Editor’s note: This article was first published in August 2012, and describes two websites, Porunbillete.com and Guíacatering.com, as they worked then, including commissions from 4 to 50 euros per job and the points system for alerts.
We came across 2 websites that can help self-employed or unemployed people, as well as anyone who wants to earn some extra money by offering their services as a professional in a particular field.
Por un Billete
On Porunbillete.com, professionals can offer a service, such as unlocking mobile phones, home renovations or appliance repairs, and set their own price. If a customer is interested, they get in touch with you. So far, you could say it is no different from any other classified-ads site for professionals.
What we find more interesting and useful is that people can post what they need. For example: “I need my house painted, I need an appliance repaired, or I need an electrical installation done.” Once the request is posted, professionals make their offers for the job. In other words, they bid for the work and the customer chooses the one that suits them best.
It is easy to use, and the site holds the money until the customer is happy with the work. The commission the site charges is small, ranging from 4 euros for a 20-euro job to 50 euros for a 500-euro job.
Guía Catering
Guíacatering.com is more focused on cooking professionals: catering companies, special menus, event planning, company dinners, home-delivered meals, birthdays and so on.
It works in the same way as the first site, although it has a premium section that gives businesses greater visibility in their town and province.
We should point out that this website has made a very common mistake: assuming that people visiting for the first time understand how it works, when they don’t. I know about it because this weekend a young man whose speciality is making paella told me he is getting quite a lot of jobs through the site.
Apparently, it works like this: whenever a customer needs a service from this kind of professional, they post it, and the site sends an email alert to all the professionals, each of whom makes an offer. I believe it uses a points system: say you start with 30 points and each job you accept costs you 10 points. Once you run out of points, if you want to keep receiving alerts you have to top them up by paying a small amount of money, which seems to be worth it.
Both ideas are good, because they bring together customer demand and, at the same time, professionals offering “low-cost” services.
Featured image: Ben Sutherland, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr.
