Frequently Asked Questions

STart Crypto is a marketplace to discover and collect truly unique digital creations by the world's most creative minds. We empower digital creators with the tools to protect and sell their digital creations to their fans and collectors. Artists, photographers, writers, and more use STart Crypto to create and sell their work online through the use of blockchain technology.

A blockchain is a publicly accessible online ledger (database), that is not owned by any central authority. Once anything is set in this ledger, it cannot be modified or censored by any single authority. Blockchain technology provides the following benefits to creators:

Each of these benefits is inherently available to you, just by using the blockchain. Even if STart Crypto ceases to exist, your digital creations will forever remain on the blockchain, and forever be transferable/purchasable. Having said that, interacting with the blockchain is still quite complex. What we are offering is a service that makes blockchain technology simple, and provide its benefits to all creators.

Like any technology however, blockchain isn't immune to risks. Please reference our Terms of Service if you'd like to learn more.

• Proof of ownership and authenticity on the blockchain. We offer simple-to-use tools to help you digitally sign and upload your work onto the blockchain, creating verifiable proof that you are the creator and owner of your work.

• Custom storefront. We provide tools to help you easily create a customized storefront that you can then share with your audience to sell your work.

• Distribution. We've partnered with the largest online marketplaces to help you syndicate your work and reach a broader audience to sell your work.

STart Crypto is currently free to use for our early members. This means that the transaction fees associated with interacting with the blockchain will be covered by STart Crypto until further notice.

On successful sales, STart Crypto takes a 15% commission on all purchases in Ether and additionally a credit card transaction fee for purchases done through credit card.

STart Crypto is currently invite-only, however we'd love for you to join us. Please reach out to us in our Discord community for an invite code.

STart Crypto is a web-based service that you can use on both desktop and mobile.

Customers can optionally use third party wallets (e.g. MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, Trust Wallet) to purchase digital creations using Ether, but otherwise no additional software is needed to use STart Crypto.

You can reach us at support@makersplace.com with any questions or issues. You can also reach us at our Discord community.

A digital wallet is software that manages your cryptocurrencies and also allows you to interact with blockchain technologies like Ethereum. STart Crypto uses your digital wallet to publish and sell your digital creations using the Ethereum blockchain.

All creators on STart Crypto are provided with a hosted digital wallet that is securely managed by STart Crypto using the highest grade security.

Your blockchain wallet is your ID on the Ethereum blockchain and is used to digitally sign all of your creations on STart Crypto.

When joining STart Crypto, you have the option to use a personal digital wallet or use a STart Crypto-issued wallet that is managed by STart Crypto. If you have a personal wallet, we recommend using it. Learn more.

If you need to create a personal wallet, we recommend using MetaMask.

Ethereum is the blockchain that STart Crypto uses. See what is a blockchain for more details.

Ethereum is also considered by many as a world computer. That means that any information stored on it isn't managed by any central authority, but rather stored across thousands of computers worldwide.

Ether or Ξ is the cyptocurrency used to interact with Ethereum. It's also the primary cryptocurrency used by STart Crypto to buy and sell your digital creations.

Ethereum is considered a world computer, operated by many computers across the world. This means that interacting with it incurs a transaction fee called gas to compensate the operators of Ethereum.

This gas fee is paid in Ether and can vary in price depending on how quickly you wish to publish your creations and the demand on the blockchain. Generally, you should expect this fee to range from a few cents to a few dollars.

STart Crypto will reimburse gas fees when the network is not congested. When the blockchain is congested and you wish to process your request faster, you will need to pay the transaction fee.

Learn how to "Speed Up" a transaction.

STart Crypto is run on the Ethereum blockchain, which is considered a world computer, operated by many computers across the world. This means that interacting with it incurs a transaction fee called gas to compensate the operators of Ethereum.

STart Crypto pays this gas fee when the blockchain is not congested. When demand on the blockchain increases, the fees will also rise. In these cases, our system will wait until the fee becomes lower. This could range from a few hours to even days in exceptional scenarios.

If you'd like to process your transaction immediately, you can pay the blockchain fee by clicking the "Speed Up" icon beside your pending action. Your transaction will complete within a few minutes.

Each interaction with the blockchain incurs a transaction fee. This fee is paid by STart Crypto when the blockchain is not congested or paid by the customer to speed up the transaction.

To help alleviate the up front cost of selling on STart Crypto, we allow artists to defer all gas fees until after an artwork sells. It's important ensure that your artwork sells for more than the total gas fees for the artwork.

When this option is enabled, the estimated gas fee associated with each transaction will be displayed for you. This is only an estimate, the actual gas cost may differ by up to 20% more or less.

* This feature is currently in Beta and only available to select artists.

1. The blockchain is exceptionally busy. The blockchain can temporarily become exceptionally busy (i.e 300+ gwei). When this happens, we temporarily disable the ability to defer gas fees. You can still complete your action, but you will need to pay to complete the transaction.

2. You've reached your limit. We're currently evaluating what is the ideal number of allowable deferred actions without incurring too much financial risk. For this reason, we enforce a strict limit on the number of artworks allowed to defer gas fees. Each time you sell an artwork with deferred fees, you will be able to defer another artwork. Just keep selling your artworks and you should be fine!

At this time we don't support multiple addresses. Having multiple addresses can lead to confusion because all creations are signed using the address of the creator. Please contact us at support@makersplace.com if you have any questions and we can assist you.

A browser plug-in that allows users to purchase digital creations in Ether.

The Ethereum blockchain is considered a world computer, operated by many computers worldwide. Interacting with it incurs a fee called gas. Learn more.

When the demand for the Ethereum blockchain increases, the gas cost also increases. Since STart Crypto is currently paying all of these fees, when the cost gets too high, we wait until the network becomes less busy. We ask you to be patient during this time. In most cases the transaction will process within 24 hours.

If you artwork doesn’t get processed within 48 hours, please reach out to us on Discord.

When using a personal wallet for creating your artwork, it's important for you to save the 12-word seed phrase associated with your wallet and store it in a secure place. If you ever need to recover your wallet, this is the only way to do it.

If you lose your 12-word seed phrase associated with your wallet, all of your artworks will be lost forever.

Here's how to reveal your seed phrase using MetaMask.

A unique digital creation is a digital creation (art, photograph, song..) that's been digitally signed by the creator and uniquely identified on the blockchain. In a world where anything digital can be infinitely copied, a unique digital creation can only owned by a single individual.

Watch our video to learn more:

STart Crypto uniquely generates a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) for every creation published. This token is what provides proof of ownership and authenticity of your creation.

We also use an open standard (ERC-721), which means that any creation is immediately available on 3rd party digital marketplaces, giving your work additional visibility. This is the same standard that is used by the majority of blockchain-based digital assets like CryptoKitties and others.

STart Crypto is a platform for creators and has no rights over your creations. We are committed to ensuring that any digital creation published through STart Crypto is owned by you (the creator). You can find more details in our terms of service.

Yes. We highly recommend uploading only high resolution digital files where possible. Collectors are most interested in purchasing the highest quality version of your work, to display and print after they purchase.

Every digital creation uploaded on STart Crypto is stored in a secure location that's only available to you and collectors, upon purchase.

When publishing your creations to the blockchain, STart Crypto stores your files in a secure location only you (creator) and future owners can access upon purchase. We only display previews of your image and also allow creators to upload watermarked images for the public the view.

Yes! You can send any creation that you upload or own to another digital wallet. STart Crypto makes this easy to do, just go into your store manager and click Send a Gift.

Please note. Always double check that you're sending your creation to the right address. Once you send a creation through the blockchain, there is no turning back. STart Crypto can't retrieve a creation that was sent to the wrong address.

Yes, due to way the blockchain works, it may take some time for your creations to publish. Similar to printing a real physical creation, uploading your creations to the blockchain requires work by hundreds of computers worldwide.

If you have additional questions, you can contact us at: support@makersplace.com.

You're selling a signed and limited edition copy of your digital creation to be owned. Upon purchase, the buyer will be given the right to use, distribute and display the creation for non-commercial purposes only. Since the buyer owns this unique copy, they can also re-sell the creation on a secondary market or even directly on STart Crypto.

Similar to a physical creation, the buyer will be able to do what they'd normally be able to do once they purchase a physical piece. This capability is what makes your digital creations more valuable.

STart Crypto helps you sell your creations by allowing you to set a price or accept offers from buyers to purchase directly from your store or through one of our partner marketplaces. Besides needing to meet the minimum sales price (the cost of generating your art on the blockchain), you are free to set the price as you please. All sale prices are based in Ether.

There are two ways to sell your creations:

1. Setting a fixed price. When you're ready to put your creation up for sale, click on Manage Store in the header and click the Set a Price button next to your creation to set a price for your creation.

2. Accepting an offer. If you're unsure about how to price your creation you can leave the price empty and wait to receive an offer.

We always recommend setting a price as well as accepting offers, since it helps the buyer gauge the value of your work.

A digital edition is synonymous to the popular concept in printmaking. When you upload your digital creations on STart Crypto, you're uploading it as a limited edition. This ensures that only a limited number of copies of your digital creation can ever be owned by collectors.
This is strictly enforced via blockchain technology.

Limited Editions Equate to Value
The number of editions you issue has an important impact on the value of your work. A smaller number of editions will increase the rarity and attractiveness to a collector, since collectors place enormous value owning a unique asset over something that's more commonly attainable. A larger number of editions, however, allows your work to be owned by more collectors at a lower price point, but may not be attractive to collectors who place more value on rarity.

A Guide to Setting your Editions
Here is a simple guide that we recommend following:

1 - A one-of-a-kind creation. Creations with 1 edition can only be owned by one collector at any given time, making it the most attractive to a collector. These creations should command the highest sale price.

10 - A rare digital creation. Creations with 10 editions may be sold and owned by up to 10 collectors at any given time. Although still rare, because it can be owned by multiple collectors, each edition should command a slightly lower sale price than an edition of one.

100+ - A limited digital creation. Creations with 100+ editions may be owned by many collectors at a given time. Although still limited, because it can be owned by many collectors, collectors will expect the price of each edition to be much lower.

STart Crypto gives you the flexibility to set your own editions, however we highly discourage setting a very large edition count.

STart Crypto requires setting your sale price in Ether. Setting your price in Ether allows customers worldwide to be able to purchase your creations using Ether, and doesn't incur any transaction fees.

For creators residing in select countries, STart Crypto supports purchases using a credit card. When this happens, we will convert your creation's price in Ether to US dollars at the point of sale.

There are production costs associated with creating a unique creation which STart Crypto is currently paying for. (learn more) Because of this we require a minimum price to ensure that your creation sells for more than the cost to create it.

You own the rights to your work, so you can sell your creations elsewhere. However, once you've tokenized your creation as a limited edition, it's important that you do not issue more tokens of the same creations which may negatively affect the value of your creation.

In order to sell your creation, STart Crypto requires the permission to escrow your creation to ensure that when a sale occurs the buyer receives your work.

Every interaction with the blockchain incurs a small transaction fee which you will need to pay in the form of Ether.

Congratulations! A collector has expressed interest in owning your unique digital creation by submitting an offer. There are three options available to you:

1. Accept the Offer. If you're happy with the offer, go to your live offers page and click Accept next to the offer. We'll take care of everything else.

2. Decline the Offer. If the offer is too low, go to your live offers page and click Reject next to the offer. This will immediately let the collector know that their offer was declined. Sometimes the collector will offer a higher amount, but there are no guarantees. If the collector has made their profile public, you could also try reaching out to them within our Discord community, sometimes introducing yourself and sharing your story can lead to a higher offer.

3. Wait for a Higher Offer. If you believe you can receive a higher offer, you can try to wait. If the original offer was reasonable, we suggest not waiting more than a few days since the collector may lose interest. "Money now is always better than money later!"

If you have any questions, reach out to the support team on Discord or at: support@makersplace.com.

First off, congratulations, someone is interested in collecting your work! Now comes the fun part, do you accept the offer or do you wait for a higher one?

If you believe you can receive a higher offer, we suggest waiting. However, if the offer is fairly close to your asking price, we suggest not waiting more than a few days since the collector may lose interest. "Money now is always better than money later!"

However, beware of accepting offers that are considerably lower than your asking price. It may be tempting to sell your work quickly, but remember that selling your works at a low price could de-value your existing and future works as well. If you already have collectors who paid for your previous works, they also won't be excited to learn that you've sold your new works at a significant discount.

When an artwork is created in collaboration with another creator, the creator who uploaded the artwork is appointed as the primary creator. Only the primary creator is allowed to set prices and accept offers on the creation.

Depending on what form of payment was used to purchase your digital creation, you'll get paid accordingly.

You can view all purchases and payments issued to you by going to your Purchase History in the store manager. You can set your preferred payment options by going to your Store Settings page in the store manager.

Ether is a digital currency that is becoming widely adopted worldwide as a global currency. If you've earned Ether for selling your work, there are a number of options available for you:

1. Spend it Online. The easiest way to spend your newly earned Ether is to spend it online. Every day there is a growing number of online merchants that are accepting Ether as a form of payment. Here is a helpful article.

2. Convert it to Local Currency. You can convert your Ether into your local currency through any public exchange. Currently 1 Ether is equivalent to $1233.08 USD. Be sure to use a reputable online exchange when converting your Ether, we recommend using Coinbase. Coinbase is a popular, reputable and widely supported digital currency exchange.

3. Support your fellow Creators, start your own Collection. Explore, collect and invest in unique artworks and creations from other leading digital creators on STart Crypto. Start discovering!

Even though your identity has been verified by Civic, the STart Crypto review team needs to do a final review to approve the identity verification. This can take up to 48 hours to process. If you don’t receive a response within that timeframe, please reach out to us at support@makersplace.com.

All creators on STart Crypto require that you place a minimum bid of 10% above the most recent offer. This is meant to encourage a healthy exchange between collectors when vying for the same artwork.

If you’re seeing this, it means that the artist has set a minimum offer amount that they’re willing to accept for their creation.

Any artwork that you purchase on STart Crypto can be sold on the secondary market to other collectors. Through your account manager, you have the option to set a reserve price. If you don't set a price, anyone can still submit an offer to purchase your artwork.

Credit Card Purchases. If you've purchased your artwork using a credit card, you'll be able to set a price, receive bids and accept offers without the use of a digital wallet. We do enforce a 48 hour holding period of all artworks purchased with a credit card to prevent fraudulent behavior.

Ether Purchases. If you've purchased your artwork using your own personal wallet, you will need to grant our smart contract a one-time permission to transfer your artwork when a sale occurs. Our smart contracts have been audited and ensure that only you or a buyer can access your artworks.

STart Crypto witholds 12.5% of each secondary market sale.

2.5% will go to STart Crypto and the other 10% will go to the creator as a royalty.

Yes. In order to accept credit cards, when you set a price on your artwork you'll be presented with an option to Accept Credit Cards.

In order to accept credit card payments, STart Crypto will need to act as a custodian, which means that our systems will have access to transfer your artwork to the buyer, upon successful sale. If you don't feel comfortable giving this permission, you can opt out of this option when setting a price on your work.

In order to guarantee each sale between you and the buyer, STart Crypto requires you to give approval to a smart contract whose sole purpose is to faciliate sales and offers. No one except you can access your artwork even when giving this permission.

You can revoke this permission any time by going to your account settings.

In order to guarantee each sale between you and the buyer, STart Crypto requires you to give approval to a smart contract whose sole purpose is to faciliate sales and offers.

If you wish to revoke this permission, you can do so any time by going to your account settings.

Please note that revoking this permission will cancel all of your sales and you won't be able to accept any offers for your artworks.

You're buying a limited edition digital creation, signed by the creator. Upon purchase, you'll be given the right to use, distribute and display the creation for non-commercial purposes. Since you own this unique creation, you can also re-sell the same non-commercial use rights, to the creation, on a secondary market or even directly on STart Crypto.

Upon purchase, you can access the high resolution digital file which you can display on any digital device or even print out, for personal use. All the while, knowing that you have the authentic piece, verifiable on the blockchain.

Watch our explainer video to learn more:

Whether a creation is priced outside of your comfort range or doesn't have a price tag, bidding is a great way to try to acquire a creation for a particular price. You can bid with your credit card or with Ether.

Bidding with a Credit Card. Once you've provided an offer amount and your credit card details, your bid will be submitted for the creator to review. If the creator accepts your offer, the creation will be transferred to your STart Crypto collection. Your credit card will only be charged after your offer is accepted and will only be authorized for 4 days, after which the offer will automatically be cancelled.

Bidding with Ether. Once you've provided an offer amount and confirmed with your Ethereum wallet, your bid will be submitted for the creator to review. If the creator accepts your offer, the creation will be transferred to your STart Crypto collection.

💡Tip: Submitting a higher offer on the same creation will automatically cancel your previous offer.

A reserve price indicates the minimum amount the creator is willing to sell their artwork for. When the reserve price is met, the creator agrees to accept the highest offer within a 4 day period.

You may still make an offer below the reserve price, in case the creator decides to lower their reserve price.

Purchases with Ethereum. If you purchased your digital creation with Ethereum, your creation resides in your digital wallet. If you register with STart Crypto, you can view, showcase and share your creations with the world by connecting your Ethereum wallet.

Purchases with Credit Card. If you purchased your digital creation with a credit card, then STart Crypto will have created a digital wallet for you to store your creation. You can view your creation by going to your collection in your profile.

When you purchase a digital creation with a credit card, we provide the option for you to save your credit card information for future purchases. STart Crypto works with Stripe, a third-party payment gateway to manage your saved credit cards, which means that we never hold any payment information and your information is managed with the most stringent level of security. You can learn more here.

If you wish to delete any of your saved credit cards, you can do so by going to your user settings page.

If you purchased your digital creation using a credit card, we temporarily disable the ability to re-sell or transfer the creation for 48 hours, enough time to verify that the transaction isn't fraudulent. If you require selling or sending your recently purchased creation within the 48 hour waiting period, please contact us directly at support@makersplace.com.

Since you're purchasing a digital creation, all sales are final.