Pixel Joint Forum: Reference system challenge

Message

   When you go to the shop and buy something you give them the product, they scan it, take your money and give you a receipt and change.

The employee can't steal the money because when they scan the item, that information is sent to a computer. The manager can then reconcile how much money there should be in the till (based on the computer info) with how much there is.

There is a problem where an artist can take money from someone and not deliver the art. Like the above shop example, can you think of a system that would make it more difficult to do this? Its probably impossible but there is the challenge. 

Author	Message
sharprm Seaman Joined: 22 November 2006 Online Status: Offline Posts: 28	Topic: Reference system challenge Posted: 06 January 2010 at 6:12am
	When you go to the shop and buy something you give them the product, they scan it, take your money and give you a receipt and change. The employee can't steal the money because when they scan the item, that information is sent to a computer. The manager can then reconcile how much money there should be in the till (based on the computer info) with how much there is. There is a problem where an artist can take money from someone and not deliver the art. Like the above shop example, can you think of a system that would make it more difficult to do this? Its probably impossible but there is the challenge.
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Petrichor Midshipman Joined: 09 October 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 59	Posted: 06 January 2010 at 8:47am
	... Don't pay them until they're done? EDIT: As I formerly sold pixel art (and other art) fairly regularly I'm going to have to step in and say how my previous system worked. I took money upfront for a while and refunded promptly if something happened to prevent me from finishing, but I didn't want to keep functioning that way. So instead now I start my stuff when I get the job, and send them a heavily-watermarked proof when I'm done (it usually says UNPAID). When they approve, they send me my money, and I send them the actual piece, no watermarks. I never had a single person back out of paying me (I did have one girl take two months though), but then again if they had I'd be out my time but they wouldn't have their stuff. I don't think there's any reason to overcomplicate the question of how to handle art transactions or implement some sort of system when there's the extremely simple solution of "don't pay for what isn't done yet." Edited by Petrichor - 06 January 2010 at 8:51am
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tuaarita Commander Joined: 04 December 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1049	Posted: 06 January 2010 at 8:57am
	Yeah, watermarks at 50% opacity with AA on them prevents the employer from using it anyway.
	I'm running in the desert, running in to the sun, running out of blood and I'm going numb.
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