How DirtBidder Works
The whole thing, start to finish: posting, bidding, messaging, escrow and getting paid. Pick your side.
Step by step, for clients
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Post your job Free
Say what you need done, roughly where, how big, and when. Add a budget if you have one.
Operators only see the town and ZIP. Your exact address and your phone number stay private.
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Operators are told right away
Operators on DirtBidder get an email about your job as soon as you post it. You don't have to chase anyone.
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Answer questions in Messages
An operator can message you before bidding, to ask about access, soil, tile size, or anything else they need to price it right. You'll get an email when they do. Answer under Messages.
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Let an operator look at the site, if you want
Some jobs can't be priced without seeing the ground. In the message thread, tap Share the job location to show the address and map pin to that one operator. Nobody else sees it, and you can stop sharing any time.
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Compare your bids
You get an email for each bid. Bids are sealed, so operators can't see each other's prices. Look at the price, the timeline, their equipment and their reviews.
An operator can change a bid until you hire, for example after seeing the site. You'll see the old price next to the new one. You never have to take the lowest bid, or any bid.
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Hire and pay, your way
You'd normally hand a contractor a deposit with nothing protecting you. Here, the operator doesn't get your money until you say the work is done.
You can pay for the whole job at once, or pay in parts so you never have much money in at one time.
Example: a $6,000 pond, paid in parts
- You pay $3,150 to start ($3,000 plus the $150 DirtBidder fee). The operator isn't paid yet. It's held.
- The operator does the first half and taps “Stage done.” You get an email.
- You look at the work and tap Release. Now the operator is paid for that half.
- You pay the next $3,150. The operator finishes the job.
- You look at the work and release the rest. Done.
If something's wrong, tap Report a Problem instead of Release, and the money stays put while we sort it out.
Jobs under $10,000 are paid in 2 parts, and bigger jobs in 3. Jobs under $2,000 are paid all at once. The fee is the same either way. You can also pay it all up front and still release it in parts.
Jobs up to $10,000 can be paid by card or bank. Jobs over $10,000 are paid by bank, which takes about 4 business days to clear. The operator is told to wait until it clears.
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Now you can talk directly
Once you've hired and the payment is in, the operator sees your phone number and the exact address, and you can trade numbers freely in Messages. Call, text, meet at the site.
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The work gets done
If the job turns out bigger than the bid (rock, more tile, extra loads), the operator sends you a change request with a price and a reason. You approve and pay it into escrow, or you decline. Nothing is added without your OK.
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Release the payment
When the operator marks the job complete, you have 72 hours to release the payment or report a problem. If you do neither, it releases on its own.
Paying in stages? It works the same for each stage: the operator marks the stage done, and you release it or report a problem within 72 hours.
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Leave a review
Rate the operator. Reviews are how good operators earn badges and how the next client knows who to trust.
If you give 4 or 5 stars, we may give the operator a public shoutout. It names their company, the kind of job and the county. Never you, your address or the price.
Step by step, for operators
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Sign up Free
Give your name and company, then tap the button in the confirmation email we send you. You need a name and a confirmed email before you can bid or message a client. Looking at jobs is always open.
Add your equipment and a few words about your outfit under Edit Profile. Clients see it next to your bid.
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Get job alerts
We email you when a new job is posted. You can turn that off under Settings. All open jobs are under Browse Jobs.
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Ask before you bid
Tap Ask a question on any job to message the client. Ask about access, soil, tile size, where spoils go, whatever you need to price it right.
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See the site first, if you need to
Ask the client to share the location. If they do, the address and map pin show up for you, with directions. Only you see it.
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Place your bid
Enter your price, your timeline and the equipment you'll bring. Bids are sealed, so other operators can't see your number.
You can change your bid any time until the client hires, for example after you've walked the site. The client sees the old price and the new one.
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Get hired, with the money already there
When a client picks you, the money is paid in before you move equipment. Some customers pay the whole job up front. Others pay in parts, so you get paid as you go. Your "You're hired" email tells you which.
Example: a $6,000 pond, paid in parts
- The customer pays $3,000 before you start. You get an email, and your dashboard shows it's paid.
- You do the first half of the job and tap Stage done.
- The customer releases it, and $2,850 goes to your bank (the $3,000 minus the fee). If they do nothing for 72 hours, it's sent to you automatically.
- The customer pays the next $3,000. You get another email saying it's paid.
- You finish and tap Mark Job Complete. The last part goes to your bank the same way.
The one rule: don't start the next part of a job until your dashboard says it's paid. That way the money is always there before you do the work.
If they paid by bank (required on jobs over $10,000), it takes about 4 business days to clear. Wait for our "payment cleared" email before you start.
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Now you can talk directly
Once you're hired and the payment is in, you see the client's phone number and the exact address, and you can trade numbers freely in Messages. Call, text, meet at the site.
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Set up payouts
Under Earnings, add the bank account you want to be paid into. It runs through Stripe and takes a few minutes. You can do it any time, but we can't send your money until it's done.
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Hit something unexpected?
Send a change request with the extra price, the reason, and photos if you have them. The client approves and pays it into escrow, or declines. Don't do extra work on a handshake. If it isn't in escrow, we can't protect it.
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Mark it complete and get paid
When you're done, tap Mark Job Complete. The client has 72 hours to release the payment or report a problem. If they do neither, it releases to you automatically. Your bid minus the DirtBidder fee goes to your bank.
On a job paid in stages, tap Stage done after each stage. Same 72-hour rule, so you get paid as you go instead of waiting for the end. Use Mark Job Complete for the last stage.
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Build your name
Clients review you after each paid job. Good reviews and finished jobs earn badges that show on every bid you place.
Finish with 4 or 5 stars and we feature your company. We post a shoutout on DirtBidder's social media with your company name, the kind of job, the county and your stars. It's free advertising, and it only happens if you say it's OK. Turn it on under Settings.
What it costs
Signing up, posting jobs, bidding and messaging are all free. DirtBidder only makes money when a job is hired and paid. Then each side pays a fee, and the rate drops as the job gets bigger:
| Part of the job price | Fee, each side |
|---|---|
| First $10,000 | 5% |
| $10,000 to $100,000 | 3% |
| $100,000 to $500,000 | 2% |
| Over $500,000 | 1% |
- DirtBidder fee, each side
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- Client pays in total
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- Operator receives
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You always see these numbers before you pay or accept anything.
Why phone numbers are hidden before hiring
Until a job is hired and paid into escrow, phone numbers, emails and links typed into a job post, a bid or a message show up as "contact info hidden." You can still say anything else you want in Messages. As soon as the job is hired and the payment is in, the numbers open up.
Here's what that does for you:
- You know the money is real. The client's payment is sitting in escrow before you load a machine. No chasing invoices.
- Your money is safe. The operator isn't paid until the work is done and you release it, or 72 hours pass with no problem reported.
- The client is protected too, which is why they're willing to hire someone they haven't met.
- You aren't flooded with calls. Operators reach you through Messages until you choose one.
- There's a record. What was asked, what was promised and what was bid is all saved. If there's ever a disagreement, we can see what was actually said.
- Protection only covers jobs kept on DirtBidder. If a job is taken off the site and paid in cash or by check, there's no escrow and nothing we can do if it goes wrong.
We'll be straight about the other reason: it's also how DirtBidder stays in business. The site is free until a job is hired, so if jobs get taken off the site after the introduction, there's no site. Messages that try to move a job off DirtBidder are flagged, and accounts that keep doing it can be suspended.
The one rule
DirtBidder is a service. Here's what the fee pays for:
- Contractors come to you. One post reaches every operator on the site, with no phone calls to make.
- Your money is held until the work is done, and released only when you say so or 72 hours pass with no problem reported.
- Someone to step in. If the work isn't right, we look at both sides and decide what happens to the money.
- Jobs come to you. We email you every new job, and it costs nothing to bid.
- The money is there before you start, sitting in escrow, and it releases to you on its own if the client goes quiet.
- A record that wins you the next job. Reviews, badges and shoutouts only come from jobs paid through DirtBidder. A job done off the site counts for nothing here.
All we ask in return is one thing: if you met through DirtBidder, that job is hired and paid through DirtBidder.
What that means day to day:
- Talking, asking questions and looking at the site are all fine. That's what Messages and location sharing are for.
- Settling on a price in person is fine too. The operator puts that number in the bid, and the client accepts it on the site.
- Paying cash or a check on the side to skip the fee is not. There's no escrow, no help in a dispute, no review and no shoutout, and accounts that do it can be suspended.
You're asked to agree to this once, the first time you place a bid.
You're asked to agree to this once, the first time you share a job's location with an operator.
If something goes wrong
- Changed your mind before hiring? Close the job any time. It costs nothing.
- Need to cancel after paying? If both sides agree before work starts, contact us and the client is refunded in full, fee included.
- Not happy with the work? Tap Report a Problem before the payment is released. The money is frozen right away.
- Client reports a problem? The payment is frozen, and you get to answer and send your own photos before anything is decided.
- How a dispute is settled: both sides explain and add photos. DirtBidder looks at it and either pays the operator in full, refunds the client in full, or splits it. Our decision only covers the money in escrow.
- Client goes quiet after you finish? 72 hours after you mark the job complete, the payment releases to you on its own.
Common questions
Do I have to hire anyone?
No. Posting is free and there's no obligation. If none of the bids fit, close the job.
Who can see my address?
Nobody, until you decide. The public listing shows the town and ZIP. An operator sees the exact address only if you share it with them, or after you hire them and pay.
Does DirtBidder do the work or vouch for the operator?
No. DirtBidder is a marketplace. The operator is an independent contractor you choose, and the agreement for the work is between the two of you. We hold the payment and settle disputes over it. Check reviews, ask questions, and ask about insurance before you hire.
Can other operators see my bid?
No. Bids are sealed. Only the client sees your price.
Do I have to pay the whole job up front?
No. When you hire, you can pay all now, or pay in stages: stage 1 to start, and each next stage before the operator starts it. Either way, nothing is paid to the operator until you release it, or 72 hours after they say that part is done if you don't report a problem.
What if a client paying in stages doesn't pay the next one?
Don't start a stage until your dashboard shows it's paid. You keep what you've already been paid for finished stages. If a client stops paying, message them, and email support@dirtbidder.com if it isn't sorted out.
When do I actually get the money?
When the client releases the payment, or 72 hours after you mark the job (or a stage) complete if they don't respond. It's sent to the bank account you set up under Earnings. How long your bank takes to show it is up to the bank.
What if I bid and then see the job is bigger than described?
Before you're hired, update your bid. After you're hired, send a change request. Either way the client sees the new number and agrees to it before you do the extra work.
How do I get my company featured?
Turn on Free Shoutouts under Settings. After that, each job you finish through DirtBidder with a 4 or 5 star rating can earn a shoutout on our social media: your company name, the kind of job, the county and your stars. We never post the price, the client or the address, and we email you when it's up so you can share it. Turn it off any time.
Will DirtBidder post about my job?
Only in one case, and never with your details. If you rate a finished job 4 or 5 stars, we may give the operator a public shoutout that names their company, the kind of job and the county. It never names you or shows your address, your town or what you paid.
Is my card or bank information safe?
Payments run through Stripe, the same processor used by many large online businesses. DirtBidder never sees or stores your full card or bank numbers.
Where are the full rules?
In the Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy. If this page and the Terms ever disagree, the Terms control.
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