Estimate of budget

[8f51dc45]

Hello. Thank you for any help you can provide. As a new Upwork client I do not know how to handle the following scenario. When I open up a new job, I am asked for my "budget" and it will not allow me to move forward without putting a dollar figure into the box. My question is if I have no idea what a project will take to complete in either time and/or budget what is expected by freelancers? For my first job I put in $5 (the minimum that Upwork will allow) and explained in the job description that this was just until I knew what someone would estimate to do the job. Is this the right way to handle this? Thank you.

[prestonhunter · Accepted solution]

Neil:

You are talking about one of the biggest areas of complaint that Upwork clients AND freelancers have:

Requiring clients to specify a budget for fixed-price job postings, when they may have no idea what they should say.

re: "For my first job I put in $5 (the minimum that Upwork will allow) and explained in the job description that this was just until I knew what someone would estimate to do the job. Is this the right way to handle this?"

That is how MANY clients handle it.

This works. BUT: There are many freelancers who apply filters in their job search or job display interface, so that they require a minimum dollar amount. If you specify $5.00, some good freelancers may never see your job.

If it was me personally, I would put a higher number, guessing SOMETHING, but I would I would also state at the top of my job posting that the number is a placeholder and that I will not consider proposals from freelancers who re-state my number exactly.

(I might still look at such proposals... But I want to encourage freelancers who bid on my job to think about it on their own... and provide me with a custom number if possible.)

[hoyle_editing]

As preston has mentioned, using that tactic may mean you dont get seen by some freelancers - Personally, if i see $5 jobs i flag them as 'unrealistic expectations or budget to low' so i dont have to see them again. Having said that, if i happen to see that it is a placeholder i MAY look at the job further. 

With all that said, i do think its better to try and make an estimate if at all possible, even a higher dollar figure as a placeholder will likely get you more views depending on the actual size of the project.

[prestonhunter]

If you're really stuck on the budget... then just post the job as an hourly contract.

With hourly contracts, you don't need to specify a budget.

It is fine for clients to hire a freelancer using an hourly contract and then later change to using fixed-price contracts. After working on a project, a freelancer will have a better understanding of the client's needs, and may well be able to provide accurate fixed-price quotes. Many freelancers (but not all) are flexible about contract types and will work on both hourly and fixed-price contracts.

[8f51dc45]

Hello Preston and Jonathan! Thank you both for your insightful views on how to handle the budgeting question I asked. Being fairly intuitive, when I'm new at something and struggle, I find it frustrating not to have some sages-on-the-side to help out. Your input was truly appreciated. Thank you very much.