How to charge for building websites?

I am now bidding for my first paid job locally here in NY but this is all I have to go on from the person:

The work on my website will require flash/animation inserts. They will be self-building PowerPoint slides. Which of your samples includes or comes closest to that?
You must give me a maximum compensation figure if you want to be considered.

I had told him that I cannot give a price without knowing all details, how many pages, images, if the need animation e.t.c and I still don't know but that is mainly how it's done here in NY, people tell you next to nothing and ask you what you will charge, how would you guys handle this please?

Tell them your usual hourly rate and a minimum price for a project of unknown size and make clear that when it turns out that the amount of work is going to exceed the estimate substantially, you’ll charge by hour once the flat price is reached.

Well as you can see he wants a "maximum" price, that is mainly what's causing the problem here.

As Stephan said, you give them a price based on what you will do. Lay it out for them. I will build a single flash element for X amount. I will code 5 pages in html/css for X amount. Anything beyond that will be on an hourly basis.

You should google "scope creep" and understand this concept as well as make sure they understand it.

ok, will google those words, in the meantime, what exactly do you guys think he means by:

The work on my website will require flash/animation inserts. They will be self-building PowerPoint slides.

Think he means he himself will build a flash movie from powerpoint slides and simply wants to embed that movie on a page?