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Guru.com

- Star Review

Last Updated: 10/23/2008

Guru.com Star Rating

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Freelancing wasn't something many people made good money in a decade or so ago. Thanks to the Internet, that's all changed. Numerous sites have cropped up in recent years providing a venue for freelancers to find projects that pay. The Star Reviews team thought it was time to check out these websites. At the top the list of sites to check out for our freelance website reviews was Guru.com. Here's what we found when we visited this site...When we visited this site...

What’s New?

Freelancers can now include a video profile.
Safe Pay Escrow available to protect buyers and service providers.
Buyers can earn loyalty dollars with Guru's SafePay system.

Our favorite Feature:

We really like the way the profile section is set up. Providers can include a wealth of information about their services and qualifications as well as a video of yourself selling your services.

The Guru Experience:

When you enter the Guru.com website you will find a homepage with two tabs at the top of the page – one for freelancers and one for employers. When you enter the employer section you have the option to search for freelancers, post a project, or get a free quote. The Freelancer section provides a venue to search for projects, post your profile and submit quotes.

The site is fairly easy to navigate and the pages load quickly. Before you can post a job or submit a quote you will need to register. The employer can register for free. The freelancer can choose between a limited free membership and two levels of paid memberships depending on the number of projects you would like to bid on. Price varies according to the type of work you do.

If you are a freelancer you will like the profile set up. Like the employer you choose a main skill category and then you can add five sub categories. You can create more than one profile but can only use one at a time with the Basic and Guru Memberships. You will want to include an overview of your skills, your resume and work samples. You can also create a video of yourself describing your services and a photo. As you complete work through Guru your ratings, reviews and a description of the work will be available on your profile to future employers.

Employer registration required us to provide our name, company name, address, telephone number, user name, and password. We were also given the opportunity to opt in to Guru's free 1099 service. If you don't want to manually keep track of earnings info for the IRS, Guru will do it for you.

We found the types of projects on the site to include almost anything that can be done over the Internet. From web and graphic design to business consulting and photography, the listings were numerous. Freelancers have more than 5,000 projects to bid on at any given time and Employers have over 100,000 freelancers to choose from. It truly does seem like a freelance matchmaking heaven.

A safe pay escrow service is available to guarantee payment when working with a new client. The employer deposits the agreed funds into Guru’s escrow account before work begins. This assures the freelancer that the funds are available. Once the work is completed to the employer’s satisfaction, the funds can be released. It’s a win-win situation for both parties. Once a relationship is established you can choose not to use the escrow service if you wish.

Overall we felt that Guru.com proved to be a very valuable resource for both freelancers and the companies in need of their services. With so many jobs listed on the site, it's a must-see resource for those looking for freelance work.

Guru Features:

Over 5,000 freelance projects.
Over 100,000 freelancers.
Safe Pay Escrow.
Communicate with instant messenger.
Worldwide.
Include video, photos and more in your profile.
Free to employers.
Rating and feedback for both freelancer and employer.

Guru Pricing:

The pricing of Guru is fair and reasonable. We found it to run the middle of the road. Employers do not pay to use the site, and can even earn loyalty dollars by making non-credit card payments via the Guru SafePay system.

For freelancers, there are three levels of membership to choose from:

Basic membership – You can bid for free but you pay 10% commission to Guru on all completed work. With this membership the freelancer can bid on up to 10 projects each month.
Guru membership ranges from $29.95 to $99.95 depending on what line of work you are in. In addition the freelancer pays 5% commission to Guru on all work completed and can bid on up to 100 projects each month.
Guru Vendor membership ranges in price from $38.94 to $129.94 depending on the category of registration with a 5% commission paid to Guru on all completed work. This membership is geared toward companies with multiple freelance workers.

Guru Customer Service:

Guru.com provides customer service via a live toll-free number and an email link. Email support got back to us within one business day. Although the answer was a bit "canned" it did answer our questions. Phone support was a bit more personal. We were connected with a live rep in less than two minutes and our questions were addressed in a friendly and courteous manner.

Upside:

Very active site with lots of projects and freelancers, Safe Pay Escrow guarantees payment and customer satisfaction, rating and feedback benefits both freelancer and employer.

Downside:

The freelancer carries the burden of the expense.

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Guru.com Member Reviews

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Guru.com review

by all_incorp who has written 112 reviews and is trusted by 0 members

I was looking up freelance opportunities through various websites and stumbled upon Guru.com. Based on reviews from other forums boards, I decided to give this site a whirl. There are a lot of workers on this site and very limited jobs, so you are always competing with the next person that could be from a third world country with a lower price. Some companies are rated which is good when it comes to reliability. Since I did not want to pay anything to get a job, I just used my resume and the credits that were offered with my intial signup. It been for two months and every job I had applied to I never got offered and it seems now that the jobs are slimmer from the first visit. I am glad I did not waste money on purchasing this membership as I would have greatly disappointed.

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