How Desperate Are You?
Warning: This post may be offensive to some readers.
I was checking out E-lance today and I happened upon such a sick display of desperation that I had to share it no matter how many readers it might cost me.
The project: 5 articles, no word count given, about how improper money management can ruin your life. Most of the bids currently are in the $50-$60 range.
Now, one guy, I’ll call him shit for brains, bid $290 for the package. The bid was promptly declined. Shit for brains then comes back with a new bid of $50 for all five. His comment to the employer is:
“Please note that this bid is a resubmission - with a more realistic price! Please, oh please let me have this job! I can go lower if you want, and I’ll even let you piss in my Corn Flakes too! What? You want me to eat the Corn Flakes afterwards? Okay, I will if I can have the job.”
Okay, I added a few lines in there, but it’s the same sentiment.
People who engage in this kind of business practice anger me to the point that, if I could, I’d strip them of their keyboards for a length of time to be determined by whatever I felt was appropriate when I handed down my sentence.
Now, before you jump all over me, let me say that I get haggling. And I believe in offering discounts for bulk work. But going from $58 per article to $10?
How do you run a business that way? How can you, in good conscience, ever charge $58 per article again?
If there are any newbies who are reading this, please take note: DON’T EVER DO THIS SORT OF THING IF YOU WANT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY AS A WRITER, AND AS A BUSINESS PERSON. If you want to know how to properly set your rates, read this.
This isn’t about high and low rates: You can charge whatever you want. But please, act like a business person. Pick a number and stick to it.
Okay, I got that off my chest and feel a little better now. Let’s all pray that shit for brains sees the error of his ways. And if he doesn’t, let’s pray that he finds a nice job as a bus boy where he doesn’t have to deal with all those complicated numbers.
Posted
on
Monday, May 12th, 2008 at 2:58 pm under
Well said. I agree with you.
May 12th, 2008 at 9:02 pmDon’t you just want to beat them senseless with the Writer’s Market? I mean, really. Who the hell can afford to work at those rates? Who would do so? Willingly even? I’ll tell you who - someone with no freakin’ professionalism, nor any sense of decorum. To beg to be underpaid, well, you get out of your career exactly what you put into it.
May 13th, 2008 at 6:58 amThanks, gals. Honestly, if people want to charge $1 an article, that’s fine with me. It’s just not good business to say, “this is my price.” And then when someone balks, turn around and start dropping it until it hits the buyer’s mark.
I imagine people do this because they lack confidence.
May 13th, 2008 at 9:49 amI’m at the point where I’m ready to say let the crap writers and crap employers find each other. The rest of us who are professional will then find the good, legitimate people/companies for whom to work and let the others eat pissed-on Cornflakes.
Unfortunately, you can’t stop people from stupidity and greed.
But you can refuse to feed in to it.
May 14th, 2008 at 7:33 amYou’re right, Devon. And I probably should’ve just laughed it off without letting it upset me. Must’ve been in one of those moods.
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May 21st, 2008 at 3:08 am