So I'm still fairly new to this commissions deal and haven't really figured out how I should be handling various problems yet. This problems being, in a nutshell, the behaviour of one user lead me to think I'd just been scammed. I reacted on that notion, but they've come back responding in a way that says I may have been mistaken, but the damage has been done.

The commission was a tattoo commission for a certain character. The person had come out over a month ago asking for artists, and I'd offered. They accepted, and as far as I knew, given the nature of this commission, once they'd accepted that meant they were closing the deal to anyone else. I was never told one way or another, I assumed because of standard practice. Almost two weeks later I got the commission done, and sent it to them to see what they thought. They'd been responding to me prior to this, but then suddenly went silent with that message. I waited a week before contacting them again, wondering if they'd gotten my message. They ended up contacting me from a separate account to let me know that their main account was expired (pay to play site), so I agreed to wait until they had their main back.

The trouble for me comes in when, during this time, it turns out they took another commission for the same thing from a different artist. I knew nothing about this, not a word had been said about taking multiple tattoo commissions for a character that could only wear one tattoo. The last time I contacted that person in what I've told of this story so far was in mid-December. I waited about three weeks to hear back from this person, and got nothing. I came back on the 14th of this month, so only a couple of days ago, and discovered that the character I'd been commissioned to do a tattoo for now has a tattoo, by a different artist. And mind you, tattoos can't be applied until an account is renewed.

I contacted the new artist about this and asked for details. She explained that she'd opened up her commission with this person on Dec 29th, and was payed on Jan 9th. Like I said, this was now the 14th for me, and I'd not hear a peep.

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So, order of events and their dates, for easier understanding: Dec 3: I offered to do art. We talked back and fourth, agreed on a price, a design, etc. Dec 15: After some more back and forth with the commissioner, I completed the tattoo. Dec 22: I sent another message after receiving silence, and it was clarified that this person's main account was currently expired, and that they planned to renew it after the holidays. We agreed to wait.

Dec 29: New artist contacts this person, and is told she was "still looking for someone" to do the tattoo. Jan 9: New artist was payed, presumably meaning her account was back in working order.

Jan 14: I discover the new tattoo already applied to the character (which can't be done with an un-renewed account), contact the relevant people, and report this person for not paying. (This was in a semi-public, staff-run forum specifically made for things like payment feedback and scammer alerts. Turns out the person I'd been exchanging messages with had their name put on the scammers list by another user only the day before, though it was unrelated to art.) Jan 16: The person finally gets back to me and agrees to pay, claiming that they were intending to cycle through the tattoos. The finished their message with a sarcastic "Thanks for reporting me!"

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They did in fact pay me after that, which I must say I'm still kicking myself over the fact that I accidentally gave them the wrong price and did that commission for dirt instead of my usual price, but that's a tad beside the point. (I'd given them the wrong price from the start, so I have no intentions of changing it now.) I told them I'd address the issue once I'd cleared my head, which is true, but the trouble is is I'm still not entirely sure exactly how to address this. I realize I didn't give them a chance to redeem themselves since I posted about them immediately, so I've no way of knowing if they're being legitimate or just trying to cover their tail.

This is definitely something I want to handle differently in the future, but right now this is an issue. If I could make up my mind or whether or not I thought they were being legit this would be easy, but I don't want to continue on the line of possibly making false assumptions. I don't want to accuse the potentially innocent, and I don't want to clear my post and apologize to a potential scammer.

One final point I'd like to make, if a person disagrees with something posted about them in a scammers thread they are allowed a post to publicly dispute it. This person has not posted to dispute it, a point which stands out to me a tad. Though it could be due to ignorance of the rules or any number of reasons.

Do you guys have any advice on how to handle this from this point? What do you think of this person's actions?

From your story, and as a fellow freelancer, this user sounds like a scammer. especially since there was another user/freelancer reporting them :( The fact that this client requested art from another artist too [after they talked to you about it, and stuff, as well as paying that new artist BEFORE you] is also a red flag in my book. I think that if the client was 100% truthful and honest would have paid both of you at the same time at the very least - it's not YOUR concern they don't have money. if they don't have money they shouldn't commission people.

I don't know that site or how it works, but on the sites I have accounts on, we're supposed to have contracts/orders with the clients and active milestones or to record our working hours to ensure we get paid. [contracts/ orders/ milestones/ time tracker are recorded in the platform]

Since this client paid you in the end, just leave things as they are - i think it's for the best. should you apologize, and they actually are a scammer, they'll think they can actually play you in the future. :( I say better be safe than sorry in the future.

Just make sure there is a way for future commissions to somehow be recoded on the platform/ site to give yourself more protection against a future/ possible scam attempt. one way to do so is to screen capture the conversations, for instance if the site doesn't have the option i'm talking about [though it should]. and it doesn't matter how much or little you['ll] charge - it would still be your work and money involved.

sorry if i sound rough, i dislike sugar-coating things. u.u

It doesn't sound rough, and I greatly appreciate you posting this. I've gotten a few opinions from around but more than anything I was hoping to get input from someone more experienced in freelance, and you've given me just that.

The site all of this took place on was another game site, so it doesn't include features like you've described. The interactions have been done through mail, and I have not saved these exchanges to my computer I have absolutely been keeping the mails themselves.

As for the repercussions of them getting off of the hook if they are in fact a scammer, that's exactly what's been on my mind. Less so how it would effect me though (although I'm glad you pointed that out), and more in terms of how it could then send the scammer a signal that they could get away with this kind of behaviour. I don't want them going off and doing the same thing to other people, if this is what it looks like and I can help stop it I'd rather do so.

Thank you again for your input.

oh, it was a game site, then yes, i would assume it doesn't have those features. i know exactly what you mean by you wanting to stop them from trying to scam other users. you could go back to that forum you mentioned, and say you got paid, and that you only reported the client because of those red flags. this way you won't be seen as a total a-hole should the client ever say they paid you and that i was unfair of you to report them. ;)

Thank you again! I will definitely do that. ^^

i'm glad i could help :)