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alexandernovikov
Community Member

0% fee 'Bring your own client'

Just got that mail... that sounds like a great thing, and i will be sure to use it when i get a chance.

 

But what bugs me: how do you plan to deal with the people who would hire themselves to gain success score, opening fake accounts of clients? It will be so cheap to do so (just some foreign exchange commissions, or maybe not even that when using U.S. payment methods) that it will be tempting to do so. Won't we soon face a whole new brand of fakes?

 

What i suggest: don't include contracts with these 0% clients into JSS calculation, top rated/rising talent, and otherwise take means to make sure they don't help a profile stand out.

296 REPLIES 296

What I glean from the 0% fee is that U hopes clients brought in will need additional work that is not within the original provider's bailiwick. 

 

A number of us have relied for years on personal referrals amongst ourselves.  Upwork hopes to capture the fee %s; the trade off is the chance to bolster JSS. 

 

I do not include escrow security within this because most clients would either be long-term with established payment records or new clients where providers require a hefty % of fee cash in front.

That's my take, too Wendy...and since these are clients we aren't concerned about payment protection with, I'm struggling to see what the upside to the freelancer would be (save a bit of efficiency) if those clients were excluded from JSS.

Exactly, Tiffany.

 

Couple that with the fact that many - if not all of us with outside clients really are not all that concerned with JSS - gawd forbid a disaster of some sort.

 

There is also the real concern about instability of the platform although the last few days have been much improved.

 

 

I would not bring my outside clients to Upwork, simply because the 0 charge does not seem to cover VAT or transfer charges.  I am quite capable of invoicing a client and following up if necessary. I have never had to do the latter.

 

My two main clients do not speak or write English comfortably, so Upwork would not be interesting to them in any case.

iaabraham
Community Member

Hoping for some answers to the questions I posted in another 0% thread. Here they are again:

 

- Can we use this link with only one off-platform client or send it to as many clients as we want?

- "For a limited time..." - how long is that exactly?

- You'll apply the 0% fee in 3 business days - does that mean that all money we earn on that contract in the first 2/3 days gets a 20% fee applied? And what if the work is finished and contract closed before the 3 days are up?

Good points  ... and another shining example of why Upwork really would benefit from hiring a competent freelancer to edit and/or rewrite communications PRIOR to releasing them.


@Wendy C wrote:

Good points  ... and another shining example of why Upwork really would benefit from hiring a competent freelancer to edit and/or rewrite communications PRIOR to releasing them.



Does this latest move of Upwork have anything to do with the COI issue raised by another website?  I have read on another thread how serious the editing scenario can be at this time.  I wasn't aware of the issue so my initial take on the email was that probably this is to find out how many "best" freelancers are engaged in circumvention.

Still no answers... posting here again so that the Mods can see it. I'm a little wary of this 0% offer.
tlbp
Community Member

I would imagine one benefit for Upwork is that if a client has hired one freelancer, they are open to hiring others. So if I bring a copywriting client to Upwork, they may hire other types of freelancers or another writer. I think I would only use the BYOC service if it were my client's preference to do so. 

susanned
Community Member

I would really like to find out more about this option. I have regularly problems with US-clients who don't know how to transfer money to a bank account - always wishing to pay over credit card or PP.

If this service would be free for them as well as for me it might be an option in case I get another of those cases - last year it was a big law firm and in the end the client left because he did not know how to pay me (weird, I know, but that's how it happened).

Hi Susanne,

 

Thanks for sharing your interest in the program. Client brought to Upwork through this program will need to pay the 2.75% payment processing fee when they make a payment to a freelancer. If you like, we can send you an email with more details and a personal invitation link you can share with your off Upwork clients?

~ Vladimir
Upwork

Hi Vladimir,

 

thank you - but if my client would have to pay for it, not interesting.

Hello, 

 

I would like to invite a client to the platform. Can I get the invite link? 

Hi Tapan,

 

Yes our team will send you the link soon, thank you.

~ Goran
Upwork

Hi, where would I receive this link?

Hi Tapan,

 

Our team will reach out to you via ticket with the link, thank you.

~ Goran
Upwork

Susanne, the payment methods your clients wish to use generally carry a payment processing fee with them. Depending on the system, that fee may be charged to the purchaser or recipient, but someone pays between 2% and 4%, on average, for that transaction.

 

If you are concerned that the payment processing fee would deter clients, you could offer to reduce your fee by that amount. But, I suspect that many clients would be happy to pay that small processing fee in order to avoid the complications of trying to work out how to get payment to you.

If I get again a client with this problem I might try it, Tiffany - but look, they already pay the charge when transferring the payment to Upwork instead of to me directly. Means, there would be two charges.

Hi Susanne,

 

To clarify, your client will only be charged for the payment processing fee I mentioned. Since service fee won't be applied, there's no second change for your client or yourself.

~ Vladimir
Upwork

Hi Isabelle,

 

This is my personal experience that i am sharing with you. If you bring client to upwork i mean your personal client. Upwork will give folish reason that they inspect that client was sign up before this was offered and bla bla. They will not give you exact reason. And this is just attractive scheme they dont really implement it. They will reject your request saying that that client was previosly engaged. But they wont say you on basis of what they saying that and hence they willl get 20% from your personal client earning. 

Hi

I want to bring a client in upwork. Am I elegible for 0% fee offer? If yes how can I get BYOC link? What will I and my client will be charged in both scenarios(elegible or not)?


@Muhammad Waseem A wrote:

Hi

I want to bring a client in upwork. Am I elegible for 0% fee offer? If yes how can I get BYOC link? What will I and my client will be charged in both scenarios(elegible or not)?


 No, you are not eligible, as you are not top rated (yet)

 

So all the fees will be the standard fees.

Hi Muhammad Waseem,

 

Bring Your Own Client program is currently only available for Top Rated and Rising Talent freelancers. You can still send a link to your profile to your client and they can sign up for an Upwork account and hire you for a contract. You'll be paying standard Service Fee.

~ Bojan
Upwork

Hi there, I would like to bring my own client on UpWork and I want to get informed about the program you have for paying a 0% fee for bringing new clients. I know I need to have a personalized invitation link so I can send it to my client. Can you provide it for me?

 

Thank you.

Hi Danco,

Our team will reach out to you with your unique link and detailed instructions on how to you use it, thank you.

~ Goran
Upwork

Thank you for the prompt answer Goran. 

 

Cheers

Hi Goran,

 

I still haven't received any instructions. Can you please send it to me, it is kind of an urgent matter.

 

Thank you,

Danco

Hi Danco,

 

I apologize for the delay in receiving your link. Your concern has been escalated and you should receive the link in the next couple of days. Thank you for your patience.

~ Bojan
Upwork

Hi Isabelle,

 

I'm sorry for the late follow-up on the questions you posted. Please find my replies below.

 

1. You may share the link you received with as many of your offline clients as you like.

2. This program will run for a limited time. We’ll be sending a follow-up email 30 days before you can no longer take advantage of this offer.

3. If you’ve brought a client to Upwork, you’ll have 0% fee applied to all payments processed on your contract.

~ Vladimir
Upwork

Hi Vladimir,

I’ve brought a client to Upwork from LinkedIn and now I work on his project, So now will I get 0% fee for all payments processed on this contract?

 

Thanks and regards

 

Tobibur Rahman

goldenseal
Community Member

I can't think of one good reason I would introduce an non-Upwork client to Upwork. 0% fees? Big deal, I already get that.

 

Now if you want to offer a reduced fee on future Upwork clients in return for me bringing one of my clients here... THEN we'd be talking.


@Joshua T wrote:

I can't think of one good reason I would introduce an non-Upwork client to Upwork. 0% fees? Big deal, I already get that.

 

Now if you want to offer a reduced fee on future Upwork clients in return for me bringing one of my clients here... THEN we'd be talking.


I'm with Joshua here - what would be the advantage to me to put a layer of bureaucracy between me and my client? I really don't understand the point of this offer except that my client would then have the opportunity to look for someone cheaper than me, which would benefit Upwork, but obviously not me!

I can see an advantage to moving clients to Upwork if there weren't a fee. Currently, I have clients making payment through six or seven different methods, with turnaround times ranging from 15 minutes to 45 days--not counting one-offs. I have to invoice those clients, work out a payment method with new clients, occasionally chase an unpaid invoice, make various transfers based on differing payment methods...running all of those clients through a platform like this would further cut back on my non-billable work time.

 

There are issues that give me pause, but for me personally there is a clear advantage as well.


@Tiffany S wrote:

I can see an advantage to moving clients to Upwork if there weren't a fee. Currently, I have clients making payment through six or seven different methods, with turnaround times ranging from 15 minutes to 45 days--not counting one-offs. I have to invoice those clients, work out a payment method with new clients, occasionally chase an unpaid invoice, make various transfers based on differing payment methods...running all of those clients through a platform like this would further cut back on my non-billable work time.

 

There are issues that give me pause, but for me personally there is a clear advantage as well.


That's what you get for being so flexible! 🙂

My clients have two options - Paypal or mail me a check. Never had anyone blink, and haven't had to invoice anyone more than twice, in more than 15 years of freelancing.

Jess, I work with a lot of large international corporations. I think I'd have a tough time telling Motorola, Apartments.com, Kaplan or a regional hospital chain that they needed to pay me differently than they pay their thousands of other contractors. 

 

That said, they probably wouldn't be any more open to working through Upwork, unless they saw other advantages. 

Hi Tiffany,

 

One more incentive is taking advantage of having a strong work history and complete reputation on a freelancer's profile, which will attract best clients on Upwork and can be used as a verified testament of the freelancer's services in their direct marketing efforts.

~ Vladimir
Upwork


@Jess C wrote:

@Joshua T wrote:

I can't think of one good reason I would introduce an non-Upwork client to Upwork. 0% fees? Big deal, I already get that.

 

Now if you want to offer a reduced fee on future Upwork clients in return for me bringing one of my clients here... THEN we'd be talking.


I'm with Joshua here - what would be the advantage to me to put a layer of bureaucracy between me and my client? I really don't understand the point of this offer except that my client would then have the opportunity to look for someone cheaper than me, which would benefit Upwork, but obviously not me!


So, mea culpa, I just today came across a situation where I would use this program. I had a cold contact through my website from a gentleman in Canada looking for book design. Since I don't have any prior experience with him, he's not part of my usual network of clients, and there's no payment protection available to me across an international border, I gave him the Upwork link just to see what might happen. We'll see if he decides to use it, but I think I may be out of his price range. 🙂

jules29
Community Member

I just recently asked my client to sign-up on Upwork and use this platform for work because of the 0% offer I received on my email. But, why when she made the offer and I checked the rate, the 20% fee is still there? Okay, let say she didn't use the link I gave her. What should we do? I will not accept the offer unless it's 0%. I talked to one of your chat support and said that there's nothing you can do about it. I bring my client to Upwork because I trusted your you and you will still charge me. Please, I hope you will be more considerate on this matter.

Julyn, are you sure the client didn't use the proper link? I seem to recall that the original announcement said the rate would adjust to zero after 3 days for some reason--verification, probably.

I just talked their chat support reps. She said that the client didn't use the link I provided and that there's nothing they can do about it. I just hope they'll be more considerate in cases like that. I just feel disappointed...

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