First off, Rent A Coder offers two payment models, which is unlike some outsourcing companies. You can post your project using the Pay For Deliverables model for pre-defined work, which involves releasing payment to the worker after receiving the final project (or interim milestone). Or, as an alternative, you can post a project using the Pay For Time model to hire a worker on an hourly basis. The Pay For Time model requires the worker to punch in and out of a real-time timecard system.

Another great feature of the site, regardless of your project type, is that Rent A Coder offers escrow and arbitration services for free to all users.

Rent A Coder pioneered the concept of escrowing in the industry to solve some of the problems you typically experience with outsourcing, when it was created in 2001. When you escrow, you deposit funds into a separate account at the beginning of the project and only authorize release to the worker when you receive the final deliverables (or milestone if you prefer). This gives the worker confidence that you will pay them, while still allowing you to retain full control of the payment to them.

Arbitration enables you to receive a refund when a worker doesn’t do the work, and is the feature that makes escrowing effective and safe. Different sites offer very different arbitration processes and speeds, but Rent A Coder’s process still leads the industry in efficiency and affordability.

Typically, the biggest hurdle to overcome as a buyer is creating a detailed project posting. While it is the most important step of your project, this process is usually difficult and time consuming. Luckily, Rent A Coder solves this problem by offering a requirements interview wizard when posting your project. The wizard asks you simple questions which explore areas that you probably haven’t thought about before. It then creates a detailed specification for you that the worker can use. You are even given the ability to apply filters on your project to either include or exclude workers based on their English fluency, location, and even technical skills.

Finally, another very important feature offered by Rent A Coder is the use of a blind ratings system. Reviewing previous feedback is very important when selecting a worker, however it’s not really of any use if the ratings aren’t accurate, such as the case of an abusive poor-performing worker intimidating a buyer into giving them a better rating than they deserve. However, a blind-rating system hides your rating from the worker until they’ve placed theirs. This allows you to feel confident about the feedback that you review, which will allow you to make a better informed decision when selecting a worker.

Rent A Coder is a great choice for outsourcing your work because it continues to lead the industry in a number of great features. (To compare Rent A Coder on a feature by feature basis to the other sites in the industry, view http://www.rentacoder.com/RentACoder/DotNet/misc/CompetitorInformation/WhyRentACoder_ForBuyers.aspx).

Thanks for sharing your experience with 99designs.com!

Cheers,
Jason
99designs.com

You might find a good bargain with new providers who trade services for feedback, but you will sacrifice a great deal. New providers, including myself a decade ago, do not know how to price accordingly and tend to underquote for the job. They then frequently abandon the job altogether mid-stream or tack on more and more cost once awarded. Low quotes are also often sub-contracted to third-world countries. I personally would rather pay for the comfort in knowing the job will be completed on-time and as promised.

Writing and designing applications that are maintainable and reliable takes someone who knows how to correctly architect a system, Often I have to babysit developers to make sure they don’t overuse quick tricks and overly reused code which are impossible to maintain.

A good database design is also a pre-req. In this regard, I have over 30 years experience. When I visit sites such as Sitepoint and observe the poor advice that is being handed out to developers, I can only shake my head. Designers nowadays do not receive the apprenticeship training that I did and as a result they simply parrot poor advice that is found in poorly researched books. Since a good database design is the foundation of a good application, it is impossible to deliver a reliable, secure, and high performance app without a database designer to kick off things. This is one of the reasons I want to be close to the development staff.

Finally, there is the problem of getting what I want. Unless I spend tons of time detailing all of the system specs and user interface, there is a good chance that what I ultimately receive looks and acts like nothing that I expected.

First and foremost, I want developers and developers who have integrity, know their craft, and are efficient (not necessarily cheap), because my site depends upon it. Sadly, I have to say, in the last couple of years I have yet to come across such consultants. But I keep looking.

Rich