Correct, eLance and other similar websites are an absolute waste of time unless you are ok with competing only on price and you have a very low cost of living.

* Build a web presence that funnels potential leads to you (blog, portfolio, resume, stackoverflow profile with activity like posting questions/answers, programming/freelance subreddits, github contributions and projects).

* Build your personal network via meetups, conferences, etc.

* Toptal [1] is the best platform for finding gigs that I've used, but it could be better. It has short-, medium-, and long-term contracts. Not the best possible rates and it's possible to waste some time with interviews, but it's still a lot better than elance and others.

* Gun.io [2] is something that looks interesting, but I have never gotten a contract through it. So could be hit or miss.

[1] https://www.toptal.com/

[2] https://gun.io/

I started doing full-time freelance a few months ago (really independent contracting, not project-based freelance). My initial clients came from companies in my network who I'd met with before and know needed dev work. There's also been some traction with referrals, but working with someone who already knows you and is familiar with your work simplifies a lot.

[And I'll second that the dev marketplace sites are a waste of time. Anyone I've mentioned it to has echoed similar thoughts except for the one-off non-technical person who wants to get a simple job, like converting a json file to an Excel spreadsheet, etc done for cheap.]