Diversions : Reference system challenge

Reference system challenge

Printed From: Pixel Joint
Category: The Lounge
Forum Name: Diversions
Forum Discription: Get to know your fellow pixel freaks. Chat about anything to do with video games, comic books, anime, movies, television, books, music, sports or any other off topic bs you can think of.
URL: https://pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9661
Printed Date: 13 September 2025 at 6:30am

Topic: Reference system challenge

Posted By: sharprm
Subject: Reference system challenge
Date 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.

Replies:

Posted By: Petrichor
Date 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."

Posted By: tuaarita
Date Posted: 06 January 2010 at 8:57am

Yeah, watermarks at 50% opacity with AA on them prevents the employer from using it anyway.

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