FAQ

NOTE: Not all of these questions are currently relevant, questions about transactions and the like should not be included in the actual FAQ page until these features have been released.

What is ImageHex?

Why is ImageHex better than other art communities that already exist?

ImageHex has better search functionality, no intrusive ads, a clean and simple interface, lower transaction fees than our competitors (namely DeviantArt), and full, built-in support for mobile browsers.

Do you have an app for iOS or Android?

We're definitely interested in making native apps for both iOS and Android, but these take time and resources to develop that would take away from the main site. We have plans for an iOS app in the future, and an Android app some time after that, but we don't currently have a public release date we can comfortably commit to.

Until then, our website is optimized for use on mobile devices, and will emulate a fullscreen mobile application if you add the site to your homescreen on either iOS or Android.

I've found a bug with the website, how can I report it to you?

Thank you for taking the time to report a bug you've found! It's greatly appreciated, and we'll try to get back to you as soon as possible about fixing it.

You can use the Contact page to notify us of an issue via email, or if you prefer you can add it to our GitHub Issue Tracker. If possible, and to ensure that we can get the issue fixed as quickly as possible, please include your OS (e.g. Windows 7, Windows 8, OS X 10.10, Ubuntu 14.04, iOS 8, etc.) and your browser/browser version, as well as the steps we'd need to take to reproduce the issue ourselves.

Can I be anonymous?

Yes, all users are able to use the site anonymously if they choose to do so. For legal reasons, we are required to request payment information if you engage in a transaction. This is the only time we explicitly require such information, and it will never be shown publicly.

What did you use to build ImageHex?

ImageHex is built using Ruby on Rails, with jQuery, SCSS, and quite a bit of sweat, blood, and tears (mostly Anthony's for that last one).

When will you be launching the commissions system?

When it's done.

Currently we're aiming for it to be ready by the end of the year (2015). We want to make sure we get everything right - both legally and functionally - before we can confidently ask you all to start using that aspect of our product.

What images are allowed on ImageHex?

Pretty much anything that isn't pornographic or illegal.

What browsers does ImageHex support?

The latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Opera are supported. Older versions of these browsers should work, but we hold no guarantees.

How do you pronounce "GIF"?

Here at ImageHex, we believe that the correct pronunciation of "GIF" is "GIF". There, now please stop asking us.

Commissions questions:

What fees are applied to commissions on ImageHex?

ImageHex only takes about 10% of a commission, 7% taken by us, and 2.9% (plus a $0.30 fee) by our payment processor Stripe. These fees help cover the costs of keeping the site afloat, paying our employees' salaries, safely transferring payments between parties, and the other costs that come with running a business like this.

Are transactions through ImageHex secure?

We manage payments through Stripe, a payment processor trusted by such companies as Kickstarter, Twitter, Instacart, Reddit, and more. Sensitive data – e.g. credit card information, billing address, etc. – never touches our servers, and we use HTTPS on our entire site to ensure that your information can never be intercepted by malicious third parties.

Why should I go through ImageHex when commissioning artwork? Why not just do it myself?

ImageHex brings the community, the platform, the payment infrastructure, and helps protect both parties – the client and the artist – from being scammed.

We act as a mediary, holding onto the payment until the artwork has been finished, or until the agreed-upon deadline is reached without a resolution. This ensures that the client can't take the work without payment, and the artist can't run off with the money. With the guarantee that they'll get the artwork they're paying for, a lot more clients will be open to paying for artwork with the knowledge that they can't and won't be scammed.

Will you support Bitcoin?

At present, we do not support Bitcoin transactions when commissioning artwork but we are actively looking into this. Thankfully, our payment processor Stripe supports Bitcoin transactions relatively easily. However, because of its volatility, Bitcoin can complicate our client-artist relationships. If a client pays for an artwork with an amount of Bitcoin equivalent to $30 USD, we'll hold the Bitcoin until the artist has delivered a final piece. If the final product takes a week to make, and the value of Bitcoin has dropped or increased significantly, then the artist would be paid either too little or too much, and one of the parties may feel like they've been ripped off. This can be fixed by immediately converting the Bitcoin into USD upon the initial commission, but it would also mean that – should the client request a refund – we would be unable to refund them in Bitcoin.

Again, we'd like to support Bitcoin, but we need to work out all the potential issues before jumping into the fray. Entrusting us with your money is not something we take lightly, and we make every effort to ensure that that trust is never broken.

Do you support payments through PayPal?

While widely used, supporting PayPal would complicate our payments system and require higher fees on commissions than those required by Stripe. We don't currently have plans to support PayPal.

Paypal also has a bad habit of freezing people's accounts, which is something we'd like to avoid. Stripe is overall a better choice for our purposes.