Commission Terms and Conditions

Please read this section very carefully if you are contracting a special order. This page serves as my Terms of Service and constitutes a contract between myself and the customer ("you").

In order to contract work on your project, contact me first. Nothing will be created without both parties agreeing to the work, the price, and the time-frame for completion. Do note that the time frame is an estimate only and may be subject to change.

Please see the price guide for base charges on costumes.

Costume Description & Concept Art
Send a detailed e-mail to adorablefoxie@hotmail.com with your request. Please copy and paste the questionnaire shown on the "Store" page and include as much information as possible.
I will also need a reference image showing at least the front and back of your character, and all associated coloring, markings, eye color, paw pad color, etc. Please make sure that this reference image is as accurate as possible, as this is what I will use to make the fabric selections. The character's full body should be visible in order to reference any markings on the body; therefore the reference artwork of your character should be "unclothed." This does not mean anatomically correct, but rather "cartoon nude" like Bugs Bunny. All concept artwork needs to be a maximum of PG rating. NO EXCEPTIONS.
A sample of an ideal reference sheet can be found here.

Be aware that some features will raise the cost of the costume; when you request a quote, you may request itemization of individual features and the fees associatied with them.

Costume Design & Physical Limitations
Be aware that the very nature of mascot and fursuit style costumes is going to limit your physical capabilities. Mascot heads may severely restrict your vision and/or breathing. Faux fur material covering your entire body (including hands and feet) may cause you to sweat heavily, and possibly overheat. These limitations are normal; while care is taken to ensure the best fit possible, some of these discomforts are understood to be completely unavoidable in the costume's manufacture and are an unfortunate part of the mascot performing experience.

In addition, wearing a full body costume can restrict or change movement and balance in the way your body reacts. Please be aware of these limitations before attempting to perform any kinds of "extreme" movements while in a costume. Unless "parade soles" or "outdoor soles" are requested, the feet of a costume may not have very good traction, and as such are for use only on carpeted or grassy areas. Outdoor soles are available at no additional cost.

Because of the physical limitations associated with mascot costumes, it is highly recommended that you schedule regular breaks while performing. Be sure to drink plenty of water and avoid caffeinated or alcoholic beverages before wearing a full or partial costume. If you find yourself feeling uncomfortable, remove as much of the costume as you can immediately and make all best efforts to cool yourself down.

AdorableFoxie is not to be held liable for any accidents that may occur due to neglectful or improper use of a costume. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the physical limitations that may arise with the use of a mascot costume, please contact me.

Hours of Operation
For informational purposes, my working hours tend to be 10am-6pm, Monday through Friday. E-mails will usually be answered either before or after these hours. E-mails will not be sent or answered on weekends, unless overtime work is required to meet a deadline, in which case I will only be in direct contact with the person(s) whose costume(s) are being worked on.
Minor updates may be made throughout the day via mobile device on Facebook and Twitter; however, these are not good contact methods and if a direct response is needed, your best option is to e-mail me.

Photographs, Progress Reports, and Design Changes
In an effort to make the most of my time, I produce progress reports on commissions via Facebook and Twitter. (Twitter updates pull automatically from Facebook updates.) If at any time you are curious about the status of your project, you may e-mail me.
As I do not currently have unlimited photo messaging on my cell phone, photographs are not going to be uploaded daily. I will, however, upload to Facebook a photograph once the basic construction of the foam base of the head is completed. I will also upload a photograph with the fur pinned in place, as well as one when the head is finished, so any adjustments that need to be made, can be. If you do not watch the Facebook page, I will send you an e-mail notifying you that new photos are online for you to view and approve.
Unless the body is a complex design, photos are not usually uploaded when the body is finished, until the entire costume has been completed. Generally, assembly of the body suit (with no padding) will take a full day, assembly of the hands and tail will take the majority of a full day, and assembly of the feet will take a full day. Body assembly usually occurs after the head is completed. Once the entire body has been assembled, photographs will be taken of the entire costume, and any design changes that need to be made can be addressed at this point.

Costume Revisions & Adjustments; Allowance for Artistic Interpretation
Each full costume created will be allowed one revision session after completion, if something is found to not not fit properly. I do my best to allow for the best fit based on information provided, including (but not limited to) measurements and duct-tape dummies. However, since I cannot work on the piece in person with every individual, sometimes these adjustments will need to be made. Any requests for revisions after the first one will incur an hourly charge, so make sure you find everything that needs to be adjusted before sending it back!

If something does not seem to fit properly, please e-mail me and describe, in detail, what exactly needs to be changed. Be mindful that some areas on a full body costume (armpits, crotch, etc.) may need to remain slightly baggy in order to allow for proper movement without placing too much stress on the seams.

After your revision is approved, please ship the costume to the address I provide you with. You will be responsible for the cost of shipping back to me, in addition to the cost of my returning the costume to you.

Revisions will NOT be allowed for minor fixes on aesthetics (markings/appearance) after the costume has been approved and mailed out. Some items may not translate well into full-bodied costume characters and while the best care will be taken to ensure that the character matches the concept artwork, some minor details might be a little bit "off". If you see a marking that needs to be changed in the photographs that are sent to you, bring it to my attention and if it is possible, I will do what I can to correct it. If it cannot be corrected, I will notify you as to why this design decision was made and we can come to an agreement about how to fix the problem. Some design changes are considered "artistic interpretation" and only used when absolutely necessary to get the best look for the costume. If a design change would significantly alter the appearance of the character, you will be consulted on how best to move forward before any decisions are made.

Payments
Payment can be accepted via PayPal (including credit cards).
If you do not have a PayPal account, or would like to pay in another way, you may send check or money order. Checks will have to clear before the final product is mailed. Do not send cash. Do not send payment until we have agreed upon the terms of the commission.

International Customers: PayPal is the only available payment option.

Florida residents, add 6% sales tax to the total price of your order (excluding shipping).

For Mascots, payments can be accepted in installments. If you decide to break up the total cost into payments, they need to be made in at least $100 increments per month. Construction on your project will not begin until payment has been made in full. Your costume will need to be paid off before the month in which we have agreed your costume will be built.

Down Payment and Excess of Materials
A 30% non-refundable down payment is required to cover cost of materials and beginning work on the costume. There are absolutely no refunds on deposits. This payment is considered to be a "good faith" payment and is used to purchase all of the materials to be used on the costume.
If you decide you want to cancel your commission, and your down payment has already been received, you will not receive it back, nor will you receive the materials purchased for use on your costume.
There are several factors other than just the materials that go into the down payment: time spent acquiring materials (travel to suppliers), shipping costs on materials, etc. that I personally cannot be refunded if you have decided to cancel your commission. Your down payment assures that these costs will be covered in the event that you back out.

"Cost of Materials" applies to only the materials that will be used on your costume. As such, you are not entitled to any excess materials that have resulted from the creation of your costume. Any extra fabric or other materials that are left over after your costume has been finished will go into my inventory for future use. If you would like to purchase excess materials to have on-hand, a fair market price can be agreed upon and, once paid, the specified amount of materials will be sent to you.

Shipping
AdorableFoxie.com ships with USPS. Shipping and handling for non-framed artwork and small items (basic tails, ears, etc.) will be $7-$14 within the US. Half-suits will cost approximately $75 to ship, and full suits will cost $100 to ship. Insurance is included with any item over $100; if you would like to insure an item under $100, it is available for a small additional fee. Tracking or delivery confirmation will be available, upon request, with ALL items shipped, regardless of size.

International shipping will cost an average of $200. In addition, international purchases may be subject to duty fees or other customs fees; these are not included in your shipping cost and will be the responsibility of the buyer to pay. Value of the item(s) will never be understated for customs purposes.

The above costs are estimates only and your actual shipping charge will be included with your quote.

If you need your costume for a deadline (special event, party, holiday, etc.) please place your order with plenty of time to receive your order. Refunds are not offered on items that do not arrive in time due to an incorrect address (including ZIP code), or your local mail service handles packages improperly. You need to take this into account before we arrange a shipping date and place your order accordingly. AdorableFoxie.com will not be held responsible for items that have a delay in shipping if the item is shipped on the agreed date.

Delivery At Conventions
I can deliver your artwork in person at conventions if I will be in attendance. Contact me to find out which conventions I plan on attending and pick-up can be arranged. If I do not have a dealer or artist table at the convention, we can plan to meet at a specific time and location during the convention for delivery of your artwork.

I do not currently have the resources to deliver costumes at conventions. Since this is my full-time job, conventions usually require me to work a dealer or artist table of some kind. Space in my vehicle is extremely limited. Costumes can be shipped directly to a convention hotel to your attention, upon request.

Right to Refuse
Unfortunately, sometimes it is necessary to refuse a sale. In the event that I feel uncomfortable with a transaction, I reserve the right to cancel the transaction and refund the payment, if applicable.

Duplicates will not be created. I will not copy a character from a theme park, cartoon show, web comic, etc. Likewise, I will not copy or imitate another costume created by another mascot or fur suit builder. Please do not ask if I can make the costume look just like someone else's; I will not do it.

Copyrighted characters will not be made into costumes unless I receive first-person written permission from the holder of said copyright. Do not send me images of another person's character as your reference image. If the character belongs to someone else, I will not make it for you unless the character's creator contacts me directly.

Be aware that all customers must be over the age of 18 to purchase a custom item from my web site.

Additional Information for Mascot Commissions:
Additional information will be necessary before work begins on a mascot. You will need to provide certain measurements to insure that the costume will fit you properly. This information will be requested when we agree to a price and a time frame for completion.
In addition to providing measurements, full-body mascot costumes will require a duct tape dummy to be sent to me. For information on creating a duct tape dummy, please click here. The dummy will have to cover your entire body, up to the neck. Write your name and your e-mail address on the dummy and mail it to me flat (no need to re-assemble it; I will do that here). Be sure to make markings where the dummy will need to be pieced back together, so I can properly reassemble the dummy. If you wish to have the dummy returned to you when the costume is finished, mark it with "PLEASE RETURN" and it will be included when your costume has been shipped.

Art Commissions
Please note that all of my artwork will have, at highest, a PG-13 rating. When requesting artwork, "cartoon nudity" (ie. Bugs Bunny doesn't wear any pants!) is acceptable - and necessary for character reference drawings - "anatomically accurate" is not. Likewise, cartoon violence is acceptable, while realistic blood and violence is not. Cute little characters? Bring them on! The cuter, the better. :) Also please be aware that my specialty is in drawing animals, and cartoon figures. I'm not the greatest when it comes to technical art (vehicles, buildings, guns, etc.) My husband is technically inclined in his art; if you absolutely must have artwork that incorporates much heavy detail (backgrounds especially) we may be able to produce it for you as a collaborative piece. Simply ask!

All rights on the image are retained by myself, the artist. This means that you may not reproduce, (digitally or otherwise) sell or distribute the image without my permission. Generally, permission is given to allow for the display of a small-scale/low-res copy on a personal web site or gallery, or cropped and used as forum icons, and requires that credit for the artwork is given to the artist.
Images that are intended for use as logos, or other commercial use (merchandise, etc.) fall under a different category and will cost more, but will include the rights to the image. If you are not sure which category your commissioned piece falls under, please contact me.

As the artist, I do retain the right to publish, reproduce, or sell reproductions of the image (prints, merchandise, etc.) as I see fit, unless otherwise agreed upon. This allows me to be able to include the commissioned image in portfolios, galleries, and art shows. Be aware that I make no claims on the character itself and will properly credit the character to its owner(s). No royalties will be paid for images I have drawn and sold prints of that include your character.