Signing-up as a Bidder

Who can register?
You can be an individual (freelance, part-time, contract) programmer, designer or a consulting company. If you have a close-knit group or if you have connections to collaborate on larger projects you can do so.

If you are not serious about your work and delivering what our buyers are looking for based on their specifications and if you do not want to follow our site terms and conditions, then do not register. We want this to be an useful site for all buyers, programmers/designers and this is not our hobby. We do not need any trouble makers, we are serious about what we do and if you are serious about your work, welcome and show us what you have got.

What kind of projects are available?
Here is a list of currently available categories. The projects can range from a simple logo design to a complex enterprise software development.

What kind of experience is required to be a bidder?
It varies by project - some projects may require a minimum but specific expertise, while a few projects may require a group collaboration or coding by several programmers with solid experience. The buyers should be able to provide you specifications and if not you can ask questions in the project message board.

When you bid, you should be able to deliver. If you cannot deliver according to requested specifications, then do not bid. Other than that there is no specific amount of experience is required. You will be rated by the buyer when your work is delivered and may be judged by your ratings from future buyers.

What categories can I register - can I select multiple categories as my expertise?
You can check one or more of the currently available broad categories, when you register (click here to view a list of available categories). If you need a new category added, just let us know. However, most people are looking for an expert in a few areas and hence though you can list under multiple categories, it is not in your best interest to select more than 5 areas of expertise.

Projects and Bidding

I put in a lowest bid but my bid was not selected. How are the bids selected?
Bids are not selected by buyers based on the amount. In fact, to bid the lowest amount that is not sensible, could be a turn-off to some buyers and they may perceive this as a desperation bid. Budget is important along with the quality of work.

Buyers make this decision based on several factors such as the information in your profile, your samples, your experience, your attitude and willingness/eagerness to work with them, any samples you have shown them (even if they did not ask you), etc., For creative work such as logos and illustrations and even web templates, it helps buyers to see what you can do and if you provide them a sample/mockup design specifically created for their project. Also, remember that as we grow and as more programmers are rated by buyers based on their experience, the ratings and feedback will also influence the decision of buyers.

It is not clear to me what the buyer is looking for - can I contact the person who placed the project to get additional information?
No. You are strictly prohibited from contacting anyone directly and this includes contact via email, chat, AIM, etc., Any bids in violation will removed by the admin without any notice. If you need clarifications or need additional information, you can use the project message board to ask for more information. You can post a public or a private message (visible only to the buyer).

I need to email/chat with the buyer. Why can't I contact the buyer directly?
You cannot contact the buyer directly to keep this system fair to all other bidders. Hence the message board has been provided. If everyone can contact the buyer directly then there is no need for our system and it has been designed to keep it fair and square. Any bids in violation will be removed by the admin without any notice.

I only charge an hourly rate - can I use it or do I have to provide the total cost?
No, you can use your hourly rate to estimate the total amount for the project. Work requested here is based by project and not hourly as this is not a job site but an auction/bid site. As most of our users are small business owners and are budget oriented, they are a looking for a total cost bid.

Can I make an estimate of the cost if I cannot determine the exact cost?
Yes. You can make an estimate but keep in mind that this is what you will get paid. Hence, you should account for not only your fees but also additional costs involved such as transfer fees and minimum fees that you may need to pay us - «See Fee Structure». This is how it is done when contractors and bidders bid on government projects.

How do I change or update a bid that I already placed?
Just submit a new bid and your old bid will be automatically removed.

How do I cancel a bid?
Just log into the account management area, click on the project and click on "retract bid" link.

Why can't I see the "Place Bid" button on some projects?
This does not show up for closed projects and frozen projects (temporarily stopped).

Payments and Fees

Ratings and violations of site policies

You will be rated by the buyer upon delivery of your project.

You will be rated by us as "poor" if you are the winning bidder but you back-off and do not complete and deliver the project. To avoid this, do not bid if you cannot deliver.

You will also be rated (the lowest possible) by us for violations of our policies such as:
1. Providing/including your contact information in your bids, message boards and by any other means during an open/active project.
2. Negotiating a fee for an open/active project. You cannot negotiate - whatever you bid is the final cost. If/when in doubt, use the project message board to ask questions to the buyer and get all the information to make your bid. You can update your bid accordingly at a later time but that is the final amount for the project. No other fee/bid negotiations are allowed, online or offline.
3. Contacting buyers offline during an open/active project to solicit, negotiate or to settle. You can only contact the buyer if/when you win the bid and we will give you contact information. Otherwise, it will be a violation of our policy.
4. Any other violations of our policies as mentioned in:
a) our site terms and conditions b) the FAQ and c) any other visible areas of our site as noted (usually in red ink).

Repetitive violations will result in suspension of your account. We are also considering posting details of all suspended/banned programmer accounts for our site users/buyers.

 

I still have some questions before I get started - how I can contact you?
Just contact us and enclose the nature of your contact, your name, email and explain the issue/question.