GraphicStock - Friend or Foe? A Review From a User

Did you receive this in your email box recently?

Obviously I did. After I checked it out a little, I decided to take the plunge and see if it's something I would like. I'm always on the lookout for graphics for work and home, so why not?

Pros:
- As stated in their terms of use, I can use these graphics and pictures for commercial as well as personal purposes. Plus 2.

- There's a lot to choose from. You will have lots and lots and lots to look at. Plus 1.

- You create an account, which is quick and easy (you do have to fill out payment information just in case you go past your 7 days free they can conveniently bill you. Personally, I dislike that part, but I see that it is necessary. Make sure to write your start date down and be prepared to cancel after your last 20 downloads on your last day!) They provide folders for you to save what you like for future daily downloads. Plus 1.

- The graphics, vectors and illustrations are nice. Overall, I'm pleased with them. I have found a few that were a little risque, but on the whole, they seem to be family-friendly. Plus 2.
 
- Compared to other sites out there, the yearly membership fee for this one is by far the best priced. Plus 2.

Cons:
- Their pricing scale was not easily identifiable on their website. I did have to do a lot of searching before I found it. I would have signed up quicker if they had been upfront with costs. Minus 1.

- You only get 20 downloads per day. While this in itself isn't a bad thing, if you don't use up your 20 downloads on one day, they do not roll over. You must download 20 or you will lose them. Minus 2. I say minus 2 because that just seems dishonest. Face it, it's not going to break their bank account if they allow me to actually download 140 graphics. Can I get an Amen?

- Be careful when you download to note what you're actually getting. I have four duplicate downloads. HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?! Honestly, the first two were my fault. I relied on the site to say something like 'you have previously downloaded this file'. But that feature only worked half the time, which is why I'm very careful now before downloading because guess what? Yep. The duplicates count against your 20. The second two duplicate files, weirdly those just showed up. No, I didn't double click and I know I didn't download them twice. Makes me go hmm. But seriously, at this point, it's their word against mine. Would they even listen to me if I complained? Don't know. I'll send them a nice email and see what happens. Minus 2.

- You will spend a lot of time on this site. With 2 jobs, homeschooling, running a house and karate, I don't have a lot of time, but if I only get 20 downloads a day and those don't roll over, yeah. I'm going to get my 20. See point 2 above. Neutral score as I knew I didn't have a lot of time going into this.

- When you join, make sure to note what time zone you are. I thought I had time to get back upstairs and finish my 20 downloads for the day after we watched a movie as a family, but sadly I was mistaken. I'm in the Central time zone and they are in Eastern time. Which I found on the bottom of their contact us email page. They did not post that on the front page of their site and make it clear what time they're going by. Because this happened, I lost out on 8 downloads. Not happy Bob. Minus 8.  

Overall:
At the moment, Foe.  I did write them an email regarding the rollover time issue. We'll see if anything happens. My opinion? Be cautious before proceeding with this GraphicStock offer and be tedious to learn the details. I won't be coming back.