Rent a Coder?

[deadbabes]

I've used them for smaller projects, (logos, script installs, etc), but never for anything larger.

I want to do a CMS site along the idea of brokendollz.com and I posted a work request last evening. This morning, there were several bids ranging from $100-$2200. I can't imagine some coder (even in an economically depressed area) doing that kind of project for just $100.00. It's making me afraid to accept an offer.

My question.

How do you pros decide on a good designer/coder who won't rip you off?
I know there are a lot of people on this board who do tremendous work and I also know that for every 5 honest dedicated people, there is 1 waiting to rip you off.

What do you folks look for when making a decision where more than a couple of bucks is concerned?

Thanks for your responses.

[tom.mcduff]

In my opinion, someone asking for $100 for what you're after is just going to take your money.

I don't know about $2,200 for that site either. Without a proper break-down of what exactly is needed (I only took a glance), it's hard to say. I've recently created a site (whoresunleashed.com - I'm still building up the content before releasing it) from scratch out of Perl. The entire thing is 450 lines (including HTML) and it didn't take me more than a few afternoons. A lot of that spent on optimizing the code. Obviously what you want to do is a bit more complicated, but the concepts are still the same.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is, it's not worth $2,200. Infact, I'm willing to bet you could pay a coder to find a premade CMS and just modify it to fit your needs for much much much less.

If you're considering person A, don't be afraid to ask for work they've done in the past. Ask for references aswell. Remember, this is YOUR money. Anyone that seriously wants your business would be more than willing to provide the required info.

I hope my vague response helps!

[deadbabes]

In my opinion, someone asking for $100 for what you're after is just going to take your money.

I don't know about $2,200 for that site either. Without a proper break-down of what exactly is needed (I only took a glance), it's hard to say. I've recently created a site (whoresunleashed.com - I'm still building up the content before releasing it) from scratch out of Perl. The entire thing is 450 lines (including HTML) and it didn't take me more than a few afternoons. A lot of that spent on optimizing the code. Obviously what you want to do is a bit more complicated, but the concepts are still the same.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is, it's not worth $2,200. Infact, I'm willing to bet you could pay a coder to find a premade CMS and just modify it to fit your needs for much much much less.

If you're considering person A, don't be afraid to ask for work they've done in the past. Ask for references aswell. Remember, this is YOUR money. Anyone that seriously wants your business would be more than willing to provide the required info.

I hope my vague response helps!

It absolutely did, Tom. Thanks for taking the time. Good luck with your new site.

[brassmonkey]

if it seems too good too be true it usually is