Droners.io bid question

[wilmutiny3]

I put in my first bid for a job on Droners.io. There's not a lot of work in my area and only 6 of us have put in bids. The job was posted on July 26th and is still active with no bids accepted yet. Is this normal for a job? I'm just trying to get a feel for the site and how it all works.

 

[Recoveryone]

Dealing with drone brokers can be a game of wait and see, often the broker doesn't have the contract in hand when they post the job's. By conducting business in this manner places pilots on the back foot;
1. job's need to be flown within 48 hours or less
2. poor information on flight restriction
3. poor communication between broker and pilot
Having job's pop up in such short notice make the bid process a race to the bottom instead of qualified pilots matched to appropriate jobs.

 

[wilmutiny3]

This is all really good to know. Thank you. I think I’ll adjust my expectations moving forward and hopefully a more realistic view will help.

 

[R.Perry]

Do you pound the pavement and market your services? I have received many of my jobs through word of mouth, knocking on doors, and advertising.

 

[wilmutiny3]

I really haven’t. I’ve been flying for a few years but very very new to the idea of selling my services and I’ve been a little timid on what my pricing should be. I had hoped to get a few easy jobs to sort of wet my feet and get a feel for the market. I’ve been working on building up stock footage to sell as well but I haven’t advertised that yet. Do you think having a dedicated website is worth the money?

 

[BigAl07]

I've gotten several jobs with Droners.io over the years but only ones that were ridiculously to me so no travel. One job I could have literally flown from my deck on my home if it weren't for VLOS requirements.

Droners.io is nothing more than a race to the bottom. They are paying sub-standard amounts (client driven by the way) and it works for them. I'd estimate most of the "bids" I see on locally posted jobs start out (START OUT) about 1/2 what they should be and they go down from there.

Promoting your company, creating a brand, and getting your face in front of potential clients will pay GREAT dividends rather than waiting on the clients to come to you (or send a broker to you). It's time for old school "Cold Calls". They pay BIG!

 

[BigAl07]

I really haven’t. I’ve been flying for a few years but very very new to the idea of selling my services and I’ve been a little timid on what my pricing should be. I had hoped to get a few easy jobs to sort of wet my feet and get a feel for the market. I’ve been working on building up stock footage to sell as well but I haven’t advertised that yet. Do you think having a dedicated website is worth the money?

I'm always shocked at how many first time customers find me through my low tech website. I do spend a LOT of time on SEO and Keywords which helps a LOT but my website is not flashy or inspiring at all! It's an experiment in simplicity.

I look at a website from 2 perspectives:

1 - It's working 24/7 to help show what I can do and it's a minimal investment to have a Store Front open 24/7. It can get you exposure from people merely searching on the web for services in your general area (this is how I get the majority of my out of town clients)
2 - Many prospective clients want to see a website so that you have some "legitimacy" even if they have heard of you or know you. The website is for much more than "just" out of towners lookin for your services.

 

[wilmutiny3]

I'm always shocked at how many first time customers find me through my low tech website. I do spend a LOT of time on SEO and Keywords which helps a LOT but my website is not flashy or inspiring at all! It's an experiment in simplicity.

I look at a website from 2 perspectives:

1 - It's working 24/7 to help show what I can do and it's a minimal investment to have a Store Front open 24/7. It can get you exposure from people merely searching on the web for services in your general area (this is how I get the majority of my out of town clients)
2 - Many prospective clients want to see a website so that you have some "legitimacy" even if they have heard of you or know you. The website is for much more than "just" out of towners lookin for your services.

Thank you. You're right. I need that resource for people to find me.

 

[wilmutiny3]

I've gotten several jobs with Droners.io over the years but only ones that were ridiculously to me so no travel. One job I could have literally flown from my deck on my home if it weren't for VLOS requirements.

Droners.io is nothing more than a race to the bottom. They are paying sub-standard amounts (client driven by the way) and it works for them. I'd estimate most of the "bids" I see on locally posted jobs start out (START OUT) about 1/2 what they should be and they go down from there.

Promoting your company, creating a brand, and getting your face in front of potential clients will pay GREAT dividends rather than waiting on the clients to come to you (or send a broker to you). It's time for old school "Cold Calls". They pay BIG!

Thanks for the info!! I've heard that a lot and wondered if that was regional or all over. I'm beginning to think it's all over. They still haven't closed the bid yet so I'll move on and hopefully I can get a website up and rolling and start moving work through there.

 

[Kristina Fowler]

Generally speaking, Drone brokers are opportunistic slum lords (and I'm being kind). There's one gig in my area (not Droners.io) that I've been watching where they've walked up the price from $150 to $195 - $5 at a time - over the past 2 weeks. They view drone operators as a bunch of desperate migrant workers/mules who will work for peanuts. I've developed a healthy distaste for these guys. There... I feel better now.

R. Perry is correct: pound the pavement and cut your own path through the jungle.

 

[Fred Garvin]

I enjoy bidding on Droners jobs. In many cases my bid is 5x (or more) their "Budget" specified. If they respond to me about the much higher amount, I take a passive/aggressive route and respectfully tell them that "I'm sorry about that, but my Clients move multi-million dollar properties and this is pocket change for them. I didn't realize you were an "economy" operation and couldn't afford professional services at this level. In the future, if you move up to properties in this value range, give us a call!"

Yeah...it's the simple pleasures that sometimes make your day....

 

[R.Perry]

Generally speaking, Drone brokers are opportunistic slum lords (and I'm being kind). There's one gig in my area (not Droners.io) that I've been watching where they've walked up the price from $150 to $195 - $5 at a time - over the past 2 weeks. They view drone operators as a bunch of desperate migrant workers/mules who will work for peanuts. I've developed a healthy distaste for these guys. There... I feel better now.

R. Perry is correct: pound the pavement and cut your own path through the jungle.

I love your response.

 

[PinpointUAVS]

It seems these brokers are all alike. There’s a new outfit here in Canada that’s a partnership between the drone flight school I used and a processing platform. They wanted me to map ~200Ha with my M300RTK and P1(which I would’ve had to buy or rent), 260 miles ( one way) from me, for $450 + hotel expense. I politely declined and told them to get in touch with me when their rates become reasonable.

 

[HawkView]

Dave Brown, the founder of Droners.io, has left PrecisionHawk, who acquired Droners in 2018.

Facebook Groups

 

[R.Perry]

Different face, same cheap offers.

 

[aerialimagery]

I received an offer for a $150 job from Drone Base recently. It's too far away to be worthwhile, but if I were closer, I'd do it. It's a very easy job and anyone could do it. No special photography skills required. Just center the building and take a few vertical images. I don't understand the bitterness towards these types of companies. They don't owe me anything. I can take their price or leave it.

For beginners and part-timers, these gigs could be worthwhile.

 

[R.Perry]

I received an offer for a $150 job from Drone Base recently. It's too far away to be worthwhile, but if I were closer, I'd do it. It's a very easy job and anyone could do it. No special photography skills required. Just center the building and take a few vertical images. I don't understand the bitterness towards these types of companies. They don't owe me anything. I can take their price or leave it.

For beginners and part-timers, these gigs could be worthwhile.

The "bitterness" comes from the fact that with the inconsistency of these kinds of jobs, the cost of the equipment, insurance, transportation, post processing there is no profit in it. People willing to take these garbage jobs are only hurting the industry.
Let me give you an example of what a professional company charges, minimum of $200.00 dollars an hour on site, plus travel.
We just bid and got a job, five sites, total of 240 miles round trip, two visits to each site, $3600.00, that is mapping each site, panos, and progression photos. Averaged 3800 photos per visit. Just incase you aren't familiar with mapping the processing isn't cheap.
How much are you paying for insurance and how much insurance are you carrying? Your drone batteries don't last for ever, and they aren't cheap. Your transportation is part of your operational cost, fuel, maintenance and depreciation are all factors you should consider.
Do you think Drone Base is giving you the majority of the pie, I would bet they got the biggest portion.
Most of the people taking these cheap jobs don't realize they are working for nothing.

 

[aerialimagery]

I believe in the free market. There is room and a place for these kinds of jobs. If there is no profit in it of some kind, nobody will do it. $150 is not nothing. Most of my aerial photography work has been from manned aircraft with a minimum charge of around $1,000 per job. I'm used to charging a lot, but if there is a $150 job close to me that I can do with my relatively cheap phantom 4 pro, I'll do it. Why not? It will take all of 10 minutes of photography time. The job I referred to does not require any photography talent. I disagree that it's a "garbage job" and that these people entering freely into an agreement are "hurting the industry." Jobs that require real talent and skill cannot be done so cheaply. Why worry about it if you can't do anything about it and if you have other sources of higher paying work?

 

[Rob Hodges]

I put in my first bid for a job on Droners.io. There's not a lot of work in my area and only 6 of us have put in bids. The job was posted on July 26th and is still active with no bids accepted yet. Is this normal for a job? I'm just trying to get a feel for the site and how it all works.

You have to know whether you yourself are going to make money on it, otherwise, you are just doing if for fun.

First you have your equipment costs that have to be accounted for example, say you spent $2100 on equipment (low estimate assuming no backup drone). Payback for that will depend on how often you get jobs, say two per week with a few weeks off per year (very generous from those sites) assuming a 2 year replacement period.
Cost per job for equipment: $10.50
New tablet ever 3 years. $1.00
Battery replacement: Roughly Every 65 charges with average 2 batteries per job $3.00 (mapping jobs, generally cost you more, because they use more batteries)
Insurance: $10 per job
Travel: Say $0.58 per mile (gas, cost of vehicle, oil, maintenance, cleaning)
Tolls: $x.xx

Say you take one of those weird- no interaction jobs from one broker for $50.
Thirty minute drive there (roughly 60 miles total) and back, no toll, you are on site for one hour and you spend 1/2 hour uploading assets.

You start with your estimated costs: $10.50+$1+$3+$10+$34.8= 59.3 You have donated $9.30 and made $0 for your time.

Same job for $100 from droners.io, remembering they will take 10% and your money transfer will cost a few percent.
$88-59.3=28.7, so you have made $11.48 per hour.

Most people leave out the opportunity cost of you driving, and their equipment costs. I left out a few things, but you can see where I'm going with this. You have to calculate all your costs, including your time, when you bid on a job. The problem is you are competing with mostly hobbyists that don't have to make a living in this field, so if they make a few bucks to pay for their hobby or their habits and they are happy. That's one reason the rates are so low.

 

[Fred Garvin]

Same job for $100 from droners.io, remembering they will take 10% and your money transfer will cost a few percent.
$88-59.3=28.7, so you have made $11.48 per hour.

Don't forget the Rule of Three: 1/3 taxes, 1/3 to the business, 1/3 in your pocket.

So, it's MUCH worse:

28.7 / 3 = 9.56 / 2 (hours) = $4.78 per hour.

If that's what you value your time and services....go fo it. Droners is for you.

(Minimum Wage in Texas is $7.25 and hour)