[Princeton]

I would venture to guess, that most freelance designers aren't going to have the 5 figure opportunities you have, nor the skills to follow through on those opportunities if they present themselves.

you may be surprised at how many of us do "fit" in this category

there are many advantages/disadvantages on both sides -- the key is to find a company that will be around for the long haul

TIP WHEN BUYING SKINS:
1)__ Do not buy or use skins that contains deprecated code. ie. <font> :down:
2)__ Do not buy or use skins that do not validate XHTML. (validate code at http://validator.w3.org/)
3)__ Purchasing a custom skin will make your site stand out. Paying upwards of $1000 is not uncommon.

NOTE:
- Skins with deprecated code are usually bloated with unneccessary code.
- Skins that do not validate is a sign that "designer" does not know what they are doing OR a sign that "designer" is in it for the quick buck.
- 9 out of 10 skins that do not validate will usually give you problems down the road.