Input from Faceup Buyers and Faceup Artists

I don't think you should get too worried and start a witch hunt.
I don't think it's good service to not notify your customer if there will delays and not answering messages. I know some artists are really incapable of this. I don't think you should have to wait 16 weeks for it either. I would message her and ask her to send them back promptly and when you get them let it show in the feedback that her communication skills were lacking. I would give her 1 week to send them with tracking.

If she does not I would say that I will open a paypal dispute (I hate tho threaten people but sometimes you have to scare people)

• Stay calm
• Be polite
• Think over what you are going to say
• Save every piece of recipe, messages and other important things
• Remember she is a human being who might be going through something (even tho that shouldn't excuse her lateness)

 

@krystina There are many reasons why the projected completion time (4-8 weeks) could be longer in actuality. The artist could have taken on too much work by accident or there could be weather or life circumstances delaying work. However, it's always been my belief (at the times where I took face-up commissions) to maintain contact with customers. I think it is understandable if you are worried because you are waiting a very long time for responses and are not being contacted with updates without writing first.

@LaPlaceDemon gives you very good advice. Always be respectful and courteous, but if you become uncomfortable don't ignore the feeling. If there is a problem with your transaction at any point you should be prepared to act by contacting Paypal or notifying staff of a problem transaction that began on DoA, whichever is relevant to your situation.

 

Paypal has increased their dispute time to 180 days so you still have time I belive
(they count from the day you payed not ordered)

 

To be honest, I think it is completely unacceptable to leave a customer hanging like that. The fact that they only notify you of things when you ask, the fact that they don't keep their promise of a 4-8 weeks turnaround, is very unprofessional. They own a shop: They should act like one.

In my shop, whenever there is a delay, I contact my customers as soon as possible. That is simply basic manners. I know that in this hobby, we are pretty lenient when someone doesn't communicate and keeps expensive items belonging to someone else way past the time they said they would. But I don't think we shouldn't. Yes, something could have come up. Of course, we all live lives that deal with unexpected surprises. That's not our fault. It becomes a problem when we keep the customer waiting for days and days (or in this case: months), without notifying them. Online busineses have a responsibility to be as transparant as possible.

I wouldn't start a witch hunt, That won't solve anything and will only damage the relationship. You are very much entitled to be more firm with them, though. Give them deadlines (I'd like to get an answer/pictures/a sign of life from you before there and then), and perhaps even tell them you'd want to be the heads finished before a certain reasonable date, or else be sent back to you.

 

Most faceup artists will give you an expected timeframe, and in general I would say to relax during that timeframe if the faceups aren't done. Buuut since this person claims the faceups are completed, and all they have to do is photograph them, I think it's reasonable for you to be firm in asking for updates even though 16 weeks haven't passed. What I find most questionable is that she apparently finished the faceups but couldn't get around to taking photos for 2 weeks? Taking photos is, like, the easiest part of faceup commissions. I try not to be judgmental of other faceup artists' practices, but if they're putting off just taking pictures it seems like maybe they aren't really finished.