SaraK
Contributor
I have worked as a designer on elance. The main thing is to make sure everyone is clear on expectations, which is sounds like you're doing well. If you signed up with the escrow option with Elance then Elance holds the funds until you are satisfied and release the funds. (This is like what fanocks was talking about). Elance charges a fee for this service but it is paid by the service provider, not you.
What you need to do (if not already done) is have the service provider give you a list of deliverables - these can be posted on elance's system - and you and the provider agree on the amount of money to be released after each deliverable is released.
You can give the provider examples of sites you like and ask them if you site will match that in functionality. You can also ask the provider what kinds of situations would add to the cost of the project. It should also be clear between you that they will tell you before starting on any work that will add to the scope of the project and the price.
As long as you are keeping communication open and not making any assumptions then things should go pretty smoothly.
What you need to do (if not already done) is have the service provider give you a list of deliverables - these can be posted on elance's system - and you and the provider agree on the amount of money to be released after each deliverable is released.
You can give the provider examples of sites you like and ask them if you site will match that in functionality. You can also ask the provider what kinds of situations would add to the cost of the project. It should also be clear between you that they will tell you before starting on any work that will add to the scope of the project and the price.
As long as you are keeping communication open and not making any assumptions then things should go pretty smoothly.
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