Sellers FAQ

This section provides information for selling services on HostJane marketplace.

5 Minute Read

  1. How to Start Selling on HostJane
  2. Attract more buyers with a face picture
  3. Tips for writing a good summary and bio
  4. Adding a Video to Your Listing
  5. Image Guidelines For Listings
  6. Audio Guidelines for Listings
  7. How do I send a custom offer?
  8. Quote requests from Buyers
  9. How to add an hourly rate?
  10. My images or uploaded content is not loading
  11. Can I decline orders?
  12. How do I pause my listing?
  13. Can my business open a HostJane account?
  14. Only accept payment through HostJane
  15. Can I use copyrighted work in my Service?
  16. Can I take subscriptions?
  17. Subcontracting policy
  18. How do I increase my sales?
  19. Can I offer downloads?
  20. Issues with Buyer Revisions
  21. Safeguarding against Buyer fraud

How to Start Selling on HostJane

Go to the Become a Seller page, read the instructions and our Marketplace Rules, then click Sell a Service.

Choose a category and title for your listing.

We’ll save the information while you sign up for HostJane.

You will need:

  • To select Personal or Business account
  • Choose a username
  • Enter your details and verify your email
  • Choose a secret question and answer

After successfully registering, you will be returned to Listing Wizard to create your first listing

Listings are reviewed by Admin and can take up to 30 mins to appear live on HostJane.

To ensure there is not a delay, please review the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) to ensure your listing is in line with HostJane policies.

Attract more buyers with a face picture

  • Use a recent selfie or picture that shows only you, not a group.
  • Opt for a clear close-up of your face, with no blurring or out of focus elements.
  • Your profile picture should complement your brand with the right background, context and colors.
  • If you are a web developer or sell digital marketing, use your office as a background. If you’re an artist, be in your studio. If you’re a musician, be with your instrument.

We recommend your HostJane picture use these tips from LinkedIn

Tips for writing a good summary and bio

  • Summaries are 100 characters

Pick a short and punchy sentence of what you can do for people. Your summary is highlighted in light blue on your Studio page and will be one of the first texts Buyers will read about you.

  • Bios are 500 characters

Create a strong, compelling HostJane bio and summary that highlights your skills used to deliver the Services you are selling on HostJane. This is a major selling point for your listings as it makes your branding feel complete.

If you have related qualifications or work history that you use to deliver your Services or professional accomplishments that are part of what sets your Service apart, please give prospective Buyers a basic summary here and expand on that inside your listings.

  • Adopt a relaxed, friendly writing style like you’re having a conversation with the Buyer.
  • Write in the first person (I, me, my)
  • Focus on your strengths
  • Use job-related keywords
  • Directly mention your hard and soft skills relevant to your Service and go into detail in your listings
  • It’s okay to include numbers and data to backup your claims
  • Only mention the skills you use to deliver the Services you are selling on HostJane
  • It’s fine to include a call to action (CTA) for people to request a quote or message you through your listings
  • It’s also acceptable to mention any discounts you are running on your Services

Don’t include external websites or social media accounts, the purpose of your HostJane bio and summary is to funnel Buyers to your HostJane listings to hire your service.

Adding a Video to Your Listing

Listings with personal video attract more views in categories because interactive media engages people more effectively and a video preview can play in your selected categories.

Videos are important for Sellers in online lessons and video/animation listings.

We accept videos from YouTube and Vimeo.

Copy the share link and paste into the Video box on the listings page. You can add up to 3 video embeds per.

Each video you upload should:

  • Be your own copyright
  • Be in English only (Language teachers can speak in other languages but the introduction should be in English)
  • Be higher quality with no background music
  • Have clear audio tracks
  • 15 - 75 seconds in length (Shorter videos work better for audience attention)
  • Contain content that meets our community standards

We prohibit the following content:

  • Videos containing hidden contact information in on-screen annotations or narrative. Your account can be subject to restrictions if you accept payment off HostJane.
  • Reusing the same videos for multiple listings
  • Third-party copyrighted content
  • Content subject to third-party royalties
  • Anything that infringes our Community Standards

Image Guidelines For Listings

Use images that are:

  • .Jpeg or .Jpg type (preferred)
  • Recommended size is 1200 (w) x 800px (h) - Image will crop so use bigger sizes to get a higher resolution.
  • Under 5MB
  • High quality or at least 72 DPI
  • Relevant to your Service
  • Your own copyright ownership
  • Present you personally esp. if you are an online teacher
  • Not stock images

We prohibit images that:

  • Contain off-site contact information like phone numbers, web addresses or emails
  • Have third-party copyright that you don’t own
  • Show anyone under 18 years of age
  • Anything that infringes our Community Standards

Audio Guidelines for Listings

Use audios that are:

  • Allowed File Types: m4a, flac, mp3, mp4, wav, wma, aac.
  • Under 10Mb
  • Relevant to your Service
  • Your own copyright ownership

We prohibit audios that:

  • Contain off-site contact information like phone numbers, web addresses or emails
  • Have third-party copyright that you don’t own
  • Anything that infringes our Community Standards

How do I send a custom offer?

In messages, select the user you want to make an offer.

Enter the messages area and click ‘Make offer’ in the bottom area.

You can send an offer for either a Service or Lesson. Base your quote pricing on your hourly rate.

The offer will appear in the Buyer’s Messages, where they can accept the offer by paying directly in messages!

After they order, the order process is the same as if they purchased your listing. A fresh HostJane workspace with an interactive board and chat will start for your custom order.

The sales invoice will appear in reporting as a custom order.

Quote requests from Buyers

If you receive a Quote Request from a Buyer you will see the details in your Messages with the Buyer.

Click ‘Make Offer’ in Messages to respond to the Buyer.

Follow the on-screen instructions to make an offer

Hint: The Buyer usually choose Sellers to request quotes based on their listing price. Do keep in mind the price and conditions you offer in your listing for the best chance of them accepting your offer.

Your offer will then be sent to the Buyer for them to accept by paying or decline. You can withdraw your offer at any time and also decline jobs with no penalty.

How to add an hourly rate?

If you have added a Service on HostJane, you can advertise your freelance services as an hourly rate in Studios and Listings. You can make custom offers to Buyers which become custom orders.

After adding a Service, go to Settings and activate the hourly rate box by entering your dollar rate. Press ‘Update Studio’ to save.

The hourly rate will then appear on your Studios for Buyers who contact you for a free quote.

It will also appear on your Listing pages.

The advantages of selling with an hourly rate include:

  • Helps Buyers understand how you price your Services
  • It’s easier to sell time slots to Buyers over upfront fees
  • You can make a custom offer to Buyers based on your hourly rate
  • Doesn’t stop you selling fixed-price Services

To set up your first listing on HostJane, start today by Adding a Service

My images or uploaded content is not loading

HostJane uses Backblaze which on rare occasion may load a 5xx error on uploaded user content causing an error message in browsers.

{ "code": "internal_error", "message": "internal incident", "status": 500 }

The error is rare and will usually resolve within 24-72 hours or the source file may show and disappear intermittently depending on Backblaze’s engineering fix time.

If the error is recurrent, affecting your profile or studio avatar or an important image or file in your listing, we suggest you upload a replacement file.

  • Update listing images and files in Dashboard > Listing Center

  • Update profile/studio images to Dashboard > Settings

Can I decline orders?

Yes, you’re free to decline and mutually cancel unlimited orders with no penalties to your account. We want Sellers only to accept jobs they can finish in good time.

When you’re sent a new order, an accept/decline screen will appear with a Sales Invoice, itemized payment breakdown and your forecast net earnings for the order.

If you click ‘decline’, the Buyer is refunded the cost of the Service minus the handling fee for the transaction.

How do I pause my listing?

If you will be away for a time, you can pause and resume your listing by these 3 methods:

  • By taking a break if you do not have any active orders
  • In the Listing center
  • Directly on Listing page

For the listing center method, go to Listings then click on the listing you wish to pause. Click ‘Pause listing’

After logged in, go to the Listing page directly and click “Pause”

Whenever Pause is activated, both logged in and logged out users will see a Paused message on your listing page.

Only archive your listing if you do not intend to use it again. For legal, audit and financial transaction reasons, you can’t delete listings on HostJane, but the Archive button in listings center will remove them from your view.

Can my business open a HostJane account?

Yes, Sellers can register on HostJane as agencies or business entities, as well individual freelancers who are doing a larger amount of business through the site.

You can select the following business structures for your account

  • Sole proprietorship
  • Limited Liability Company (LLC)
  • Corporation
  • Non-Profit
  • Partnership or other

We generally verify people not businesses on HostJane but we will contact you individually should we need your business documents, company formation or tax ID numbers for administrative purposes.

Only accept payment through HostJane

HostJane is not a directory or portfolio site. To succeed in a difficult space as a new marketplace we need Sellers to honor their pledge in 3.1.6 of the Marketplace Rules to only accept payments through us for Services offered on our platform.

Your account can be suspended of you conduct HostJane business outside HostJane.

Can I use copyrighted work in my Service?

The purpose of HostJane is for Buyers to find original Work from talented freelancers without a middle-man agency ripping off freelancers. We therefore encourage Sellers to only use their own copyright in listings.

If you expressly need to use someone else’s copyright in your listing, for example, in Stock Photographs, you will need to obtain permission or a use license from the copyright holder and you must credit the source.

This is especially important if a model release applies.

If you use any part of a third-party copyright holder’s material in Work that you deliver to a Buyer, you must tell the Buyer exactly which parts of the Work this effects as a split license may apply.

You cannot use pictures of anyone under the age of 18 years of age anywhere on HostJane.

Can I take subscriptions?

No, HostJane only allows single purchases of original, on-demand Work, including online lessons, from Sellers on a per-order basis.

Funds can be transferred as one-off payments via:

  • Listings
  • Lessons
  • Tips
  • Custom orders

Subcontracting policy

You’re free to use subcontractors to fulfill Services on HostJane so long as you meet these requirements:

  • You have a legal arrangement to resell Work from your subcontractor

  • Any stock photography used in Final Work meets our copyright requirements

  • Your subcontractor can promptly deliver Work within the delivery timeframes given to Buyers in your listing

How do I increase my sales?

Promote your account by placing your HostJane studio link in the “About” fields of your blog and social profiles, share posts via X, and advertise your HostJane Listings anywhere you freelance or have followers online.

Your studio link to HostJane is HostJane.com/marketplace/Username

Other ways to promote your Listings:

  • Ask customers to review their experiences with you on their blogs and social media accounts;
  • Maintain accurate, up-to-date Listings;
  • Add new FAQs and review/improve your listing content monthly adding new testimonials, features and promotions;
  • Respond to messages from potential buyers promptly

Can I offer downloads?

Yes, although you will need to send your buyers the download manually. As a marketplace focused on freelancers who create original Work, we don’t offer any automated way to sell downloads or an API to check on downloaded software usage.

Issues with Buyer Revisions

A buyer keeps asking me to do revisions. What can I do?

While we expect Sellers to offer at least 1 revision of their delivered Work Previews, HostJane cares that freelancers selling on our Marketplace are not being taken advantage of.

If you believe that a buyer is asking more of you than they’ve paid for, or is trying to get free work from you, please contact us via the Problem with order link inside the order and we’ll take a look and do our best to help you resolve an issue to your satisfaction.

Under section 2.6.4 of our Marketplace Terms, any buyer attempting to procure free work from a Seller can be suspended for abuse.

Safeguarding against Buyer fraud

HostJane protects you against fraudulent chargebacks. We require 3D-Secure Verification on all transactions meaning all Buyers have to prove to the cardholder’s bank they own the payment method to successfully make a payment.

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