What is Freelancer?
Freelancer.com is an online job marketplace that provides a means for clients and freelancers around the globe to collaborate for mutual benefit. Individuals or businesses in need of skilled help for short or long-term projects can post those projects and allow freelancers to submit bids for the completion of the work.
For the client or service buyer, Freelancer.com provides immediate access to thousands of independent contractors with specific skills, without the need to place job ads or provide work space, insurance, etc. For the freelancer or service provider, Freelancer.com offers a constant source of part-time to full-time work opportunities, without the trouble and expenses of advertising and self-promotion.
Signing Up
Although anyone can browse projects on the site, posting projects and bidding are restricted to registered users. Follow these simple steps to activate your Freelancer.com account:
1) Fill out a short registration form. From the Signup page, you’ll be asked to create a unique username that will identify you on our system. You’ll also need to provide a valid email address and confirm reading our Terms and Conditions. No personal information will be requested.
2) Confirm your email address. When you submit the registration form, a message containing a link and confirmation code will be sent to the email address you provided. You must follow the instructions in the email to provide the confirmation code in order to activate your account.
3) Create your profile. Take a few minutes to provide some information about yourself and/or your business. This information will be stored on your profile page to provide other users with an overview of your skills and/or needs. No personal or contact information should be shared.
Projects
Projects are posted by registered clients with work descriptions, skill requirements, and a budget range. Freelancers browse or search the posted projects for those that match their skills and interests. After reading the full descriptions of applicable projects, freelancers can place bids and upload their work samples on their portfolio page for clients to check. Clients then examine the posted bids and work samples to determine the most qualified bidders and award the project to one or more freelancers.
Freelancer.com encourages clients to provide accurate and complete descriptions when posting projects. Our posting and bidding systems are designed to maximize the potential for satisfactory results for both the service buyer and service provider.
Optional features can be added to a project post.
Accounts
Each registered Freelancer.com user is provided with a free online account for payments or fund transfers. Funds can be added as direct payments from other users through projects/contests or from various payment sources such as the user's credit card, online accounts (PayPal or Skrill) or bank transfer.
A freelancer may request payouts from his or her Freelancer.com account via Express Withdrawal/Payouts, Wire Withdrawal/Payouts, or online account (PayPal or Skrill). An optional debit card is also available that provides users with immediate access to the funds in their accounts.
Payout requests are handled on a weekly basis. Minimal fees to offset processing costs may apply to certain transfers and are deducted when the transfer is initiated.
Fees payable to Freelancer.com for memberships, project acceptance, exams, etc. are also deducted from users’ accounts as applied.
Payments
Clients can pay service providers via transfer from their accounts to providers' accounts. This can be done through Milestone Payments, invoices, or fund transfers.
- Funds can be added to our Milestone Payment System and released when prearranged milestones within the project are reached. Clients are under no obligation to provide upfront payment and should only consider this with well-trusted freelancers as released payments can only be returned upon consent of the freelancer.
- Shorter term projects can also be paid via the Milestone Payment System, to assure the freelancer that the funds are available while allowing the client to release the funds only after the project is completed to his or her satisfaction.
- The Freelancer.com rating and feedback system (described below) is only available for projects when payments are made through Freelancer.com.
Feedback and Ratings
When a project is completed through payments made within the Freelancer.com system, the feedback and rating system for that project will be activated. This provides the opportunity for the client and freelancer to rate each other’s performance through comments and a simple 5-star rating scale. To ensure fairness, members may also post a response to the other party’s comments. A freelancer's overall ratings and individual project ratings and feedback are shown on their profile page to help clients assess the value of working with that freelancer.
The feedback and rating system allows both clients and freelancers the opportunity to build their reputations through performance. It also provides the entire Freelancer.com community with added protection against potential scams and unsatisfactory business transactions.
Summary
Freelancer.com strives to provide a safe, simple, and affordable environment for cooperation between freelancers and clients around the world. Join our ever-increasing membership to maximize the earning potential of your business through outsourcing, freelancing, or both!