Contract initiation fee to $10. Isnt' way too much?

[e22d6863]

Starting December 15, we’re increasing the contract initiation fee on Talent Marketplace and Project Catalog contracts to $9.95. We’ll include this fee in your first freelancer payment for each new contract.

Isn't applying a 10 usd contract initiation fee excessive? It will reduce a lot the new contracts. Upwork went from no fee to 4.9, now 9.9 (nearly 10usd).

I wonder how smart of an idea that is, and if it server any purpose other than increasing Upwork profits

[justyourtype]

I disagree. Monthly fee for small project and random needs buyers should not pay a monthly fee.

[2297e2bc]

Small projects and random needs often have locals too!

Besides, I'd like to weed out the cheap skates.

[2297e2bc]

Thanks for agreeing. I said this about 3 weeks ago too.

Get on board and make it happen. I would rather see EVERYONE pay a fair share!

[hrdepartment]

For you, it was December 15, 2023. For me it was March 21, 2024. It looks like Upwork is doing this gradually. This may explain why not so many are complaining here.

I agree USD 10 is too much. 

I'm thinking twice now that I need to hire more talents. I'm currently looking for other platforms and options and, if or when I find more suitable alternatives, I will leave Upwork. In the meantime, I'll try to rely less on it gradually. 

[7bd0d548]

I think up work is sucked dried by their own employees or bad managements putting bad decision on too high expenditures on their financial statement eventually they need to figure out some way to cover those cost, like hiking up the initiation fee. 

While the fact is that, they create this community, I think it's purpose is for getting some feedback or idea to improve the platform itself. But somehow I'm getting a feeling that it's failing also.

So I think, if upwork wants any kinds of good suggestion, they should be really looking up on how their competitors doing, like any other freelancer platform out there.

[bc276083]

I agree, the initiation fee is too high. I'm in-between jobs right now and $10 is a lot for me to get the tutoring I need. If this doesn't change, then I might have to leave Upwork and look somewhere else to hire freelances. This price is steep and absolutely ridiculous.

[55832b83]

a 5$ project now costs $16. I'll leaving upwork for good now because of this change.