umm... yes... but aside from the obvious ways to makes transactions online, i was wondering about more detailed info to make sure I don't get screwed

Well, a pixel art job is not different from any other freelance gig... 

Always get a contract even if you are working with an agent or manager that is supposed to be on your side. They'll screw you too. Depending on how big a company you are working with they might have a contract for you, but most likely you will be the one who will have to draft a contract.  You can pick up an artist contract at most bookstores (usually included in a 'how to be an artist' type books). 

Don't do any work that can be used by your client until you get the contract signed and faxed/mailed back to you. You will probably need to do mockups before they will be willing to work with you which is cool, but don't give them anything they can use in their project.

Make sure you work out a payment schedule that includes at least a quarter of the money down upon delivery of the first round of work. That way, both parties are staked in the project.   

EDIT:  If you are making pixel art for someone they will most likely want all the licensing rights to the work you produce for them.  If that's a problem you should make sure you spell that out in your contract.

I've just been through this process of taking comissions and so forth, and I have to say that asking to get paid in advance and promising to pay back the money if something goes awry is not the way to go by things. Firstly only idiots will pay you in advance, secondly it should be dealth with through a contract.

Ask the client (or you could too for that matter) to draw up a contract which outlines what should be done by either party, by what dates, how you should be paid and so forth. They should also outline what happens if either you cannot deliver or if the client for some reason don't want your stuff any more, or is unable to pay you because of bankrupcy and so forth.

Ideally you should be paid in intervalls throughout the job, that will ensure that you both get paid and that the client get's what he wants. If you get paid in advance there is nothing that says that you won't run off with the money, if you get paid after the job is done there's no telling that the client runs off with your stuff without paying you. Contracts are the alpha and omega of comissions!

Came across this Faq at pixeltemple and thought it'd be useful to share with others. I may track down more of these.

http://pixeltemple.com/faq.php - http://pixeltemple.com/faq.php

Well, what I've always done when there were no legal
documents involved is I'd ask for half of the payment
up front, and the other half when the task is complete.

That way, if the person you're working for isn't satisfied,
or he feels like he's being cheated, he wont' get cheated
as bad as if he'd paid everything up front..

AND you, the artist, won't get completely cheated out of
everything if when you finish, he doesn't pay you the other
half.. because you will have at least gotten something.

No garuntees, and it still mostly runs on the honor system...

but hey, a man's only as good as his word, right?

Yeah, and then there are the basics:
don't commit to anything you might not be able to do, yet..
make sure you know what you're doing,
make sure the deadlines are fair (and that you can meet them),

don't give them any almost-completed content..

Sometimes you might not wanna give them the completed
final product until you've received the payment.  WHAT you
could do, is make a sample, low color, maybe blured image
or water-marked version of the final, just so that they can
see that you've completed the entire thing...

I know I'm kind of bringing back the dead, here, but I kind
of wanted some opinions on this method, too..

as well as helping out some of you guys.