Questions people ask before they order

We're not shrinking a photograph. We're keeping the handful of things that make you say "that's them" — the markings, the ear shape, the eye color, the way they hold their head — and painting them in by hand against your photos. It's chibi on purpose: big head, small body, maximum charm. Fine fur gets simplified; personality doesn't.

Black dogs and black cats aren't painted flat black: warm browns and a soft sheen keep the eyes and nose readable under a lamp. No markings to match? Then it's the grey on the muzzle, the collar, the set of the ears, the way they hold their head — we work from those.

You see a color 3D preview by email before anything is printed, and the more angles you send, the less we have to guess.

Tell us in the notes box and add a close-up of it — the ear that's actually up, the collar they really wear, the patch that never photographs right. A person reads every set of photos before any modeling starts. If something in your photos won't translate into a small painted piece, we email you before anything is made.

Five things, in this order: a color 3D preview within 3–5 days of ordering; a photo of your piece off the printer, before a drop of paint; a photo mid-paint, against your photos; a photo of the finished piece before it ships; and tracking. The three progress photos are included with every order — never an upgrade. If a photo won't work or a detail won't translate, we email you before anything is made.

1. Color 3D preview
2. Off the printer
3. Mid-paint
4. Finished
5. Tracking

Spot something in a progress photo that doesn't match your preview? Reply right away — that's exactly why we send them.

It happens — check your spam folder and search your inbox for “PawChibi Studio”, which is who your preview comes from. Adding that sender to your contacts before your preview is due is the surest fix.

If we haven't heard back 3 days after your preview, we send one reminder; 3 days after that, we go ahead with the preview you last saw and let you know. Any reply stops the clock — "yes", "change this", or "I need a few more days" all count. And you can cancel for a full refund any time before you approve your preview.

Count from the day you approve your preview, not the day you order. About 2 weeks of crafting — 10 to 20 hours on the printer, then hand-sanding, hand-painting and a final check, one piece at a time — plus about 15 days of tracked shipping. The days we spend waiting to hear from you aren't counted in that.

Rush (+$19.99) cuts crafting to about 1 week. It moves your piece to the front of the bench; it doesn't skip the sanding, the painting or the final check.

No reply to your preview? One reminder after 3 days; 3 days after that, we go ahead with the preview you last saw and let you know — and those waiting days aren't counted in the 4 weeks.

Yes — nothing goes to the printer while we're still hearing from you. Before you approve: reply with what you'd change and we'll send a revised preview — each round adds a little time. Need more time to look? Just reply and say so; we'll wait. If we hear nothing at all, we send one reminder after 3 days and go ahead with the preview 3 days later.

After you approve: we build exactly what you approved. The progress photos are there so you can watch it happen, not a second round of approvals — but if one of them doesn't match your preview, reply right away.

At least three — front, side and back — plus up to three close-ups of the face and markings. Natural light, at their eye level, face visible; phone photos are perfectly fine. The more angles we have, the less we have to guess, and guessing is the number one reason a figurine feels off. A person reviews every set before any modeling starts; if one won't work, we email you instead of guessing.

FrontSideBack

Older photos work fine. We work from what they actually show — the markings, the colors, the way they hold their head. Sharp-but-plain beats blurry-but-cute: we can add charm, we can't add detail. If the clearest thing you have is soft or a little dark, send more of them rather than fewer, and tell us in the notes what matters most to you.

Not sure yours are good enough? Order anyway — you're covered twice: a person reviews your photos before anything is made, and you see a color 3D preview before anything is printed.

Front, side and back are the three we ask for, because the back is where guessing shows: the tail, the shape of the rump, where the markings stop. Not a clean back shot? The closest angle you have works — a person reviews every set, and we'll email you if we need one more.

It's your call, and it's a checkbox in the last step of the customizer: tick it and we may film your pet's piece being made, untick it and it stays off camera. Changed your mind either way? Reply to your order email and we'll update it. What we share when it's ticked is the piece and the bench — off the printer, mid-paint, finished — and the clip may show the reference photos you sent next to it.

Never your name or your details.

Front, side and back, plus up to three close-ups — a friend's camera roll usually has plenty, and screenshots from their posts work if that's what you have. Use your own email in the order, not theirs: the color 3D preview and the progress photos land in your inbox, so the surprise stays yours to keep.

Counting back from the day you want to hand it over: about 4 weeks after you approve your preview, plus a few days at the start to send photos and see your preview. Cutting it close? Rush (+$19.99) takes about a week off the crafting.

Yes — every piece arrives in its own gift box, ready to hand over. The figurine stands on its own base with nothing to prop up, made to sit out where they'll see it every day.

Yes — put their address in as the shipping address and keep your own email on the order. The preview, the progress photos and the tracking all come to you; the box goes to them.

Nothing on or inside the box shows what you paid.

The US first — the 48 contiguous states and DC — plus many countries worldwide. If your address is accepted at checkout, we ship there; for now we can’t ship to Alaska, Hawaii, US territories or military (APO/FPO/DPO) addresses. Flat $19.99 tracked shipping per order — the same for the US and everywhere else we ship, the same for Standard and Rush, and there's no order size that makes it free. Everything on the site is priced and charged in US dollars, and sales tax, where it applies, is added at checkout.

Where

The US, plus many countries — see checkout

Cost

$19.99 flat, per order, tracked

Transit

About 15 days

US orders arrive with nothing extra to pay at the door. Outside the US, some countries charge import taxes or duties on arrival, and those are the recipient's to pay — we can't estimate them for you, because every country sets its own.

Your shipping confirmation email carries the tracking number; give the carrier a few days for the first scan. If tracking shows no movement for 15 days or more, tell us and we'll open an investigation with the carrier. If the package is confirmed lost, we remake and reship it free, or refund you in full.

Address wrong? Tell us any time before it ships — once a parcel is in transit, carriers can't redirect it. If the carrier can’t deliver because the address was wrong or incomplete, we’ll try to have it redelivered for $19.99; if it can’t be recovered, we remake it for $49 plus $19.99 shipping.

Cancel for a full refund any time before you approve your preview — including during the reminder window. We print after you approve your preview, or after that window closes: if we haven't heard back 3 days after your preview, we send one reminder; 3 days after that, we go ahead with the preview you last saw and let you know. Once you approve, or we go ahead after that window, the piece is yours alone and can't be cancelled — from there the Remake Promise below covers you. Refunds go back to your original payment method, usually in 5–10 business days.

Send us photos of the piece and the packaging within 14 days of delivery and we remake it once, free — materials, labor and shipping all on us. "Wrong" means it doesn't match the preview you approved: the pose, the markings, the size. Nothing to send back — your photos are all we need.

• Change of mind.
• Likeness expectations — chibi is a stylized take on your pet, which is exactly why you see a color 3D preview before anything is printed and can change it then.
• Small hand-finishing variations in shade and texture, which are what make a hand-painted piece one of one.
• And damage from drops or misuse after it reaches you.

A custom pet figurine is $98 for 2.4 in or $158 for 3.1 in. Keychains are the same price in the same two sizes — same photos, same artisans, same hand-painting. Prices are per piece (one pet each) and cover the design, your color 3D preview, three progress photos, printing, hand-sanding, hand-painting and the gift box.

Shipping is $19.99 flat per order, tracked. Rush is optional: +$19.99 per order, however many pets, and it takes about a week off the crafting. Sales tax, where it applies, is added at checkout.

These are our current prices, and the price you check out at is locked in for your order. You pay when you order, and you can cancel for a full refund any time before you approve your preview.

2.4 in

$98 · figurine or keychain

3.1 in

$158 · figurine or keychain

Shipping

$19.99 flat, per order, tracked

Rush

+$19.99 per order, optional

Printed solid in resin — no hollow shell, no vent hole underneath — then hand-sanded, hand-painted against your photos, and sealed. The figurine stands on its own base; the keychain rides on a black metal ring and clasp with an ivory braided wrist loop.

Material

Resin, printed solid

Finish

Hand-sanded, hand-painted, sealed

Base or ring

Figurine: own base · Keychain: black metal ring and clasp, ivory braided loop

Care

Display only — not for chewing or licking

Same photos, same artisans, same hand-painting on both — the keychain just holds less resin, and it still carries a real, satisfying weight instead of the hollow rattle of a mass-produced charm.

It's a display keepsake, not a pet toy — resin isn't safe to chew or lick, so keep it somewhere paws and mouths can't reach.

Not yet — each piece is one pet. Two pets today means two pieces: run through the customizer once for each, and both can go in the same order. Rush is charged once per order, not per pet. If you'd like two on one, say so in the Paw Club — members vote on what we make next.

Dogs and cats are our bread and butter. Rabbits, birds, hamsters, reptiles — send photos and we'll tell you honestly whether we can nail it before you order. Pets are all we do.

Not right now — for now we take about 50 commissions a month, and every piece is hand-finished by one artisan from print to paint. A small group gift of two or three pieces is a different story — email us and we'll see what we can do.

Works in progress from the bench, votes on the next size or style, and surprise giveaways of 3D-printed goodies. Free to join — and early members are among our first 100 founding members: first looks, votes, and the giveaways.