[ShrimpCocktail]

Probably one of the more relevant usernames to comment on my post :)

I have the feeling that you're right; there just isn't a market for it. The alternative would be to try and filter through the army of Fiverr, Upwork & Freelancer - but I fear the risk of spaghetti code or copypasta is high and there isn't much accountability on these platforms once the job is considered 'done'. Maybe I'm wrong though.

[learningwebdev]

I'd advise you to stay well away from Fiverr based on my past experiences (as a buyer, not a freelancer) especially for something as big as a custom web development project. It's been a few years since I've been on the site though so perhaps it's changed (but I doubt it). I haven't used either of the other two.

There are many proficient web developers who I'm sure could do a great job of whatever it is you are looking to build, and would be happy to build it to your specifications (like using Node for the backend).

I could be wrong, but I think it's likely that good independent web developers don't need to advertise because they probably already have full-time jobs or contract work via recruitment or word of mouth.

And I think that probably applies even more to good web dev agencies - they likely have enough work via word of mouth referrals and those little "Website made by Super Web Design" links in footers that they really don't need to advertise.

[ShrimpCocktail]

That begs the question of where do you search to find them then? If you don't already have an ear in the business, how do you reach out?

[learningwebdev]

Here on HN? Maybe on Reddit? Although again, I'd be surprised if there's many very good web developers advertising on or looking for work there.

I have hired somebody on Reddit for a small job before (an illustration) and could not have been more impressed by the job they did. And I was really surprised by how little it cost, too - I'm not a wealthy person (currently a student) but I still paid them more than we had agreed on, because I felt like they deserved it.

What exactly are you looking to build? Could you perhaps put an email address in your bio and I could reach out and discuss it with you? I may not be experienced enough (although I'm familiar with Node) but I do have friends who are very proficient web developers (which is how I got into it). One of my close friends has been the CTO of multiple well-funded companies and I know he uses Node a lot.

This friend also developed a well-known web technology and somehow remains more humble about that achievement than I am about winning a spelling bee in 7th grade.

I don't believe he's currently looking for work (although I guess I could check) but he is a very friendly and generous person who is always willing to help people, and either he or I might be able to help point you in the right direction.

I guess what I'm saying is that if nobody else steps forward, I could be your ear in the business, if you're a reasonable person who would respect my time, which you do seem to be.

[ShrimpCocktail]

Sure thing, I just added it. I'm signing off for tonight, but shoot me an email and I'll reach out in the morning :)

[learningwebdev]

And I do really want to emphasize that I'd recommend staying away from Fiverr or any similar gig marketplaces for a bigger job like this. If it was just a simple website using Wordpress or some other CMS, I'd probably roll the dice, because, well working with Wordpress isn't exactly rocket science. But there's so many ways a developer could screw up building a custom website with a Node backend, and you might end up paying $$$$ for something you throw in the trash.