Posting a Buyer Request

Overview

Buyer Requests let you post your project needs and receive competitive proposals from vendors. Instead of searching for services, vendors come to you with pricing and delivery estimates.

Benefits:

Get multiple quotes without searching
Compare vendor pricing and timelines
Find specialists for custom projects
Vendors compete for your business

What Are Buyer Requests?

A reverse marketplace where you describe what you need and vendors submit proposals.

How It Works

You post a request with project details and budget
Vendors browse requests and submit proposals
You review proposals and compare options
You accept a proposal which creates an order
Order begins with standard workflow

Accessing the Request Form

Dashboard Method:

Log in to your account
Go to Dashboard → Buyer Requests
Click Post New Request
Form opens

Shortcode: Admins can place the form anywhere with:

[wpss_post_request]

Request Form Fields

Title (Required)

A clear, specific title summarizing your project.

Character Limit:

Minimum: 10 characters (HTML only, not server-enforced)
Maximum: 100 characters (HTML only, not server-enforced)

Note: Previous documentation stated strict server-side validation. The code only has HTML maxlength="100" with no server validation. Longer titles can be submitted via API.

Good Examples:

✓ "WordPress E-commerce Site with Custom Product Configurator"
✓ "Logo Design for Tech Startup - Modern & Minimalist"
✓ "Fix WooCommerce Checkout Payment Gateway Issues"

Bad Examples:

✗ "Need help" (too vague)
✗ "Website" (not descriptive)
✗ "URGENT!!!" (no detail)

Description (Required)

Detailed explanation of your project requirements.

What to Include:

Project overview
Specific deliverables needed
Technical requirements
Design preferences (if applicable)
Success criteria

No Character Limits Enforced: Previous docs claimed strict character limits. The code has NO server-side validation for description length.

Good Example:

I need a custom WordPress plugin that adds a product wishlist
feature to my WooCommerce store.

Required Features:
- Add/remove products to wishlist (heart icon)
- Wishlist page showing saved products
- Email reminders for wishlist items
- Share wishlist via unique URL
- Admin dashboard to view wishlist stats

Technical Requirements:
- Compatible with WooCommerce 8.0+
- Works with WordPress 6.0+
- Mobile-responsive design
- Clean, documented code

Deliverables:
- Fully functional plugin
- Installation instructions
- 30 days of bug fixes

Category (Optional)

Select the service category that best matches your project.

Available Categories:

Dynamically loaded from wpssservicecategory taxonomy
Helps vendors find relevant requests
Shown in request listings

Budget

Two Budget Types:

1. Fixed Price (fixed)

Set one specific amount
“My budget is $500”
Best for well-defined projects

2. Price Range (range)

Set minimum and maximum
“My budget is $300-$500”
Best for flexible projects

Important: Previous documentation listed a “Flexible” budget type. Only fixed and range exist in the code.

Budget Fields:

budget_type: fixed or range
budget_min: Minimum amount (for range) or fixed amount
budget_max: Maximum amount (for range only)

Examples:

Fixed: budget_type="fixed", budget_min=500
Range: budget_type="range", budget_min=300, budget_max=500

Delivery Days (Optional)

How many days you need the work completed in.

Field: delivery_days (integer) Default: 7 days (if not specified)

Purpose:

Sets buyer expectations
Vendors can propose different timelines
Not enforced as deadline (proposal accepted deadline used)

Skills Required (Optional)

Field: skills_required (array of strings)

List specific skills or technologies needed.

Examples:

["WordPress", "PHP", "JavaScript", "WooCommerce"]
["Photoshop", "Illustrator", "Logo Design"]
["React", "Node.js", "MongoDB"]

Note: This field exists in the code but was not mentioned in previous documentation.

Attachments (Optional)

Upload reference files, mockups, or documents.

Field: attachments (array of WordPress attachment IDs)

Supported:

Images (.jpg, .png, .gif)
Documents (.pdf, .doc, .docx)
Design files (.psd, .ai, .sketch)
Archives (.zip)

How to Add:

Click Add Attachment
Upload file to WordPress media library
File ID automatically added to array

Note: Previous documentation mentioned a “tags” field. This does NOT exist on buyer requests in the code.

Request Statuses

Your request will have one of these statuses:

Model Statuses (BuyerRequest Model)

Status	Meaning
`open`	Accepting proposals
`closed`	No longer accepting (manually closed)
`hired`	Proposal accepted, order created
`expired`	Deadline passed without acceptance

Service Statuses (BuyerRequestService)

The Service layer uses slightly different statuses:

Status	Meaning
`open`	Accepting proposals
`in_review`	Buyer reviewing proposals
`hired`	Proposal accepted
`expired`	Time limit reached
`cancelled`	Buyer cancelled request

Important: Note the inconsistency between Model and Service. The code uses both sets depending on context. The Service statuses are more comprehensive.

Submitting Your Request

Step 1: Review Information

Before submitting:

✓ Title is clear and specific
✓ Description includes all requirements
✓ Budget is realistic for scope
✓ Delivery timeline is reasonable
✓ Attachments uploaded (if applicable)

Step 2: Submit

Click Post Request button.

What Happens:

Request created with status open
Published to requests page
Vendors notified of new request
Request visible in search

Expiration: Default: 30 days (configurable by admin)

After expiration:

Status changes to expired
No longer visible to vendors
Can be reposted with updates

After Posting

Receiving Proposals

Vendors will submit proposals with:

Proposed price
Delivery timeline (days)
Cover letter explaining their approach
Link to relevant portfolio/services

You’ll receive notifications:

Email for each new proposal
In-app notification
Dashboard badge count

Managing Proposals

Dashboard → Buyer Requests → [Your Request]

View all proposals:

Vendor profile and ratings
Proposed price and timeline
Cover letter
Accept or reject actions

Accepting a Proposal

When you find the right vendor:

Step 1: Review Proposal

Check:

Vendor rating and reviews
Proposed price fits budget
Timeline meets your needs
Cover letter shows understanding
Portfolio shows relevant experience

Step 2: Accept

Click Accept Proposal button.

What Happens Immediately:

Order created with status pending_payment
Proposal status → accepted
Other proposals → rejected
Request status → hired
Vendor notified
You’re redirected to checkout

Order Details:

Subtotal: Proposal’s proposed price
Service: Vendor’s linked service (if any) or generic “Buyer Request”
Delivery deadline: Based on proposal’s proposed_days
Requirements: Auto-filled from request description

Step 3: Complete Payment

Review order details
Enter payment information
Confirm purchase
Order status → in_progress
Vendor begins work

Important: Previous documentation suggested orders aren’t created until after a separate checkout step. The code creates the order IMMEDIATELY when proposal is accepted with pending_payment status.

Request Visibility

Who Can See Your Request?

Public by default:

All verified vendors can see open requests
Shown in vendor dashboard
Listed on requests browse page
Searchable by category/keywords

Hidden when:

Status is closed, hired, or expired
Admin manually hides it
You delete the request

Editing Requests

While Open

You CAN edit before proposals are accepted:

Editable:

Title
Description
Budget (within reason)
Attachments
Category

Cannot Edit:

After proposal accepted
After request expired
Submitted proposals (those are vendor-owned)

To Edit:

Go to Dashboard → Buyer Requests
Find your request
Click Edit
Make changes
Click Update

After Hiring

Once you accept a proposal, the request cannot be edited. It’s locked and associated with the order.

Closing Requests

Manual Close: If you no longer need the work:

Go to your request
Click Close Request
Status → closed
Pending proposals notified
No longer visible to vendors

Reasons to Close:

Found vendor outside platform
Project cancelled
Requirements changed significantly
Budget no longer available

Note: Closing doesn’t affect already-accepted proposals/orders.

Request Expiration

Default Expiration

Default: 30 days after posting

Configurable: Admin can change in settings

What Happens at Expiration

Status → expired
No longer accepting proposals
Hidden from vendor search
Existing proposals remain visible

Extending Expiration

If admin allows:

Go to request page
Click Extend
Adds another 30 days
Status → open again

Note: The code doesn’t automatically implement extension. This requires custom development or admin intervention.

Best Practices

For Better Proposals

Be Specific:

List exact deliverables
Provide examples or references
Specify file formats needed
Mention must-have vs. nice-to-have

Set Realistic Budgets:

Research market rates
Consider project complexity
Allow range for flexibility
Don’t lowball experienced vendors

Respond Quickly:

Check proposals within 24-48 hours
Ask clarifying questions
Decline proposals you won’t accept
Keep vendors updated

Red Flags in Proposals

Be Cautious of:

Prices far below market rate
Promises that sound too good
Poor grammar/unprofessional tone
Generic copy-paste responses
No relevant portfolio
Brand new accounts with no reviews

REST API Endpoints

Create Request

POST /wp-json/wpss/v1/buyer-requests

Required:

{
  "title": "Project title",
  "description": "Detailed requirements",
  "budget_type": "range",
  "budget_min": 300,
  "budget_max": 500
}

Optional:

{
  "category_id": 5,
  "delivery_days": 14,
  "skills_required": ["WordPress", "PHP"],
  "attachments": [123, 456]
}

Get Open Requests

GET /wp-json/wpss/v1/buyer-requests?status=open

Update Request

PATCH /wp-json/wpss/v1/buyer-requests/{request_id}

Troubleshooting

Q: Why can’t I post a request?

Must have verified account
Check if buyer requests are enabled
May require minimum account age

Q: How many requests can I post?

No hard limit in code
Admin may set rate limits
Keep active requests reasonable (5-10 max)

Q: Can I accept multiple proposals?

No, only ONE proposal per request
Accepting one rejects all others
If you need multiple vendors, post separate requests

Q: What if I don’t get any proposals?

Increase budget if too low
Make requirements clearer
Check if category is correct
Wait 3-5 days (vendors may be busy)

Q: Can I message vendors before accepting?

Not directly through requests
Use proposal comments/questions
Or ask vendor to contact you

Q: What happens to my request if I delete my account?

Open requests are closed
Accepted proposals/orders remain active
Proposal history preserved for vendors

Q: Do I pay to post requests?

No, posting requests is free
You only pay when you accept a proposal
Payment is for the actual work, not the request