For Step-by-Step instructions, please see the 'Service Provider Guided Tour' and 'Print the Quick Reference Guide.'  Click on the 'Resources' tab at the top of 'My RapidLance' pages.

You can Market your services on RapidLance in a number of ways:

Take orders for Buy Now services listed in your service profiles;

Present your profile and portfolio items for a buyer to review and invite you to bid on their project needs;

Bid on projects that buyers have posted in the RapidLance Online marketplace

To bid on projects or offer Buy Now services, you must first subscribe to RapidLance Basic or RapidLance Select membership. Basic and Select subscribers can bid on any Basic project. Select projects and Buy Now services are available exclusively to Select providers. For more information, see Subscription FAQ
There is no trial subscription.

Buyers will evaluate your suitability for their project by reviewing the following:

• Your Service Profile. The service profile is a personalized area to showcase your qualifications, credentials and experience for buyers. You should describe your skills in detail for each service you offer. Each profile also includes an online portfolio where you can display work samples. For more information, see Service Profile Help.
• Your Portfolio.  Buyers can search your portfolio of work as examples of your service offering, style, and breadth.  Buyers can search for and invite you to bid on their projects based on your portfolio items.
• Your Bid/Proposal. A bid on a project should include a price, delivery date and comments. Bid comments should focus on the project requirements, indicate how you will approach the buyer's project and describe the experience you will bring to the project. The buyer can get more detailed information about your skills from your Profile.
• Your Feedback statistics. Your feedback is displayed in your profile as well as in the marketplace tables. Your transaction history, which includes your overall feedback rating, number of completed projects and total earnings, is extremely important to buyers. For more information, see Feedback Help

RapidLance charges service providers a Transaction Fee based on work they accept. The Transaction fee is based on the value of the project. For more information, see Transaction Fee Help.

Cancel a subscription:

To Cancel a subscription, as a service provider, go to your 'Manage Subscription and Bids' link and click on 'Cancel Subscription' link.  You must do this the day before the new billing date to avoid being charged for the next subscription period.

The Buy Now option lets buyers purchase standard services already offered by a service provider, directly from their Profile page. Buy Now projects can be seen in the marketplace, but are not open to bidding. The feature can be offered by Select service providers who have met the Buy Now requirements.

Below are Frequently Asked Questions related to the service provider experience with Buy Now. Click here to see Buy Now FAQ for buyers

What is a Buy Now service?
A Buy Now service is a standardized service offered at a fixed price, such as logo design, translation, or java applets. The feature is available to Select service providers, who can offer Buy Now services from their Profile page.   Buyers can use the Search Tool to locate Buy Now offers.  Payment is handled up front, with RapidLance charging the buyer's credit card and holding the amount for 15 days. Payment is then automatically transferred to your RapidLance Account. Buy Now is different from marketplace projects on RapidLance, where buyers post projects, service providers bid to do the work, and payment is handled according to the participants' agreed terms.

How does Buy Now work?
A buyer places a Buy Now order from a service provider's Profile page and enters specific information about what they need completed. When they submit the order, their credit card is charged, you receive an email and are also notified in the My RapidLance Selling Activity. You must accept or decline the order within one business day.

Once the Buy Now order is accepted, the process works like any RapidLance project. You should contact the buyer through the Private Message Board (PMB), accessible in Selling Activity.  Use the PMB throughout the project, to have a stored record of the entire transaction. RapidLance will collect payment up front. At 15 days after the order is placed, RapidLance will deposit the payment into your RapidLance Account, provided the buyer has not canceled or disputed the project.

IMPORTANT: If you decline more than 3 Buy Now orders within a 90-day period, you may be removed from the Buy Now program.

Who can offer Buy Now services?
Service providers who have a Select subscription and have a credit card authenticated with RapidLance are eligible to offer Buy Now services. Once you meet these requirements, you can add your Buy Now services from your Service Profile Menu.

For more information about authenticating your credit card click here.

To become a Select service provider, click here.

Note: At present, credit card authentication is available only to users in Australia, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands, Germany, Guam, India, Ireland, the Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, U.K. (including Scotland and Wales), U.S., or the Virgin Islands (U.S. or British).

What Buy Now services can I offer?
You can list standard Buy Now services from any 4 subcategories to which you have subscribed as a Select service provider.

To view the list of standard services in all the RapidLance categories click here.

How do I offer a Buy Now service?
Make sure you have a Select subscription and have a credit card authenticated with RapidLance. For more information about authenticating your credit card, click here.

To offer a Buy Now service, click the Edit my profile link located on the Main Menu page.  If you want to add the Buy Now option to an existing profile, click Buy Now link in the profile box. You can also create a new profile and then click Buy Now Services in the profile navigation bar.

Creating the Buy Now service:

Step 1:
Click on the 'Create Buy Now' button in the 'Edit Profile' Buy Now section, choose a Buy Now service from the drop down menu.

Step 2:
Provide a detailed description of what you will deliver to the buyer. Be as specific as possible so that the buyer knows exactly what they are paying for and exactly what they will get. Unclear descriptions may result in cancellations or dispute filings.

Your description should include at least the following:

What is the SquareTrade Seal Program?
The SquareTrade Seal Program is a community of independently verified, online businesses selected for their superior customer service and selling practices. The SquareTrade Seal is an instantly recognizable mark of trust, reliability, and fairness that will put your customers at ease. You may apply for the Seal, and if approved, receive a RISK-FREE 30 day trial membership.

What does the Seal represent?
When you display the SquareTrade Seal, you're showing buyers that your business is legitimate, reliable, and committed to exceptional service. You're also pledging to deal with any issues that might arise over your online transactions. Getting the Seal means SquareTrade has verified your identity, credit card, selling practices and your commitment to meeting the SquareTrade Standards.

How do I apply?
To obtain the digitally watermarked Seal, SquareTrade verifies your identity, credit card, past selling history and business practices. Our review process and ongoing compliance audits ensure that Seal Members represent Trust in Transactions and continue to deliver superior service. To apply, click the SquareTrade link from your My RapidLance service profile menu.

How much does the SquareTrade Seal Program cost?
SquareTrade membership is available to RapidLance service providers for an annual fee of $100. All RapidLance service providers receive a 30 day free trial and an email is sent one week before the end of the free trial period.

For Step-by-Step instructions, please see the 'Service Provider Guided Tour' and 'Print the Quick Reference Guide.'  Click on the 'Resources' tab at the top of 'My RapidLance' pages.

Use the Selling Activity page in My RapidLance to monitor your submitted bids and projects in progress. When buyers post a project they are requesting proposals from service providers with the relevant skills to complete the project.

Projects receive bids for a set period of time determined by each buyer — the bidding period. At any time, the buyer can choose the winning proposal. If multiple providers submit suitable bids, the buyer can select up to three winners for the same project. During bidding, use the message boards to communicate with the buyer in order to clarify the project and/or bid details. Each project has a public board, accessible to all users, and a private board that is shared between the buyer and each bidder.

There are minimum bids levels in the RapidLance marketplace. As a service provider, you can only place bids at or above these bid levels. These minimum bid levels represent your commitment to a certain level of project work on each category of project posted.

For Step-by-Step instructions, please see the 'Service Provider Guided Tour' and 'Print the Quick Reference Guide.'  Click on the 'Resources' tab at the top of 'My RapidLance' pages.

1. Browse the marketplace
Pick your service category and then browse the projects that are open for bidding. The list of service categories is located on the Provide Services tab. Just click the category link that interests you, and then click on a project name to review the project details and place your bid.

2. Submit Proposals
Click 'Place Your Bid' if you want to submit a proposal for completing the project. You will need to be a Subscriber with a service profile in the project's category in order to bid. If you don't have enough details about a project to place a bid, use the public message board to ask for more information first rather than placing an uninformed estimate. After you've bid, the buyer may also open a private message board ("pmb") to discuss the project in more detail. If he does this, you will be notified by email and will be able to see the Private Message board icon next to your bid when you're logged in to My RapidLance, Selling Activity. If you negotiate with the buyer via the Private Message Board, you can place a new bid with a different price and/or delivery date.  Note: direct contact information such as email address, address, phone, instant message ID may not be posted on a bid or private message board and may not be exchanged until after a project has been awarded by a buyer and accepted by a service provider.

Bids should be focused, detailed and professional, and should include:

• Your fee for the project.
• Your general approach to the project .
• Your relevant experience and skills.
• When you can deliver the final work
• Samples of relevant work (these can be uploaded directly to your bid)

Select service providers have the option of submitting more detailed bids which are viewable only to the buyer. Note: Sealed bids will always be visible to the service provider who placed the bid, but no other provider will be able to view your sealed bid.

3. Complete the Project.
If the buyer chooses your bid you'll be notified by email and you can either accept or decline the project from My RapidLance Selling Activity - please do so within 24 hours to prevent the buyer from choosing someone else. Note: As a project is posted on RapidLance, if a buyer and service provider agree to work together, the buyer must award the project through RapidLance using the "Choose Bid" button, and the service provider must accept using the "accept award" link.

Always attach your contract terms and conditions to your private message board when awarded a project to negotiate.  For sample contracts, click on the 'Resources' tab at the top of your 'My RapidLance' pages.

The following will become accessible from Selling Activity once you accept a project:

• Buyer's Email Address. You should contact the buyer immediately to begin the project.
• Private Message Board ("pmb"). This allows you to keep an accurate, online record of your communication with the Buyer throughout the project.   Respond to your buyer's inquiries rapidly and communicate regularly with project status updates.  Use the pmb to attach a formal contract to negotiate your terms and conditions.  Sample contracts can be found by clicking on the "Resources" tab at the top of your My RapidLance page.  Post any email, telephone or IM conversations that include agreements on project status on your pmb.
• Business Terms and Change Order - Use these links to enter in your project milestone deliverables and their associated payment terms.  Also use these features to agree on any changes in scope from the original project description.
• Work Space. Buyer and Service Provider can upload and share files for each project.

4. Wrap It Up — Invoicing and Feedback
After completing the project, it is important to rate your experience with the buyer by clicking Leave Feedback. You should also make sure the Buyer leaves you Feedback. When you are ready to invoice the buyer, for full or partial payment, do so through RapidLance by clicking the Invoice icon next to the project in Selling Activity.

Important Note: RapidLance Terms and Conditions require that you send all invoices through RapidLance. The Buyer should not pay invoices that are sent outside of RapidLance's system.

More info about Invoicing and Payment

How do I communicate with buyers on RapidLance?
RapidLance Terms and Conditions prohibit the release of contact information between buyer and service provider during the bidding phase of a project. During this period, communication should occur only via the Project Clarification or Private Message Boards (pmb). Once a project is awarded, the buyer and service provider may contact one another directly.

If you have questions for the buyer before you submit a proposal on a project, post a message on the Public Message Board, located above the bid table. Once you submit a proposal, the buyer can open a Private Message Board with you, where you can discuss the project and your proposal privately. When the buyer posts the first message, you will receive an email notification with the buyer's message. Follow the directions in the email notification for replying via email, and RapidLance will automatically post your messages and subsequent messages to the Private Message Board.

Once the buyer has awarded the project to you and you have accepted, RapidLance releases email addresses to both parties. At that point, we recommend that you exchange complete contact information before beginning the project. However, we strongly encourage that you continue to communicate via the Private Message Board to maintain a record of communication. If you do communicate via email or phone, post a summary of the conversation to the Private Message Board.  This allows you to keep an accurate, online record of your communication with the Buyer throughout the project.  

• Project Scope. Document the work that needs to be completed, what you will deliver during and at the end of the project. Specify all details, i.e., system requirements, additional services or materials not included in original bid, materials or information you will need from the buyer.
• Milestones and Payment. Schedule the key deliverables, payment expected at each deliverable and input or materials you will need from the buyer before beginning each phase of the project.
• Delivery Schedule. Define expected dates of delivery for each milestone and the final project. Factor in additional time to allow for unexpected changes or circumstances.
• Payment Terms. Specify how payment should be made. If you want to be paid through RapidLance, make sure the buyer has authenticated his credit card through RapidLance. SPECIFY with a buyer if you accept PayPal, and if so, your PayPal email address.  If you do NOT accpet PayPal, clearly let your buyer know that ahead of time, and in your invoice comments.
• Dependencies. Indicate up-front any dependencies that will affect your delivery schedule or price. These may include receipt of payment, holidays, speed of feedback from the buyer.

1. Before you accept the project, you will have the option of accepting the project as is or modifying the business terms. This option will be presented to you from the accept project preview window.
2. To modify the terms, click on the Modify Business Terms button at the bottom of the Accept Project Preview Page.
3. You will be presented with the Modify Business Terms Page. Here you can upload a statement of work and provide milestone details, delivery dates and payment schedule.
4. Click on the Preview button at the bottom of the page and review your changes. Hit the back button on your browser if you need to make any corrections. Then hit the submit button to send the business terms to the buyer for acceptance.
5. If you modified the business terms, be sure to communicate with the buyer via the PMB the changes that you made. They will be prompted to review the business terms and either Accept, Decline or Modify the terms.
6. The project will remain in you My RapidLance Selling Activity area under the bidding closed tab.
7. If the buyer declines or modifies the business terms you will be able to review ormodify the document and resubmit or accept the buyers changes.
8. Once both you and the buyer agree on the terms. The project will move the your Accepted Project Tabs and you can begin working on the project.
9. To view the business terms, click on the View Business Terms tab for that project in your My RapidLance Area.

1. After the buyer has awards the project, you will have the opportunity to modify and confirm the business terms. The business terms include:
   • Original Project Description and any uploaded files by the buyer
   • Your Bid comments and any uploaded files
   • A detailed Statement of Work (SOW) area where you can upload more details of what you will be delivering
   • A project milestone area where you can list the key deliverables, when you will delivery them along with any associated payments.
2. To modify the Business Terms, from your My RapidLance area. Click on Bidding Closed, and Accept Project.You will be able to review the project details and either accept the project as is or modify the business terms.
3. Clicking on the the Modify Business Terms button will take you to an editable page where you can add additional details by uploading an SOW and provide delivery milestones.
4. You will then submit these business terms to the buyer for approval. The project is not fully awarded until both parties agree on the business terms.
5. A PMB (Private Message Board) will open immeadiately upon the buyer awarding you the project. Use the PMB to negotiate any modification to the business terms and then finalize them in in the Busines Terms section of your My RapidLance.  Also, attach a contract of your terms and conditions to the pmb.  A sample contract can be found by clicking on the "Resources" tab at the top of your My RapidLance page.

1. Replying to the email and including a message with your reply. The message will be recorded on your Private Message Board and a notification will be sent to the other person in the project. IMPORTANT NOTE: DO NOT alter the subject line of this email. If it is altered the message will not be recorded in our system.
   
   
2. Logging in to your My RapidLance account and clicking the New Message icon next to your project, or clicking the Project name and scrolling to the message icon next to the service provider's bid for projects not yet awarded.

What is the Project Clarification Board?
Use this board, located on the project description page, to ask specific questions about a project before you submit a proposal. Posts to this board are viewable by everyone. Rules for Posting

Where do I find he Project Clarification Board?
The Project Clarification Board for each project is located on the project description page, below the project description.

These guidelines are intended to promote high standards for the marketplace, making it a better place for all service providers to do business and to increase the quality of projects available.

Note:  As a project is posted on RapidLance, if a buyer and service provider agree to work together, the buyer must award the project through RapidLance using the "Choose Bid" button, and the service provider must accept using the "accept award" link.

Failure to meet these standards will be addressed by the RapidLance Market Maker. Repeatedly ignoring these guidelines may result in suspension from RapidLance.

General Agreement to respond quickly
Service providers should respond to accept or decline a request for services within 72 hours.

Bidding Guidelines
Follow these guidelines when bidding:

Inquiries and email from RapidLance
From time to time the RapidLance Market Maker or RapidLance Investigations may need to contact service providers regarding bids, transactions or disputes. It is very important that you respond to any inquiries from RapidLance in a timely fashion. Failure to respond may result in removal of bids, projects or suspension from RapidLance.

More info about RapidLance Market Maker.

For Step-by-Step instructions, please see the 'Service Provider Guided Tour' and 'Print the Quick Reference Guide.'  Click on the 'Resources' tab at the top of 'My RapidLance' pages.

• Payment due date. The default is 30 days, but you can adjust this by clicking the link to send a detailed invoice.
• Total invoice amount.
• Itemized description of services and related charges. To enter this information, send a detailed invoice.
• Notes about the invoice or project.

Can I send an invoice in a currency other than US dollars (USD)?
At this time, invoices can only be sent in USD. You can use the currency conversion calculator available on the Invoice page to convert your currency to USD before entering it onto the invoice.

Can I reverse an invoice?
You are not able to reverse an invoice on the site, so please make sure you are not sending duplicate or incorrect invoices. If you have sent an invoice in error, you must contact Customer Service. They will investigate the issue and if they reverse the invoice, any related amounts will also be excluded from your profile statistics.

How will the Buyer know I've sent an invoice?
Once you submit the invoice, the buyer will be alerted via email. You can also let them know directly that you've sent an Invoice.

How do I receive payments through RapidLance?
Service providers can receive payments through RapidLance's payment system from buyers anywhere in the world. Once you have sent an invoice through RapidLance to the buyer and the buyer has authenticated his credit card, the buyer can make an online payment using a credit card through RapidLance's payment system. When the buyer sends a payment, you will be notified by email and in the My RapidLance Message Center. Payments will be deposited directly into your RapidLance Account and can be withdrawn via check, wire transfer, etc. Go to Selling Activity and click on the New Payment icon to view payment details. From your Account page, you can see the payment as a deposit in your Account. Any transaction fees related to that payment would have automatically been deducted.

Note: Although service providers are required to invoice the buyer through RapidLance, payment through RapidLance is optional. You and the buyer can agree upon an alternative payment method. More info about Withdrawing Funds.

I haven't received my payment from the buyer through RapidLance. What happened?
If the buyer is paying you through RapidLance, contact them to verify if and when a payment was sent. Confirm that the buyer has actually sent the payment via RapidLance (from the Buying Activity page) and not just deposited funds into their RapidLance account. If the buyer is having difficulties with the payment system, please have them contact customer support for assistance. Payments over $1000 that are made via credit card are held in your Account for 3 business days and cannot be withdrawn during that time.

I received payment outside RapidLance. Can I record the payments on RapidLance?
Yes.  Record payments received outside RapidLance. To do so, click the Invoice icon in My RapidLance Selling Activity to view the Invoice and Payments history table. Click the link in the "Paid outside RapidLance" column to enter the payment amount and date. Once you record the amount, a transaction fee based on the payment amount or invoiced amount, which ever is greater, will be due immediately and deducted from your Account. If you have sufficient funds to pay the fee, the payment amount will be added to your earnings and feedback statistics. If you do not have sufficient funds, you will have 15 days to pay the fee before your Account becomes delinquent.

• ⁽¹⁾ Formula for calculating project score:
  Project A = (5.0*30%)+(5.0*20%)+(5.0*15%)+(5.0*15%)+(2.5*10%)+(3.0*10%) = 4.6
  
  
• ⁽²⁾ Formula for calculating overall criteria ratings:
  Quality of work: [(5.0*$1500)+(5.0*$500)+(3.0*$250)]/$2,250 = 4.8
  
  
• ⁽³⁾ Formula for calculating overall provider rating:
  (4.6*$1500)+(4.0*$500)+(3.0*$250) / $2,250 = 4.3

To find out more about the mediation process and how to file a case, visit http://www.squaretrade.com/spl/jsp/eln/el.jsp?stmp=RapidLancehttp://www.squaretrade.com/spl/jsp/eln/el.jsp?stmp=RapidLance

Once you have a signed settlement through a SquareTrade mediator, send RapidLance the SquareTrade Case ID number to RapidLance Customer Service.

Why does RapidLance leave a message indicating that feedback was removed in my profile?
Leaving a record of the feedback removal is necessary in order to maintain the integrity and accuracy of the feedback system. The feedback removal record is meant to address those cases where a service provider or buyer exhibits a pattern of disputes or misunderstandings. Buyers and service providers have both expressed strong wishes to see an indication of such a pattern even if the actual feedback has been removed.

Displaying a record of the feedback removal not only provides an accurate history, but it also helps prevent abuse from service providers and buyers and helps those who are not involved in repeated disputes to differentiate themselves.

The record is not intended to penalize service providers or buyers who have worked hard to resolve their dispute or correct a mistaken feedback, and is a middle ground between prohibiting the removal of feedback and wiping out all record of the feedback.

I am a service provider and the buyer left feedback for me. Why isn't it showing in my profile?
Feedback you've received is displayed only after you send an invoice for the project via RapidLance and pay the associated transaction fee. If your feedback for a project is not showing up you have not yet paid the related transaction fee.

I'm a service provider and I've invoiced through RapidLance. Why hasn't feedback or the invoiced amount for that project shown up in my Profile?
Project amounts and feedback scores are automatically displayed in your profile after you pay the related transaction fee. Sending an invoice does not pay the fee. For further information, see Transaction Fee Help.

Why does Feedback for service providers show in the marketplace from only the last 6 months?
To help distinguish active RapidLance service providers who bid on and complete projects, Feedback statistics shown on your main Profile page, in bid listings and in profile listings are based on activity from the last six months. A buyer can always see your all-time Feedback ratings, statistics, and comments from your Complete Feedback page in your profile. This is accessible by either clicking on the Feedback links in your bid or by clicking Complete Feedback from your main Profile page.

Why don't my 6-Month Selling Activity statistics match?