Found out my 'rush fee' was 3x too low after checking a rate sheet

A big agency in Chicago slipped me their internal freelancer rate card during a Zoom call last Thursday, and my jaw dropped when I saw what they budget for a same-week turnaround. I've been charging $150 for a 48 hour deadline on a 2,000 word piece, but their sheet says they expect to pay $450 minimum for that slot. Has anyone else seen actual client budget numbers and realized you're way underpricing the panic?

1 comments

1 Comment

drew_walker23h ago

Does this ever happen to you with other stuff, like you find out the "normal" price for something and realize you've been lowballing yourself for years? I once found out my plumber charged half what the other guys in town did, and he'd been doing great work for me, but I never questioned it. Same deal with my dentist, they were way under the going rate for a cleaning and I just assumed that's what it cost. It's like these numbers get stuck in our heads from one first quote, and we never check if they still make sense. The panic upcharge is real, but the bigger issue is we don't poke around and ask what others charge until it's too late.