🐈
» Forums » Freelancers » 6 required connects for low budget tasks
Page options
ashraf_guitouni
Community Member

6 required connects for low budget tasks

Greetings.

 

I've been a little unhappy with the new paid connects system for a while but noticing a trend where the 10$-20$ are requiring 6 connects which costs us almost 1$ is making it quite a bit worse.

 

I'd love to discuss the possibility of putting a limit on how many connects are needed to bid on jobs that don't exceed 30$ per se. Hopefully more refined suggestions can be added by other contributers. I wish upwork nothing but the best but realistically, a 25$ job that requires 6 connects that gets 30 proposals (which is quite natural) will make upwork more at the expense of freelancers than the client will pay and yet the job could be cancelled and no freelancer will get a reward. Mildly infuriating.

I even sometimes wonder why jobs require 2 or 4 or 6 connects. Why couldn't it be 1, 2, 3 and so on instead? Such questions have been frequently on my mind lately.

 

I'd love to hear what others think about this point of view of a "less active" freelancer.

Best regards.

16 REPLIES 16
tlbp
Community Member

I think we should all just assume that every job will cost 6 connects to apply and be pleasantly surprised if we come across a job that costs less. Has anyone seen a gig that requires less than 6 connects? (I haven't been looking at enough gigs to know if they are out there.) 

joansands
Community Member

Yes, Tonya, recently I bid on several interesting jobs that took 2 connects and a couple for 4 connects.

Man, I would be more concerned by the recent changes in clients' plans and by Upwork pushing clients to pay up to $500 to use its services. Making freelancers pay for connects is one thing, but making clients pay may dramatically reduce their number and as a consequence, the number and nature of jobs posted.

 

 

-----------
"Where darkness shines like dazzling light"   —William Ashbless


Tonya P wrote:

I think we should all just assume that every job will cost 6 connects to apply and be pleasantly surprised if we come across a job that costs less. Has anyone seen a gig that requires less than 6 connects? (I haven't been looking at enough gigs to know if they are out there.) 


Yes, I've seen a few 2-connect ones and bid on one today, as a matter of fact. It was a mystery to me why it only cost 2, just as I'm frequently mystified by the ones that cost 6. I agree we should just budget for 6 for everything from now on. 

joansands
Community Member

If you think a job is not worth 6 connects, don't bid on it. Only bid on jobs where you think it is worth the number of connects required. Sooner or later you will hit the jackpot.

oinkorange
Community Member

I'm new to this, and started to apply for a job, then I got the message to pay something for it, but I didn't earn something so I ask myself can I be charged now or should I just leave to another platform, because I can't afford paying for something before I get paid for working?! Scam?


Kristine B wrote:
I'm new to this, and started to apply for a job, then I got the message to pay something for it, but I didn't earn something so I ask myself can I be charged now or should I just leave to another platform, because I can't afford paying for something before I get paid for working?! Scam?

Not a scam.

Inconvenience.


Kristine B wrote:
I'm new to this, and started to apply for a job, then I got the message to pay something for it, but I didn't earn something so I ask myself can I be charged now or should I just leave to another platform, because I can't afford paying for something before I get paid for working?! Scam?

Whatever you do, don't even look at CPC ads. It'll blow your mind.

It's not a scam, Kristine. It's pay-to-play.

 

Upworks has said it wants to see fewer proposals on projects and isn't worried about losing freelancers, so we'll be seeing fewer of the lowest-value freelancers and lowest-value clients using Upwork as time goes by.

wlyonsatl
Community Member

Ashraf,

 

If you've done the math, you know that if the average value of jobs you bid on is $30, you submit the winning bid on 1-in-10 of your proposals and each proposal costs you 6 connects/$0.90, Upwork's fees add up to 50% of that $30 the client thinks they are paying you.

lysis10
Community Member

I'm really reallly hoping we get *at least* 24 more threads tonight letting us know it's 6 connects to bid on a job. It would really help me understand how many connects are needed to bid on a job.

tlsanders
Community Member

Ashraf, I don't think Upwork really wants freelancers bidding on $10-20 jobs. That may be why they're priced in a way that makes them undesirable--Upwork doesn't make any money on them, but often has to use resources to service them.


Tiffany S wrote:

Ashraf, I don't think Upwork really wants freelancers bidding on $10-20 jobs. That may be why they're priced in a way that makes them undesirable--Upwork doesn't make any money on them, but often has to use resources to service them.

 

Ahh i didnt think about that. Definitly a good thing. Even though those jobs dont effect me since i wont apply, i still cringe when i see them. To think someone is ok paying someone 5 dollars and hour. Crazyness. 


 

petra_r
Community Member


Jonathon B wrote:

To think someone is ok paying someone 5 dollars and hour. Crazyness. 

In many countries $ 5 is an above average or high hourly rate.

It is more than the average hourly wage a doctor earns in the Philippines and what a minimum wage earner in Bangladesh makes a week (!)

 

All relative, you know?

 

Can someone explain to me regarding 6 connects that I noticed in every job post? in 12 connects I have right now, I can only apply 2x and then purchase again a connect, so I can continue to apply again, make a bit expensive for my part. Is there still have an available 2 connect each job post?

Did requiring us freelancers to pay connects solve any problems or is it just greed.?

Latest Articles
Featured Topics
Learning Paths