A large order of 360,000 US dollars.

[62636756]

Hey everyone,

I am new to Upwork and I've found a freelancer that I like for a very complex coding project. His demand is $360K. This is a VERY large amount of money and I wanted to know how I could keep myself safe in this deal as well as wanted to know how such a large payment could be made on Upwork.

Thank you so much for your help. 

[yofazza]

You should:

• Break it into tiny milestones, like, "$100 for the completion of wireframe".
• Use a project manager unless you know how to be one.
• Read a few pages in this forum to familiarize yourself with the freelancers' behavior here, and also learn about how helpful Upwork can be  in case there are problems.

[spectralua]

Yep. Via separate milestones or separate projects.

Or hourly where you can watch progress and stop project if something wrong. Only week must be paid here, no need to pay whole 360k at once.

[6bfcdaf8]

Something smells fishy here... If you are a freelancer thinking "oh maybe i should reach out to this person in private and help them"... DON'T

And for the OP, no software project requires 360K upfront. Spend it in very small chunks and review the output. Otherwise your project will fail, you'll lose all your money.

[759e32fa]

Hi Ahmad,

Thanks for reaching out. I checked and it looks like you're trying to order a Project Catalog. In Project Catalogs, freelancers have a preset process and time of delivery. If you want more control over the project, you can go with Radia's suggestion.

You can create a job post, invite the freelancer to apply for the job and send them an offer if you've already decided they're the freelancer you want to work with. 

You can then use milestones to divide your fixed-price job into a series of phases, due dates, or deliverables based on your needs. Milestones are individually funded and provide a way to work through a large project in smaller steps.

[2c32aaef]

Hello, Ahmed thank you for your question. I understand that you are looking for a freelancer to work on a very complex coding project and that you have found one who is asking for $360K. This is indeed a very large amount of money and you should be careful and cautious before hiring the freelancer and making the payment.

There are some steps you can take to protect yourself and your money on Upwork:
1=you should verify the freelancer’s identity, skills, and reputation. You can check his profile, portfolio, feedback, ratings, and badges on Upwork. You can also ask him for references, samples, or tests to demonstrate his abilities and experience. You can also use Upwork’s video call feature to talk to him face-to-face and ask him questions about their project proposal and expectations.
2=you should use Upwork’s escrow service for fixed-price contracts. This means that you will deposit the funds for the project into a secure account managed by Upwork and release them only when you are satisfied with the work delivered by the freelancer. You can also divide the project into smaller milestones and fund them one at a time, so that you can review and approve each phase of the work before paying for the next one. This way, you can reduce the risk of losing a large amount of money if the freelancer fails to deliver the work or meets your standards.
3=you should communicate clearly and frequently with the freelancer throughout the project. You should set realistic and specific goals, deadlines, and expectations for the work. You should also provide feedback and guidance to the freelancer and ask him for regular updates and reports on his progress. You should also use Upwork’s messaging system to keep a record of all your communication and agreements with the freelancer. This will help you avoid any misunderstandings or disputes that may arise during the project.
4=you should be aware of the policies and procedures of Upwork in case of any problems or issues with the freelancer or the work. You should read and understand the Terms of Service, the Escrow Instructions, and the Dispute Assistance pages on Upwork’s website. These pages will explain your rights and responsibilities as a client, as well as the steps you can take to resolve any conflicts or complaints with the freelancer. You can also contact Upwork’s customer service and support team if you need any help or advice.

[8d1359cb]

So, let me get this straight—$360,000 on the table, and the grand plan is to hire just one freelancer for this very complex coding project? lol!!! In all my years, this is a first. Seriously, where do these clients come up with these ideas? If we could track them down, I'd be quick to call this strategy a bit, well, not the brightest. It's like they're trying to pull a fast one, but it looks like, fake job posts seem to be backfiring on someone. Smooth move!

[yofazza]

Well, so there's a 'custom program' in the catalog with a $360k price tag 😁

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Mykola A wrote:

Or hourly

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Yes, I actually often wrote that hourly is safer and more convenient, for both parties. You can limit to one hour, see what they can do in one hour, and how well. Keep doing it until you believe they can use the tracker wisely. Here's a sample of an unwise use of it. End the contract on the first sign of trouble so you don't lose too much.

You still need a project manager if you don't know the how-tos.

And if it's a fixed-price, the small milestone is needed because, if something bad happens, getting your entire money back on a milestone is not an easy task. If you put $360k on a milestone, a freelancer just have to do some crappy work as long as it's a work, and you can never get the entire money back.