Am I paying too much?

22 replies
  • WEB DESIGN
  • |
Thank you for listening!

So, I pitched a website idea for a friend that I know is a serious programmer who works for a serious company. The site is in short a subscription page with log in, register now, search engine, database and a profile page. In my country average hourly wage for someone like him is easily 100$ hour (scandinavia), which is what he offered me. He said, and I couldnt disagree, because I dont know (yet) that exactly that page doesnt exist yet (which is true i guess) so he´d have to do it all from scratch.

Now, I was expecting maybe to have to pay 2000-3000$ for the site (20-30 hours or so), but he said 80-120 hours. I know that web pages are built for that price, but it was quite a lot more than i was hoping for.

So now I´m wondering if..I mean, he´s an honest guy, so he doesnt try to rip me off. But I´m not an "online" kinda guy, so I just got the feeling that I´m buying a brand new bmw here, or...shopping at the absouelutly most expensive grocery store or clothes shop, when I could go online and find the same products for much cheaper price (only in perhaps an uglier coating)

I checked out fiverr..and people in other countries make pages and stuff for almost free.

I mean..if i wanna launch a website in one of the most expensive countries on earth in this digital global age..wouldnt it be retarded to hire a person who has one of the highest salaries in the world?
#paying
  • Profile picture of the author davidmac00
    I don't know if you are paying too much, only you can decide that.

    What I can say is that there are many places you can get developers to do this work and many of them will not charge $100 per hour.

    Places such as Odesk, freelancer, 99designs, fiverr (you've already mentioned), people per hour and many more will have people who can quote you a price.

    The real questions are:
    How much faith do you have in your friends skills to create you a site which will repay itself and more?
    Is he the best qualified person to do the job or is he someone who can do the job that you trust?

    Good luck,
    David
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10524085].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Vikinghustler
      Originally Posted by davidmac00 View Post

      I don't know if you are paying too much, only you can decide that.

      What I can say is that there are many places you can get developers to do this work and many of them will not charge $100 per hour.

      Places such as Odesk, freelancer, 99designs, fiverr (you've already mentioned), people per hour and many more will have people who can quote you a price.

      The real questions are:
      How much faith do you have in your friends skills to create you a site which will repay itself and more?
      Is he the best qualified person to do the job or is he someone who can do the job that you trust?

      Good luck,
      David
      Thank you David

      I have absolutely confidence in him as a developer/programmer. He is very much qualified..the question is if he´s maybe too qualified, if you know what I mean? He´s used to work with big companies..and my idea is definitly a small business idea (one man show) with a very small budget since it will be a third job for me/hobby. It has real potential, but with another project and daytime job its very hard to put that much money into this..

      So, I guess that answers your first question. Yes, I think it would be too expensive for me.

      He is very qualified, but I suspect that his qualifications are unnessecary for this job..

      He says it needs to be programmed/developed from scratch..but im starting to second guess that. I think with some small changes to the orginal page-idea, it could be done on a "theme".

      Thank you for your link sugesstions. How safe and legit are pages like that?

      My idea after meeting with my friend was definitly..why hire a high cost person to do this...let globalization do its thing? Am I thinking right here?
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10524130].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author dandagger
        Originally Posted by Vikinghustler View Post

        Thank you David

        I have absolutely confidence in him as a developer/programmer. He is very much qualified..the question is if he´s maybe too qualified, if you know what I mean? He´s used to work with big companies..and my idea is definitly a small business idea (one man show) with a very small budget since it will be a third job for me/hobby. It has real potential, but with another project and daytime job its very hard to put that much money into this..

        So, I guess that answers your first question. Yes, I think it would be too expensive for me.

        He is very qualified, but I suspect that his qualifications are unnessecary for this job..

        He says it needs to be programmed/developed from scratch..but im starting to second guess that. I think with some small changes to the orginal page-idea, it could be done on a "theme".

        Thank you for your link sugesstions. How safe and legit are pages like that?

        My idea after meeting with my friend was definitly..why hire a high cost person to do this...let globalization do its thing? Am I thinking right here?

        Probably. If you check out wordpress, you may be able to find a workable theme for $50. Check out themeforest.net for some awesome WP themes.
        Signature

        Hope you have a prosperous 2017!

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10524970].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Vikinghustler
          Originally Posted by dandagger View Post

          Probably. If you check out wordpress, you may be able to find a workable theme for $50. Check out themeforest.net for some awesome WP themes.
          Thank you for your sugesstions Dandagger
          I will check it out.
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10525430].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author alaminaiub
    I think you can find cheaper and good developer than this rate. You can check the example link for details.
    Psd to html with BOOTSTRAP
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10525638].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author BDazzler
    I would not trust my web site to anyone who charged less than $40 per hour, and would look closely at anyone who charged less than $75. For a high quality enterprise level site, I would expect to pay between $100 and $150 per hour.

    Price and quality are not exactly equivalent, but you do get what you pay for.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10525763].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Vikinghustler
      Originally Posted by alaminaiub View Post

      I think you can find cheaper and good developer than this rate. You can check the example link for details.
      Psd to html with BOOTSTRAP
      thanks alaminaiub!

      Originally Posted by BDazzler View Post

      I would not trust my web site to anyone who charged less than $40 per hour, and would look closely at anyone who charged less than $75. For a high quality enterprise level site, I would expect to pay between $100 and $150 per hour.

      Price and quality are not exactly equivalent, but you do get what you pay for.
      The hourly rate he´s charging (about 100$) is good. But it´s the amount of hours (80+) thats bothering me. I understand that it takes so much if he´s gonna develop it from scratch. But if its a theme, or the page layout exsist prehand, should it take 80+ hours?

      Thanks!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10526050].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author BDazzler
        Originally Posted by Vikinghustler View Post

        thanks alaminaiub!



        The hourly rate he´s charging (about 100$) is good. But it´s the amount of hours (80+) thats bothering me. I understand that it takes so much if he´s gonna develop it from scratch. But if its a theme, or the page layout exsist prehand, should it take 80+ hours?

        Thanks!

        I've put together high quality sites in a weekend (using existing tools) and worked with a team of other programmers for over a year. That really depends. If he's building you a hand coded solution from scratch with a lot of custom needs, that's a bargain. If he's *just* installing an existing theme, it's high.

        I assume he provided a statement of work with the quote. If not, there's an issue. If it's an estimate only then the statement of work should be the next step. That should tell you exactly what you are getting for your money.

        Is there training and support? Connections to other web sites? Automatic content updating? Ad support? High responsiveness? High interactivity? High visitor tracking?
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10527131].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Vikinghustler
          Originally Posted by BDazzler View Post

          I've put together high quality sites in a weekend (using existing tools) and worked with a team of other programmers for over a year. That really depends. If he's building you a hand coded solution from scratch with a lot of custom needs, that's a bargain. If he's *just* installing an existing theme, it's high.

          I assume he provided a statement of work with the quote. If not, there's an issue. If it's an estimate only then the statement of work should be the next step. That should tell you exactly what you are getting for your money.

          Is there training and support? Connections to other web sites? Automatic content updating? Ad support? High responsiveness? High interactivity? High visitor tracking?
          Answer to the questions..

          There will be support on phone, log in, register now (easy), connectivity with FB..its basically a pretty looking search engine page in a specific field, where people in that field who wanna be found easier online (dont have time and/or capacity to market themselves) can pay a small fee a month.
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10529278].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Niche Kid
    Is it possible that your friend is charging for a "hand coded" solution, where he creates everything from scratch. As people have mentioned there are plenty of Out-of-the-Box solutions that may fit your needs, and its just a case of finding the right person for the job.

    You can probably find a Wordpress developer on this forum who has created many sites like this who will be able to achieve what you want quicker and at a lower cost.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10526156].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Vikinghustler
      Originally Posted by Niche Kid View Post

      Is it possible that your friend is charging for a "hand coded" solution, where he creates everything from scratch. As people have mentioned there are plenty of Out-of-the-Box solutions that may fit your needs, and its just a case of finding the right person for the job.

      You can probably find a Wordpress developer on this forum who has created many sites like this who will be able to achieve what you want quicker and at a lower cost.

      Oh, absolutely! Maybe I wasnt clear on that, but he would be doing it from scratch for that price. The thing is, he said that it probably didnt exist a "theme" for that page, and I sorta agreed. But after meeting with him, I thougt..well, it probably does, or almost does. So why would I pay 10k if someone can do it for 100 or 1000.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10526906].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author CenTex Hosting
    I would agree that really only you can decided if you are paying too much. If you shop the project around with major developers you will find that you will get quotes from 500. to 20k depending on who you ask.

    I would recommend not using a friend as this could come back later and cause issues. IF you don't pay, or if he is not really able to do what you want after you paid and so on.

    If you are going to pay by the hour I would recommend setting up an account with upwork or another services like this so the developer has to log his work so you get screen shots.

    Too many developers today take advantage and say they are doing x number or hours and in real life they may have only spent a few mins.

    We get this all the time our hosted customers come to us for advise as a developer told them it would take 4 hours to fix an issue. When we look at the issue they has most could be fixed within min.

    Never mix friendship with business
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10526487].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Kalambur
    I checked out fiverr..and people in other countries make pages and stuff for almost free.
    Moreover, you can get tons of traffic,millions of visitors from fiverr for only 5 dollars )))
    The truth is, you can go to freelancer.com and hire a qualified programmer for $20
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10526611].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Yosheena
    For 2k-3k, you can get a good website that is making good money monthly. And if you're willing to pay 80-120 hours at the rate of $100, that will cost you an average of $10, 000. With this budget, you can get a bigger website making a flat $300-400 monthly. If building a website was a hobby for me, I would not invest $10K or even $1k. Everything can be made from scratch by yourself and if you're new to this, I would strictly advice you not to invest that much. Learn every steps yourself, make a small website (wordpress based) and start learning how you can monetize it. Don't just through the money. You have kids and a wife to look after, I think.

    Kind regards,
    Yosheena
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10526921].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author aadi1295
      Banned
      Even if the idea is unique, then still the per hour rate is too high. You can actually get a great developer from UpWork in $30 to $50 per hour.

      I am talking about a real experience developer not about those who actually don't know how to normalize the database, and queries. and when huge traffic comes in the site fails.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10526987].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Vintage Leather
    You can get a ready made website from one of many 'off the shelf' providers with some really cool designs already in place. No need to start from scratch with coding on a blank sheet.

    You may be kind of asking a heart surgeon to put a plaster over a broken finger nail in this scenario! Depending on the kind of items that you are selling and the message you want to deliver then your website may need to be tuned in to fit that. You can buy themes from templatemonster.com or themeforest.com with thousands of choices.

    Once you start off, then you may need to spend a couple of hundred dollars on finishing and fine tuning or use of for some kick ass marketing, because even the best site in the world needs to be found

    Good luck with it
    Trevor
    Signature

    Vintage leather laptop bags, messenger bags satchels, briefcases etc. Now with a great new affiliate programme
    www.vintageleatherbags.net

    Use voucher WAR for 10% off

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10526997].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author dandagger
    Originally Posted by Vikinghustler View Post

    The site is in short a subscription page with log in, register now, search engine, database and a profile page.
    Seriously for these functions, you can probably find a theme that suits your needs. Better save and spend your dollars on other stuff like traffic etc.
    Signature

    Hope you have a prosperous 2017!

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10527249].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Vikinghustler
      Originally Posted by Yosheena View Post

      For 2k-3k, you can get a good website that is making good money monthly. And if you're willing to pay 80-120 hours at the rate of $100, that will cost you an average of $10, 000. With this budget, you can get a bigger website making a flat $300-400 monthly. If building a website was a hobby for me, I would not invest $10K or even $1k. Everything can be made from scratch by yourself and if you're new to this, I would strictly advice you not to invest that much. Learn every steps yourself, make a small website (wordpress based) and start learning how you can monetize it. Don't just through the money. You have kids and a wife to look after, I think.

      Kind regards,
      Yosheena
      Originally Posted by aadi1295 View Post

      Even if the idea is unique, then still the per hour rate is too high. You can actually get a great developer from UpWork in $30 to $50 per hour.

      I am talking about a real experience developer not about those who actually don't know how to normalize the database, and queries. and when huge traffic comes in the site fails.
      Originally Posted by Vintage Leather View Post

      You can get a ready made website from one of many 'off the shelf' providers with some really cool designs already in place. No need to start from scratch with coding on a blank sheet.

      You may be kind of asking a heart surgeon to put a plaster over a broken finger nail in this scenario! Depending on the kind of items that you are selling and the message you want to deliver then your website may need to be tuned in to fit that. You can buy themes from templatemonster.com or themeforest.com with thousands of choices.

      Once you start off, then you may need to spend a couple of hundred dollars on finishing and fine tuning or use of for some kick ass marketing, because even the best site in the world needs to be found

      Good luck with it
      Trevor
      Originally Posted by BDazzler View Post

      I've put together high quality sites in a weekend (using existing tools) and worked with a team of other programmers for over a year. That really depends. If he's building you a hand coded solution from scratch with a lot of custom needs, that's a bargain. If he's *just* installing an existing theme, it's high.

      I assume he provided a statement of work with the quote. If not, there's an issue. If it's an estimate only then the statement of work should be the next step. That should tell you exactly what you are getting for your money.

      Is there training and support? Connections to other web sites? Automatic content updating? Ad support? High responsiveness? High interactivity? High visitor tracking?
      Originally Posted by dandagger View Post

      Seriously for these functions, you can probably find a theme that suits your needs. Better save and spend your dollars on other stuff like traffic etc.
      Thank you all for VERY good advice. Everything you guys/girls say here makes perfect sense to me, and is exactly what I was thinking.

      He´s giving me a good deal - as a "surgeon"/developer, but I dont really require his services. I realized that what I need is someone using a wordpress theme etc with some skills and experience. And I should pay somewhere between 1000-2000$ for the page itself.

      It´s going to be a LOW investment idea..not something to risk 10k on.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10528113].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author FrankYbarra
    it all depends on the website and the type of business. If you sell shoes and you want to advertise your services locally its not so much. If you are google or best buy then yes. Its a lot more.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10532744].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author modgerody
    $100/hour??

    What is this guy a brain surgeon or something.

    No way in hell is a website worth $100/hour.

    How are you even going to verify how long it took him? He could easily spend 40 hours and charge you for 140.

    Shop around man, you are getting ripped off....Hell for the price he's charging you, you could hire a TEAM of developers to work for you round the clock on multiple websites for several months straight.

    Definitely find someone else!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10532798].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author 3wCorner
    You can outsource it to somebody else for a much cheaper price. However, the price would be depending on how complex the site would be.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10584062].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Vikinghustler
    Thank you all for thoughts and advice.

    I´ve decided to shop around a little, and he was definitly overcharging..
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10624003].message }}

Trending Topics