How much do you sell your customs for?

I make YouTube videos of my stuff and advertise in the summary and in the video that I take commissions, It will take time but once you have someone who likes your work and will pay for it they will come back for more, so you just gotta get a handful of ppl who like customs and pay to make some change off of it.

you should keep the extra parts, you never know what you may need for one of your own customs or a future commission. Only reason to give up the extra parts is because you made the fig to have interchangeable parts, multiple accessories or if the customer specificly asks for them. hope this helps.

Here's a question, cause I'm probably going to get my first commission. When you have to buy the figures/parts for a custom, you keep any leftovers or give them to the customer?

Ebay is too flakey. That is why I have started selling things on my website, but it is slow on there. I get a bit of business, and the more exposure I get, the more people I get to my website. I am fortunate to have a following in the video game community, but the majority of them will not pay for a custom piece. A lot of gawkers and not enough buyers. I just started selling figures last December, so I guess a slow start is better than no start.

I have actually had two commission requests since starting this thread, but wanted something cheaper. I will just keep making the customs for myself and posting them on my site, and if someone buys it, then good for me. If not, at least I get to keep my custom I spent a long time working on. Christmas is around the corner, so who know what is going to happen.

selling on ebay(evil bay) is very discouraging. I have sold a custom figure for over $500 before, which is mind blowing to me on another level, and how do people have the money to do that.... and I have sold my customs for amounts that really hurt my feelings(Maestro with the custom built base $36)...LOL! Which, you have to take the good with the bad. I am trying to start a group on Facebook that customizers can offer up their customs to be sold without having to go thru ebay. If we can get enough interest in it, it should do good. I base my commissions on a easy to hard scale. And I make the hard scale expensive. If someone isn't willing to pay $50 for a repaint, then $300 for a hard one isn't gonna work either. The repaints take a lot of time too.

No problem. Any other questions, feel free to drop me an email.

Love your claw-cabinet customs, and this one, BTW:


Cheers,
-Blayne

Thanks, that gives me a lot of great information.

I get at least 4 commission requests each month. Most of those are people looking for fully sculpted and articulated custom figures for under $100, which is ridiculous, given the amount of work/materials that goes into them. Every so often though ,other people both have the disposable income and an appreciation for my custom figure's style come along, having seen my website's gallery and read my FAQ - and are already interested in commissioning one or more figures. I'm all about the articulation, and durability of the toys I make - both for myself, and for others - and to many that's a key selling point.

I always provide information on my services to anyone who inquires about a commission, and I give them an accurate quote of what would go into their project (a breakdown of time/labor, material, estimated shipping, & timeframe) then let them decide if it's worthwhile.

I always mention that a 50% deposit upfront is necessary before production can begin. This covers my initial outlay of costs and materials. Base figures off eBay cost money, and I factor in the cost of the figure(s) + their shipping to me in my quote. Once their non-refundable deposit (make sure this is clear) is made, I go ahead with the project, and provide them with an estimated timeframe for completion.
During the work process, I also promise & follow though with sending status updates on the piece. WiP shots and involving your customer in the creation process are key. It takes time and effort to do so, but it's a much more rewarding experience for them, and has led to much more repeat business. Once fellow has commissioned 11 figures from me so far, as he really likes working with me.

Also, don't be afraid of suggesting alternatives to yourself if they're looking to spend less. I've pointed people at figurerealm.com before, or 's 3D printing service that can glue a printed head on a generic Walmart-bought action figure for about $100. People appreciate the help, and might return to you another time when they have the time / money.



Check your sites < meta > tags. Here's mine from the HTML of blayne.dark-ware.org (spaces added so it doesn't turn into code accidentally):

< meta name="author" content="Blayne Scott/ >

< meta name="keywords" content="Custom action figures and custom toys, for gifts, promotional, or collectors markets based on Real People, or Fictional Characters from TV, Movies, Video Games, Books or Comics!"/ >

< meta name="description" content="Custom action figures and custom toys, for gifts, promotional, or collectors markets." / >


It's all about search result optimization. Check sites that have high traffic, and check what meta tags they use, what phrasing, etc. Copying keywords is good, but write a good one-line description of your site for the "description" that will turn up under your website's name in google's search results.

Hope this is helpful.

Regards,
-Blayne

I don't sell on eBay, beyond uncustomized figures or fodder I'm not using. I've noticed that the only customizers who can make back what they put into it are those with a few thousand followers on Youtube and Facebook - in other words, a ready pool of fans, ready to pay for their work. It's something I'll work toward, but that's a place only a handful of people are at world wide.

From what I see other's work going for on eBay,it looks difficult to make back what you put into a custom. Most requires many hours of work - you're essentially selling your weekends and evenings: I know I am when I take on commissions. If you're on disability, or unemployed customizing can be a good source of income if you have the talent. I'm a teacher by day, so my free time is like chocolate flavored GOLD in it's value.

I do sell figures I've already made on my website to 'cut out the middle man', and through some specialty shops in Canada (currently, check out The Silver Snail in Toronto). For commissions, I put up a pricing guide (that I'll be revising with v2 of my website - almost finished updating my gallery) here:

Some people have asked if they can copy/paste/modify that, which is fine. It gives a rough justification for what I charge for a custom.

That said, I don't take on minor repaints or headswap jobs. I'm sure there's people who like doing those on the cheap, but for me, it's not worth $40 to work for 6 hours over the course of a week to do a repaint / sealing when I could be working on a $300+ commission piece based on a customers original artwork. Those types of jobs are much more fulfilling - artistically, and financially in the time vs. pay ratio.

Still... at a convention, a guy asked me once how I come up with the final price on a figure. I said what I tell everyone who asks now:
I could probably earn more money working at McDonalds evenings and weekends for the amount of hours I spend customizing. For me, making toys is just a better way to spend my time. ^_^

This makes a lot of sense. I agree that all my spare time is pretty much on working with customs. How do you get people interested in commissions? They are pricey, and most people are not willing to pay so much for a commission. Is there a particular way you go about getting people interested in you work, or is it just a matter of time? I want to know how to advertise that I am taking commissions.

I don't sell on eBay, beyond uncustomized figures or fodder I'm not using. I've noticed that the only customizers who can make back what they put into it are those with a few thousand followers on Youtube and Facebook - in other words, a ready pool of fans, ready to pay for their work. It's something I'll work toward, but that's a place only a handful of people are at world wide.

From what I see other's work going for on eBay,it looks difficult to make back what you put into a custom. Most requires many hours of work - you're essentially selling your weekends and evenings: I know I am when I take on commissions. If you're on disability, or unemployed customizing can be a good source of income if you have the talent. I'm a teacher by day, so my free time is like chocolate flavored GOLD in it's value.

I do sell figures I've already made on my website to 'cut out the middle man', and through some specialty shops in Canada (currently, check out The Silver Snail in Toronto). For commissions, I put up a pricing guide (that I'll be revising with v2 of my website - almost finished updating my gallery) here:

Some people have asked if they can copy/paste/modify that, which is fine. It gives a rough justification for what I charge for a custom.

That said, I don't take on minor repaints or headswap jobs. I'm sure there's people who like doing those on the cheap, but for me, it's not worth $40 to work for 6 hours over the course of a week to do a repaint / sealing when I could be working on a $300+ commission piece based on a customers original artwork. Those types of jobs are much more fulfilling - artistically, and financially in the time vs. pay ratio.

Still... at a convention, a guy asked me once how I come up with the final price on a figure. I said what I tell everyone who asks now:
I could probably earn more money working at McDonalds evenings and weekends for the amount of hours I spend customizing. For me, making toys is just a better way to spend my time. ^_^

Always price stuff what you thinks its worth. On the bay you have to be careful of posting fees but they have gone down lately. Other tips would be to have professional looking photos and logos. As long as you represent yourself as a great customizer everyone will prob follow that lead.

Unfortunately we're not all Raybots and Loose Collectors

Great topic, guys. I am currently about to finnish my first commission. It's for a work buddy and basically I just doulbed what the base fig is worth(I think).It's a Hulk, BTW look for him shortly in the showcase.

It is all about rep when it come to selling, I've sold a few and to be honest, they never made what I wanted for them . I sold my fire armour skely for £5 which made me mad more than sad, I'm not saying my work is worth a fortune but this didn't even cover the price of the base figure. Anyhoo, I guess what I'm saying is, don't let them go for less than what YOU think they're worth, make the customs you want to make then sell if you want. If they don't reach the price you want keep them, just don't sell yourself short man, I know I will never let mine go for anything less than what I think is a fair price again.

I am sure you will, you are an excellent customizer. wish you the best.

I hope to start taking commisions, too. Well, my next custom will probably end up on eBay, hope someone will buy it

That is true, I can pick and choose which ones to do. I think I may start doing commisions.

I think that is where the real money is, cause the bay is a hit or miss. as for re-doing pieces I would either do a different color scheme or something that differentiates them from the others. but just don't keep redoing pieces will help, the best thing about commissions is you either do or don't have to make them.

I agree, some of my throw togethers get a lot, while things I have worked a long time on get hardly anything. I don't really do commisions. Do you think that is something I should consider? I really don't like re-doing my older pieces, but I get a lot of commission requests for them.

I don't sell on the bay anymore, but do have to say that something you do think should/would sell are the ones that are the unbiddables (while your throw-togethers seem to skyrocket). but your best success should be commissions and get your name out by facebook and other social sites (if you don't already have a website). I agree with the advice given, it takes times to get a name out and once you do your customs should sell better. so on some you may not make what you want, but it will get your name out.

That does help. It is sometimes hard to judge how much to charge because I have sold things for $300, and I have sold things for $35 on the bay. I want to try selling things without the middleman, but I don't know how to charge for it. I guess I will just have to wing it. Currently I take how much I paid for parts and double it, but sometimes I make figures out of stray parts, so I guess those ones are hard to judge. Thanks

As long as I can make back what I spent on the figure and parts that goes towards the sale price . I think the time and work you spend on it you should also add that on how much you think your time is worth . You have to remember its your work but if you want some one to buy it ! make it affordable !
I've seen custom figures on eBay that have been there for over a year trying to sell for $300 ( this is me seeing these $300 customs on my screen - Come on man Really ! $300 plus shipping or whatever don't get me wrong there nice customs but for $300 naw I'll pass ! ) but like I said they have been there for over a year. Not every one can make a custom and sell it for the big pay day but we can keep working till we get there.

So a reasonable price I places on a few customs where $10 that sold for $20 and another that I started at $20 that sold for $100 . So it's what you think its worth is a good price . If your going for profit start at $20 is a good starter price.
I just try to make sure people get their money's worth when I sell my customs I think It's just fair.
Sorry it was a bit long winded but I hope this helps buddy.