Crayfish.io is the go-to digital platform providing quality, value-for-money online business services supporting companies engaging with cross border trade. By registering an account on our platform, you will get access to our online tools, which helps with communication, project management, payments and proposals, and to a pool of multilingual service providers who offer best value services and deliver projects.
If you forget your password, click Forgot your Password? and enter your email address or username to get a new password, which will be sent to your registration email address.
Yes, you can update your profile details by going to your profile page and clicking on the edit profile link. Once it is done, click ‘Submit’. We will either approve the changes or contact you to ask for further information within two working days for the service provider. If you are a client, your profile will be updated automatically.
You will receive notification emails when we need further information from you, or when you post or bid projects, purchase or provide services or receive messages. In those circumstances, you should receive notification emails fairly quickly. If not, then check your spam box or request the notification email to be sent again. If none of the above works, contact us to get help.
PayPal and stripe are used as the payment gateways. When you set up your account, remember to enter your PayPal email address (Compulsory) and Stripe account (Optional).
Yes, VAT invoices are generated automatically when you finish the project. You can contact us if the invoice is not accurate or misses any key information.
Crayfish provides an online venue where individuals or businesses who require work to be carried out which involves a knowledge of China and Asia or Chinese multi-language skills (Clients) and individuals or businesses with such skills (service providers) can connect with each other and get work posted, done and paid for in easy steps via the Crayfish platform.
In consideration for providing the service,
Crayfish also offers optional added services for the Client when posting a project which are subject to additional fees. These include the options to highlight a project as Featured, or for entering a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) with a provider.
For more details, please read our Terms of Service.
Crayfish® has a wide choice of services for you to select. But if you can’t find exactly what you are looking for you can just Post a project on Crayfish.io Marketplace. Our large pool of bilingual Providers browse frequently and one of the Providers may well have exactly the skills you are after for your job.
Crayfish® attracts proficient multi-lingual providers from anywhere in the world, knowledgeable about culture, experienced in business and familiar with all forms of communication. So it does not matter where you are, just Post a project and it will get done!
A clear and detailed description about your job, task or project will help attract the best talent in our pool of bilingual providers. If you are worried about confidentiality you can ask whoever bids for the job to sign an NDA, which can be done in one simple step.
You should outline what types of skills your job, task or project requires, the more detail the better. Do not worry about your requirements wish list sounding too difficult. It will help you find the right bilingual provider for your needs. The best talent will be just a click away
If there are links to similar work that you want doing, it can help provide a better understanding of your job, task or project, so you can upload these. Likewise, if you have any relevant documents upload these too, they may help attract the best talent. And you must provide a reasonable timeframe.
If you are happy for the job to be done remotely then you do not need to specify a location, however if you require the Provider to go to a location or face to face is part of the job, then you should make that clear.
When providers choose which job to bid for, money is of course an important factor for them to consider. So it is worthwhile to assign a realistic budget to your job in order to attract the right level of expertise. Lowest rate may not attract the best quality or a suitable bilingual provider.
If you really have no idea how much the job should cost, then you can leave the field blank and let the providers bid. But remember the cheapest bid may not always be the best. Remember, you should evaluate a provider’s qualifications, language skills, timeline, and overall cost before making the choice.
We recommend you ask some questions as part of the selection process, so both sides get a chance to know each other’s expectation before going ahead with the job.
Here are some sample questions you can ask a provider:Our Terms of Service states that you own any intellectual property (“IP”) that you may release when posting your job, for which you have paid to be done. If your job contains sensitive information, you may wish to ask for a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) to be signed by the providers during the job bidding process. You can purchase that option by selecting the NDA price plan.
Once a provider receives payment for work completed on a project for a Client, our Terms of Service specifies that ownership of that work transfers to the Client. If desired, providers and clients may also agree on different or additional terms regarding the IP ownership.
For marketplace projects, you may cancel a Job posting anytime before accepting a bid from a Provider without resulting in dispute.
However if you cancel a project after the bid has been accepted it is deemed to have broken the contract between you and the provider, and the Provider has the right to raise a Dispute with Crayfish. The exception to this is that the cancellation has been agreed in advance by both you and the Provider. For example, if the Provider is not able to meet the agreed job deadline due to health reasons or force majeure, and he or she has made a request to you for extension. If you do not agree to that, you can choose to cancel the job, and refunds will be made after a review by Crayfish Customer Service.
On all projects or tasks, you and the provider agree on the time needed for completion by agreeing on the milestones. Should more time be required, you will need to contact our Customer Service team to reflect that on our system.
Anyone, anywhere who is a proficient English-Chinese bilingual speaker, has flexibility in working and wants to earn an income can register on Crayfish. Crayfish check every provider’s profile and approve if all mandatory information provided. Typical profiles of providers on Crayfish are:
Our wide range of fixed price services is designed to offer you both good quality and affordability, adding the best value to your cross-border transactions. All fixed price services purchased on this platform are guaranteed by Crayfish.io. All fixed price services will be delivered according to the scope described, within the timeline and without any hidden charges. Another advantage for you is our streamlined project delivery process, which has been developed based on the unique combination of many years’ experience of carrying out international business in Asia and the use of tailored platform technology.
As a credible alternative to traditional consultancy, Crayfish.io owns an extensive network – and provides real time access to – vetted bilingual speaking experts. We work jointly with them to offer the best value quality services. All the service providers who deliver fixed price services are hand-picked by Crayfish after going through a rigorous selection process.
All service providers permitted to deliver fixed price services on our platform are approved through a strict vetting process, while Crayfish’s experienced customer service team monitors all services to guarantee efficient delivery. There is also a rating and review system in place to continuously improve efficiency and quality. Finally, we offer a 100% quality guarantee for all fixed price services. If you are not happy with the quality of the work delivered, just let us know and we will either help the project team improve the deliverables or refund your payment.
Firstly, please register as a ‘Client’, and you will receive an email to activate your account. You can then purchase a service straightaway. The ordered service will be initiated immediately upon payment.
Your ordered service will kick off after one of our pre-approved service providers accepts the project, which will normally happen within 2 working days after the payment is made. You will then be able to communicate directly with the service provider selected for this particular service, submitting information and documents if required, checking progress and milestones via the ‘Workspace’, which is our in-platform communication tool. After the service is delivered or milestone completed, the service provider will ask for your approval. Once that is received by us, the project fee will be transferred to the provider, after deduction of the platform charges. You can also leave a review and rate the quality of the service provider.
You can login to your account and use our in-platform communication tool ‘Workspace’ to check and monitor the progress of your project, and you can also communicate and provide feedback to service providers there at any time. You will receive an email notification every time the service provider contacts you or when there is a task to complete.
It is our top priority to protect your confidential information. All approved service providers are bound by our Terms of Service, which includes a general IP protection term. If the service provider needs access to your confidential information, we suggest you sign an additional NDA with the individual service provider. There is also an approved version of an NDA available on our platform for purchase as an ‘Add-on’ in the service check out page. To help us enforce the IP protection on the platform, you are advised to use only our in-platform communication tool ‘Workspace’ to communicate and exchange information with your service provider, as then all information will be stored securely on our server, minimising the risk of unauthorised disclosure.
All fixed price services listed on Crayfish.io are designed to offer you a combination of streamlined process, fixed deliverables and controlled cost. Any change of scope or deliverables may lead to a change of service as well as service provider. You will need to communicate with your service provider for any such changes. If the purchased service cannot meet your purpose, you will need to talk to our customer service team or submit a refund request before the service starts. You may still be charged for part of the services and expenses incurred once the service has been initiated. Please check our Terms of Service for details.
While the timeline and milestones of each service are different, the ‘Deliverables’ section included in each fixed price service indicates how long it will take to complete the service. The applied turnaround time defined for each of the services is ‘working day’ or ‘working week’.
It is highly recommended that you read carefully the scope and deliverables of the services before making the purchase, and always communicate with your service providers to clarify milestones at the outset to avoid misunderstanding. During the progress of the work, our customer service team regularly monitors the performance of service providers. If for unexpected reasons the service provider cannot deliver promised services, you can contact our customer service team. We will either help the project team improve the work for delivery or refund your payment.
The online payment gateway and tools are designed to improve efficiency and provide a streamlined process for each service. If for any reason you cannot make payment online, please contact our customer service team to pay by invoice. Normally, if you can still use our online tools to communicate and approve the project, there won’t be an extra fee. This may change if the delivery process needs to be changed offline too.
You can cancel the service and get a full refund before the service provider starts the work, and you should contact our customer service team immediately to submit the refund request. However, if you cancel after the work has already started, you will be charged for any work carried out prior to the service provider receiving your cancellation, as well as any expenses occurred. Please check our Terms of Service for details.
Yes. As well as those services listed on Crayfish.io, we also provide a tailored personal service to address your needs for more complex China projects. Alternatively, you can use the Crayfish® marketplace as a flexible alternative to the listed services.
Please check out our “Become a service provider” guide.
All kinds of interesting projects! Our Clients seek a wide variety of jobs and tasks requiring English-Chinese bilingual skills, business experience in China, cultural insight, technology translation, knowledge of Chinese social media, market research, and many more activities across multiple categories. You can get to work on anything related to China.
It all starts by creating a great profile and outlining all your skills, from your proficiency in languages to any relevant Chinese experience and technical knowledge. Uploading relevant certificates, qualifications, your portfolio and testimonials will help to raise your profile.
Then prepare a compelling job proposal when you see a match for your bilingual Chinese skills. Getting work online is a lot like traditional searching — you submit a detailed proposal for the job you want to do, and then impress potential Clients before being offered the project.
Your profile page is where you can showcase your skills, experience and even personality. Think of it as an introduction, CV, and marketing brochure rolled into one, highlighting your bilingual skills, experience, and portfolio; education and accomplishments; and any language certification. Uploading relevant certificates, qualifications, your portfolio and testimonials will help to raise your profile. The best profiles are complete, well-written, error-free, and feature a professional, friendly-looking picture. And remember to update your profile regularly. Every time you finish a project or a piece of work that adds to your experience, update your profile to reflect that.
When you have spotted a project that you can do, prepare your bid and if necessary add a cover letter. It’s essential to offer a clear and detailed description about your experience that is RELEVANT to the job you seek. This will greatly increase your likelihood of getting the job, so make sure it is professional, well-written, error-free and tailor-made for that specific project.. If there are links to similar work that can help provide a better understanding of your previous experience, then you should make use of them. You can also showcase previous Client references if you have them. Finally, make sure you confirm that you are able to meet the deadline.
If no budget information has been given by the Client, you can propose a fee for the work based on market rate, or based on your experiences, or whatever you think would be reasonable and acceptable for you. It’s likely you will not be the only one to be interested in this job, so price yourself competitively.
Once you have sent the proposal and cover letter to the Client, you may hear back within hours, if not minutes, so you must be prepared.
If your Client wants to know more about you, you should always try to accommodate them, even if this means you have to stay up late or get up early to fit in with the time differences! By communicating directly, you get a chance to know the Client’s expectations and can clarify the deliverables of the project and ask more questions if you have any, before accepting the job.
Be prepared – you should always do some homework by equipping yourself with information about the specific sector and the Client.
Here are some sample questions you can ask:
On all projects or tasks, you and the Client agree on the time needed for completion. Should more time be required, you need to get your Client to agree and he/she will need to contact our Customer Service to reflect that on our system.
No matter how good you say you are, the Client will only judge your work by what you deliver. Therefore take time to complete your work thoroughly, and use the allowed revision timeframe to improve it until your Client is absolutely happy. If you are not satisfied with the work yourself, do NOT submit it to the Client, expecting he or she will approve! Make sure you deliver what the Client has asked for.
It is vital that you adhere to the deadline, but if you can no longer complete the work on time for any reason, you must reach mutual agreement with the Client on a new deadline. Otherwise the Client can cancel the job, even if you have already done some of it
It goes without saying that you need to get paid after the job is done, subject to the satisfaction of the Client. So when the Client has approved your work in the WorkSpace, you will receive payment for your work through us.
Search here now to browse for jobs on Crayfish®.
On the rare occasion this might happen, the Client must provide us with a report, outlining their reasons for cancelling the job after accepting your bid or after you have started working on it.
If this results in a dispute, you will have the chance to submit a report with documentary evidence from your WorkSpace. All disputes will be reviewed by Crayfish carefully, using reports and documentation from both sides, included but not limited to chats, images, contracts and files sent through Workspace. Based on the evidence, a decision will be made, with the money paid to the winning side.
When you deliver great work to your Clients, success will follow and your ratings will reflect that. The most successful providers are:
If you have just registered with us, you will need to fill in your profile details, upload relevant documents and then submit your profile for approval. We will either approve the profile or contact you to ask for further information within two working days. Upon approval, you will be immediately able to bid or submit your proposal for projects on Crayfish.
Yes, you are encouraged to design your own service. You can offer any cross-border services you wish as long as it's legal and complies with our terms. There are over 80 categories you can browse to get ideas. The designer of the service has the priority to win the project.
Please design fixed price to include the following information and submit by email to providers@crayfish.io:
This platform is open to both freelancers and agencies. However, you have to name an individual as the contact person and upload his/her photo as the account profile image even if you are an agency. As an agency you can upload company introduction to replace the CV for individual freelancers, this document is particularly important for the vetting and approval of your registration on our platform.
After registration on our platform, you can use ‘Workspace’ to communicate with clients and manage projects, for the best interests of both ends, you and the clients will be known and communicate with each other as an individual without involving branding/naming of the legal entities which you may belong to.
All service providers will be shown on the front-end of this platform as an individual, you will be the designer of the fixed price service if your submitted service is approved and listed by Crayfish.io.
After registration on our platform, your profile and CV will be reviewed and our customer service team either approve your profile to become a service provider on our Marketplace, or let you know if you do not meet our criteria. We select and invite approved service providers to deliver our fixed price services. To qualify for this, you need to go through a strict vetting process including a video interview with you.
You will receive notification when a fixed service is purchased if you are a pre-approved provider. You may accept it at your discretion unless and until another provider has accepted before you. When clients purchase a fixed price service, you need to accept the project within 1 working day or the project might be assigned to another available service provider. A fixed price project will be assigned to a provider on a first come, first serve basis. You need to act quickly if you are available to accept a new project.
You will receive payment within 14 days after the service delivered and project milestone approved by the client.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to cancel a project once you commence work on delivering the project, unless a fee proportionate to the work is paid or we otherwise agree in writing with you.