There’s two things to remember with sites like this:

1) If you walk around saying you’ll pay people $50/hour to write for you, you’ll get countless offers from people who probably can’t graduate from high school. But you might also get offers from quality writers who appreciate being paid well for their skills. You just have to expect that the good ones will be a minority because any good offer attracts a lot of people who just aren’t qualified. You’re seeing the opposite side of this. Some sites have more quality buyers, and some have less. You’ll never find them if you can’t get past the fact that allowing anyone to post a proposal without restricting the terms means that some will be unrealistic (and maybe some buyers just don’t need the highest quality work - if you don’t know when your services aren’t right for someone looking for a “freelance writer” you have a problem).

2) Bidding doesn’t mean the lowest offer wins. If you’re actually afraid that someone with barely any writing skills who can live on $5/day will win projects that you wanted, you must take 5 times as long as you promise to do terrible work and have service that leaves people with emotional scars. If you seriously can’t understand the concepts of premium pricing and how to sell you won’t have much of a business.

1. ANYONE CAN WRITE.

Certainly. Anyone can write but not everyone can write well. Becoming a decent writer (not even good…just decent) takes time and hard work. If these people were honest with themselves they’d realize they were hiring a writer because they themselves didn’t have the skills to write well or write at a speed that was fast enough to meet their own deadlines.

2. WRITERS ARE SO DESPERATE FOR AN ASSIGNMENT THEY’LL WORK FOR ANY AMOUNT.

Not even close. Good writers price their work accordingly and clients pay for it because they know they’ll get a high quality product. The clients come back and pay the higher fees repeatedly because they know they’ll get a great piece of work on time and because they enjoy working with you.

The most difficult thing is that people who offer work at those rates are so obviously trying to take advantage of someone but if you asked them they’d probably smugly defend their wages.

Ugh. I was about to try Elance. Thanks for saving me the trouble.

WriterGirl Karen

I also wish that more freelancers (especially freelance writers) would stick to their guns on rate because in the end, it’s the only way to make a living. That’s why so many of us operate at opposite ends of the spectrum. There are many freelance writers who seem to make very good money seamlessly, while others struggle needlessly to make minimum wage.

As I say in the article at the below-mentioned link, “One of the things I’ve learned over the years is to charge what you feel is a fair rate for your editorial services and - within reason - stick to it. Working for less than what you feel you’re worth is not only bad for your pocketbook, it’s not good for your psyche. No job (freelance or otherwise) should make you feel this way.”

Read the full article, 3 Reasons NOT to Bid for Freelance Writing Assignments, at http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/32067/3_reasons_not_to_bid_for_freelance.html?cat=3

Yuwanda

I am an avid use of those websites. Many clients I have met there have provided me with steady work, and therefore steady income for long periods of time. Granted, I am not a millionaire at the moment, bu the bills are paid and, most importantly, I am happy with what I am doing.

I agree that the rates offered on such websites are, sometimes, atrocious. However, the thing that the author failed to mentioned, or take notice of, is that these website cater to a large variety of professions. Being a translator, I am currently working at a steady income of 8-9$ an hour… I can hear it already. 8-9$ oh my goodness, that’s nothing. Well no, it is something. We do not all live in big cities, where the rent is 1000$ a month, we do not all have entertainment expenses totaling to 500$ a month, we do not all need the latest computer every time it catches our eyes. On the other hand, many of my friends use these websites to find programming jobs. They find them, and get paid very well for them.

At the risk of hurting the author’s feelings, the fact of the matter is that most people look at it this way: Anyone can write, so I’m not going to pay a stranger a fortune to do something everyone can do. Some people can translate, I will pay these people a bit more than I would pay a writer because translator have knowledge that I don’t and that not everyone has. Programmers have a lot of knowledge and they provide me with someone more concrete that will help me for a longer period of time than a bunch of written text and translated material. It’s sad, but its the truth. I know more people who can translate than people who can program. As for writing, I may be speaking out of spite towards the author, but everyone can do it.No I cannot write a novel or a book, but I’ve done writing work in the past and was congratulated on it.

My point is that, one has to figure out what their budget is and living accordingly. Someone here mentioned that these websites are great for students or people who cannot use their previous credentials. I very much agree with this. Experience has to be built somewhere. But beyond this, freelancing is almost always a decision based on happiness. “I am sick of doing this and that, I will be my own boss from now on”. As for me, I enjoy picking up a project here and there, and so what if I am not getting paid a thousand dollar. That is not what my field (translation) is usually paid anyway.

On a last and personal note, I have seen a lot of comments about Freelancing websites and it seems to me that it is always a way for the author to glorify him/herself after a dry period. You do not want to use these websites? Great! More work for people who actually want and need it!

And yes, we paid him a total $46 for all forty-six Freelance Freedoms combined. You know — fair rates.