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Q. What are your costume prices?
A. Please see our price estimator to get an idea of how much your project may cost. You can email us to get an official quote on your project, but please try the calculator first.
Q: When do I ask for a quote?
A: Ask for a quote any time that quotes are open. We announce quote request openings/closing on the website, journal, and online galleries. Please check out the price estimator before emailing to see if you can get an estimate for your costume first, as this can make the quote process faster. Quotes for a particular batch close starting one week before commissions open.
Q: How do I ask for a quote?
A: If you would like us to confirm a price that you received from the calculator, please give us a description of your costume idea (plus concept art or photo references if applicable), the features you entered in the calculator, and the price you received. Refer to this journal entry for additional information.
Q: How does commission opening day work?
A: Once we open emails for commission applications, there is a 12-hour window during which you can submit your request. Usually this is between 12midnight and 12noon Eastern US time on a given day. Submit your project application at any time within this window. We pick projects for the production batch from the pool of requests once the request time has ended. We often receive a very large pool of requests, and not everyone who is interested will get a spot.
Q: What can I do to maximize my chances of getting a slot?
A: We give a lot of priority to commercial and film ventures. Equal priority is given to people who have been in contact
with us for a long time and who have been waiting for a commission slot, and also to people with costumes that we particularly
want to make (this usually means artistic liberty costumes).
Please be sure to send your request to Info (at) clockworkcreature.com only, and send it during the proper time.
Requests are not accepted early or late. Also, make sure to get a costume quote prior to opening day, as we do
not give out quotes on opening day.
Furthermore, we want to form friendly, professional business relationships with our clients, and since production
takes at least a few months, we know that we will be working with every client for a long time. It is important to
maintan friendly professionalism with us, as we would rather not enter into a long-term business relationship with someone
who has presented themselves in a demanding, pushy, or otherwise rude manner.
Q: How do I place an order/get in the production batch?
A: On the day we open for orders, send your application via email to Info (at) clockworkcreature.com while the 12-hour application window is open. In your message, be sure to remind us of what costume you’re intending to commission, and the price you were quoted. Be ready with your 30% down payment, and let us know what method you’d like to use to pay (Paypal, check, money order, and credit card are all accepted). If your commission request is accepted, we will send you an invoice for the down payment. Send your payment within 24 hours.
Q: When do I send payment, and how much do I send?
A: On the day we open for orders, you will need to be ready to send no less than 30%. If you want to pay higher than 30%, that is absolutely fine, but make sure to let us know how much you want to send so that we can bill you properly. Do not send any payments until we confirm that your project is accepted and send you an invoice. Sending payment early will result in an immediate refund (minus Paypal fees), and will lose you the opportunity to get into the production batch at all. Once we send you an invoice, please pay the full amount within 24 hours.
Q: What sort of payment do you accept?
A: For US customers, we accept Paypal, credit card (except American Express), personal check, and money order. International payments can be sent via paypal, bank card (via paypal), and International Money Order (personal cheque and standard money order are not accepted).
Q: What payment plans are available?
A: We require a minimum 30% deposit. After that, payments can be made in increments of the greater of 10% or $100 per month. Payments in higher amounts are also welcome.
Q: I’ve made my down payment; when do I make my next installment?
A: We will send you an invoice for your next installment one month after we bill for deposits. So, if commissions open on the 10th of a month, we will send you the bill on the 10th of the following month, and so on. We will bill for the minimum by default. If you intend to pay more, just let us know so that we bill you correctly.
Q: How do I know whether you’ve opened for commissions?
A: Unless we state otherwise, the queue opens passively at midnight US Eastern time on the day that commissions are scheduled to open. You will need to keep an eye on our journal, twitter or website to know the opening time and date. We don’t usually post an alert at the moment the queue opens, so don’t wait for one.