Is it true that upwork disables accounts that don't earn a certain amount annually?

[rav1kant]

I've been reading on users saying something like this on reddit forums. Also some people reported being banned from here because they made too many proposals on jobs. What's "too many" and secondly, what amount must one earn minimum annually in order to keep their account? I am new to Upwork as you can probably tell by my profile and I usually have a hard time landing a job here in my chosen line of work, which is video editing/production. 

[prestonhunter]

That is old news.

Now Upwork freelancers are paying for connects.

Upwork has no reason to disable freelancer accounts for sending too many proposals.

Don't worry about that old reddit discussion.

[rav1kant]

No, they do. Because I asked an Upwork rep on official Upwork facebook page, and he/she told me, quoting exactly:

**edited for Community Guidelines**

So they clearly count that as a strike against the freelancer in the "interest of the rest of Upwork community" if you don't get accepted and then only make a "small amount". None of this is even close to being defined, what the small amount is, or how many are too many proposals, not even a ballpark.

[AveryO]

Hi Ravikant, 

I understand how this can be concerning for you. There are several reasons why a user's account can be suspended, or their registration can be rejected. You may refer to this help article for more information about what actions may suspend a freelancer's account.

In the meantime, I'll go ahead and check the response you received in our Facebook page. 

[prestonhunter]

Upwork is not governed by Reddit posts or Facebook posts.

[reinierb]

---

Preston H wrote:

Upwork is not governed by Reddit posts or Facebook posts.

---

Maybe not, but Reddit and/or Facebook posts often provide perspectives on or insights into nebulous Upwork policies that are not available anywhere else, including from Upwork itself. 

[prestonhunter]

With the advent of paid connects, I do not believe that Upwork is terminating freelancer accounts for submitting too many proposals.

Furthermore, I do not believe that Upwork is terminating freelancer accounts for freelancers who fail to earn an unspecified amount of money in a given year.

If an Upwork user is reading these things somewhere, and these things are not true, then said user is being misinformed.

[moonraker]

"98% of facts on the internet are made up" - George Washington.

You need to take everything you read on the internet with a pinch of salt. Rather a lot of people have failed to make Upwork work for them and are bitter for it. They choose to blame Upwork rather than look at their own shortcomings. Others have simply misunderstood something. 

That's not to say what you read is definitely false, but you should always be wary about accepting it at face value. 

[rav1kant]

Yes upwork is not governed by Facebook or Reddit posts as Preston said here, BUT it MATTERS when Upwork's official Facebook page says something. I am sorry but it IS the business speaking. You can't just have your rep say something and think that it will  be taken with a pinch of salt.

Secondly, Avery removed my quote from that Upwork rep's chat. Why was it removed? What community guidelines did it violate? Do you need direct screenshots? Would that also be edited for community guidelines?

[AveryO]

Hi Ravikant, 

I apologise I missed explaining why I had to edit your post. If you check on the Community Guidelines link noted on your post when I edited, you will see there that "...posting email content, chat transcripts or other private communication" is not allowed in the Community. As such, your post had to be edited. 

We continue to foster a high quality and engaged marketplace where top freelancers succeed. As such, we will continue to identify freelancers who are abusing clients, circumventing fees, or creating spam proposals and take actions on these accounts as we see fit.

[rav1kant]

Okay. My original question was about whether upwork removes accounts for not earning enough or submitting "too many" proposals. I presented proof of it from your Upwork official page. You edited it out. Fine.

What about clients who just leave the job posting open for months?  Do you also apply similar rules for clients who are abusing the system and take action against clients?  Because I have more than 10 sitting in my proposals sent list. And I am sure others have experienced this too.

[AveryO]

Hi Ravikant, 

We have read the feedback we’ve received directly and in the Community. We understand some clients unfortunately will post jobs, never hire and never close their jobs. We know this is frustrating and we will continue to reach out to clients to encourage them to hire or remove their job. We do, of course, also recommend you closely review the client’s details, such as past hire rate, to help you decide whether to use Connects to submit a proposal for a project.

Submitting a proposal has a financial cost, just like the other expenses you incur as a freelancer running your own business, and we ask that you consider the cost of Connects as part of your business expenses.

To learn more about what you should be looking for in a job post, please check out this article.