[liquidcool]

Why are they paying below your normal rate? It is a fixed price contract, you are taking on all the risk, so if anything the rate should be higher. I've hired on Elance this way (i.e., audition project) and based on the hours worked, I paid 4X their posted rate. Happy to do it, because I found someone who worked very fast!

Don't forget that the client might not know what the budget should be, and on most sites, you can simply bid above their max and explain in the proposal why their budget was too low. Likely you will stand out if you brought up something they forgot to include or didn't consider.

Question: what if they said there will be an audition project at your specified rate? Not fixed bid, but you would be expected to provide an estimate. That is how I am doing it for my next project and would love to hear feedback.