I think most people do make that assumption subconsciously. Hard to blame them, the signal to noise ratio is awful so it's probably easier to not bother.
Relatedly, my experience has been people demand cheap if you're from India even if they do think you're skilled. It's the geographical version of the "but it only took you 10 minutes" argument. This does bug me.
My advice to you is to hide your location at least until they see your portfolio/github first. And be firm about pricing. Maybe a modest discount so you don't lose tiebreaker decisions, but don't fall into the trap of anchoring your worth to geography.
For context, I spent a decade in the US before returning to India and have freelanced in both places. I do have degrees from a couple of fancy US universities that partially address the signaling issue.
Relatedly, my experience has been people demand cheap if you're from India even if they do think you're skilled. It's the geographical version of the "but it only took you 10 minutes" argument. This does bug me.
My advice to you is to hide your location at least until they see your portfolio/github first. And be firm about pricing. Maybe a modest discount so you don't lose tiebreaker decisions, but don't fall into the trap of anchoring your worth to geography.
For context, I spent a decade in the US before returning to India and have freelanced in both places. I do have degrees from a couple of fancy US universities that partially address the signaling issue.