Standard Policies for Shops on Handmade Venues

Below are the standard Policies for my Shops on Handmade venues. These Policies typically also apply to my services as well. My Zibbet Shop | My Etsy Shop |  


WELCOME
Thanks for your interest in my work and in Bent Realm Studios.

♥ I absolutely love working on art (& writing). Creativity fuels me and keeps me sane. I hope you love your purchase as much as I loved making it.

Customer satisfaction means a great deal to me.
I will do my best to address any issues.

With custom orders & commissions - I do what I can to ensure that you are satisfied with your custom piece before I ship (or email, if digital).

If you have any issues or need assistance you may contact me on here.

Or check out my contact page for alternate contact methods: http://www.bentrealm.com/help/contact.html

International Shipping is gradually becoming available :)

SHIPPING INFORMATION

- I package your items as carefully & safely as I can, handling all items with care.
- Some packaging may be re-used, when clean, for the sake of the environment.
- I ship to the address PayPal provides me. Please be sure your address is current & accurate. Digital items – delivered via email to the email address provided during checkout, be sure it’s accurate & valid.
- Items do not ship until payment is received in full, including the cost of any upgrade you have specially requested.
- Request any Shipping Upgrades before making payment. The upgrades have additional fees which the buyer is responsible for. Upgrade Examples- Priority Mail, Express Mail, confirmation, tracking, etc.
- In some instances, the shipping charge may also cover some basic insurance &/or confirmation.

================= DIGITAL ITEMS =================
• Delivered via email to the email address provided during checkout. Be sure it is current & valid.
• Non-Custom Digital– Typically emailed out in less than 48 hours of receiving payment. It’s best to order several days in advance of when you need it in case a re-send is needed.
• Custom Digital - Typically emailed out in less than 48 hours of completion. Work on custom items begins after payment is received. Please allow 3-10 weeks for most custom items.
• Digital items are available internationally, be sure the item complies with your local laws before ordering.
• Ensure your item goes to your inbox - add christina@bentrealm.com to your contacts (whitelist it). Please check your spam box if you do not find it in your inbox, if it's not there either then contact me and I will be more than happy to re-send it.

=================== NON-DIGITAL ITEMS: ===================
• I ship USPS, usually First Class mail. See above about upgrades.
• Once an item leaves my hands, I hope the post office gets it to you quickly; since it's run by humans and machines delays can happen, so please be patient with the post office.
• I hope that the post office treats your item with the care that I would, but strange things do sometimes happen to packages in transit. If something does happen to your item while in the care of the postal service, please contact me as soon as possible.
• All non-digital art, hand-made items and custom orders available here are the originals, and therefore irreplaceable.

======================== INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING ========================
-- As items become eligible for shipping internationally:
• Please note that international buyers (buyers outside the US) are responsible for any taxes, fees, tariffs, customs, duties or any other import charges that may apply.
• Please, be certain what you are trying to purchase complies with your country’s laws prior to purchase. If I discover that the item you have ordered is not eligible to be shipped to your country – then your order will be canceled and if you have paid, your money refunded (in the appropriate manner).
• Hopefully customs treats your package with the respect, care and quickness that I would. If customs does cause delays, I apologize; I have no control or say over what customs does with your items, or delays they may cause. Be sure to let me know if something is amiss, and I will see what can be done.
• Items purchased from me, or any other seller, absolutely are not eligible to be marked as a gift on customs forms.

================= SHIPPING DAY =================
• I ship on Thursdays currently. Sorry but it’s the only day I have a ride to the post office. Hopefully, someone will teach me how to drive at some point.
• Orders must be placed and paid for by Wednesday, 5pm US central time, to ensure making this Thursday's shipping.
• Non-custom, non-digital items will be shipped the first Thursday after payment is received.
• If your non-digital non-custom item still has not arrived 14 days after the applicable shipping Thursday, please contact me and let me know.

=============== CUSTOM ITEMS: ================
• Custom Items ship on the 1st Thursday after it’s completed.
• Depending on the complexity of the item, and a few other variables, some custom items are completed much quicker than others.
• Please allow 3 - 10 weeks for completion and delivery of most custom items.
• If you need a custom item by a specific date let me know so that I can be aware of that. If that date is less than 5 weeks away, you should check with me before purchase so I can be sure my schedule will allow for that.
================================
You can check out my Best Bet Shipping Guides for holiday ordering, etc.
Seasonal Shipping Details - http://info.bentrealm.com/search/label/seasonal%20shipping%20details
===================================

REFUNDS, RETURNS AND EXCHANGES

Please contact me right away if there is an issue & I will see what CAN be done.

I am not able to take Returns, Exchanges nor give Refunds from this shop, in general.
• All sales are final.
• Due to the nature of what is sold in this shop (digital items, custom items, irreplaceable originals and one of a kind items, etc.).
• I do my best to ensure all orders, including custom orders, are properly done/handled prior to shipping.
Exceptions: - POSTAL INSURANCE REFUNDS: Any item I am able to obtain Insurance for, may be eligible to receive a partial or full (minus the shipping costs) refund through the post office for items damaged or lost during shipping, contact me for additional details if you need to do that. You will need to follow up on that right away. The postal insurance may or may not cover other incidents.
- OVERCHARGED SHIPPING: If I find I have overcharged you by more than $1 for the total shipping costs (including insurance and/or upgraded shipping costs), I will refund the difference, shortly after returning from the post office.
-INELIGIBLE TO SHIP TO YOUR COUNTRY: Please, be certain what you are trying to purchase complies with your country’s laws prior to purchase. If I discover that the item you have ordered is not eligible to be shipped to your country – then your order will be canceled and if you have paid, your money refunded (in the appropriate manner).

EXTRA INFORMATION

My official Website www.bentrealm.com
* For more information and additional Help http://www.bentrealm.com/help.html
* To Contact me through my website - http://www.bentrealm.com/help/contact.html
* Check out my other Shops http://www.bentrealm.com/shop/shop0.html
• COPYRIGHT: All art sold in this shop is under my Copyright. When you purchase something from this shop, you are only purchasing the original piece or a digital copy or a piece of custom artwork - NOT the rights to it. The copyright remains mine, all rights reserved. Some limited licenses for use are available for certain items (usually digital), they will be basically outlined in the item listing, and may include a read me file with purchase as appropriate.
• FRAMES: are NOT included with artwork purchase unless otherwise noted in the item listing.
• My home (where I make everything) is a Smoke-Free, Pet-Free environment.
• Please be aware that all work is currently done by only one caring human of limited resources.
• Policies are subject to change.
• I reserve the right to make exceptions to my Policies as I see fit. This will only be done for a customer under special circumstances.
• At present, TAXES are the responsibility of the buyer. I will have taxes supported for Illinois at my earliest opportunity.
--- I make available Prints and other Merchandise Featuring my Art at http://www.zazzle.com/bentrealm?rf=238115539284778213

Last Updated- Sat Feb 19, 2011 5:30 AM CST

Terms of Use for Photo to Art Manipulation Service

There is important information within these terms about: your responsibilities concerning copyright of the photo you submit, what merchandising is done with my resulting artwork, my copyrights, and much more.

All services have specific policies and terms of use. I will make them available here in boring detail. Some of these things might be pretty obvious to most, and some not so much. They are my standard sorts of things that I would rather not waste anyone’s time explaining during the ordering process or any other stage of a project .

This service is slightly more complicated terms-wise than say basic custom illustration art  due to inclusion of photos. A write-up of general terms for services, applicable to all services, will be written later, at which time this will be pared down to Photo to Art specific items.   Deep breath and bear with me, here it goes.

Photo to Art Manipulation Service

Basic Terms & Policies:

• All prices are subject to change. Policies are subject to change. This service may be discontinued at any time.
• Do not use this service if you do not understand and/or agree with these terms. Do not use this service if you are not legally allowed to enter a terms of use contract. You must abide by these terms to use this service.
• Payment must be made before I begin the piece. Some people may qualify for payment plans and/or alternate payment methods, so feel free to ask if you are family, friend, or repeat customer. If Payment Plan arrangements are made the finished work will be sent to you once the final payment is made, and approval steps will occur between payments.
• Some of these terms are specifically for the Photo to Art Service, and may or may not apply to other services.
• This service is available to be delivered internationally via email, except where this service or any of these terms conflict with any laws where you are. It is your responsibility to be aware of any such laws, and you indemnify me from any legal liabilities that may result from your failure to adhere to the laws of your country or mine. Only submit your photo to & use this service if you are sure it does not violate any laws where you are, or in the United States where I am.
• The ordering process for sales specials for this service are slightly different. Sales prices are only valid for 48 hours after the initial order invoice is sent to the deeply valued customer, if the sales dates are expired. Prompt payment assures your spot in line.
• You must be the copyright owner of the photo, or have written permission from the copyright owner to use the photo for this service. If your photo was taken by a photographer (by profession or by hobby) they are the copyright owner in most cases. If the photo is of someone who is not you, a “model release” form may be needed. So select your photo carefully.
• You are entirely responsible for the photo you use for this service, if you do not have the right to use the photo then do not submit it.
• If any legal action is taken over the photo you submit to this service, you will be solely liable for any resulting damages, legal fees and court costs, and any other legal  ramifications, as you indemnify me from that by using the service. By accepting your project I am placing trust in you to be on the up and up. 
• If you submit a photo to this service you are explicitly asserting that you have all the legal rights necessary to use the photo for this service and to use this service, and you are consenting to allow me to sell merchandise featuring the artwork resulting from use of the photo without royalties or compensation for the photo. Submission of the photo for use in this service means you have read understand and agree to all the terms of use for this service.

 

• I retain all copyrights to the resulting artwork. You are only purchasing the  custom artwork, not the copyrights, for personal use only.
• I can and will display the completed art in my portfolios and as samples of my work. If you want your commission kept out of my public portfolios and online samples, if you want it kept more private you must explicitly say so; additional cost will apply, since the portfolios are what get me additional work. I may still show the art to people I know and trust.
• I can and probably will make the resulting artwork available for sale on merchandise including but not limited to - posters, prints, canvases, cards, t-shirts, etc. These will be available largely as a convenience to you so you may purchase such things whenever you randomly decide you want one.
• If I choose to make the resulting artwork available on merchandise it will also be available for general public to purchase as well, through my main merchandise shop, in most cases. If you specifically want it available for purchase on items like t-shirts, posters, prints and more, please be sure to let me know and I will do what can to ensure it is available on what you’ve specified.
• If you do not wish the Photo to Art Manipulation you have commissioned to be made so publically available on merchandise, there are a few options:
  • Let me know, while I’m making it, and I will keep it in a commission pick-up shop, rather than my main shops. This will drastically reduce the amount of traffic that will have chances to buy it. As the commission pick up shops will not be promoted much, the items will have less tags,  and warnings will be posted in the shop that the items in the shop are special orders and the customer prefers only people who have been invited to buy to purchase items in this shop or no one else purchase these items.
  • If you don’t want the photo to art publicly available on merchandise, you must specifically and explicitly say so in an email during the ordering process or at any other point before I give you the finished art. I would prefer to make it available on merchandise at the time it’s completed rather than later or rather than not at all.
  • You can change your mind one way or the other at any point, but you must have your order number when you tell me, for verification purposes. Just remember that while it’s in a shop it could be purchased.
  • If you opt to not have the item available in any merchandise shop, main, pick-up or other, but still want to buy something with the artwork on it for yourself, arrangements can be made, but it will likely cost more than simply having it available in a shop, and I will only do this under special circumstances.

 

• If you want to in anyway use your commissioned photo to art piece for some sort of business related thing you must contact me and ask about it, some uses may be allowed but they are pretty specific and dependent on multiple factors. Some situations may even require a licensing fee.
• Be sure to let me know quickly if there are any problems with your order. I care greatly, and will see what I can do. [to view policies on returns, refunds, exchanges etc. click here]
• I  reserve the right to refuse service for any reason. If I have refused your order the most likely reasons would be –
  • Extra high order volume
  • I do not feel I can complete your order due to things like time constraints, or the item requested is in some way beyond my means to produce.
  • Circumstances beyond my control such as – illness, tragedy, loss of operable equipment and supplies, etc.

 

Purchasing this service as a Gift

• If you wish to purchase this service as a gift for someone else, be sure to mention that and who it’s for to me while ordering.
• Be sure it will not infringe anyone else’s copyright.
• Be sure they will be comfortable with this sort of gift.
• Be sure to order plenty of time in advance if you want it for a special occasion like a birthday or other holiday.
• I will automatically place the gifts related merchandise options in the commission pick-up shop in case the giftee may not want it available more publicly. Either you or the giftee must give me further instructions after the gift is given as to whether it is ok with the giftee for it to be more publicly available. If you or the giftee want to direct other people to purchase or view it, you may do so, as long as your item is in either the main shops or it’s not in the pick up shop set up for those who don’t want anybody else buying it.

This topic may be organized further later. And more details may be added to flesh out some of these items, either within this entry or in a separate topic with links added as they become available.

[Last Updated – 7/3/2010]

Return to:  Photo to Art  - Learn More | Policies menu | Photo to Art on Sale

Price Guide: Photo to Art Manipulations

This is a basic price guide for my Photo to Art Manipulations service.

Simple Background	$25
Mid Level Detail Background	$35
Small, Detailed Background	$45
Medium, Detailed Background	$65
Large, Detailed Background	$75

Prices good through September 2010, at which time I’ll re-evaluate and adjust this guide if necessary.

Please remember this is only a guide. Extras, complexity of order, additional subject figures, and a few other things may affect price. I may put any of these sale or include in a bundle package at any time.

Prices on this service are determined mostly by level of detail and size of background. Remember this is an entirely digital service.

Simple Background, Mid Level Detail Background, and Small, Detailed Background are all the same size of Background. In most cases those are the same size as the background of the photo submitted for manipulation, unless the subject/figure in the photo fills the shot and mid level detail or small,detailed is ordered in which case a bit of space will be placed around it for the background type ordered.

The Medium, Detailed Background and Large Detailed Background commission will have an appropriate amount of background space inserted, both will have detailed backgrounds.

Background sizes larger than large by special request only.  Extras are available on this service.

Check Current Specials to see if any of these are on sale right now.

Price Guide Menu | Learn More -Photo to Art Manipulations | Services |

Price Guide Menu

Here’s a handy little menu to price guides for my services.
Please remember this is only a guide, things like extras, complexity of order, additional subject figures and such may affect price.

Custom Art Services -

• Photo to Art Manipulations

More price guides will be added to this menu as they become available.
[Last Updated – 7/3/2010]

Photo to Art Manipulations

Services | Current Specials
Photo to Art Manipulation -
Samples | Prices | Extras

What is a Photo to Art Manipulation?
Photo to Art Manipulation is where I take a photo and turn it into art using photoshop. I will take your photo and turn you into your choice of creature, I will always go for making it a beautiful version of that creature type, due to me being a Libra, if you want something hideous and ugly be real specific and detailed about that since my natural inclination is to find beauty and draw it forward even with gnarly zombies. You choose from a few other custom options as well.
Various background options are available. Various Extras can also be purchased in conjunction with this service.

Choices in “creature”-

• Alien
• Angel
• Asian – Inspired
• Cyborg
• Demon type
• Faerie
• Harlequin
• Mermaid
• Monster
• Vampire
• Witch
• Wizards
• Zombie
• Make a different request
• Ask me to pretty please choose for you

Choose a style-

• Fantasy
• Sci-Fi
• Horror
• Paranormal
• Gothic
• Steampunk
• Cyberpunk
• Sword & Sorcery
• Oriental & Asian influenced
• Hybrid stuff, some kind of combination of two different types
• Something far more traditional like
• Ignore this custom enhancement option and just pick your creature
• Make a different request
• Ask me to pretty please choose for you

Choose your Background-
What sizes and detail levels are available on backgrounds are listed in the price guide.
Ideas for Detailed backgrounds may be outlined later in a separate help topic.

Additional specifications-

• What are two colors you love? (I will do what I can to favor these colors in the piece)
• What color do you hate most? (I will use little or none of this color)
• If you have very specific ideas about what direction you want this art to go in outline them in detail and I will go to them as best as humanly possible. Then drop your expectations and stop imagining how it will turn out, this is art not a device that can extract the exact image directly out of your head via a disturbing marriage of psychic voodoo powers and alien technology and replicate it in physical or digital form. My psychic powers are sporadic and rarely involve imaging, and my alien technology is nil, at least as far as I’ve been told.

Guidelines for selecting the Photo to use:

• No blurry photos
• The better the quality and clarity of the photo the better the results possible.
• A photo with your entire head in it is best.
• Be sure it will not infringe anyone’s copyrights for more info on that read the terms (link near bottom)
• Full body shots are less than ideal, causes the face to be low on detail…
• Mid-torso and up, or shoulders and up, full head in shot works best. Part of the top of the head can be cut off if it won’t interfere with the background and so long as you don’t expect me to fill in the missing part of the head.

Things to keep in mind for this service:

• Photo to Art Manipulations are entirely digital.
• Remember the result will look like artwork, this is not remotely intended to yield photo realistic results. Any backgrounds will be removed and replaced with digitally rendered art backgrounds; or if you prefer me to build on the background already in the shot for your background - it will be worked into art, if you have ordered a comparable background type.
• The finished art will be delivered via email. If the file size is large, it will be zipped and you will need to be able to unzip it. Newer computers automatically include the software for unpacking zip files, since it is now a standard need.
• Merchandise, such as posters prints t-shirts mugs and more, with the art on it is will be made available for purchase, none of that is included in the price. Read the terms for more details about how that works.
• This digital service is available internationally, see below policies for additional info.
• If you would like your finished Photo to Art Manipulation placed on a disc and mailed to you, it will cost extra for the disc and the shipping. This option is only available within the United States.
• If you submit a low resolution photo do not expect a high res (high res as in high def) result on the photo itself. Upping the resolution is in most cases not all that possible. I have picked up a few tricks but they are not ideal solutions. If your photo looks low quality when posted to say Facebook, for example, then it will be more difficult for me to work higher quality results out of it. 
• Standard Policy Info & Terms of Use
  
  
  • Please read the Policies and Terms of Use for this service, it talks about things like how you must have the right to use the photo you submit, how merchandising works, how I retain the copyrights to my artwork and other important things. Your use of this service indicates that you have read, understood, and agree to the terms. Click here to read Terms for this service.

--This topic will be updated as needed. As always further links will be added as they become available.
[Last Updated: 7/3/2010]