We at limebarb.com strive to provide the highest quailty costumes at affordable prices. To ensure the highest level of service we require all customers to read and agree to the following guidelines. Receipt of payment from you, the customer, automatically signifies your agreement to the following terms:

1. Deadlines and turnaround times
We require a MINIMUM of 8 WEEKS to construct a costume. That means 8 weeks AFTER payment for your costume! Please plan ahead! For more complicated costumes or during peak seasons (Spring and Summer) we may require more time, which we will tell you upon giving you a quote. Please check our availabilty chart. We recommend you ordering your costume as early as possible, because more time means a better costume!


When you order, we require a deadline for when you need that outfit. If we accept your order then we agree to ship on or before that date. When your order is paid you go into a queue behind others that have paid before you. We try to get out orders as fast as possible. You may have your outfit in your hand a week after paying if we are ahead of shedule. But in the busy con-season rush, costumes can arrive mere days before a con is scheduled to begin. To avoid this, we encourage everyone to set their deadlines a week or two before the con (especially if you are travelling there.)


If you fail to provide us with a specific date, giving us instead a vague deadline or the name of a convention, we will assume that you can receive the costume up to 1 day before the convention you specified. We are not responsible for people's shifting deadlines, flighty decisions, or forgetful scheduling.


2. Customers must supply accurate measurements and clear reference pictures
We pride ourselves on our work. We rely on you to supply us with good reference pictures for your costume. Failure to submit clear pictures may result in some details being lost.


DO NOT send pictures of other cosplayers. We can only be sure of the specific details of a costume through looking at pictures of the actual character. Plus it's rude to ask a costume designer to make you a knock-off version of someone else's outfit, and sending a picture of someone else's costume also suggests that you think we can't see the details of an outfit for ourselves.

Custom-made clothing means that it's made to fit you. Part of having the right fit is supplying accurate measurements! We have a guide available for you of exactly what measurements we need and tips on how to take them properly. And don't worry, nobody is a perfect size, and your information remains private. If you have any questions feel free to ask us!


In an ideal situation, we would would love to have you in our studio, so we could do the fittings directly on you! Unfortunately that isn't always possible, especially if you're in another state or even another country. Even the best patternmakers in the fashion industry wind up making alterations to their mathematically perfect pattern to fit to a real human form. Thus, long-distance tailoring can be tricky! If time allows, we offer one free alteration to your garment. Simply ship it back to us within 30 days of receiving it and we will alter it to your specifications. Please contact us beforehand as this is done at our discretion. If you need it altered twice, there's probably something wrong on your end. ^_^ In this scenario, it's best for you to take your costume to a tailor or dry cleaner and have it altered there, where you can receive in-person attention.


3. We do NOT accept returns
Custom-made costumes are made specifically for the individual ordering them, so no two people will be able to wear the same costume. For that reason, we do not accept returns. We do not have stock like a department store, so you should be very certain of what you wish to commission before you pay.

We understand that there occasionally may be exceptions which require a refund or compensation.
Here are exceptions to the rule:

a. If your costume arrives damaged or defective-
Please send us an e-mail immediately so we may assess the situation and set up an exchange or alteration with you. All merchandise, whether defective or damaged, must be returned for exchange within 30 days of receipt.

Please note that all exchanges are accepted at our discretion.

If it's an error of ours we are always willing to fix it for free! If it's a fitting issue that we know isn't our fault, we will typically fix it for free or a small fee depending on how large of a project the alteration is. Please be aware that we use pattern drafting software to minimize fitting issues, so if the fit is off you should re-take your measurements to send along with the returned item.

b. If we miss our promised convention/deadline-
...and you have paid at least 8 weeks in advance (or the payment due date that was assigned to your order), or have paid properly according to your payment plan please contact us ASAP so we can discuss compensation. We are willing to work with the individual and what is good for them. This can range from a percentage back, free costumes of various values, or sometimes a refund with the return of the costume depending on the specific situation.

If the costume does not arrive in time for your convention and it is for a reason unrelated to us (the mail has not delivered within their guaranteed time, a lost package, terrorist scare slowing down the mail, giant gorilla eating all the post offices, etc.) we are not responsible for compensation. However, you should still contact us because we may be able to do something in terms of a small compensation or a discount off a future outfit. (Again, the range of compensation again depends on the situation.) This is of course something we are not responsible for but because we love our customers we are always willing to go the extra mile to help you out. :)

b. If the customer is not being a good customer -
Then we have no obligation to refund/compensate in any form. This almost exclusively means a customer engaging in slanderous behavior against limebarb.com. If the customer has expressed themselves to others or in a public forum in a slanderous way (especially in the case of them not contacting us when they have had a problem) then we have no obligation to help them because they have not conducted themselves in a mature manner.

A business has an obligation to provide their customer with good service and a good product - but a customer also has an obligation to be a good customer and deal with any complaints in a businesslike manner. This doesnt mean we ban you from complaining if you really have a valid complaint, but if you have voiced your complaint in a severly negative manner, neglected to mention the otherwise attentive customer service we have given, or expressed exaggerated frustration or an exaggerated situation, then we do not have any obligation from that point on to continue to give you our good service.

If you contact us with your problems soon after they happen then majority of the time we are more than happy to help out, give a little extra, go the extra mile for you even in a situation where we have no real obligation to - just because we thrive on making you happy. :) So should you have an issue then really, there should never even ever be a need to speak ill of us because we are here for you! :)

 

4. Costume competition
No commission by limebarb.com should ever be entered into any competition for construction judging. This is because a construction award is given to people who have done the construction themselves.

We do allow you to enter a competition if you are competing for a skit award. If you are entering with a group of people who would like to be judged for construction you are REQUIRED to inform that judges that your outfit is a commission so that they may exlude you from the costruction judging.

On this same subject, please be fair and dont fib to anyone about your costume! :3 If someone claims to have made an outfit we made it usually gets back to us, and we will refuse any other commssion work from them.

 

5. Quality standards and our right to refuse
We reserve the right to refuse your business or cancel your order at any time, should we feel that the commission is going to conflict with our standards of quaility.

Please know ahead of time that we always strive to bring you the most accurate costume we can, but that there might be some differences between fabric choices and small details from costume to costume depending on availablity of fabrics and access to better references. This means you may get something that varies slightly from an example that is already in the gallery.

Also, please don't have unrealistic expectations for your outfit. A large sword will be heavy, a fursuit will be hot, a large wig will probably give you a headache at the end of the day, etc. :) Just know that if you get a really big, bulky or elaborate costume it will take you some time to get into, and will be tiring to wear throughout the day. Think back to school dances, and family celebrations where you had to wear a nice dress and heels or a suit, and how at the end of the day, you were sick of wearing it because it was more constricting than your everyday clothing. There is really no way around this, it's just the nature of clothing! There is a reason why we bring pain killers to every con. :) That said, we will not change the design of a costume to the point of inaccuracy just to make it more comfortable - just think ahead about what you're getting. ^^

We offer high quaility costumes, not your typical cheap-o Halloween outfit. Our prices reflect that. If you're looking for a $50 costume made in a week you won't find it here! We don't offer 'bargain-bin' costumes. We understand that not everyone can afford the most expensive costumes and we are willing to try to work with you to achieve a cheaper price, which is why we offer standard and deluxe price levels on many costumes, as well as itemized quotes. Howver, we will NOT lower our standards to make our costumes more accessible.


6. Our shipping methods

Within the United States
We ship all packages within the United States via U.S. Priority Mail. Packages typically take 2-4 business days to arrive. We will provide delivery confirmation numbers for each package. Please let us know if you want to insure your packages, as it costs extra. Shipping within the U.S.A. starts at $10 and rises with the weight of the package.
International
We ship international orders using U.S. Postal Service Global Priority. They typically take 4-8 business days to arrive. You will be provided with the customs number for each package. Please let us know if you want to insure your packages, as it costs extra. Shipping international packages starts at $20 and rises with the weight of the package.

 

7. Payment methods
We prefer to be paid through Paypal. Paypal is the most trusted internet money agency, and it's the safest and fastest way to deliver your payment. Please do NOT send us your credit card info through e-mail! Our Paypal payment e-mail address will be sent to you along with the other payment information.

We also accept money orders and personal checks through the mail. Our mailing address is provided to you when you confirm an order with us. We can accept cash, but at your own risk! We do not recommend it, and we will not be held responsible for money lost in the mail.

We understand that not everyone can pay for an entire costume in one payment. We do allow customers to pay in installments for orders over $300. The guidelines for payment plans are as follows:

For orders $300-$999:

1. You must pay at least 1/4 of the total amount as your first payment. After that, installment amounts and the frequency of installments are up to you.
2. You must have all payments in at least 4 WEEKS before your due date. Failure to do so voids your due date.
3. You cannot cancel a payment plan costume once it has been ordered. You will NOT recieve a refund should you decide mid-way through payment you no longer want the outfit.

For orders $1000+:

1. You must pay at least 1/4 of the total amount as your first payment. After that, installment amounts and the frequency of installments are up to you.
2. You must have HALF of your balance paid off at the halfway point between when you pay your first installment and when your order is due. For example, if you make an initial payment on January 1st for an order totalling $1000 that is due on May 1st , you must have at least $500 paid by March 1st. We will let you know what your halfway point deadline is when we process your initial payment.
3. You must have all payments in at least 4 WEEKS before your due date. Failure to do so voids your due date.
4. You cannot cancel a payment plan costume once it has been ordered. You will NOT recieve a refund should you decide at any point during the payment plan should you no longer want the outfit.

8. Late payments and unresponsive customers

Occasionally a customer on a payment plan may find that they can not get all of their payments in by the deadlines assigned to their order. If that's the case, contact us as soon as possible and we will work out a new deadline and payment plan with you! We understand that sometimes things things happen in life that are beyond our control, and as long as you contact us ahead of time we will be happy to push back your order. The sooner you contact us about a problem with future payments the better, as it will provide you with more choices of a revised due date. If a customer finishes their payments late without contacting us first to discuss the situation we reserve the right to push back delivery to whatever our next available date is.

If a customer only pays for a part of their order and doesn't contact us by their payment deadline to push back the order, we will allow them four months from that date to contact us and set up a new deadline and payment plan. If we receive no contact during that period we reserve the right to try to sell the costume through our pre-made store or ebay. Once the costume has sold, the customer will receive a percentage of the total we sell it for, based on whatever percentage they have paid. Bear in mind that the costume(s) will probably NOT sell for as high as the original price in our pre-made store or on ebay, because they will be custom-made to your measurements and not those of the inviduals purchasing them from the pre-made store or ebay. For that reason the amount you get back will NOT necessarily be the same amount you paid. Instead it will be a percentage based on whatever percentage of your total you paid, and however much we are able to sell it for.

For example: Jon Doe orders a costume from us with a total of $800, and only pays 50% ($400) of the total. His deadline comes and goes. Over the following four months he does not contact us. We then place the costume for sale on ebay, where it sells for $600. As soon as we receive payment for the costume from the ebay customer we send John 50% of the selling price, which would be $300 in this case.

Please note that these percentage-based refunds are only given after a costume has sold, and the timeframe in which we put the costume(s) up for sale us at our discretion and may not immediately follow the four month window. The refunds are issued either by check or Paypal, depending on how you paid.

9. Photographs

We take pictures of each order before we mail them out. It's important for us to have documentation of our work, and more pictures to fill our costume gallery. :) We try to take all pictures on the dress forms or appropriate mannequins, however if the outfit doesn't look right on a mannequin (for example: a tight-fitting bodysuit) we may take pictures of the outfit on a model. These are standard photographs against our white background, just to show the features of the costume. We would love to replace them in our gallery with pictures provided by you. ^_^