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pcarlson111
Community Member

Higher monthly fee, higher connects...no benefit

I pay more each month and it costs more connects on jobs.  Why?  I'm not seeing any benefit from this.  It's even becoming harder to get the good jobs because I have to raise my prices.  At least refund connects if a project is cancelled or just sits there without selecting a winner.

22 REPLIES 22
hoyle_editing
Community Member

Sadly i think you are somewhat correct. When i first heard of the new system i was a little skeptical and didnt like the idea. However, after some thought i decided it might work well. First 2 weeks of the switchover were great, loads of jobs and much fewer proposals. However, now that seems to have got much worse, Jobs with proper descriptions and budgets are thin on the ground and even $10 unverified client jobs seem to be getting 20+ proposals.

 

The system i thought was to reduce the number of proposals but its increased massively in my sector. I am just trying to sit it out in the hope things calm down and get back to normal soon. In the mean time i am trying a few other platforms to supplement my work.

robin_hyman
Community Member

I agree.  There's also no logic in the # of connects for the job.  As clients don't feel like filling out the form and therefore provide little to no information, they click on whatever to get the job posted.  This means many jobs are not 1-3 months, 6+ months or even hourly jobs requiring 6 connects.  I'm passing on applying to jobs listing 6 connects that may generate $100-$150 in revenue for me.  

 

UW needs to revisit this.  

Indeed! I to am avoiding any unverified client jobs that are more than 2 connects - or under a certain budget. I think any new client should have a max of 2 connect charge, at least untill 1 job has been awarded.


Robin H wrote:

I agree.  There's also no logic in the # of connects for the job.  As clients don't feel like filling out the form and therefore provide little to no information, they click on whatever to get the job posted.  This means many jobs are not 1-3 months, 6+ months or even hourly jobs requiring 6 connects.  I'm passing on applying to jobs listing 6 connects that may generate $100-$150 in revenue for me.  

 

UW needs to revisit this.  


Perhaps that's exactly what Upwork hoped to accomplish?



Perhaps that's exactly what Upwork hoped to accomplish?


Then unfortunately clients will have job posts lacking proposals.  If this is the case, they'll be coming to these forums in search of answers....

 

Time will tell. 


Robin H wrote:


Perhaps that's exactly what Upwork hoped to accomplish?


Then unfortunately clients will have job posts lacking proposals.  If this is the case, they'll be coming to these forums in search of answers....

 

Time will tell. 


Well, that's the other side of the coin. It's not like clients have it so easy either. Clients are down to 3 invites before they have to pay fees just to invite (per job). Things are being whittled down on both ends with, AFAIK, the goal of better-paying, less spam-y jobs (and fewer faux "jobs") as well as higher-quality freelancers.

 

I can't imagine, though, that clients will in general find it impossible to fill their jobs. There are still way, way more freelancers than clients, and that won't really change - it's the way of the world, not the way of UW specifically or any other platform. There will always be thousands of people saying "please buy this!" to every one person saying "will you take some money from me, please?" 😄 That's the nature of selling/buying services or products.

 

I will say that as a newcomer to the client's side as well (I have been a freelancer for years), my small jobs have been getting responses for sure. Sometimes they're nightmarish - I posted about that previously on here - but that was always the case. For just one job so far, I wasn't able to find anybody at all who fit my criteria. The rest got filled with high-quality freelancers.


Robin H wrote:


Perhaps that's exactly what Upwork hoped to accomplish?


Then unfortunately clients will have job posts lacking proposals.  If this is the case, they'll be coming to these forums in search of answers....

 

 


I'm not getting why that would be unfortunate. If the goal is to steer freelancers to the jobs that are profitable for Upwork and away from little crap that's gumming up the works, why would it be a bad things if those clients lacked proposals?

pcarlson111
Community Member

I'm actually trying to rely more on Facebook, Instagram, etc. for jobs.  It's free and I think I reach more people that way.  I've been with Upwork since it was eLance years ago.  I've gotten some good clients here but it seems to be getting harder to find the better paying jobs.  The more I look into it, it seems that Upwork is just trying to make a buck.


Patrick C wrote:

The more I look into it, it seems that Upwork is just trying to make a buck.


Imagine that... a company that would like to make a buck. Who'd have thought it? An outrage 😉 ...

 

Do bear in mind that it is the height of summer, which always leads in a slump in posted jobs AND there are all those students who usually use Upwork sporadically for pocket money, aggressively bidding as they are between semesters.

 

Normality will hopefully return come September.

abdulrazaq89
Community Member

Hi Patrick,

 

Hope you are fine!

I am in this platform since 2010 and enjoyed till 2017. The year 2018 and 2019 are worse for me. I had hope about the new system that it will work for me as you think, even I was not shortlisted for a single job. I have spent a lot and now only I have $ 5 balance to buy connects in my Upwork account. 

Is it not easy to leave the platform working around 9 years and on the other side no hope to get new jobs. 

 

No way out! No solution!

 

Maybe Upwork team working on it or. I do not believe. 

 

Best Regards,

 

Abdul

abdulrazaq89
Community Member

Can we assume it is fluctuating in supply and demand? 

melaniekhenson
Community Member


Patrick C wrote:

I pay more each month and it costs more connects on jobs.  Why?  I'm not seeing any benefit from this.  It's even becoming harder to get the good jobs because I have to raise my prices.  At least refund connects if a project is cancelled or just sits there without selecting a winner.


Hi, Patrick! AFAIK, cutting down on excessive bidding was part of the reasoning here. It may or may not help you for any given job, but the real point isn't landing everyone more jobs, it's hopefully a result of less spam-style responses to jobs.

 

However, if you have to raise your prices to get jobs, doesn't that mean everybody does? So the playing field is leveled in that way. 

 

I'm not saying "Yay, new fees!" but there's a logic here and it's not about just landing everyone lots of jobs. I'm sorry... 😞 I mean I'm a freelancer too (also a client)...I get it. Ultimately there should (perhaps?) be less spam, higher-quality jobs, etc.

 

If you need to up your game in your presentation, your fees schedule and so on, then you do...but again...in that case, we all do. So here again the playing field is leveled.

 

As far as refunding connects, you still do get connects refunded if it's the client who cancels the job but not if the job is left open without activity or if Upwork cancels the job for inactivity. That's the same as it was previously.

 


Melanie H wrote:

As far as refunding connects, you still do get connects refunded if it's the client who cancels the job but not if the job is left open without activity or if Upwork cancels the job for inactivity. That's the same as it was previously.


 

And that really bothers me. If they're going to make us literally pay to bid on jobs, I'd say the least they can do is loosen their Connects refund policy a little. I'd say about 70% of my Connects end up wasted on clients who just post a job and then just abandon it. Surely they could afford to give me some of them back if I withdraw a proposal on a clearly abandoned job.

I wonder what the math on that is for Upwork. It seems like if they refund connects then those connects will be used to get work, which is money in Upwork's pocket. Otherwise they might make a small amount on purchased connects, but without knowing the actual statistics my best guess is they would benefit more from refunding connects.


Aaron H wrote:
I wonder what the math on that is for Upwork. It seems like if they refund connects then those connects will be used to get work, which is money in Upwork's pocket. Otherwise they might make a small amount on purchased connects, but without knowing the actual statistics my best guess is they would benefit more from refunding connects.

 

They won't benefit from refunding connects, but it has nothing to do with the price of connects. It's because the very last thing they want is freelancers bidding on more jobs.

Hi Simon, 

I would like to confirm that we return/refund Connects when a client closes their job without hiring, or we find a job post has violated our Terms of Service.


~ Avery
Upwork


Avery O wrote:

Hi Simon, 

I would like to confirm that we return/refund Connects when a client closes their job without hiring, or we find a job post has violated our Terms of Service.


Great, but that's not what's happening. The majority of jobs I apply for don't cancel without hiring. They simply post the job and abandon it, without hiring anyone or cancelling the job.

 


Simon H wrote:

Melanie H wrote:

As far as refunding connects, you still do get connects refunded if it's the client who cancels the job but not if the job is left open without activity or if Upwork cancels the job for inactivity. That's the same as it was previously.


 

And that really bothers me. If they're going to make us literally pay to bid on jobs, I'd say the least they can do is loosen their Connects refund policy a little. I'd say about 70% of my Connects end up wasted on clients who just post a job and then just abandon it. Surely they could afford to give me some of them back if I withdraw a proposal on a clearly abandoned job.


Do you check out your clients before bidding to see what their job posting percentage is?

 

 

sangeeta1992
Community Member

As we know freelancing is tough and its just like selling your skills to others, not matter how much investement you are making, how much connects you are buying but one thing we need from upwork at that time is that, there should be 1 week time for client for a job, if within 1 week clients hires someone it ok for all. But if not, then job will be deleted automatically and connects will be refunded. So, clients will make their decisions faster, or post new job. In that case, a shedule of connects and porposals runs continues. 

I have more than 40 submitted proposal and spent 140 connects in past 1 month, no client response, no project, no submitted proposal archived. And, now, i need to think tqice before bidding on a new job, clients are really hiring or not?


Sangeeta M wrote:

As we know freelancing is tough and its just like selling your skills to others, not matter how much investement you are making, how much connects you are buying but one thing we need from upwork at that time is that, there should be 1 week time for client for a job, if within 1 week clients hires someone it ok for all. But if not, then job will be deleted automatically and connects will be refunded. So, clients will make their decisions faster, or post new job. In that case, a shedule of connects and porposals runs continues. 

I have more than 40 submitted proposal and spent 140 connects in past 1 month, no client response, no project, no submitted proposal archived. And, now, i need to think tqice before bidding on a new job, clients are really hiring or not?


Yes. That is the point. You should carefully evaluate each job posted and only bid if you are willing to risk the value of your connects. Look at the client's hiring history and only bid on jobs that you are confident you have a good chance of winning. Freelancing is not easy and it requires making careful business decisions every day. Treat your connects as treasure to be used sparingly. 


Sangeeta M wrote:

As we know freelancing is tough and its just like selling your skills to others, not matter how much investement you are making, how much connects you are buying but one thing we need from upwork at that time is that, there should be 1 week time for client for a job, if within 1 week clients hires someone it ok for all. But if not, then job will be deleted automatically and connects will be refunded. So, clients will make their decisions faster, or post new job. In that case, a shedule of connects and porposals runs continues. 

I have more than 40 submitted proposal and spent 140 connects in past 1 month, no client response, no project, no submitted proposal archived. And, now, i need to think tqice before bidding on a new job, clients are really hiring or not?


I don't think you've thought this out. I often hire for my business and in my previous positions as a manager, not through UpWork, and it takes far longer than a week to determine the right person, even if I'm hiring a consultant. Furthermore, while some of my clients have selected me quickly, I have about 3 on the back burner right now who I am about 95% certain will be hiring me once they are ready to start their project. They looked for me, found me, but need some time on their end to get everything together to get to me. If they had to close their job within a week, they'd never have found/hired me and would be discouraged from using the platform. Hiring can take more than a week, especially if it's a big job or long-term, and the client is trying to make sure it's the right person. 

irena-joannides
Community Member

I feel that 6 connects is way too high. The worst part is that clients either intentionally misrepresent their intentions or are unaware of how the platform works. I do not apply to fixed-rate jobs but so often clients essentially "turn the tables" and ask for a fixed rate instead, or indicate that they never intended to pay hourly in the first place.

 

That's time and connects wasted for the freelancer; it really bites now that we're tossing away 6 connects on jobs that we would not bid on in the first place.

 

I feel that if jobs are cancelled or the client has misrepresented their intentions, connects should be refunded. 

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