Yes, this would definitely streamline the process. I think some buyers are out to "get the best deal" either by taking advantage of new writers or trying to lowball other writers who'll do anything for a quick buck.
I've seen a lot of that as well. If anyone approaches me with the "It must pass Copyscape" nonsense, I generally don't accept them as a client. After all, they are already assuming that I'm a liar and a thief before I write one word. Sadly "rubbish quality work, dished up by imbeciles, plagiarists and scam artists" isn't limited to the cheap writers. I know someone who paid over $3k for a report by folks who claim they have written for many companies and people that are household names. Yet, they got his company name wrong, his business concept wrong and the financial information was contrived and irrelevant to what he was doing. His report even contained passages that were borrowed from one of their online sample documents.
Their is always surprises in the world of auto mechanics rusted bolts that break off, defective parts installed, your $20an hr labor damages a $1500 part. Nothing is "always" the world is full of surprises as a freelancer vs hourly worker we have to take averages, some themes might be up in 22hours some clients are a pain in the ass and want constant changes 60hrs. As a freelancer vs hourly worker we have to eat the extra time but we also get off work early when jobs go better then expected. A theme from scratch has a lot of time.. it is hard to say how much, but basically it is customer that wants the entire site original, exactly their ideas and just the way they want it(usually a pain in the ass). 40hours is an average. That time is most all labor I don't know anyone that charges for discussing what clients wants, think looks good, what changes they want. As a freelancer I eat that time, I try to imagine it as a break from work (but it is not, lol). 40 hours+ an hourly rate is just to give a potential customer an idea how much his completely original and custom idea might cost if they buy my services. Most times after talking to them and getting more details I tell them I could do that amount of work in less 20 hours or so. Many times they have a never ending list of "wants" so I tell them more then 40 hours. Just a bench mark price, it gives the customer a feel for what I charge which I try to keep just below average to be competitive. I don't know about some of the things on the list but I do think buyers should be more clear on what they want. One big problem in this realm is many customers want unrealistic things. They want masterpieces that rank first and convert 99.5% sales for $5 and sadly many keep looking until someone tells them they will make their fantasy come true, they lose $5 and think writers are a scum. Same with all industries on DP- SEO, web design, graphic design people want to get stuff for basically nothing. In realty you get cheap junk for cheap just like the flea market.
Usually with the ones that do not state their budget, they are hiding in the tall grass. Most buyers that know what they want to spend will state it upfront.
It's because most people look for the highest quality for the lowest rate. Of course if you have money to throw around you won't mind hiring a writer who has a high rate. Either way, I think it is even more annoying when a content buyer makes a huge list of demands and then at the end of the thread states a ridiculous price like 1$ for 500 words or something like that.
I agree Senobia. These buyers should be more up front about what they're willing to pay. In my opinion client ignorance is a large part of the problem. When it comes to sales copy they don't have the knowledge to make an accurate judgement on what's good or bad. What will fill their page with relevant content (not necessarily a bad thing) VS what will actually sell their product. I used to write a ton of content for low pay for small web based businesses/affiliates. It's absolutely mind numbing stuff.
Yes, I agree with you Senobia. It saves both's time, if buyer mention exact rate or pay interval like $5 to $7 or anything they want to offer.
Like many people above mentioned, it is usually because the client is trying to get the lowest possible price. Which, for the most part sucks because it takes a lot of time away from both parties. I can see both sides, due to the fact that I'm a writer, but have also needed to buy content before. I however, always state my budget because I have limited time between my personal time, my education, my work and writing.