Buyers FAQ's
What does it cost?
How do I bid out my projects to contractors?
How long do I have to accept a bid?
How do I withdraw a bid?
What is the escrow account about?
How are buyer and seller disputes handled?
What if the work is not completed in time?
I need help choosing a contractor. Can you help?
Freelancers FAQ's
What is the difference between Premium and Featured Contractors?
What do the Memberships cost and how do I pay?
What level of encryption is used?
Resellers FAQ's
What does this Reseller Site Membership cost?
How do I pay for the site?
Is it possible to customize my website?
How will I earn Commissions?
How are the commissions paid?
As a Freelance Auction Network reseller what are my responsibilities?
Buyers FAQ's
What does it cost?
Buyer memberships and related activities are always Free.
How do I bid out my projects to contractors?
Buyers who need freelance work done can post projects though either the Freelance Auction Network homepage or any one of our reseller sites. To see an example of the complete bidding process, please click on the Buyers tour.
How long do I have to accept a bid?
You can accept a bid until your self-specified bidding expiration date to accept a bid. After this, the site will give you an additional week to further decide on another contractor. If you still haven't selected a contractor at that point, the system will close out your bid request so as not to clutter up the site with 'dead' bid requests.
How do I withdraw a bid?
A bid cannot be withdrawn in any case. However a buyer for any reason can refuse to accept a bid. As well, when a project is awarded to a contractor, the contractor has an option to reject the proposal. It such case the project is typically awarded to a different contractor.
What is the escrow account all about?
For the buyer's and contractor's protection, an account called escrow account is created for each project in which an amount equal to the bid on the project is transferred by the buyer. This money remains protected in escrow until successful completion of the project. On successful completion of the project the amount is transferred to the contractors account after the deduction of a Project Service Fee. All escrow transactions are done through a Paypal account. To see complete details regarding escrow accounts please read the Escrow Agreement.
How are buyer and seller disputes handled?
When a project has been completed to the buyer's satisfaction the contractor's fee is then transferred to their registered account. If a dispute occurs regarding the agreed time of completion for the project or if the finished work is not acceptable the buyer will send a dispute form to the Freelance Auction Network for review. The dispute form should include all conversation between the buyer and contractor for the duration of the project. Upon reviewing all aspects of the dispute the Freelance Auction Network will make a judgment as to which party was a fault. If the contractor failed to meet the requirements then all of the escrowed funds for the project can be refunded to the buyer. Or they can choose to leave the funds in escrow and search for another contractor. If it is determined that the contractor has met all of their requirements as stated in the documents of the project then the escrowed funds will be released to the contractor.
What if the work is not completed in time?
In rare cases if the work is not completed in time the project can be cancelled by the buyer and a cancellation fee of 5% will be charged to the contractor. Contractors can request an extension on the project from the buyer if circumstances arise that would warrant one. An example of this would be if the buyer made many time consuming changes to the initial project description.
I need help choosing a contractor. Can you help?
The best way of choosing a contractor depends on whether or not you have a deadline that you need your project finished by. Put another way, the best way depends on whether you have more time than money, or money than time:
If you have a deadline (more money than time)
Then the single most important criteria in evaluating a contractor are their previous work experiences on the site (followed closely by their job skills). They must have done work on a similar project before and it should fall within your price range. Don't pick a $100/contractor to do your $10,000/job and vice versa. Make sure the contractor has received favorable ratings from past buyers.
Have a resume that matches your project requirements. The closer their resume is to the skills required to accomplish your current project, the better it is for you. The number one mistake that inexperienced buyers do with the first time posting is to pick the cheapest contractor. This generally means the contractor has no work experience or history on the site. Then, when the project is not completed on time (or at all) by their 'discount contractor', they are stuck in a bind. So, if your timeline is important, don't make this mistake. There are plenty of good contractors on the network that will meet or exceed your expectations while still costing a fraction of what traditional firms cost.
If you have NO deadline (more time than money)
When time is on your side and you should strongly consider taking a chance on a contractor with little or no work experience on the site.
You can generally get quite a discount this way, and you can do it safely, since the Escrow protects your money. However you still want to review the contractors previous work if possible. Use the Private Message Board (PMB) to ask them questions. If a contractor proves unreliable or inexperienced and cannot meet the agreed upon requirements for the project then you can simply pick another contractor at no charge. If the contractor proves they do good work then you can save a substantial amount of money.
Freelancers FAQ's
What is the difference between Premium and Featured Contractors?
Both members share a similarity in that they can both post and bid on projects. However, Featured Contractors are given more exposure. A Premium Contractor is charged less than a Featured Contractor. Premium Contractor memberships are charged quarterly and recur automatically unless cancelled. Featured Contractors memberships are charged monthly and recur automatically unless cancelled. Premium Contractors are limited to 90 bids per month. Featured Contractors are allowed to bid on an unlimited number of projects each month. Premium Contractors may only access their account through the reseller site that they are a member of. Featured Contractors may log in and access their account from any reseller site. Featured contractors are given exposure on every reseller site through a banner ad placed in the Featured Contractors Scroll Menu. To see a full comparison of the membership features click on Compare Plans
What do the Memberships cost and how do I pay?
Service Providers must subscribe as either Premium Contractors or Featured Contractors in order to bid on Projects. Membership fees for contractors vary and are set by the reseller. Payments are made through Credit Cards or PayPal.
What level of encryption is used?
Ordering a site or service online from the Freelance Auction Network is secure and convenient. Our ordering process is protected by the Secure Sockets Layer ("SSL") protocol, which encrypts your information and confirms the identity of the freelanceauctionnetwork.com server before completing your transaction. Netscape Navigator 2.0 + (or better) and Internet Explorer 3.0+ (or better) support the SSL protocol. We recommend you use the latest browsers to ensure that you are protected by advances in security technology. All financial transactions are forwarded through either Authorize.net or PayPal. Both of which are highly secure and very reputable.
Resellers FAQ's
What does this Reseller Site Membership cost?
$49 Annually.
How do I pay for the service?
Once you read and accept all the terms and agreements you can pay the amount through a Credit Card or PayPal.
Is it possible to customize my website?
Freelance Auction Network provides you with options to upload your own custom image to use as your banner. You can also upload a company logo and enter your company information. You may choose the available templates to give a better look to your website. Please view the Tour to learn how to customize your site.
How will I earn Commissions?
As a Freelance Auction Network reseller you will set the monthly fee for both Premium and Featured Contractors who sign up to the Network through your site. The fee for Premium Contractors must be set between the Minimum (Currently $5/mo) and the Maximum (Currently $15). The fee for Featured Contractors must be set between the Minimum (Currently $20) and the Maximum (Currently $50). It is recommended that you set the fee at double the minimum.
Freelance Auction Network resellers will also set the Project Service Fee (PSF) for their site. The PSF is a percentage of the total project cost. Just as with the Contractor fees, the PSF's must be set between the Minimum (Currently 4.25%) and the Maximum (Currently 15%). It is also recommended that set your PSF at double the Minimum. Your PSF will be applied to every project on the network that originates through your site. On successful completion of a project and after the money has been released from escrow by the buyer you will receive the PSF commission for the project.
How are the commissions paid?
Commission payments for all domestic Resellers will be paid by via direct deposit into the US bank account of their choice ("Direct Deposit Account"). You understand it is your responsibility to provide a valid US bank account number and the related direct deposit information. Checks can also be issued and mailed to reseller for a $10 service fee.
Commissions will be calculated and distributed on the 15th and 30th of every month.
As a Freelance Auction Network reseller what are my responsibilities?
Since all back end management is handled by us, you are only responsible for is the sales and marketing of your reseller site. You can put as much time and effort into selling your site as you want. There are no minimum activity requirements for resellers.
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