How to increase number of quotes received?

One possible reason is that your project's budget could be less than freelancers are expecting or willing in order to commit their work/time. You can try increasing your budget for the project and wait to see additional bids.

Maarit's list is great. I also look at payment and project history. Has the employer posted 34 projects, and only paid on 10? Have they paid all invoices? What is the pay lag (they show us how many days, on average, it takes you to pay your invoices)?

I have looked at many projects in my strength areas where, either because I am slow to understand or because the employer is unclear about what he wants, I have decided not to bid. There is a process where a freelancer can ask questions in an open discussion while deciding whether and how to bid, but many employers who express their needs badly also seem not to participate in the open discussion.

Have a friend look at your project and tell you whether it seems clear. There may be something you are taking for granted that potential bidders don't understand.

Gerardo and Andrew have great points. Are you sure you categorized it correctly? I've had clients post projects and they choose the wrong one resulting in less than stellar quotes.

There are some personal reasons why I won't post a bid on a project if invited include:

• Budget Too Low
• Can't Meet Delivery Date
• Already Have Too Many Projects For Current Week
• Don't Have All Of The Skills Required To Complete Project
• Project Description Is Too Vague & Leaves Out Major Details

And sometimes I just get a vibe from the way the project description is written that the employer may not be a good match to work with. (Weird, I know but it happens)

Last but not least, when sending invites make sure to look over the freelancers profile on Guru. Check out the previous jobs, read reviews along with their bio info to make sure they a good fit rather then just doing a blind invite through the freelancer search feature.

Further to what has already been said here, I would like to highlight that if you are requesting freelancers within a particular geographic location, that could impact the number of bids you receive. There may or may not be freelancers within your target area.

:)