Short answer: VGen supports two ways to take commissions: Custom Proposal commissions and Instant Orders. Both run through your services and artist dashboard. The main difference is how clients pay and how much back-and-forth there is before work starts.
1. Set up your services
Everything begins with your commission menu.
- Add services that showcase your skills and clearly outline what you offer.
- Set examples, pricing ranges, and expectations so clients know what they are requesting.
- Choose whether each service is:
- a Custom Proposal service, or
- an Instant Order service.
You can edit existing services or create new ones for either type.
2. Custom Proposal commissions
Custom Proposal services are ideal for more complex, tailored work where you want to review details, adjust pricing, or discuss scope before payment.
How Custom Proposal commissions work
- Clients send a request.
Requests for OPEN and WAITLIST services appear in your queue. You can review, accept, or decline in whatever order works for you. - You accept by sending a proposal.
Review the request details, then send a proposal that includes scope, timeline, and pricing. You can set payments as full upfront or split into multiple milestones. The client pays to accept the proposal. - Mark as WIP when you start.
When you begin working, mark the commission as Work in Progress. The client automatically receives an email letting them know to watch for updates. - Complete and review.
When you deliver the final work and mark it complete, both you and the client can leave reviews for each other.
3. Instant Orders
Instant Orders are designed for simpler work or straightforward commissions that do not need a lot of back-and-forth. Clients see the price and timeline up front, pay immediately, and are added directly to your queue.
How Instant Orders work for artists
- Edit an existing service into an Instant Order, or create a new one.
- Set a fixed price for the service.
- Set a fixed timeline, which is calculated dynamically based on when the client submits the request.
- Use add-ons and sales taxes as needed.
- Once the client pays, their order is added directly to your queue.
Important: Instant Orders are best used when you are truly first-come-first-served and not selective. Since payments are processed immediately, cancelling an Instant Order requires a full refund.
How Instant Orders work for clients
- Clients see the exact price and estimated timeline before they submit their request.
- When they pay, their slot is instantly confirmed and added to your queue.
- They can use search filters to find services that are Instant Order versus Custom Proposal.
Summary
- Use Custom Proposal services when you need flexibility, discussion, and scope adjustments before payment.
- Use Instant Orders when the service is simple, standardized, and you are comfortable with first-come-first-served and upfront payment.
- In both cases, everything runs through your VGen dashboard, so your queue stays organized and your clients have clear expectations.