Where To Find
You've probably already heard of some if not all of these since you're already here but ill list them anyway;
- Jinxxy - A marketplace specifically for Vrchat.
- Discord, a few servers that are a good starting place are, Comfy Creator Cove, Pup's Blender and Unity School , and Vrchat's own discord. (find with a quick search on google)
- Commissions are abit trickier, however if you find a creator you like through the other means, check their store or socials to see if they offer commissions. OR sometimes Etsy and Fiverr can have creators, however be careful with these options.
- If you are worried, you can ask in creators servers if the people in there know anyone for commissions, or even better, have commissioned someone themselves.
Preview Photos
Look for in-game photos, these are the only way you can see what you'll be getting over photos/videos. If they only show blender renders, or unity photos, DM and ask for in-game photos.
Also toggle videos are a great way to really see the avi in-game, heavily edited videos such as dancing or promo videos are great for vibes, but hard to see toggles/physbones ect.
So, how to tell the difference?
- Blender renders often have harsh/colourful lighting, giving a mix of sharp and soft shadows.
- In game photos tend to feel less posed, since you cant individually pose each bone unlike blender.
- Shaders are applied in unity so anything with glitter or outlines are usually in-game photos
- Blender render can often use a lot of after effects, such as smoke, flames, lightening ect, photo effects are almost exclusively used for blender renders
Commissions
If you've decided you want to have something made specifically for you then there are a few things to be aware of.
- There are many scammers trying to get your money, so NEVER agree to commission someone if they have contacted you first.
- Try to find a commissioner through trusted places. A few discord servers have a screening process before people can post about their commissions. Already known creators are also a safe bet, however the more well known the more likely they are to be more expensive.
- You get what you pay for, avatars you can purchase right away are sold to many people, so they are cheaper. But if someone is making your own personal avatar, you have to make up for the cost, you are paying someone for their time and skills. This varies from person to person and what you're asking for, but if it sounds too good to be true... it probably is.
- Ask to see their portfolio, if you want to commission someone, ask to see examples of their work, every creator will have created before there is no excuse not to have examples.
- Payment, most creators will ask for a deposit, this varies but generally is suspicious to ask for more than 50% of the full price before finishing. Deposits are normally NOT refundable.
Avatar Details
Look for the in-game avatar details, this will tell you how much lag it'll cause others.
Theres a few things to look for here so i'll list them
- Download size, if an avatar has a download size of 100mb or more, its a safe bet that it hasn't been optimised in any way and will most likely cause a few grumbles from anyone turning your avi on.
Now this doesnt mean you shouldn't buy these avis, but to be aware of it. You can also find people to optimise an avi for you (check commissions)
- Uncompressed size, vrchat has now introduced a limit of 500mb for this. But older avatars can be over this limit so make sure to check for this or you cant use the avatar!
- Physbones and colliders, these are much more optimised than the old dynamic bones, however alot of them can still cause lag. Physbone transforms and collision check are these things to look at, the higher these numbers are the more chance itll lag.
- Material slots, the more the avi has the more draw calls the pc/headset will have to make, meaning... lag! The stats shown in the photo is rather high since it is my test avi.
- Lights and particle systems, these can be heavy but usually are fine. Lights are normally an indication of SPS, DPS ect. Particle systems are hand trails, head hearts, magic systems ect, can cause lag when not used sparingly, so the more toys your avi has at once the more lag!
None of these alone will cause much issue, but if you want to show off your avi to everyone they should be taken into account!
Requirements
Everything is always getting updated so make sure to look out for what the creator has listed to use, and if you need to purchase extra things before buying
- Unity version, as of April 2025 vrchat uses 2022.3.22f, but if it is an older avi, you may break it by uploading in this version. Try to only buy avis using the current unity.
- Look to see what else you need like shaders ect, alot of avatars use poyomi toon which is free, but some use the pro version which can only be bought. Be careful!
- Make sure they state if upload instructions are included, or if they offer uploads. Some creators charge extra to upload an avatar for you!
Terms Of Service
Terms of Service usually tells you whether you can or cannot use an avi/asset for commercial use. However you should check this for other reasons such as;
- Some creators restrict edits you can make to an avatar, even for personal use.
- There are also creators who only sell to 18+ even if the particular thing you are purchasing is SFW
If you are found to not be following the creators Terms of Service you could have your licence taken away, meaning you wont be able to use the product at all, and they would be allowed to take legal action if they wished.
Ripping
Ripping means stealing, by illegally downloading someone's intellectual property, i.e the avatar. Sharing a paid avatar by uploading as public or giving out the files to friends is illegal and you can have action taken against you.
Sites where you can browse and download avatars without paying, are using ripped/stolen files
Worlds within vrchat where you can search for avatars, are also harmful, as they rely on ripped/stolen avatars others have uploaded