Custom clips: what you can and cannot commission
A custom is a clip that does not exist yet. You describe it, a performer agrees to film it, money changes hands, and some days later a file arrives that was made for one buyer. That is the whole product. Almost every complaint about customs comes from a brief that was never specific enough to be agreed to in the first place.
What a custom request actually is
You are not buying a video. You are booking someone's working hours, plus setup, plus filming, plus editing, plus the upload. A twelve-minute file is rarely twelve minutes of work. That gap is why customs cost what they cost, and why the price sounds high next to a store clip that a hundred people have already paid for.
It also means the performer is agreeing to a plan, not to a mood. If your idea is only half formed, the honest move is to spend some time in the public room first and watch how the person works — the rooms are free and open , and thirty minutes of watching will tell you more about what to ask for than any amount of rewriting the message.
-
The brief
One message. What happens, roughly how long, any wardrobe or framing that matters, and what you are prepared to pay. Short and specific beats long and vague every time.
-
The quote
The performer comes back with a price, a length and a rough date, or with a no. A counter-offer at this stage is normal. Haggling after the yes is not.
-
The delivery
Deposit up front, file sent when it is done, usually as a private download or a store listing only you can see. The clip is then yours to keep, exactly as delivered.
What performers will usually take on
The comfortable middle of custom work is narrower than most buyers assume, and it is almost entirely made of small variations on things the performer already does.
- Your name said out loud. The single most requested custom element, and the cheapest to add. It is also the one thing a store clip structurally cannot do.
- Specific wardrobe they already own. Anything hanging in the wardrobe is a small ask. Anything that has to be bought is a purchase you are funding, and the quote will say so.
- A scenario they already perform. Same act, different framing, different pacing, longer or shorter. Easy yes.
- A set length with no interruptions. Uninterrupted is one of the real selling points of a custom over a live show, where chat exists.
Everything on that list has a live equivalent that costs less and starts sooner. Before you commission your name into a file, it is worth knowing that someone will say it to you tonight for free in a public room, and say it again if you tip.
What gets declined, and why
Declines are not personal and they are usually not negotiable. There are four separate reasons, and only one of them has anything to do with you.
| Reason | What it looks like | Negotiable |
|---|---|---|
| Personal limits | "I don't film that" — a boundary set long before you asked | No |
| Platform rules | Content the store or its payment processors will not host | No |
| Third parties | Anything needing another person, who has to agree independently | Only by them |
| Economics | Hours of setup for a two-figure offer | Sometimes |
A no to a limit is final, and pushing it is how buyers get blocked. A no to a price is a different conversation, and a polite "what would make this workable" often gets an answer. The reply may well be that the idea is better suited to a live booking, which is something you can arrange from the room itself instead of waiting on a queue.
Deposits, prices and the awkward part
Money moves before the work exists, which is uncomfortable in both directions. The standard arrangement is a deposit of roughly half up front, with the rest paid on delivery. Some performers take the full amount first. Some take nothing until the file is ready, which is trust extended to you, not a policy you can demand.
Prices are set per job, not per minute, and they vary enormously with how established the performer is and how much setup the idea needs. Compare that with the rates you can see without asking anybody: public tips run 15–100 tokens, private shows run 6–90 tokens a minute, and tokens themselves land around $0.08–0.12 each depending on the bundle. A custom sits well above all of those, because it is an order rather than a purchase.
If you have never bought tokens at all, you do not need to start with a custom. Registering is free, it opens up chat, and most platforms hand new accounts a block of starter tokens, which is enough to tip a couple of times and find out whether you and this performer actually get on. Set that up before you commission anything — it is a cheap way to learn who is worth commissioning.
Turnaround, and what slows it down
Nothing about a custom is instant. A simple clip filmed in the same setup someone already streams from can land in a few days. Anything that needs a costume ordered, a different room, an edit with music, or a second performer's schedule to line up, stretches to weeks. Most delays are logistics, not disinterest.
Two habits keep a request moving. First, put the deadline in the original message if you have one, because "before the 20th" is answerable and "soon" is not. Second, do not chase before the agreed date. One polite check-in after the date has passed is reasonable and normal.
Meanwhile the performer is probably streaming several times a week anyway, so the wait is only a wait for the file. You can watch them live in the gap at no cost, which also lets you see whether the thing you ordered still sounds like what you want.
Writing a brief that gets a yes
- Lead with the budget. It sounds blunt and it saves everyone a day. A performer can tell instantly whether the idea fits the number.
- Name the length. Eight minutes and twenty-five minutes are different jobs at different prices, and "however long feels right" is a trap for both of you.
- Describe three things, not thirty. A shot list with forty beats reads as a job no one wants. Pick what actually matters and leave the rest to the performer.
- Say what is optional. Marking half your requests as nice-to-have turns a decline into a counter-offer.
- Ask once. Then wait. Repeat messages across every channel available do not speed anything up.
The case for booking a private instead
Most people who want a custom actually want attention aimed at them, and a custom is the slow, expensive way to get it. A private show is priced per minute, shown before it starts, happens today, and can change direction mid-way because you said something. A custom cannot be redirected once filming is done, and you will not see it for days.
There are real reasons to still want the file: you keep it, you can rewatch it, and it has no chat in it. Those are genuine. But if the appeal was "made for me", live does that better and sooner, and you can see the per-minute rate before you commit to a single minute . Try the live version of your idea once before ordering the recorded one. It frequently turns out to be the whole answer.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I actually send a custom request?
- Through the message box on the performer profile, or through whatever contact method the store page names. Send one message with the idea, the rough length and your budget in it. Do not send the same request three times across three channels — it reads as pressure, and pressure is the fastest way to get ignored.
- How long does a custom take?
- A few days to a few weeks, depending on how booked the performer is and how much setup your idea needs. Something filmed in the same room they already stream from is quick. Anything involving a location, a costume to order or a second person is not.
- Why would a performer decline my request?
- Because it crosses a limit they have already set, because it would get the file removed by the payment processors the store depends on, because it needs someone else to consent, or because the price you offered does not cover the hours it would take. The first two are absolute. The last one is sometimes negotiable.
- Do I have to pay up front?
- Usually some of it. A deposit, often half, is standard, because the work happens before you see anything. A performer who films first and invoices later is doing you a favour, not following a rule.
- Can I get a refund if the custom is not what I pictured?
- Rarely, and not because anyone is being unfair. The file is made, the hours are spent, and a digital file cannot be returned. This is exactly why the brief matters more than the budget.
- Is there a cheaper way to get something made for me?
- Yes, and it is live. A private show is priced by the minute, starts today, and can be redirected halfway through. It is the closest thing to a custom that does not require anyone to write a brief.