Sorry if this may not be super art related, but do you have the scoop on the best method of accepting money for non-physical (digital) commissions? A while back ago I saw people recommending some other(?) PayPal-esque money exchanging service thats better for digital commissions and I've also seen people mention ways to get the Paypal system to work in your favor properly without breaking any rules, but it has high fees(?). I want to make sure I have everything in check before I do anything ;o;

Hello! So, dealing with money is always tricky, especially if you’re dealing with large amounts of money down the line. If you make enough money (in profits) to qualify as self-employed, you’re going to want to look into how to do your taxes on that. This is very important because you don’t want to, like, be accused of tax evasion. Etsy, a site for self-employed crafts-people, is an excellent source for these kinds of questions.

More than anything, you want to create a “Terms and Conditions” where you write out your policies. This way, you don’t get screwed over because you have a detailed document of what you and the buyer have agreed to. Here is a really good video on how to start: “What to Put in Your commission Info” by Baban Illustration

More specific info under the cut >>

Using Paypal

Most people use Paypal, from what I’ve seen. Here’s a previous post that goes into more detail on how to use Paypal invoices: 

https://theredlinestation.tumblr.com/post/179380879845/where-do-you-suggest-selling-your-works-online

The main problem with Paypal is that payment disputes are rampant, and Paypal will usually side with the buyer. When you’re selling digital works, this is even more frustrating. To combat this, when you create your paypal invoice, you’re just going to want to put “This is a DIGITAL (NONPHYSICAL) commission” everywhere you can, as well as your “Terms and Conditions”. 

Paypal WILL take a cut from your sale because of transaction fees. People try to work around this by using the “Send Money to Friends and Family” option, but DO NOT do this because it is technically tax evasion and people can more easily screw you over this way - and you have no way to dispute it because you’re not meant to use that for selling stuff! 

Alternatives to Paypal

Paypal is actually pretty bare-bones. If you want to host your commissions on an actual site, Etsy is pretty good, and also is very safe and reliable. 

Here is Etsy’s policy on selling ‘Digital Downloads’.

Ko-Fi is technically meant for donations, but they do have a Commission feature (you do have to pay for it). 

There is also Commiss.io, a site made specifically for commissions! It seems pretty good, and I haven’t heard any shady stuff from it yet.

And as always, DON’T take commissions from anyone that gives you shady vibes, or is not cooperative with your policies and guidelines. Look out for red flags from people who want you to lower your prices or are generally rude customers. You have the right to refuse service, and you should, to people who you don’t feel safe operating with. 

-Mod Future (ko-fi)

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