A Problem

So I commissioned a painter for two head sculpts last October. He emailed me in January saying that he's back in town and that both of them were finished and that they would be sent out.

We're now on the brink of March and I haven't received anything in the mail and even more concerning, I haven't been able to get a reply to my emails.

Now he's incredibly nice and was always responsive to my emails before this so I don't suspect any form of foulplay whatsoever and added to the fact that he goes back and forth for work between states sometimes means he can't check his emails which I find fair enough.

However, it's been a month since that last contact and considering the hefty investment into this, I'm both confused as what to do next.

Any thoughts or advice from here on?

Sometimes you just have to hope for the best or eventually give it up as a loss unfortunately.

I wouldn't be surprised if they can't keep up with their growing commission pile, so this person is telling not only you but their other customers that their items are done and just need to be mailed, when in fact the painter might not of even gotten your item yet. It tends to happen to many custom artists, especially new guys who don't know how to say "I'm sorry I'm backed up, give me more time please" for fear of losing business with new customers.

Once, I waited almost a year to get some 1/6 items made and was given a finishing date. When the finishing date came, I was constantly told they were done and that they would be mailed on X day. I got excuse after excuse after, week after week, each time I was told they would be mailed and I hadn't received anything, but FINALLY I got an email out of nowhere saying they were mailed along with an actual tracking number.

For someone like me who has sold many many items on here and eBay, I will never understand what takes someone so long to just drop an item in the mail if the work has been completed. To me, it shows they weren't done at all and told you what you wanted to hear to hopefully give them more time.

Thanks for the thoughts and good points all around.

Thing is, I never waited about more than a week between replies where he'd update me with photos and I know they're mine since it lines up with when I sent them.

Since the last email I got from him saying he'd send them with tracking info, the painting was finished and from the photos he did a marvellous job with them. It's just head-scratching that I haven't heard from him since.

Did you pay with Paypal?

You can file a claim and get your money back, if it comes to that.