Lodius2000 Posted January 16, 2009 Author Share Posted January 16, 2009 Thanks crayon, Ive gotten a pretty good notion of where my skills lie, I fit into you second category, I want to complete projects with no scamming, I want them big, but not over my head big, so that i can learn from them, solve problems but still not be pressed for time. But I am still not opposed to making a quick buck off someone who desperately needs to set up a registration and login system for their backend. but I would provide a fair price for that, I already have all those scripts made, its just setting it up on their end and possibly some quick customization, im not going to rape them with my bill, but Im not going to charge a dollar, but even still I do want to get the job more than anything, because I would rather get paid than not. I know too that it is a feel for the client that provides yet another factor in your quote, so i realize that none of these rates are concrete. but anyone who has experience can give me a ballpark, that would help me refine mine. Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akitchin Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Thanks crayon, Ive gotten a pretty good notion of where my skills lie, I fit into you second category, I want to complete projects with no scamming, I want them big, but not over my head big, so that i can learn from them, solve problems but still not be pressed for time. But I am still not opposed to making a quick buck off someone who desperately needs to set up a registration and login system for their backend. but I would provide a fair price for that, I already have all those scripts made, its just setting it up on their end and possibly some quick customization, im not going to rape them with my bill, but Im not going to charge a dollar, but even still I do want to get the job more than anything, because I would rather get paid than not. I know too that it is a feel for the client that provides yet another factor in your quote, so i realize that none of these rates are concrete. but anyone who has experience can give me a ballpark, that would help me refine mine. Thanks again i'm reluctant to offer a real number; as everyone else has said, it's entirely about what your time is worth to you. and if you honestly believe it's priceless, then you've got a reality waiting outside that bubble that you need to get in touch with. when i started (5 years ago or so), i charged lump sum values that had no real meaning. they were just what i thought i could get away with and what i was happy earning. it was a terrible system, and one i will readily admit was immature and worthless. eventually i found the wage that suited me by comparing it to other jobs i had held (call centre jockey, IT helpdesk, lab technician), in addition to the circumstances of the job. given that freelance is often piecemeal until you develop solid relationships, i then added a few dollars to it and came out with an hourly rate i could use to calculate estimates. that's probably your best bet. if you haven't held m/any real life jobs before, i don't think you're going to know the value of your time for a while. i recently revised my rates to reflect the experience i've gained, but more importantly, because my time is worth more to me now. i have a full-time job and any freelance i take on is over and above those 40-70hrs/week i already work; therefore it had better be worth my time, and upping my fees takes care of that. that's just how i feel, and there's an illustration of why it's all about what your time is worth to you. all in all, nobody's time is priceless when it comes to money. your time yields work which often has a very measurable value to the person who benefits from it. the right balance comes when the client feels they're getting their money's worth from you, and at the end of the day you don't feel like you want to give up the job. EDIT: since you seem quite set on getting real numbers, INDIVIDUAL developers who freelance in this area charge anywhere from $20-$50, depending on skills and arrogance. businesses charge a shitload more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanWhitehouse Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 What i believe is that when you first begin you should just offer lowish rates to get some work for portfolio and to get in contact with contractors. Because one job can lead to many, for example i have only done 1 big job so far and i got about £400 out of it all together i think, and that was pretty cheap but since then the client has more small things to do to the site, and asks for quotes for bigger site improvements and also puts me in touch with other people he knows. Also some jobs may lead to you getting a kinda contract job with the client where they will continuously use you to do any changes to the site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lodius2000 Posted January 16, 2009 Author Share Posted January 16, 2009 akitchin, this freelance is a way for me to get into this industry, I have had plenty of jobs in other fields, but now with all of your inputs on different rate's and/or how you calculate your rate, I can refine my system, and come up with a better number for my clients. thanks a lot guys, took a lot of back and forth but I think we are getting where i wanted to go, I think now from the get go I could have asked a better question, of 'what factors do you consider to calculate your freelance rate/estimates?' that probably would have gotten us here faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel0 Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 but tbh all day long I see people coming and going around here that claim to deliver but fail, and then come crying for us to help them swallow what they bit off, and I'm just like wtf if I knew who you were working for I'd go to them and steal your project, lol. And then they come crying to us again when they don't want people to find out that they received help so they want us to delete their topics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.josh Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 but tbh all day long I see people coming and going around here that claim to deliver but fail, and then come crying for us to help them swallow what they bit off, and I'm just like wtf if I knew who you were working for I'd go to them and steal your project, lol. And then they come crying to us again when they don't want people to find out that they received help so they want us to delete their topics. QFT I know you guys didn't have to and you offer help for free and you just totally saved my ass but now it makes me look bad because I was stupid enough to make an account with my favorite username and posted all kinds of links and shit that can be linked back to this place my boss is gonna kill me and I'm never gonna get another client because they can now see that I'm FULL OF SHIT when I claim I can do what they need so please delete my link/post/account! And it's really really funny when they add on for good measure: "...do it or I'll take legal action against you." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynew Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 How fast can you get the job done right? If you're twice as fast and just as capable as the guy charging $18..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corbin Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 but tbh all day long I see people coming and going around here that claim to deliver but fail, and then come crying for us to help them swallow what they bit off, and I'm just like wtf if I knew who you were working for I'd go to them and steal your project, lol. And then they come crying to us again when they don't want people to find out that they received help so they want us to delete their topics. QFT I know you guys didn't have to and you offer help for free and you just totally saved my ass but now it makes me look bad because I was stupid enough to make an account with my favorite username and posted all kinds of links and shit that can be linked back to this place my boss is gonna kill me and I'm never gonna get another client because they can now see that I'm FULL OF SHIT when I claim I can do what they need so please delete my link/post/account! And it's really really funny when they add on for good measure: "...do it or I'll take legal action against you." Wow people are really that stupid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.josh Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 We get requests for post (or certain info posted; usually links to their site)/thread/account deletion all the time. Threatening on top of that doesn't happen that often, but it does happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corbin Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 I now think people can be dumber than I previously thought. So they come in, ask for help with work, and then want the post deleted before a boss/clients see it? Bahahahaha. Someday, I'm going to find someone doing that and track down his/her employer somehow and send him/her a link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel0 Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 Wow people are really that stupid? Yes, the lawsuit thing wasn't a joke at all. It has happened several times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corbin Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 I wonder what they think the legal grounds for that would be. When did the world get to the state it's in now? "OMG I'm not getting my way?!?! I should threaten to sue!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel0 Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 "OMG I'm not getting my way?!?! I should threaten to sue!" I thought that was standard practice in the U.S. ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.josh Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 "OMG I'm not getting my way?!?! I should threaten to sue!" I thought that was standard practice in the U.S. ??? And if that doesn't work, we just label you a terrorist because you not letting me get my way is an act of terrorism. And then we send in the troops and bombs and take your country over, and then just take what we want, for free. So we can either do this the easy way, or the hard way. Either way is fine with us; your choice. Thank you for shopping U.S.A Corp. Have A Nice Day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corbin Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 "OMG I'm not getting my way?!?! I should threaten to sue!" I thought that was standard practice in the U.S. ??? Unfortunately, it is.... And sometimes the stupid people win. It's ridiculous sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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