Undersold my first web design gig by $400 and I'm still kicking myself

Last month I landed my first freelance web design job through a friend of a friend. I was so scared of losing it that I quoted them $200 for a full 5-page site. Took me about 40 hours total because I kept redoing stuff and learning on the fly. When I finally invoiced them, they paid it no questions asked and even said I should charge more next time. I found out later from another freelancer that the going rate for that kind of work in my city is around $600 minimum. Now I'm sitting here realizing I basically worked for $5 an hour after taxes. Has anyone else totally lowballed their first price and regretted it right after?

3 comments

3 Comments

henry_anderson542d ago

My buddy did the exact same thing with his first logo design gig. Charged $50 for something that took him like 30 hours and the client loved it so much they gave him a $200 tip. He learned real quick to just multiply whatever he thinks the price is by 3. The thing nobody mentions is that underselling yourself actually hurts other freelancers too because clients start expecting those low rates. You live and you learn though, next time just double whatever number pops into your head first.

perry.jesse2d ago

Man that tip thing is wild but honestly I've seen it happen way more than you'd think. One time I did a simple flyer for this guy who owned a food truck, charged him like $40 because I was just starting out and had no clue what I was doing. He ended up liking it so much he sent me a $100 Amazon gift card out of nowhere and then emailed me every month for like a year asking me to do random stuff. I felt bad saying no because he was so nice but at the same time I was basically working for peanuts and couldn't really say yes to everyone. It's like people can sense when you're new and either try to take advantage or they feel guilty and overpay. Either way it messes with your head about what you're actually worth.

noahwood2d agoTop Commenter

Huh, I actually see it the other way. Charging low rates when you're starting out is just how you get experience and build a portfolio, nobody expects a beginner to charge like a pro. The real problem is when experienced people still charge peanuts and drag the whole market down.