how do feelance sites work

Hi
I was just wondering if someone can explain to me how the main freelance websites work elance for example
What I am wondering is does the person wanting a job done just pay you when it is completed or does the site hold the money like fivver and if not is there anything to protect you against not getting paid

Thanks

 

Odesk is probably the safest to use for a job poster wanting a freelancer or vise versa due to the fixed project or hourly project types. Fixed price projects do not have to be paid if you don't like the work etc. Odesk does protect the freelancer if they use the work without paying for a fixed job. You have to go through a process of messaging the odesk team. Hourly jobs have to be paid regardless of the working being good or not. Overall, I use odesk all the time, its the best besides freelancer. Nicer people and less scams. Elance is okay...

 

On Elance you fill out a timesheet and then submit it at the end of the week and then wait for the job host to make payment by a certain deadline. Elance has a Tracker tool you can use when working, it will record the time you put towards the project as well as occasionally take screenshots of your screen while you work as proof. The tracker backs your claim that you did the work and diminishes your chances of not being paid.

 

I'm using SEOClerks.com for more than 2 years, and its the best marketplace for everyone. Its a SEO Marketplace. Professionals post gigs and those in need purchase them. Once your gigs are purchased, you work with the buyer to deliver the work (unless it is a instant download gig or a subscription based gig). After completion of any purchased gigs, your earnings go into a 5 day clearance period where they are then released to your account. You can either purchase other gigs with your balance or request a withdraw.

 

Most freelance sites have an escrow feature, where the client puts the cash in before the job starts and the site holds it until everything's done. Most also allow milestones for partial payments at each step, time tracking, mediation for payment disagreements and a pile of other services. If you hunt around, you'll find people screaming they've been cheated on any/all the sites, though I've never had trouble with ANY of the big three - Elance (now partnered with oDesk), Freelancer (bought out vWorker/rentacoder) and Guru.

There's a trend on the sites at the moment to ask for half payment (at least) up-front. Personally, I've never had to do that: milestones suffice unless you're careless about what jobs you take.

As an employer, I've had people ask for 100% up-front (actually paid, not in escrow), which is completely stupid - the client would effectively throw their money away with no reassurances. In my case, the provider was belligerent and refused to work without being paid the full amount before anything was done, so he lost the job to someone with more sense.

Personally, I always go for milestones and fixed-cost projects. Payment by the hour sounds nice but it leads to people getting screwed (on both sides) more frequently than a well-defined, fixed project as it's extremely hard to manage.

 

I've tried Odesk before and I got at least 2 jobs in a span of 3 weeks in trying to find a good employer. It was a nice experience by the way. I never thought that it was possible to work for a client while you're just staying at home and have a quality time with your family. Other sites that you could try (which I have tried as well) is Staff.com. It is a site for full time and part time jobs. I guess it's the only site in the "work from home" industry that aims to hire full time employees.

Just like Odesk, Staff.com also has a way to track freelancers' time and productivity. If Odesk uses Odesk Time Tracker, Staff.com is using Time Doctor to effectively manage remote staff.

So for the comparison, if you are looking to get full time/long term jobs, Staff.com is the best landing site for this. Otherwise, Odesk, Elance and Freelancer are good sites for short term/contract jobs.