Freelancers and Freelance Jobs Online

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Hourly vs. Fixed Rates (Which is Better?)
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  • Profile picture of the author Codestation
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    • Profile picture of the author JDBOTX5
      Depends on the job. But I would usually charge a fixed rate taking in consideration the time I would have to invest in it. It is much clearer for both the client and yourself.
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  • I always push for fixed rates as a writer. This way everyone knows exactly what they will be getting. A high quality 1000 word article might take me 30 minutes and someone else 3 hours.

    People should pay for the results, not the time.

    Michael
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    • Profile picture of the author Benjamin Farthing
      Fixed rate. I'm not selling my time, or a wordcount. I'm selling my expertise and talent.
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    I only ever work for a fixed rate. I know roughly how long a job wiill take me and I quote based on that and other factors.
    Signature

    Cheers, Laurence.
    Writer/Editor/Proofreader.

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  • Profile picture of the author jessiewriter
    You need to work your hourly rate, but always charge a fixed rate.
    Signature

    ~ Jessie Haynes
    Erotica Author
    Caffeine Headaches: Author Blog

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    • Profile picture of the author Horny Devil
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Govsource View Post


      Hourly vs. Fixed Rates (Which is Better?)
      Neither. A truly quality writer writes and works for him/her self, on their own projects/websites.

      Originally Posted by Codestation View Post

      hourly is better i think
      Wrong.

      Originally Posted by JDBOTX5 View Post

      Depends on the job. But I would usually charge a fixed rate taking in consideration the time I would have to invest in it. It is much clearer for both the client and yourself.
      Wrong.

      Originally Posted by Michael Levanduski View Post

      I always push for fixed rates as a writer. This way everyone knows exactly what they will be getting. A high quality 1000 word article might take me 30 minutes and someone else 3 hours.

      People should pay for the results, not the time.

      Michael
      Wrong.

      Originally Posted by Benjamin Farthing View Post

      Fixed rate. I'm not selling my time, or a wordcount. I'm selling my expertise and talent.
      Wrong.

      Originally Posted by laurencewins View Post

      I only ever work for a fixed rate. I know roughly how long a job wiill take me and I quote based on that and other factors.
      Wrong.

      Originally Posted by jessiewriter View Post

      You need to work your hourly rate, but always charge a fixed rate.
      Wrong.


      Any of you that call yourself creative, innovative writers - which is what people want to actively employ . . . well, you should be ashamed of yourselves to be touting for business. If you're really THAT GOOD, surely you should be doing it for yourself, and not putting yourself up for hire. WTF!

      Feel free to PM me. I'll tell you if you've got a future as a serious writer within a matter of minutes. This is coming from the author of almost 100 titles, including several best sellers.

      So much bullshit on here.
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      • Profile picture of the author Larry Leggett
        Originally Posted by Horny Devil View Post


        Feel free to PM me. I'll tell you if you've got a future as a serious writer within a matter of minutes. This is coming from the author of almost 100 titles, including several best sellers.

        So much bullshit on here.
        You are thinking it in your way. Not for a single time the OP says that he is a writer or he provides writing services. If you are working for somebody, you ought to fix your payment. It can be hourly or fixed.
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      • Profile picture of the author BradVert2013
        Originally Posted by Horny Devil View Post



        Any of you that call yourself creative, innovative writers - which is what people want to actively employ . . . well, you should be ashamed of yourselves to be touting for business. If you're really THAT GOOD, surely you should be doing it for yourself, and not putting yourself up for hire. WTF!

        Feel free to PM me. I'll tell you if you've got a future as a serious writer within a matter of minutes. This is coming from the author of almost 100 titles, including several best sellers.

        So much bullshit on here.
        Please enlighten us, your Excellence.

        Name some of your best sellers. Talk is cheap.
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      • Profile picture of the author JRJWrites
        Originally Posted by Horny Devil View Post

        Neither. A truly quality writer writes and works for him/her self, on their own projects/websites.
        Trash. That's the worst generalization I've ever heard, period.

        Originally Posted by Horny Devil View Post

        If you're really THAT GOOD, surely you should be doing it for yourself, and not putting yourself up for hire. WTF!
        Nope. Some people, like me, prefer to make our livings writing for others.

        Originally Posted by Horny Devil View Post

        So much bullshit on here.
        Agreed.
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  • Profile picture of the author ridakzemlo
    Depends on the job but I feel more comfortable with a fixed price, this way I at least know exactly what to pay at the end.
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  • Profile picture of the author Not So New
    I agree it depends on the job

    If they are going to be doing the same tasks on a daily basis (VA) then hourly.

    If it's a specific project with an end result, I prefer fixed pricing

    -Shawn
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  • Profile picture of the author ElijahM
    Fixed rate for me
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  • Profile picture of the author brutecky
    Let me give you a response as a person who provided freelance work (I have done well over $200,000 in freelance programming)

    I almost ALWAYS went after the fixed price jobs. Why? Because I made more money. Set a fixed price, work my tail off and then end up making some good cash. For example back in the day I would write a simple Facebook script and charge around $400 for it. I was fast enough that I could get them done in about 3 hours so I was in effect earning a little over $133 per hours.

    Just like any contract job, with fixed price the contractor will work harder to 'beat the bid' and earn more.

    Now with hourly he can take his time and drag it out. So really either way the provider can get you if he wants.
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  • Profile picture of the author Moneymaker2012
    fixed time is better, because I see most of people confused how to track their time spent on work and projects so forget about time and pay per project/job.
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  • Profile picture of the author jessiem
    Originally Posted by Govsource View Post

    Hourly vs. Fixed Rates (Which is Better?)
    Hourly is better than fixed rate...
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  • Profile picture of the author TimothyTorrents
    I never charge a hourly rate. It makes the whole process more complicated and time zones need to be synchronized, etc.

    I always charge a flat rate for my services.
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  • Profile picture of the author Casaken
    Fixed rate is the best, because there are no surprises on both sides.
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  • Profile picture of the author davegarcia939
    Originally Posted by Govsource View Post

    Hourly vs. Fixed Rates (Which is Better?)
    It depends. Personally I prefer Fixed rate.
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  • Profile picture of the author BradVert2013
    I always do a flat fee because I don't want to waste time trying to explain to the client why a website content project took x number of hours. With a flat fee they know exactly what they'll get and how much they'll pay.

    Just my .02.
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    • Profile picture of the author Blessed07
      I always thought that the hourly rate is better than the fixed rate
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      • Profile picture of the author marketingwomen
        It depends on the project.

        I would charge an houtly on one due to the type of work with Email Support. I charge a fixed rate with writing projects.

        Thanks!
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  • Profile picture of the author spearce000
    Fixed rate, always. Renting yourself out by the hour is just like having a J-O-B. Besides, if you ever decide to subcontract some of the work out (to someone on fiverr.com, say) you're b******d if you're on an hourly rate and have to produce timesheets - or worse still have that software that tracks screen time.
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  • Profile picture of the author tomako
    If there is an end product(article, web site, logo, hardware design, software...), I think fixed rate is always better.
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  • Profile picture of the author tj
    In my opinion fixed rate is the better way - you decide when you work and you know what you can do for an fixed amount.

    Timo
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  • Profile picture of the author srttrujia
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    • Profile picture of the author AnnaPaterson
      fix rate is better rather than arguing about the time needed to finish an article.
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  • Profile picture of the author mathewboly
    It depends on your projects. but most of the time the freelancer choose the hourly job. Hourly job payment is on weekly basis, on the flip side the fixed price job payment depends on the Clients will. According to me the Hourly job is better than the Fixed price job.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sean Edwards
    I used to write as a freelancer when I first started now. Now I have extensive experience of being in the client's shoes, as I've worked with many freelancers and still do.

    I think having a fixed rate is a win-win situation. You know what you are getting and so does the client who is paying for your work. When you work hourly, the end settlement still hasn't been established, which can create problems down the line. It's nice to have everyone clear on who's getting what, right from the start. That's just my opinion, anyway!
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  • Profile picture of the author rakhwas
    It depends on a lot of things.

    If you are good at what you do, i can't see why you should do it as freelancer on low paying sites.

    Make a post on here, prove what you can do, and keep the customers coming.
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  • Profile picture of the author Reddy20
    cant decide, I agree with some comments here that it depends on the task
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  • Profile picture of the author CyberAlien
    This not only depends on what the actual job is, but it also depends a lot on the freelancer's personal preference. It's kind of like asking if soup or salad is better- there's no right answer to it.
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