7) How can I promote myself to make customers more likely to accept my bids?

     You can do this via your registration profile.  Here are some typical things you can do to get more bid acceptances:

8) What protections are there for coders?

     Rent a Coder has a number of features to protect your safety. 

   First, you can instantly check the reputation of any customer who is posting a project. You can review their ratings (from 1 to 10), read the feedback that previous programmers have left about them, as well as learn other things about them, such as their 'non-action' ratio (i.e the # of times they didn't choose a coder on the site), and other important statistics. Read this carefully before deciding whether or not to make a bid.

    Second, by the time you begin work, each customer has already pre-paid the bill for the bid request and Rent A Coder is already holding it in escrow.  This means that you don't have to worry about getting 'stiffed'!  If you complete the work as specified, you can be confident of being paid.

    Third, should you ever get into a dispute over what has been delivered with the Buyer, you can enlist the help of a 3rd party. Just place the bid into arbitration with a Rent a Coder arbitrator. They will determine what has actually been delivered (or not) and the Buyer (and yourself) has already pre-agreed to abide by their decision.

9) How does Rent A Coder compare to other sites in the industry?

     Click here to compare us to other sites in the industry.

10) How is my financial and personal information kept safe?

   All sensitive information is protected via the highest level of SSL encryption (128 bit) to prevent it from being intercepted by unauthorized parties. Once the information arrives at our data center, it is password-protected in a datastore. The data store is additionally fortified by an ICSA Certified firewall that blocks out instrusion attempts. Additionally, we subscribe to vendor security notification lists, and install new vendor patches as promptly as possible...most often with 24 hours. Finally, 3rd party security experts go through all of our system on a routine basis looking for holes, and anything they find is promptly sealed and documented.

11) Can non-US users use PayPal?

Yes, Pay Pal works in a number of non-US countries. For a complete list, as well as information on opening up an international account, see the Pay Pal international account info page. Please note that Pay Pal will charge a money conversion fee to convert the funds from US to your local currency.

12) I don't understand how I communicate with the buyer and/or get clarification on the specs?

   To communicate with the buyer or ask questions, simply post a comment on the bid request (a bid with a comment and no bid amount). The buyer will be emailed a link to your posting and if he or she responds, you will receive an email of their response as well. It can then continue for as long as the two of you need to communicate.

13) What is the Expert Guarantee?

The Expert Guarantee is a useful feature, if you happen to be a buyer and... ...have a crucial deadline and MUST find an expert who will finish the project on time. ...OR...have too many "look-alike" bidders and aren't sure how to separate the experts from the amateurs. The Expert Guarantee is also useful, if you happen to be an expert coder, whose bids are getting crowded out by a throng of less qualified bidders.      If you fall into any of the above categories, then the Expert Guarantee solves your problem, by quickly connecting expert coders with serious buyers. Here is how it works. At the beginning of the project, the expert coder puts their own money "on the line", to prove that they have the skill to complete the project and are also 100% committed to completing it on time. They do this by placing a deposit into escrow, which is a percentage of the bid amount (for example 10%). If the expert coder completes the contract as promised (100% by the deadline), then they receive the deposit back (along with full payment for the work, as usual). If the expert coder does not complete the contract, then they forfeit the deposit. The deposit is used to pay for the buyer's cancellation charge, and the remainder is donated to a non-profit charity. (The money is not kept by Rent A Coder, nor the buyer). If the buyer is responsible for the project failing (for example: by pulling out prematurely, withholding important information, etc.) then the coder receives back the deposit. A coder does this via the arbitration process. (Note: To reimburse Rent A Coder for the cost of processing the deposit, the coder is sometimes charged a small, non-refundable processing fee when making their deposit. The coder can eliminate or reduce this fee by choosing a less expensive method of payment).      This above is merely a brief overview of the Expert Guarantee feature, and there are many additional important details that are not included here. Please DO NOT USE THIS FEATURE, until you've read and understood all of those details. Links to frequently asked questions and the detailed legal agreements are below: Frequently Asked Questions: Buyer | Coder Legal Agreement: Buyer | Coder

14) I am not an expert, but want to bid on a project. Should I still put down an Expert Guarantee?

   NO...do not put down a deposit because you will most likely lose it (as well as receive a poor rating). Instead bid on a project where the deadline is not as crucial (i.e there is no Expert Guarantee required). Also, make sure you are truthful to the buyer about your level of expertise. If you do this and enter arbitration, your deliverables will only be judged at performing competently at the level you claimed to be at. On the other hand, if you pretend to be more of an expert than you really are, your deliverables will be judged at that higher level...and you will most likely lose arbitration and receive a poor rating. Honesty is always the best policy.

15) How do I pay for an Expert Guarantee?

   Once the buyer accepts your bid, you have up to 3 days to pay for an Expert Guarantee. You can use the funds in your coder account (from other jobs), or you can use any of the normal site payment methods (which are currently credit card, PayPal or a check mailed via postal mail). If you choose the latter, just remember to factor in the time required to send the payment as well as the delay of any possible security verification (if you haven't preverified or completed them already). It is a good idea to pre-verify in advance to avoid an emergency sitaution.

Remember that if you do not escrow the Expert Guarantee within 3 days (or decline the project in that time...per the below), the buyer will be switched to another coder and you will receive a poor rating. To avoid this, only bid on Expert Guarantee projects if you intend to follow up on them.

16) What is the cost of using the Expert Guarantee?

Depending on the method you use to deposit funds, there may be a small processing fee to cover our expenses. Full details are here.

17) I would rather not pay a Expert Guarantee processing fee. Can I reduce or eliminate it?

Yes, you can reduce or eliminate the cost by choosing a less expensive method for us to process. Full details are here.

18) Can I "back out of" an Expert Guarantee project?

   Once you choose to escrow the Expert Guarantee, it is final...and you cannot "back out of it" if you change your mind later. So do not commit to this type of project unless you are willing to fufill the contract 100% by the deadline.

   However you do have up to 3 days from the time the buyer accepts your bid, to choose between escrowing the Expert Guarantee or declining the project. During this period, you can decline it with no penalty. A decline would simply be recorded as a neutral rating on your record. Please note that the normal 24 hour grace period for cancelling projects is not honored on these types of projects, since you actually have the previously mentioned 3 days to make a choice.

19) If I complete the project, how is the Expert Guarantee returned to me?

When you complete the project and receive the escrowed funds, the Expert Guarantee is simultaneously credited back to the deposit account in your coder account. (To see it, go to 'My coder Financials' in the left hand menu, and look at the coder deposit section.) These funds are then available to you for use on a future Expert Guarantee at any time.

If you wish to receive the funds back, then you can request a refund from finance. They will process it as follows (depending on how you paid for it):

Payment type	Refund available
Credit Card/PayPal	These will be refunded back to the orginal credit card or PayPal account that they came from. Please note that due to chargeback rules, these CANNOT be refunded to a different credit card or PayPal account, nor transferred to your coder credits for payout during your next chosen pay period.
Snail Mail	These can be refunded back to you via snail mail (note: a $2.00 postage and handling fee applies). Or you can choose to transfer them to your coder credits for payout during the next pay period you have selected.
Bank to bank wire transfer	These can be refunded back to you via bank to bank wire (note: a wire transfer fee applies--$10.00 U.S.; $20.00 International). Or you can choose to transfer them to your coder credits for payout during the next pay period you have selected.
Transfer from coder account	These will be transferred back to your coder credits for payout during the next pay period you have selected.

20) Why are forfeited Expert Guarantees donated to charity?

After covering the buyer's cancellation charge, the remainder of the Expert Guarantee is donated to charity. We do not keep the funds, so as to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest during the arbitration process.

21) If I go into self mediation (or arbitration) can the Expert Guarantee be PARTIALLY returned to me?
The Expert Guarantee is a deposit that either is 100% refunded or forfeited. As a result it may NOT be split as a result of self mediation or arbitration.

22) How are U.S. taxes handled for the Expert Guarantee?

Disclaimer: The following is NOT guaranteed to be accurate. Neither Rent A Coder nor Exhedra are tax professionals, nor licensed to give tax advice. Do not rely on the following, but instead, consult your tax professional, as the law may be complex, subject to interpretation and/or change without notice. (This tax information applies only to U.S. coders. If you are a non-U.S. coder with tax questions, please consult your local tax professional for appropriate answers. Rent a Coder is not familiar with your country's local tax laws.)

As described above, your earnings on projects are reported to the Internal Revenue Service (I.R.S.) on IRS 1099 Form. Handling this is very straightforward. However the status of an Expert Guarantee it more ambiguous. Should it be treated like a deposit that you place in a bank? Such money is "held" by another party, but is still "your money" and thus no taxable event occurs when it changes hands. Or should it be treated as an expense when you deposit it, and earnings when you receive it back? Only your tax professional can answer this question for you. For informational purposes only, here are two possible ways to handle it. Both result in the same net tax result, but do it in different ways. The IRS may not consider one or both of the above methods proper. Again, be sure to consult with your tax pro before actually filing your taxes.

• Option A: Bank Deposit Method
  This is the simpler of the two from an accounting perspective. If you consider Expert Guarantee deposits to be like a bank deposit (as described above), then you do not have to record when you deposited them, nor when you received them back. The only thing you would record (as expenses) would be:
  • Any Expert Guarantee deposits that you FORFEITED that year.
  • Any Expert Guarantee processing fees that you paid that year.
• Option B: In/Out Method
  Record each Expert Guarantee deposit as an expense the year that you escrow it. If and when it's returned to you, record it as an earning in that year. It is considered "returned" when it is either refunded back to your credit card/PayPal account, etc...OR if credited to your seller credits account via a transfer.