Since I dubbed my original Elance vs. oDesk article to be “The Ultimate Showdown,” I was displaying a penchant for sarcastic hyperbole that doesn’t always translate very well on the Internet.

The audience of Clickfire, of course, savvy as it is, was willing to put my lofty review up to some solid scrutiny.

Consider, for example, that in the section comparing the pricing systems employed by Elance and oDesk, I wrote this, with emphasis added:

The big shift in momentum here: Elance offers escrow payments; oDesk does not. That’s not to say that you’ll never earn anything off of oDesk, but you’ll often have to work out your own payment deals with the client. Freelancers on Elance can easily enter new projects with new clients with a higher degree of confidence because they know when the money is already waiting for them.

What does that mean, exactly? Even in context, the phrasing is admittedly vague. And that’s what led to Clickfire commenter James Sullivan responding:

Your statement about having to work out your own payment in odesk is incorrect. They handle your payment automatically every week by taking it out of the employer’s credit card or bank account.

An excellent point, indeed. In fact, this revelation is explained in further detail here at oDesk’s own web site.

oDesk’s own illustration seems to show that my “make up your own payment method” assertion was flatly wrong:

Rats! Foiled by my own biases! James Sullivan is right and I’m wrong. I’ll never review again…

…unless, of course, that isn’t the entire story.

Getting Down to the Nitty-Gritty

I don’t mind picking nits, so let’s dig a little deeper. You’ll note that in the preceding section where James Sullivan appears to be correct about oDesk payments, it’s talking exclusively about hourly jobs. Like Elance, oDesk makes a clear distinction between hourly work and work that is performed at a flat rate. And that distinction will be key here, because there’s more to the story.

You can find out the specific details on oDesk’s flat-rate payment policies here. If you’re too lazy to click, here’s a quote – this time, emphasis not added:

Fixed price jobs are not billed automatically. If, when and how much to pay is at the employer’s discretion.

I’m not saying this completely vindicates my original assertion about oDesk. But it does essentially say that when it comes to flat rate projects, I was right. I was wrong to omit the distinction between the two payment methods, however, so James Sullivan’s comment was still a necessary addition to the Elance vs. oDesk battle. Although oDesk still loses out, in my mind, to Elance’s payment systems, the automatic payments for hourly projects do tighten the race a bit.

Please note that we do encourage blog readers who have lots of experience with the programs we review to post up their own thoughts and even corrections – after all, nobody’s perfect.

Conspiracy Theories

And now for a little fun. The first response that James got to his comment was from Clickfire reader Reagan, who wrote:

Maybe elance pay them to make a review…. They doesn’t know how Odesk work.

It definitely would puncture my pride to have my massive Elance-boosting conspiracy exposed this easily. After all, what’s the point of going through all the cloak-and-daggers power grabs behind the scenes if everyone knows what’s underneath the cloak?

I didn’t exactly write the Elance vs. oDesk review, cash a check from Elance, and abscond to the Carribbean. In fact, Elance didn’t pay for the review at all. I know it’s not necessarily a serious criticism, but remember that our reviews are done with integrity and a genuine desire to provide value.

In the Elance vs. oDesk post, I didn’t provide as much value as I could have. Hopefully Round Two has changed that fact.

Visit www.elance.com or www.odesk.com

But is Elance really the best freelancing solution out there? Consider today’s challenger:  oDesk.com, another Clickfire.com review alumnus and one of the favorite platforms for businesses who need quick work without any hassle.

While the two sites have similar goals, it’s really the differences that separate them and give us the subject of today’s topic: which freelance web site delivers the goods and which gets outshined? Let’s tackle this bit-by-bit.

Pricing, Pricing, Pricing

Like the judge of Iron Chef considering “taste,” our first attention needs to turn to price: how expensive is it to work (and hire) at each of these respective sites?

For, let’s consider Elance. Elance uses a relatively simple system for work providers: you can purchase a certain amount of project “bids” each month. These bids are your marketing currency. The larger a project is, the more bids it will take require simply to send your potential client an introduction and project proposal.

In Elance ancient times, these bids were month-to-month, but recent ugprades allow you to roll unused bids from the previous month over to the current month. And while it used to be that the big-budget projects required astronomical amounts of bids, Elance has tamed their demands.

One note: expect to pay regular 8% fees to Elance for the projects you win, too. As for those doing the hiring: Elance is cheap and easy, with a minimum project fee of $50 – or less if you pay hourly.

What about oDesk? The pricing news is more cheerful. You can be listed for free on oDesk (not so on Elance, which requires the subscription to really get noticed), but there are other issues – for example, you won’t receive upfront payment from the people who hire you. By comparison, Elance’s Escrow service is a nearly-bulletproof way to ensure you get paid.

In comparison to Elance’s pay-for-bids system, oDesk gives you a “quota” of job applications, based on issues like your job performance (and client feedback) and whether you’ve taken the oDesk test yet.

Conclusion: oDesk wins in the battle for price, although building up a “quota” can be a little more frustrating than simply paying for a higher amount of job applications. Keep in mind that both sites take substantial (think 5-15%) fees out of the money you earn.

Usability and Interface

As a regular Elancer myself – who also maintains an account at oDesk, if you question my objectivity – I’ve had a number of clients who have told me that the Elance interface can be confusing.

But, really, it’s not too bad, especially after you give that first project bid or work posting a try. Elance is also constantly updating their interface while oDesk’s has remained relatively unchanged for some time.

If you’re a freelancer using Elance, it’s not hard to search for jobs in your category and narrow down job postings based on your criteria. You can browse by project size, niche categories, and other features like whether or not the client wants to use “Escrow” payment or not. New project acquisition is relatively easy if you can put together a good proposal and a good portfolio.

As for oDesk, you won’t find things get more complicated. Just click over to “Find Jobs” (if only it were that easy in the off-web world) and you can search through jobs with relative ease. Just click “Apply” and you’re ready to use some of your hard-earned quote to generate some new business.

Conclusion: About even. oDesk boasts many of the same browsing features as Elance, so it will be up to you to decide which site has the higher-quality projects to sift through.

Payment Systems and Transactions

We’ve established that both sites will take fees out of what you earn. So which site gives you a little something for the trouble: a better payment and transaction system?

The big shift in momentum here: Elance offers escrow payments; oDesk does not. That’s not to say that you’ll never earn anything off of oDesk, but you’ll often have to work out your own payment deals with the client. Freelancers on Elance can easily enter new projects with new clients with a higher degree of confidence because they know when the money is already waiting for them.

If you’re an employer who doesn’t like paying in escrow, you can opt not to do so, though you may run into some trouble if you have problems finding proposals from people who would rather make sure their money is waiting for them.

Both sites handle the basics: depositing money into your bank accounts  is not a major challenge on either site.

Advantage: Elance. You have to love the escrow service.

So Who Wins the Battle?

Throughout this article, we’ve employed three criteria for judging the two freelance sites:

• Price
• Usability
• Transactions and Processing

While there are other elements to consider, these three criteria can at least be applied to both work providers and people looking to hire.

So which site reigns supreme?

In my opinion, Elance gets it. Though you’ll find more cost for the membership and the bids, it’s not hard to earn your investment back. You’ll also find that the Escrow and relatively lower transaction fees more than make up for what you’re losing on the front end.

Both sites, however, should be in every freelancer’s arsenal. I know I have accounts at both sites. And if you’re ever going to become a professional freelancer, both sites could be considered great ways to make contacts with clients – and you can always transfer them to your own payment system if you want to avoid being stuck with the fees.

oDesk is not a bad introduction to the world of freelancing for the beginners who want to find work without bringing out the credit card, but in our opinion, Elance is where you want to be.

Visit www.elance.com

Visit www.odesk.com

Letting go of the product of all of your hard work doesn’t have to be incredibly difficult. Below are 21 of the best places you can go when you’re ready to sell a website:

1. Your own website – start by putting a discrete advertisement on your own site. One of your loyal followers may be ready and able to take control.
2. Craigslist - Craigslist has a number of advertisement boards, including listings for businesses.
3. WebSiteGuild.com - Prices for listings begin at $10 and up depending on the package you choose.
4. SitePoint Marketplace – head on over to the SitePoint Marketplace and list your website. You can sell both startup and premium web sites here.
5. DNForum – A forum style website that specializes in domain sales and appraisals.
6. NamePros.Com – A great forum for discussing all things related to domain names. Registered users can list sites for sale as well.
7. VirtualPromote (formerly JimWorld but seems to have a different mission now) – Another great forum where you post information about your website for sale.
8. GeekVillage – An excellent website for web publishers, also allows users to post websites for sale in the forums.
9. BizBuySell.com – One of the largest marketplaces on the web, selling both online and offline businesses. People browsing sites like this are serious about getting into business!
10. BizQuest.com – Another online business marketplace listing both online and offline businesses.
11. BizBen.com – Individuals and agents alike are welcome to lists their businesses for sale on this website. There are a wide variety of ad packages available. Those selling offline businesses should be located in California.
12. ebizinvestments.com (site down?) – Specializes in selling internet businesses and websites.
13. BusinessesforSale.com – An international website listing both online and offline businesses, wish special categories for the internet and work from home opportunities.
14. Sedo – Allows users to buy and sell domains but to also earn money from parked domains as well.
15. Afternic – Features options for sellers to either auction their sites or accept formal purchase offers.
16. BuySellWEbsite.com - Users can have their websites appraised and then list them for sale. Ad packages are weekly or monthly.
17. DealASite.com – Temporarily allowing users to both buy and sell for FREE.
18. WebDomainsBroker.com – Add a domain for sale and pay the broker a 10% fee for facilitating the sale.
19. Digital Point Forums – The forums on this site are currently one of the most popular places on the web to list websites for sale.
20. Vertive – Vertive will ask for information about your site and either buy it directly or act as a broker by listing it for sale.
21. eBay – You can sell those items you cleaned out from your closet on eBay, why not your website?

Every forum and broker site operates differently. Do a little research and compare the prices to advertise against the ease and speed with which you can complete a sale. You’ll be surprised at how easy it really is to sell a website!

eBay Buying Tips

• on eBay.com, it is normally to the buyer’s advantage to pay with a credit card, whether via PayPal or direct or with an escrow service. Most credit card companies offer their cardholders some type of protection against fraud. Never pay using a check or money order, if possible. Online fraud is increasing according to consumer advisor Clark Howard.
• Leave eBay feedback only after receiving the product and addressing any issues you may have with the seller via e-mail.
• Use the numerous “My eBay” resources to keep track of your bids and offers and get e-mail notifications on your bids. The eBay community forums are the probably the best source for help available on eBay. Due to the huge volume of help requests, don’t get your hopes up for a human to respond back to a you and certainly not by phone.
• Watch the eBay feedback very closely. This is most important in judging seller credibility. If over 5% of the feedback remarks are negative or neutral, consider purchasing from another seller. Don’t buy from eBay.com sellers with under 10 feedback ratings if possible. Be especially careful of anyone with negatives on large ticket items.
• Be mindful of eBay sellers who consistently have a high percentage of 0 eBay feedback bidders. Some eBay sellers may be artificially running up the market for their item, hoping you will be the high bidder.
• Pay promptly. You will receive higher praise from eBay.com sellers.
• Always leave eBay feedback. Some eBay buyers with over 100 comments stop leaving eBay feedback, thinking that with such high numbers, they have achieved sellers nirvana. This could create a problem over time.
• Don’t get emotional with eBay bidding. Set the price you are willing to pay ahead of time and stick with it. Be like Mr. Spock and don’t give in to emotion over logic.
• Respond to all questions from inquiring eBay bidders promptly.

eBay Selling Tips

• Always list a photo in your eBay.com auction, even if it’s a stock picture from the Internet.
• List concise specs and details of your eBay item in the description. Is the item you’re posting on eBay new or just opened and never used or in fair condition? These seemingly small details can often make the difference in a higher bid for your product.
• Mention comments in your follow up e-mail after your eBay.com auction is closed. Example:
  I sent your item today via Priority mail. I hope you enjoy it. I appreciate any positive ebay feedback you may want to leave and I plan to do the same for you as well.
• Send the merchandise only after you have received payment for your eBay.com auction item, even if it’s from a family member.
• Leave comments only after the eBay.com buyer confirms receipt of the product, either via e-mail or the eBay.com comments form.

Disclaimer: Clickfire does not assume any responsibility for losses incurred resulting from these eBay buyers/sellers online auction tips.

Visit www.ebay.com

“What Do I Sell Now?”

I want to cover an area on eBay that most sellers tend to overlook or they don’t even know exists. These categories can provide you with a great source of products to sell, they are called the Wholesale Lots categories.

Most major category groups contain a section labeled Wholesale Lots, this is usually listed at the bottom of the group list.

If you go to eBay’s main category listing page and drill down into a major category you will be able to see if that category has a Wholesale Lots sub-category. It is usually the last sub-category listed.

eBay Category Listing Page: http://listings.ebay.com/pool1/listings/list/overview.html

Take Jewelry & Watches for example, their Wholesale Lots group is category 40131.

What does this have to do with product sources?

A lot of the sellers in these categories are people that have collections or large lots that they are to lazy to break up, or they want to just get rid of the whole lot at once, however, if you look at the pieces in the lot and calculate out what they could be valued at individually you can see the true worth compared to what they are being offered for.

So next time you are searching through a specific category, see if there is a related Wholesale Lots section and spend the time looking, you never know, you just might find a truck load of goods that will keep you in merchandise for a long time.

Neil Bartlett is the author of How To Find The Perfect Money Making Auction Product. He developed the Perfect Product eBook to help both beginning and advanced auction sellers answer the age old question “What Do I Sell Now”?

How To Find The Perfect Money-Making Auction Product is located at: http://www.auctionhotlist.com/perfectproduct.htm

There are five ranks of PowerSeller on eBay: bronze, silver, gold, platinum, and titanium. The requirements for them are simple: maintain a gross sales rate of a certain number of dollars per month for three months of activity and you’re in.

The rates are:

Bronze: $1,000
Silver: $3,000
Gold: $10,000
Platinum: $25,000
Titanium: $150,000

The other requirements are simple if you are meeting the above. Among them are: being an active seller on eBay for at least 90 days, have a minimum feedback rating of 100 with a 98% positive, keeping your eBay account current, and comply with eBay listing policies. Most likely, if you qualify as a PowerSeller, you are already doing these things.

Why is being a PowerSeller important? That depends on who you ask. After surveying the office here, I found that among our PowerSellers in residence, the common answer is: recognition.

If a potential buyer sees that you have the shooting PowerSeller star, the buyer knows that you are not just another “junk man” on eBay. This extra trust means increased sales. Aaron, our editor, for instance, recently made Bronze PowerSeller and noticed his sales increase by about 20% once the shooting star appeared on his username.

There are other benefits, such as access to the eBay group insurance plan, access to special products in the eBay store, etc.

For many, PowerSeller status is also something to strive for: a goal or milestone to be achieved. So go do it!

Craig Meyer is the founder of the Online Auction Academy, the premier training school for learning to sell at online auction and create a profitable business online. Sign up for a free online seminar featuring the AuctionMan Craig Meyer.