Same. Started on Elance and underbid to play the game and just get some gigs. Over-delivered on projects and got all 5's on reviews. Built a solid reputation and profile to the point where I get about 5 invites a week, most of which I turn down. Raised my rates three times in less than a year (have more than doubled) and am able to pick and choose what work I take on. It does suck at first, but carving out a niche can really help if your niche is an advanced method/tech/service. The high paying jobs are harder to find, but they do exist and are waiting for people who know their stuff. My largest client to date was found on Elance and I never would have known who it was from their posting.
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Same. Started on Elance and underbid to play the game and just get some gigs. Over-delivered on projects and got all 5's on reviews. Built a solid reputation and profile to the point where I get about 5 invites a week, most of which I turn down. Raised my rates three times in less than a year (have more than doubled) and am able to pick and choose what work I take on. It does suck at first, but carving out a niche can really help if your niche is an advanced method/tech/service. The high paying jobs are harder to find, but they do exist and are waiting for people who know their stuff. My largest client to date was found on Elance and I never would have known who it was from their posting.