Originally Posted by Anthony Hourly rates online are really skatty in my opinion. There are no ways to prove how long that the designer is working for at all. This applies to freelancers really, I suppose progress reports every hour would be feasable if you were to do it this way.

What difference is there between hourly rates online and hourly rates offline?

I mean if my mechanic said he took 1 1/2 hours to replace the Hub axle in my car I would believe him, if he said it took 2 1/2 hours I would also believe hime and if he said 3 1/2 hours I would still believe him!

Unless the client actually sits there and watches a webcam (kinky) of you doing the designing he will never know how long it takes. Thats why people give out job estimates and time estimates, they then quote the prices and have to stick by that quoted price. Sometimes you finish the project before time and if it's ridiculously early you can pass some of the savings back on to the client (not all savings)...sometimes, however, you run over time and you will lose money.