
Ask HN: Are sites like Elance and Upwork worthwhile? - aphextron
It&#x27;s been quite a while since I first checked them out, and the last I knew it seemed like a bit of a race to the bottom. People competing for $2&#x2F;hour made it seem like a waste of time.<p>Is there actually a market for highly skilled developers earning decent wages now, or is it still the same?
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leepowers
The only success I've had on any of these freelance sites was by treating them
as a marketing sales channel. Didn't lower my prices at all and landed a small
project at my normal rate. This served as the start of a more permanent
relationship. After the small-time project we got into contact outside the
freelancer site and collaborated on larger projects.

The main problem with these sites is not that there's developers bidding at
the lowest dollar; those devs are always around, and you're competing against
them even when not using the freelance sites. The problem is letting these
sites own and monetize your business relationships.

~~~
voycey
I agree with this, there is the secondary problem whereby people advertising
work really don't understand how to price that work. The majority of it that I
see is probably budgeted around half of what I would charge.

I think for Junior - Mid / Good exchange rate countries it is a great way to
get a toe in the door for future work directly, for anything senior I think
you are going to struggle.

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nyrulez
I have hired from Upwork and Reddit at both low and high prices. Giving a view
from the other side, I think one can command high prices as long as they also
do the work upfront to show that they can deliver. As someone trying to get my
work done with good quality, the quality crowd tends to thin out pretty
quickly. I am always surprised that even after looking at 20 promising
profiles, only 1-2 stand out.

Biggest way to stand out IMO is to demonstrate polished previous work, with
working links. Most developers have screenshots of old de-funct stuff. They do
a half assed job of convincing that they have done good work before. IMHO, if
you don't have a personal polished website, demonstrating amazing work, you
don't deserve to command good prices. Show, don't tell.

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justaguyhere
If these sites are so bad, I wonder why isn't anyone stepping in to fill the
void? There is tons of work, tons of money to be made if someone can make it
work. Most of these platforms take hefty commission (20% at upwork and fiverr,
for example) and yet do not provide a good service

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spdebbarma
Can you tell me what how a better platform would function?

I used to freelance on Upwork but I can't think of a better system.

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ptrenko
It certainly is a race to the bottom. A marketplace provides more
opportunities at the cost of greater competition.

You're also taxed 20% of your income by Upwork. Some find that egregious but
I'd say that's the cost of the network.

If the network gets stronger, it makes sense for them to charge a larger
amount.

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lexda15
Upwork has different projects with low and high prices. It's a lottery to win
a project.

Here is a list with 100 Marketplaces and Job Boards to find a remote or
freelance job
[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RrCjKx03515Hm523uUvD...](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RrCjKx03515Hm523uUvD1i3FmKWaDheqaWuElbiS94I/edit?usp=sharing)

You can check them and find what you need. I'm sure that freelancers with the
high rate find projects. BTW, This service
[https://periodix.net/](https://periodix.net/) aggregates projects related to
your budget expectations. That's why you don't waste your time competing with
$2hour freelancers.

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CloudNetworking
I started playing with one of those sites recently. I advertise myself at my
real rates and in my pitch I mention my relevant career background, include my
CV and a link to LinkedIn where they can see all my recommendations and then
end explaining how it's actually cheaper to hire me as I require way less time
to deliver high quality projects, so they end up paying the same or less for a
better job.

So far it worked once and the customer is so happy that has kept the contract
opened for now to request more things, but I've been applying for just a
couple of days.

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yakshaving_jgt
It’s a global market, to some degree.

I say to some degree because many buyers from wealthier markets are shying
away from hiring in certain developing markets.

If you consider yourself highly skilled and you live in a relatively developed
country, then no, it probably isn’t worth your time trying to compete.

Furthermore, it’s a seller’s market so if you genuinely are highly skilled,
you shouldn’t be short of work.

