Has anyone else stopped bidding since Upwork started charging for connects?

[the3dguru]

I just put a proposal on some work on I realised its been a long time since I did so. In fact I haven't done any since Upwork started charging for connects. The problem is that I don't really trust the clients very much. Even if its a job I would be good for, I now have to account for whether the client is going to waste my money by ignoring the proposal and there are very few where I feel its worth the gamble.

It was OK when I could just put in a proposal and see if the client is reasonable in communication and makes a good offer. That used to consume a lot of time but it was worthwhile for the times it paid off. Now I have to factor in the money commited as well and thats a much bigger obstacle.

[feed_my_eyes]

If you're charging $90/hour, if you get even one hour's work, you can buy enough connects to last you for at least a year (or longer, if you only bid on jobs where connects are returned when the client doesn't hire anyone). I don't see why it's such a big obstacle.