How to protect yourself when freelancing

Great question. In addition to running my own network of blogs and running several lists, I also do freelance writing. Usually, I ask for upfront payment. If they are legit, they would have no problem with this-especially if the deal is under $200. Be careful of people who ask for free CUSTOM samples though. If they don't pay for the custom samples or the deal doesn't pan out, you still own the content since the 'prospect' didn't pay for it. You can submit it to other blogs with a link to your site or freelance site profile or you can just let others publish it for free. This way, the 'prospect' doesn't get to benefit from your work since it would be duplicate content if they try to publish it.

Sadly, such situations come with the territory.

I have a simple system

in case of work less than 100$, no advance, people pay after that anyway
in case of work above 100$ , i work on a milestone basis , i.e - x amount of work is done, x amount of payment is paid.
in case of scammers, i simple put the entire chatlog on internet, they usually get the idea and pay up, i had 11 scammers, 8 paid up , google has a way of really messing your life up.

some people are saying 50% advance is best , i would disagree, because there are two type of scammers, 1- who dont' want to pay, or cannot pay
and those who actually want to scam you, they will open paypal dispute after you have done the work, for the upfront.

to take that in consideration.

in case of nutcases who are scammers and dont' really want to pay, move on, don't waste time over them, you will make far more money ignoring them, than you would crying over scammers.

just my two cents though.

89 clients, 11 scammers, 7 paid up, so just 4 scammers left.

i think its a good trade off.

on two words - MOVE ON!

you will get scammers, live with it.

Hi There!

50-50 can do. Client can pay you 50% so you can start project and you ask for the final payment when you are about to deliver the work.

Just ask for the payment upfront.

I used to ask for 100% upfront payment and then I realized that allowing clients to pay upon completion motivates me to work more. But, if the total price of the order is more than 50$ I will ask for at least 50% upfront.

Upfront payment is usually the best form of protection. Genuine clients appreciate that freelancers need to protect themselves and are usually happy to pay upfront.

1. Use solid contracts....
2. Get paid first

I get paid upfront and have never had a problem.

I require a 50% upfront deposit and the rest when the project is completed. Full rights to the product pass to the purchaser when final payment is made. After three years I've only had two clients not make their final payment and that is out of hundreds of clients.

Rose

I generally ask for 50/50 payments for anything over $100, upfront payments for smaller projects like single articles. If it's a big project ($300-$500ish or more), I might split it into payments after increments. I've never had a client back out of paying once they've made the initial deposit.

The point brought up earlier about custom samples is an excellent one, and worth emphasizing. Some scammers will literally try to get projects done that way. I take a "I never write a custom sample" stance, which is easier because my portfolio sites contain plenty of examples of my work, or I can refer people to my Constant Content profile (which is in itself a sign of authority and trustworthiness).

The simple answer to your question is get a signed contract.
If you are dealing with sub-$100 work then a contract
may seem like an overkill but at least state your policy
and indicate that by engaging you they agree with this
policy. Just saying "no refund" is a policy.

After over 11 years as a freelancer I've only had one
client who didn't pay the 50% balance and that was
very early in my business.

The vast majority of people are NOT out to rip you
off and you are more likely to find scammers on
the lower end of the price spectrum than the higher
end.

-Ray Edwards

I got scammed today and it was only $10. But it still gives me a bad feeling.

As another copywriter told me, anything under $3,000, get it upfront.

When you write a contact or terms and conditions in your PayPal Invoice, be clear on your timeframe for completion and EXACTLY what the money pays for, including your revision process.

If you leave anything to chance, there are people who will take advantage.

But as long as you're clear with your boundaries, everyone's happy.

Remember...

The contract protects your client too.

Mark

thankfully i have not experienced that but it is one of our occupational hazards. one of the best things you can probably try is asking for the payment before finishing your work, or a 50% down payment, at least. or if you can, drafting a contract for both parties to sign, will also be a very great idea.

There are tons of ways to do this, but I think you'll find that it varies depending on the customer. Some will be okay with placing 100% in escrow whereas others prefer sending 50% upfront.

Thank you ALL so much for your answers!! Very helpful for a newbie.

I always do the very unexpected and risk-reverse as this puts people at ease.

I put myself in their shoes and imagine what it is like being them right now.

I tell them that I will first do the work, deliver and then they can pay.

I have NEVER had so far someone who didn't pay.

It's also an interesting psychology going on regarding prices and whether people want to pay or not:

When prices are set low it could be that some clients really don't want to pay anything at all and that is why they set such a low price.

Clients who realize nothing is free also realize quality takes time and time is money so they will have to set a higher price if they want better quality.

One recent client wanted to pay in stages so I did 50% of the work and she paid 50% of the agreed price, and so on. If you're a new freelancer, you should definitively start out this way so people can see your quality.

Realize that most people are very afraid of the internet because of the bad rep it mostly gets from the news and so forth (regarding money and such).

Put yourself in their shoes and take all the risks and since most people are good people, and you will have to deal with very few or any at all, who exploit this.

Also, if you do indeed face someone who didn't pay (through a freelancing site), then at least you can do your duty and give them a really bad review (though honest) so no one else has to go through it.

I have an experience working with elance and freelancer and there until now everything goes well. In order to avoid any risk first of all it is important to select the buyers in a proper manner. You must go for those who have good reviews.

Secondly, ask for 50% advance payment or better show a sample first and then ask for upfront payment if the quality is acceptable.

Finally if you are serious in your work, with good reviews then no one is going to trouble you seeing your good reviews. So just maintain that and you will be happy to make money online.

I share the same experience before with you my friend. I was tricked, gave my final product but the buyer ran away . I learned with that mistake so my suggestion is that you and your buyer or employer you do it in milestones so as the project progresses continue it when the client pays the milestone.

I agree. You've already done the work, if the buyer cancels, you are out. Custom work is not something you can sell to someone else.

Use watermarks for graphics and send text via images.

If you do good work and have delivered good results to your past clients you should leverage that in your sales process and receive upfront payment. This can even help you to raise your prices a bit and position your services as more premium

ask for partial payment from your clients. its your right, even in offline contract, it is necessary to ask for initial payment

Provide them a partial project review and get the parftial payment. Freelancers and Project sellers shoud have mutual understanding.

I used to do freelance stuff from people I met on fiverr, odesk, etc. and they were good people. I've never experienced people not paying (thankfully) but I experienced some form of underpayment before. Ir was for a client who wanted exceeded the number of web design revisions I normally give my clients. I let it pass though as I didn't clarify with him that were was a limit to the number of revisions.

So I guess my only contribution here is you should clarify with clients if there's a limit to revisions (or number of edits, or number of mock-ups, whatever is applicable in your case). You can also impose a "fee" if they exceed that limit.

I always required a 50% deposit before I would even start. In addition, all work was submitted with watermarks on it so it wouldn't be used before paying for it. Only after the final payment was made would I deliver the work with no watermarks on it.

50-50 or milestones. More importantly I have found is to make sure clear parameters are agreed otherwise "mission creep" doubles your workload.

freelancing holds meaning of self employed...

Targets should be completed on time and client satisfaction plays a vital role.

I personally would never start a job without full or partial payment upfront. I have been doing business this way for several years, and it works well for me.

I used to require full upfront payment, with no refunds. I still offer no refunds, but usually will take 1/2 upfront and 1/2 before final delivery. Usually the final files I show are on my server, and many times they are screens shots of the site or graphics I have done.

Never work for free, or work without any payment when working online.

I also send them an invoice, with all the project details listed out in the comments field of the invoice, so there is no misunderstanding. Thankfully I have had no problems. But if you do not keep your end of the deal, expect problems.

When doing digital work, such as graphic design, web design, etc, refunds are out of the question. Before someone hires you, they should see your portfolio, and understand your design skill level and your style, and base their decision on that. ( I guess if you completely misrepresent your work, and what your going to do for the client, then a refund should be given)

Another thing to discuss upfront is how many revisions you are willing to do for the price quoted.

Be clear, make sure you have what your agreeing to do for X amount of dollars listed out, in a clear and simple list, so that there is no confusion whatsoever.

If you have an account in fiverr they automatically pay you before you work for their orders but in freelance it needs to have a contract until you both agree to terms and conditions that you discuss.

There will always be questionable projects because nowadays there is no trust among people. Everyone wants to trick and fool others, take their money and walk away without looking back. I agree that the best way to do it is to ask 50% upfront and the rest when you have finished the work. Do not provide custom samples no matter how desperate you might feel. It is like in the dating world: they say they'll call but never do )

I protect my business by asking 100 percent upfront fee all the time.

Two reasons why I have the gall to ask (not demand) for it:
1. I operate a tax-paying online business. It gives me the edge over some fly-by-night (and tax-avoiding citizens?) freelancers.
2. I have developed my business and my writers' knack in writing. Why can't I if I've clocked in almost 10 years of writing and business management experience?

As employer I usually pay after the work. I would not hire someone if I hadn't seen the work. You just need to trust your employer. UNLESS it is a big project, then you can ask to be prepaid for half of it.

If you had been paid by your employee before after the work then it is whole different story...

Hope it helps

My formula always works for me: I usually ask for 50% upfront on the start of the contract,30% on sample delivery and the remaining 20% on the final delivery of the work done.
Its the best formula to avoid stammers though some clients don't like paying an upfront fee.

Hi,
As fatafat said, freelancers should make a proper agreement with the clients, before starting their projects. You can Earn Money Online, but you should choose your right way. In agreement the major things should be followed.
1. Project duration
2. Project Value
3. Penalty value (If projects are not deliveriung in time)

I make sure I subscribe to a good freelancing site then ask up front all the time. Its like for solo ads or any else buying, you want to make sure the other person has good ratings or portfolio

It's best to have the client pay a percentage of the overall fee before you start. Then you get the rest of the money once it has been approved. On Fiverr it's safe as well, they pay all the money to you but it is held by Fiverr until the client has approved the work.

Wow, very interesting question...

I've done more offline freelance writing than online, so I'm not sure if this perspective will help - but I hope it will!

Generally, with any freelance assignment, you are expected to hand in the finished piece before you get paid. Any issues with content are ironed out, and then payment is sent. But, with offline sources (magazines, etc) they are generally known and have a good reputation and would never think of not paying.

I think in my years of freelancing I only ever had an issue once with non-payment. With online freelancing, I can totally see why you'd want to have at least a deposit before you begin working.

Hope this helps!
Christina

best way to protect while doing freelancing is to use escrow server before starting work or you should refer a review of the customer before doing business with them. If they are having good reviews then go with them without advance payment otherwise you should take some advance payment.