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Frequently Asked Questions at BuyLance.com




	If you have a question, you should be able to find what you're looking for here. If you cannot find an answer to your question, please contact us here. We will add your inquiry to this list. Employers • What is an Employer? An employer is any person or company that uses BuyLance.com to post projects to be completed by a Freelancer. • What does it cost to post a project? Projects are free to post at this time. As long as people do not abuse the system, we will keep postings free. • What happens after I choose a Freelancer to work on my project? You can then choose to sign an agreement, or allow the Freelancer to begin work immediately. We recommend having all specs of your project finalized and understood by both parties before any work begins and money is exchanged. • How do I communicate with a Freelancer once a project is accepted? Each project has a message board you can use to communicate. It's located at the top of each job posting. • How do I pay Freelancers for their services? Find the project the Freelancer is working on, click the "Escrow" option, then indicate the amount of money to place in escrow. When the job is completed to your satisfaction, you simply click the "Pay Freelancer" option and the funds are then transferred to the Freelancer's account. • What if the Freelancer cannot or refuses to complete my project? We strongly recommend making payments to Freelancers in stages. All monies deposited are placed in escrow to protect both parties. If a Freelancer refuses or cannot finish a project, an Employer can void completing the money transfer. If monies have already been paid, a Freelancer can return monies back to an Employer. If the two parties cannot agree upon a refund, your project can be placed into arbitration, where a decision is made on your behalf by the staff at BuyLance.com. For more details on arbitration, click here. • How am I protected from dishonest Freelancers? If you cannot settle a dispute between you and the Freelancer, you can take advantage of the BuyLance SafetyBid Program and enter into arbitration. The SafetyBid Program is designed to protect both parties from dishonesty and fraud. Click here for more details. • What is the minimum amount of payment I can transfer to a Freelancer? The current minimum is $1.00 USD. Freelancers • What does it cost to join BuyLance.com? As a Freelancer, you can choose between two programs. One is subscription-based, the other is commission-based. For more details, see our subscription page here. • Can I bid on projects and not pay a commission? Yes! BuyLance.com offers a subscription-based program that allows you to work on projects and not pay a penny in commissions. Simply pay a low monthly fee of $4.95 and go to work! For more details, see our subscription page here. • How much is the commission rate? If you choose to pay commissions, rather than the monthly subscription, the current commission rate is 12% of the total project cost. • I was chosen as the winning Freelancer. How do I accept the offer? Click on "View My Bids" in MyBuyLance. In the column "Action Required", you will have the option to either accept or reject the project. • How do I communicate with an Employer? Each project has its own message board you can use to communicate back and forth with. If you post a private message, only the user it's addressed to will be able to see it. That user will also be notified by email that you posted a message for them. • How do I know if the Employer made an escrow payment? To verify that funds have been added to escrow, click on your "Projects Won" tab and locate the project in question. Under the "Bids/Escrow" column you should see the bid amount, followed by an escrow amount. If the Employer did not place funds in escrow, just the bid amount will be shown. • I cannot finish the project. How do I return an escrow payment? To return escrow back to the Employer, click on the escrow amount and finalize the transaction from there. • What if the employer refuses to pay me after I complete the project? Take your case to arbitration. Click here to find out more. SafetyBid™ • What is SafetyBid? SafetyBid™ is a system that allows you to place funds in escrow before paying a Freelancer. The system is designed to show "good faith" as you progress through your project. We recommend placing all funds in escrow to protect yourself from fraudulent Freelancers. SafetyBid allows you to place your project into arbitration should a disagreement arise between the two parties. • How does arbitration work? If you cannot come to an agreement with the other party, whether you are an Employer or a Freelancer, you can place your project into arbitration and allow BuyLance.com to settle the dispute. The party who wishes to start an arbitration must submit an electronic form detailing the project, and the problem that has come up. We cannot settle funds that were already paid to the other party since they may no longer be available. We recommend using the escrow system in case you need to arbitrate your case. When a decision is made, the party at fault is notified, and the escrow is reversed, should that be necessary. Projects • Are there restrictions on the types of projects I can post? Yes. All projects must be approved before they are posted. BuyLance.com prohibits projects that intentionally infringe upon the copyrights of another person or entity. We also prohibit using the posting and message boards for advertising purposes. • Can a Freelancer post a project? No. Only Employers can post projects. If you are a Freelancer, you are welcome to open an account as an Employer. • How do I post a project? You must first signup as an Employer. It costs nothing and only takes a few minutes. Click here to signup as an Employer. • Can I edit my project after I post it? Yes. Login to MyBuyLance, go to the "Manage My Projects" section and click on the "Add Additional Info " link beside the project you want to modify. You will be able to add additional information to your project, which will appear under your original description with the date and time you added the new info. All Freelancers who have already bid on your project will then be notified that you have added information to your project. • Can I hide bids from other viewers? Yes. This option is located on the job posting form and is free of charge. • What is a Featured Project? A Featured Project is one that an Employer paid a fee to post. A Featured Project has a graphic next to it for prominence and increasing the chances of getting it more noticed. • What does it cost to make a project Featured? There is a small charge of $5.00 for this service. Buyfolio™ Portfolio System • What is Buyfolio™? Buyfolio™ is a portfolio system that allows you to upload and display your projects to the BuyLance community. • What can I display with Buyfolio™? You can upload the following file types: JPEG, GIF, SWF (Flash), and WMV. • How many images can I display with Buyfolio™? You can display up to 50 different images. • How do Employers see my Buyfolio™? Employers can use the Search Freelancers option to locate profiles and portfolios. Buyfolio™ is included in your profile and can be viewed by clicking the "View Buyfolio™" button. Feature SPOT™ • What is Feature SPOT™? Feature SPOT™ is an advertising option that allows Freelancers to display their profile on the home page. • What does Feature SPOT™ cost? Your profile rotates on the home page and you pay per impression. The cost is $.01, or $10 per 1,000 impressions. • How do I know if my ad is being seen? You can track the number of impressions and click-throughs your Feature SPOT™ is getting anytime by logging in to your admin. • How do I cancel Feature SPOT™ You can cancel it at anytime through your admin. Look for the Feature SPOT button, click EDIT, then UNSUBSCRIBE. Feature SPOT is prepaid and refunds are not available. • What happens when my Feature SPOT™ reaches the maximum impressions? Your account will automatically be billed for another session. You can subscribe to it at anytime, and cancel at anytime. Gold Member • What is a Gold Member? A Gold Member is someone that opts to pay a monthly fee, rather than commissions on projects won. • What does it cost to be a Gold Member? Become a Gold Member for just $4.95 per month. • How much commission will I pay on projects I win as a non-Gold Member? All projects require a 12% commission. • How do I cancel my Gold Membership? You can simply turn off the Auto-Renew feature. When you do that, you will need to signup manually each month. • What advantage is there to becoming a Gold Member? Tremendous savings! For just $4.95 per month, you can recoup that fee with just one $50 project!