For freelancers and clients both, Elance is one option for finding work or the individuals needed to complete projects. However, for those that have never tried Elance, or any freelancing site for that matter, it can be difficult to determine whether it's all it's cracked up to be or not.
How Elance Works
As a freelancer or a provider, you sign up for membership with Elance based on your needs. For instance, freelancers choose the size of their account and the categories they will be submitting proposals on. Although Elance offers a free membership option for providers which offers a limited amount of project connects that one can use to submit proposals on, the paid memberships give providers more opportunities to market their services. With the paid membership, providers pay a small monthly membership fee. With Elance, you are able to start immediately after you become a member – whether you're posting a project for freelancers or submitting a project proposal. When you complete a project, Elance takes a small percentage of the payment – around 6%. This is also common with most freelancing sites.
Scam?
Elance provides escrow options, so freelancers can feel more secure and providers can hang on to their money until they're satisfied with the projects. They provide a ton of information on how the site works, and they issue payments to PayPal regularly. They will also send a check if you prefer that method. As with all freelancing sites, individuals have to be careful of the people they work with. Elance simply can't guarantee that the project poster you've chosen to work with isn't a con-artist or that the freelancer you've hired is going to turn in that work. The key is to investigate them yourself first – doing a little screening of the people you work with can certainly help you avoid being scammed.
Elance is a legitimate freelancing site that really tries to ensure that both freelancers and project posters are satisfied and taken care of. They offer certification options and testing so freelancers can prove their worth, as well as the credentials or testimonials option. If the policies have been violated, you can easily contact Elance and they will be more than willing to investigate the matter.
Other Tips
To ensure you're not getting scammed, check the feedback of the individual you're considering working with. See if there's a website where you can check out their credentials or testimonials. Check out samples of their work or get names of individuals they've worked with in the past. How is their online reputation? By doing your due diligence in this area, you can avoid scammers and con-artists.