Why don't you offer Normal, direct commissions Instead of Auctions or Patreon requests?

I was asked this twice today and I can't make a complete, short answer, so I'm making a post.

tl;dr:
I don't really like doing normal direct commissions. I devised many methods throughout the years, but Patreon Requests + Auctions is what suits me the most so far.

(EDIT: forgot to mention, I've been working on this for more than a decade. So it's not just a thing decided on a whim)

(EDIT 2: Patreon Requests already filled up until maybe mid-next year. So those are currently closed too. )

(EDIT 3: Patreon Requests closed for good, but opened Pixiv requests (wing-its), which is the closer I can offer to doing commissions. You gotta play by the rules though. Read More here: https://t.ly/Ah3t )

Long answer:

I stopped doing commissions because there was always an unending demand, it was hard to manage them and keep a good balance between my own time and customer satisfaction ( My customers were all great though, gotta clarify that!).

I'm aware most artists do commissions normally, but it's just not my thing. I used to open only a few slots to ensure everyone getting their piece in time, switched between 12 AM and PM to give chances to other timezones, made turn systems to distribute slots, etc., but there were still many troubles.  All slots getting grabbed within 2 minutes, people feeling left out because of timezones, turns messing up my schedule... but in the end, I realized I wasn't fully comfortable working that way.

I try to finish my drawings on 1 or 2 days max. So, for normal commissions, the back and forth emails for changes and revisions are just inconvenient to me. Adding up all the time I had to spent managing turns, planning sales, making sure it was "fair" for everyone, made me realize that I'd rather not do direct commissions at all. I'd rather spend that time drawing more.

Still, many awesome fans wanted a way for me to receive cash so they receive hentai, so I had to try new methods, looking for a way to make it good for me and the customers simultaneously. Last year, I FINALLY reached a point where both my customers and myself are satisfied! . It involves Patreon though, which I'm sure will bring some animosity on some people, but it just makes all work much better, and it also works as a reward for fans that have been supporting me for years.

What I do nowadays are wing-it requests for high tier supporters. This is the most commission-like thing I do, it's still a pretty complex system but so far it has been the easiest to manage with the best results for everyone.

On the Request tier there are only 25 slots, they're all currently taken, and people have to wait for 5~ months for their work to be completed. It makes it a breeze for me to manage, and I can work at my own pace because people already have their slot secured, scheduled and paid. On the other hand, these are cheaper than what I did before closing commissions for good, they are paid through the patreon pledge itself, and so far they've all received it within schedule (not that I ever been late with a drawing, modesty aside).
(Update: I'm currently late with the requests. Seems like 25 unrestricted slots was still too much).

I know many would think "Ok but why can't I just paypal you some money to get my wing-it commission then?"; but that would just get me back to the beginning. People will demand more slots to be opened, they will get upset when there's few slots, if I open many slots the wait would be too long (and I hate having long lists of work to do too), if I raise the prices some will complain, and slots will get filled anyway so there would be complains about that, I'll have to use more time managing all that to make it fair... so yeah, in the end I'd stop doing commissions again. Patreon requests work great, and more slots might open in the future.

Now, many would now think "Ok but why can't I just offer MORE MONEY so I can get the exclusive right to get a commission?"; but that would be YCH auctions! It's another system that works for me.

Someone proposed doing raffles, but Patreon forbids those because of gambling laws, and I wouldn't do free raffles because working for free wouldn't be fair to me. Maybe I could do those on Fanbox? I'll consider that.

To finish up, I've known of some artists that burnout often due to excess work, or have huge delays with their commissioned work, or stop enjoying drawing because it becomes just a job. So far I've avoided all this by balancing everything up, so please excuse my selfishness, but I want to keep drawing in a way that makes me happy, first and foremost. I believe this way of doing things produces the best results.

Well, I wish I had the gift of Brevity to explain myself better. I guess that's why I draw for a living instead of writing!

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