to do a certain kind of simple custom job.
The last reply I got from her was a week ago. I think it had something to do with my mentioning that it was cosplay. I'm afraid she was like "Weeaboo? LOL NOPE" and cut off all contact.

>>8006520
What exactly are you looking for? Depending on what it is, I might be able to hook you up.

>>8006523
Kei (OG dirty pair)'s earrings. They appear to be either a shiny black or black and white. They're dangly and drawn either as diamonds or triangles. They're trashy and 80s as heck and I wouldn't be too surprised if your mom actually wore stuff like that in 198x.
http://i.imgur.com/A6lASdM.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ZuNQCpr.gif
http://i.imgur.com/STQoYAe.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/8eYYli7.png

https://www.etsy.com/shop/LaserBlastLaserCraft

I do laser cut stuff. My stock is limited since I'm out of state for the holidays. But I thought I would at least plug my custom Circular Galifreyan name pendants I'll be offering starting in 2015. This sample says "Bad Wolf" and you will be able to get them in silver or gold.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/LaserBlastLaserCraft

I do laser cut stuff. My stock is limited since I'm out of state for the holidays. But I thought I would at least plug my custom Circular Galifreyan name pendants I'll be offering starting in 2015. This sample says "Bad Wolf" and you will be able to get them in silver or gold.

>>8006535
Hi Sam

>>8006549
Aw these are super cool! Not in the fandom myself but I have so many friends who will love them! How much will they be? I think I'll get one as an early birthday gift for someone :)

>>8006207
>> What do you sell?
Mainly books for cosplay props (Enchiridion, Gravity Falls books)
Also the typical AA stuff, and lanyards. Pictured book is not for sale.
>> How long have you been doing it?
Almost two years.
>> Do you enjoy it?
Yes, it's something I can do full-time from home.
>> Funniest/Worst customer story?
I've only ever had two issues with my customers.

#1
>A month after a (tracked) book is delivered I get a notice about a charge back from Visa to my shop
>OhHELLno
>Details of the case were something like 'I didn't order this my child did, blah blah i'm not responsible'
>Etsy account was in dad's name
>Card used was in dad's name
>Shipping address used dad's name
In the end, he lost the dispute and had to pay Visa $25 extra for losing the case. Why did he even think his kid buying something allowed him to charge back the store owner...

#2
>Person orders custom buttons from my shop using pics he/she's taken
>They're selfies in terrible lighting
>Fix them up as best I can
>Ship them off and get back to working on orders
>Few days later, negative review 'THESE LOOK SO BAD WHY DID YOU MAKE ME LOOK SO UGLY?'
>I literally did nothing but slap them on the pins?
I still have no idea.

Then there's the monthly annoyance of ~*~bloggers~*~ that want free product to review. Nope.jpeg

>>8006598
I do something of the same size for $14 so maybe $16-18 since it's custom

>>8006743
Oh sweet, I'll be looking when they're up in your shop.

I hear so many stories of retarded customers and it's really discouraging when I want to open a weeb storenvy.

Saw a facebook status from a shop I follow where she had been getting badgered about preorders people had paid for because they somehow don't know what a preorder even is or how it works.

Wish you could have an idiot proof test before people are allowed to order things.

>>8006864
That sounds awful, but it may just be how they handled things. My shop thrives off preorder ship slots. I've never in 3,000+ orders have had a major issue from it. They always know when their item ships because it states it in the listing title. Don't let a few issues you hear discourage you. You will learn to manage things so there will be no issues.

Pic related

>>8006896
That's not too bad. How often do you space out your preorder releases and do you cap them at all?

I was thinking of selling custom printed thigh highs from digital artwear. They have a 6 pair minimum order and the more you order the cheaper it is so I'm tempted to do a discounted preorder at the same time as having some in stock for the impatient people.

>>8006614
>free product to review
Dang screw that noise. Keep up with what you're doing!

>>8006432
No they don't, I use my personal and have never had any issues.

>>8006864
Saw the same with a seller I follow on instagram. I was one of the people that bought a preorder item, it says PREORDER all caps in so many parts of her order page. I cannot believe so many people could be that dense. Do they not read ANYTHING when they make an order?

>>8006614
Holy shit, I get at least 3 e-mails a week of bloggers trying to get free shit. They're almost always total nobodies, too. It's annoying as fuck.

Fascination Streets on Storenvy. Sell random Harajuku shit.

Does anyone else have more stories? Both good and horror, enjoy hearing them. Sage for being a bit OT.

I want to start up an etsy to sell some of my badges and such, but the horror stories put me off. I worked in retail for 2 and a half years and the thought of having to deal with asshole customers again is not appealing.

>>8006933
I do cap them, maximum of 18 slots for each 7 day increment.

>>8007045
It's really not difficult, don't be turned off from it. There's a world of helpful advice in this board and elsewhere to keep from having the same problems with customers.

>for lack of another new image

>>8007034
OMG THIS. Not only that but they're probably scammers

>>8006432
>>8007024

The Paypal requirements are likely going to change because they are starting to tell people to get on board with Stripe which is linked directly to your bank. It kinda sketches me out but I guess it's in order to process credit cards quicker etc. I also am a bit wary of them suddenly needing like way more personal info than before.

>>8007200
See I don't get that. I was told to link with Stripe or they remove my secondary shop from the marketplace. It's already linked with a business paypal, so was that not enough? I'm not joining Stripe.

>>8007035
I'll add some tomorrow when not mobile but also interested in more stories, online or rl

>>8007228
I know what you mean. I use a business paypal account because I've been selling online since 01'. To me, it sounds like they are planning to remove Paypal as a payment option altogether which is annoying. Some people don't want to give out their credit card info to buy shit, they like paypal because there's that extra layer of protection, so to speak. I was also told they would remove my (only) shop from the marketplace too if I didn't join.

They also just recently said I had a DMCA infraction and shut down my store and didn't even tell me what product supposedly was the offender. I had to jump through hoops and a handful of emails to get a straight answer. I've been using my Storenvy to sell off cosplay stuff and manga, apparently 1 manga was a problem, even though it was licensed by the company and I bought it but was done reading it.

I feel like I may head back to ebay if they start getting more demanding, and I dislike selling primarily on ebay.

>>8007269
Wow that is some bullshit. You should be protected from DMCA by just selling a non-altered product. Just another reason I won't bother with storenvy much longer.

>>8007283
Don't blame you one bit. It's changing and I'm not sure I like the direction but might as well ride the bitch into the ground until they stop you because no Stripe, no more fucks to give.

Honestly, it hasn't been all bad. I joined in 1/2013 and according to my dashboard stats, I've have made roughly $1,369 off 52 orders that didn't cost me anything to list. To me, that's a fair amount of cosplay and manga shit I probably would just had laying around even longer or thrown away.

Does anyone on /cgl/ sell Ghibli stuff or those starbucks-esque Brewster mugs? I need to do some birthday shopping and would love to support fellow seagulls.
If any of you guys sell Flcl or Doctor Who stuff as well I'd love to have a look!

> What do you sell?
Fleece hats like this picture (those aren't mine though)

> How long have you been doing it?
Two years? Three years? I don't even remember.

> Do you enjoy it?
I used to, but I'm starting not to anymore.

> Funniest/Worst customer story?
I've been needing to vent this for like a week.

Part 1:
> person asks for a custom size, sends measurements
> I make it slightly larger, just in case
> ship it out
> a month later
> they message me again, complain it's "way too small"
> offer a partial refund
> never do custom sizes again

Part 2:
> someone asks for a custom size
> tell them I don't do custom sizes
> send them an exact measurement of what I make
> They say, "Oh that's fine, I'd like to buy a regular one then!"
> make and ship
> about a week later
> they leave a one-star shop review complaining about the size
> "Seller assured me it would fit a toddler!"
> I literally still have the message where I sent her the measurement.

I hate people, this is probably why I don't enjoy doing this anymore. Every time I get a message asking about custom sizes for a child, I panick.

I make and sell SEES Evokers (well, I sell DIY kits for people to make their own) which makes a good bit of money.

Curious question from someone who considered opening up a sort of Etsy shop...

Do you guys actually make money? Is it profitable? What kind of margins are we talking about?

>>8007691
entitled soccer moms are cancer

>>8007691
this is why I'm glad I only deal in jewelry the most people ask for is a longer chain or to put something on earrings instead

>>8007691
>>8008120
I used to sell handmade frilly princess clothes for little girls and had to stop because parents are the absolute worst customers on the planet. I've switched to lolita and save for the occasional dumb teenager or fatty-chan who doesn't know how measurements work, they are so much more reasonable, if you can believe it.
The worst was probably this lady who complained that "the dress" she ordered for her daughter didn't have straps and didn't stay up. It was very clearly listed and modelled as a SKIRT. Why do the worst people always insist on breeding?

>>8008155
>Why do the worst people always insist on breeding?
Because better people have better shit to do.

>>8008163
This. The future of the world is screwed because the smart educated people realize they can support 2-3 kids, maybe more with help while the poor and undereducated are like baby extruders. My mom is an obstetrician and says she meets at least 2 teens a day who didn't know sex leads to pregnancy

>>8008197
>she meets at least 2 teens a day who didn't know sex leads to pregnancy
What the fuck? Where are you located/what kind of age are we talking here? I would consider my childhood extremely sheltered, and I got next to no sex education at school, but even I was never that bad.

>>8008111
It really really really depends on what you're selling and what your quality and turnaround is. Someone selling kawaii clay charms won't make the same as someone who makes sacred geometry baby quilts. I sell weeb keychains and jewelry and probably make $300-400 during a good month and $1000 at medium sized cons.

I have a story that occurred over this past weekend.

>a week after making an order, customer e-mails me
>"hey where's the tracking number for the product I ordered? it hasn't arrived yet."
>nicely reply saying that, as the FAQ says, the default economy shipping doesn't come with a tracking number, and takes around 12 business days to arrive
>"oh then it won't come by christmas! then what's the point! give me a refund."
>tell him I can't, because it's already shipped
>he starts bitching about how in the "buying process" I never stated how long shipping takes, and that he shouldn't have to read the FAQ
>so he demands I give him a refund plus return shipping, and that he'll return it once it arrives
>say no of course
>so he starts a Paypal dispute saying I never shipped his product.
>I can only end the dispute by giving a tracking number, but of course as the FAQ says, I don't give them
>he ends up calling the business phone number and ends up screaming "Fuck you!" at me
>so basically he's getting Paypal to force me to refund him because "it was never shipped"
>and intends to keep the product when it arrives and give it to his daughter as an early Christmas present
>tfw I'm a broke college student and only wanted to make extra spending money

>>8008684
Damn that sucks anon, I had a similar story to this too
>person orders two of something
>items are big so they need separate boxes
>send them off in the mail at the same time
>person contacts me later, says only one arrived
>fuck
>ask if they can wait a few days, it should turn up soon
>few days later, still no package
>ask if they want a refund or another box sending to him
>asks me to split the shipping with them with tracking this time for a new package
>feel like a complete beta
UGHHHHH, I should get an FAQ too just to cover my ass

>>8008684
This happened to me once. You HAVE to give a tracking number to protect yourself. There's no way around it.

>>8008684
this is why i don't even offer an 'economy' shipping option. Tracking options only to protect my own ass- if people complain about a few dollars extra for that type of protection, then it's not even worth my time to sell to them

>>8008684
Older people are just the fucking worst to deal with. People complain about younger folks having a sense of self-entitlement, but every bratty, unreasonable customer I've had has been middle-aged. And they're even worse online because they're paranoid about being scammed.

>>8008727
Really. I've also never seen a group of people that expected free shit more. Like any little problem they have (or make) automatically nets them free stuff.

>>8008684
>>8008694
>not springing extra for tracking
You deserve exactly what happened to you and I hope you learned your lesson.

>>8008768
The buyer is the one who didn't "spring" for tracking.

>>8008733
A result of the "customer is always right" era that is becoming extinct because now with the advancement of computers and electronic records people can call out bullshit.

>>8008727
>worse online because they're paranoid about being scammed.
Frickin this. My mom can't do anything online because she's convinced that as long as someone has your name and birthdate they can hijack your assets. Also she laughed at me when I told her I don't balance my checkbook. Paraphrasing "so you just guess at how much is in your account?" Yeah no I can find my balance and all transactions by pulling the black rectangle out of my pocket.

hope i re-sized the image properly.

Was fucking around with a hot glue gun and some clearance christmas shit for some non-lolita holiday stuff to wear to work (at craft store) and various parties. Just curious as to what y'all think and if they could be sold and for how much, especially if I did some more 'lolita' type things like the top one. The top one is a candy land sugar-plum whatever type, the bottom is something for New Year's. Have other Christmas themed ones (red and gold, red and green) but these are more relevant to the OTT lolita look that I might go for.

What do you think? For how incredibly cheap and fun they are to make and how much people normally shell out for big things like this, I think I could make some money. I've never had an etsy or sold anything online, and I would like to, but this is all very new, I just made these 20 minutes ago lol.

if I don't get many responses or none at all, I will repost here/elsewhere btw so sorry. excuse the bathroom, and my insane hair~

>>8008826
Oh hell no. Not for lolita. Maybe for other stuff but that does NOT belong in lolita.

>>8008826
These are really awful. Please stop. They look cheap, you can tell they're cheap and you suck at making cohesive themes and just simply making shit look nice.

>>8008836
Top one looks just like some shit sweet ott would want.

>>8008826
may not be suited for lolita but it WILL sell, believe me

>>8008842
The hell it does. It looks like some ita ass shit that only a mother could love.

>>8008843
Don't encourage this.

>>8008836
Well not the exact same stuff, as they're gaudy Christmas things, as I stated (especially the New Year's one) but I thought the goofy hair shit was pretty common in lolita, especially OTT shit?

Pic related, there's tons of this shit when I google 'OTT lolita'

>>8008841
Fair enough. I was just throwing some things together out of boredom that I had lying around and thought they were kinda cute for Christmas at work. Again, as I stated previously, this is NOT meant to be lolita, but I thought the OTT idea would be cute with lolita things in the future. They look cheap because they are cheap lol.

>>8008842
That's what I was thinking, but I would still not call it entirely acceptable for lolita. Again, just conceptual.

>>8008843
I was thinking if not for lolita designs, maybe just for other stuff? I've already gotten offers for 30-40 bucks from people not in lolita.

>>8008845
>only a mother could love.
Jeez lol it was just for fun

>>8008849
This looks like fucking trash too.

Also you're about 3 years too late for that train.

>>8008871
I'm not a lolita, I just appreciate the fashion and I've seen lolitas wear shit like this on their heads. Pic related, this is the type of shit I would be making that would be ACTUALLY loliable as opposed to the cheap christmas shit I glued together that I had lying around. And this is that Misako chick who is a popular lolita I guess, and she's doing it.

>>8008885
She's wearing three headbows. That's it; it isn't even somewhat comparable.

>>8008914
I know, there are better examples, but again, that's the sort of look I'm going to try and go for. All three headbows plus a few little trinkets in a single unit as opposed to separate like hers.

The idea was that it was a lot of things on top of a popular lolita's head to show that OTT head accessories aren't unheard of. Obviously pic related would have been better, but Misako proved my point a little more.

>>8008918
Misako didn't "prove your point" at all, quit ass patting yourself.

That looks awful. Please stop acting like you know anything about lolita. Make them if you want, but it will be mocked if you call it lolita. Or regardless, for that matter.

> What do you sell?
Fandom related T-shirts done in bleach/paint
> How long have you been doing it?
A little over a year
> Do you enjoy it?
Yeah, actually I like it a lot
> Funniest/Worst customer story?
Nothing really comes to mind. Everyone I've dealt with has generally been pretty nice.

>>8008918
Look, either way, you're going to go ahead and make/ sell these things. If you want a bunch of people to asspat you and confirm your own biases, take it to rufflechat.

>>8008920
>>8008925
Alright, fair enough, maybe I won't go the lolita route and do stuff that's more related to lolita. I think I will sell them though since I've already gotta order's (like 2) but not market heavily towards lolita and jfashion.

Thanks for the input, it's appreciated.

I'm Monster Pet Emporium on Storenvy!
> What do you sell?
...Monsters? Bug scarves, hairpins, plushes, and things.
> How long have you been doing it?
9 months or thereabouts.
> Do you enjoy it?
Yes! Very much! It's certainly work, but it is definitely dream work.
> Funniest/Worst customer story?
#1
I originally sold on Etsy, and because a lot of other shop names were taken I wound up naming the shop 'Monster HAT Emporium' (I was planning on selling fleece monster hats along with my more expensive monsters).
I've been open for two weeks when I get a message on Etsy:
>"Hello, I see you make hats! I was looking for someone to make me a replica of this hat"
>The hat is a complex, *real* hat that clearly would take shapers, steamers, and a lot of hatmaking experience.
>Explain that I only sell monsters, and the only hats I sell are fleece cute ones, not fancy hats
>"If you can sew monsters why can't you sew my hat?"
>I explain about steamers and shapers and things
>"So what's the problem?"
>Tell them I don't have that kind of equipment
>"Oh, well, can you tell me how to make it then?"

I suggested he talk to a professional hatmaker

#3
>Be at first convention
>Had really good sales, a lot of compliments, that kind of thing. Really boosted my confidence.
>Group of teens walks by
>HEY MAN, LOOK AT THOSE FUCKING WEIRD THINGS!
>Pleased, because they're supposed to be weird. Have no idea what's about to happen.
>DUDE, SICK, THOSE ARE WAY TOO FUCKING CREEPY FOR ME
>First teen reaches out and grabs on of my bug scarves (my most expensive item) by the pincher (the most delicate part)
>I blanch, but the teen starts waving it, by the pincher, at his friend, who fake pukes
>DUDE IT'S GOING TO BITE ME
>Teen literally flings the monster onto the floor
>The pincher has snapped off and he's still holding it
>My fiance who's watching the table stands up and yells at them, tells them they have to pay for what they broke
>Teens run off, laughing, into the crowd, fake puking

Just a general questions as a graphic designer, hoping to do more than just prints... How do you go screenprinting and makingbooks and stuff? I was expecting to learn it at my university but they didn't teach us one single useful thing.
sorry for the newbie question everyone is just so inspiring and i feel likecrap i can't make actual things.