Increasing Transparency in Boosted Proposals

[#1]

Our team recently launched a test to increase transparency around bidding in Boosted Proposals to help you make a more informed decision around spending Connects.

Check out the product update about this test here and let us know your thoughts about this update in the comments below.

[#2]

Hi private Utku S profile,

I would have preferred to have a real conversation about the issue.
This prepackaged answer doesn't help in the least to understand why thousands of freelancers doing their best are overtaken by those who have more money to buy the bids.
My talent and bla bla bla , I earned them, but whoever has just opened a freelancer profile and has the most money wins.
I am helping with this topic not to migrate thousands of upwork users to other platforms until complaints about this wrong system are taken into consideration.

Thanks

[#3]

Yo, listen up, my fellow freelancer! I get that you're frustrated, but let me break it down for you. Upwork ain't just about the cheddar, it's about quality too, ya know?

We got all these talented peeps on this platform, showin' off their mad skills and buildin' their rep. It ain't just about who's got the most dough to throw. You got your Top Rated status and all those certifications you earned, right? Those ain't for nothin', they still count big time when clients be choosin' who they wanna work with.

Now, sure, some clients might be swayed by that extra cash, but you know as well as I do, that most of 'em are lookin' for top-notch work. They ain't gonna throw their Benjamins at just anyone. They want the best of the best, and that's where you come in.

So, don't stress too much about the bidding system, it's just one part of the game. Keep doin' what you do best, and those clients will come runnin'. Remember, Upwork's got your back and we're always workin' on makin' things better for everyone in the hood.

And hey, if you've got some ideas to make things even better, don't keep 'em to yourself! Share your thoughts with the Upwork Community, so we can all work together to make this place the top spot for freelancers like you.

Stay strong and keep hustlin'. Upwork's got your back. Peace.

[#4]

Yes my friend, this is the type of conversation whit real humans.

I raised a real problem that goes beyond the well-organized rules.

The frustration is shared by what I see.
If I don't work on Upwork I will work in other ways.
The principle of bidding is wrong because what I reported actually occurred with other freelancers, the loss of 100% of clients.
I have always chosen Upwork for every treatment because it has always protected me from scams and scams.
Now something happened ,because with better quality, better feedback, and a lot of money spent.....

0 clients.
Does anyone have the technical faculties to understand the 100% statistic drop?
Maybe I hit a sore spot?
I have a suggestion to help, go back to the previous version of the bidding system, where your qualities and the reputation gained on the platform count for something.
Thanks for your reply.

[#5]

Why would any Upwork freelancer's "quality of work" sudenly change?

What changed is the bidding structure.

The bidding structure was put into place because Upwork is a publicly traded company and with the huge influx of freelancers, they took advantage of the situation as publicly traded companies sometimes do.

Surely you can come up with a better rebuttal than one that blames and accuses the freelancers of poor quality work or one that uses unprofessional  language in response to an honest comment.

After reading your response, I, for one, will not take part in these forums again. There is obviously no earthly good that will come of doing so.

[#6]

Thanks for all private messages of support!

[#7]

Thanks for hiding this topic,
after seeing 21 pages of responses from Upwork users, my suspicion was well founded.
I think you need to work better or backtrack, I've always praised Upwork, but after seeing dozens of Topic you're losing your credibility.
I think there are many more problems, hope will be fixed soon.

Good work 

[#8]

True, same with my reply 

[#9]

Bidding "Race" will destroy Upwork

I'm sorry for this message , but Upwork was a fabulous place for freelancer until "bidding".
Afther 8 MONTHS whitout working I need to message whit other freelancers for this huge problem.
I'm TOP  RATED ,  upwork Skill Certificated freelancer and selected upwork Talent .
I keep my reputation as high as possible (100%) for almost two years, achived Top Rated and later got into Talent Cloud , trying to provide as much as I can and for what? 
If you pay more you can win bidding race . My work quality is totally bypassed.
Upwork, what's happened?
Your community was focused on quality of work, now is set up for money fishing like the others freelancer site, and this is really important point for your company future . 
To raise our voice I ‘ve deleted my Freelancer Plus membership plan and please if you have the same problem , all of you, do the same.

Delete your plan and Upwork will riconsider the “bidding scam”

[#10]

This is what your platform is now thanks to the connects. This are all job posts that aren't job posts, with many proposals and many bids. You should monitor it better. 

 

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[#11]

yep, this is on one of the scam jobs I made a post about here a few weeks ago.

[#12]

They weren't jobs, they were freelancer ads uploaded as jobs.

[#13]

There are also some above 100 connect as well

[#14]

They weren't jobs, they were freelancer ads uploaded as a job

[#15]

I think they won't do that. They are in the race from money. It is like they are not caring ongoing jobs because with the connects milking is enough.... Enough for them, not for us.

[#16]

I so agree with you there are so many fake jobs and they even have verified payment plans. Come to find out scammers are getting cleaver and paying money for accounts in good standing to pose as recruiters only to redirect you to some bs site to try and get your info. I reported so many of these yet nothing happens to them.    I am starting to think getting a real job on here is impossible anymore thanks to this new system those who are legit get bombarded with boosts while those of us needing jobs are left in the cold..

[#17]

Exactly. My thoughts though 

[#18]

As well, I am thinking that all the attractive jobs that I answer are taken off by scammers. Can't it be given from legitimate clients?.

[#19]

I think this bidding strategy won't stop at any moment. 

[#20]

Tree

[#21]

Upwork's decision to introduce the Bidding Race feature to its platform has been widely criticized by freelancers and businesses alike.

The Bidding Race feature allows businesses to select multiple freelancers to submit bids on their projects and then select the lowest bidder.

This encourages a race to the bottom in terms of rates and often leads to a decrease in the quality of work. Freelancers are also affected by this feature as it takes away their ability to negotiate rates and sets a predetermined rate for them. This can have a significant impact on freelancers' long-term financial security as they are often unable to increase their rates to meet their needs. Furthermore, Upwork's decision to introduce this feature has been seen by many as an attempt to reduce the cost of hiring for businesses, which can have a negative impact on the freelancer industry as a whole.

This has already been seen in other areas of the freelance market, such as Fiverr, where freelancers have seen their rates fall drastically due to the competition from other freelancers. Overall, Upwork's decision to introduce the Bidding Race feature has been met with much criticism due to the impact it has on both freelancers and businesses.

It is important that Upwork takes into consideration the effects

[#22]

hello dear 

same issue with me what i do i lost my connect this thing also i did't get any job

[#23]

I have been silent on the forums since the new bidding war began but now feel a need to speak up simply because it's something that should not be withheld from Upwork. I still think Upwork is the best place to work online but as we all know they threw us a curve ball last year and this is what happened to me.

When the major companies such as Google and Microsoft during post-COVID made their decisions to outsource to freelancers rather thank re-lease their very expensive buildings, of course, the freelancer market was flooded.

I noticed in June that the ability to get good contracts was difficult and it got worse as the months drug on.

I was working exclusively through Upwork, and as a result, I had to take on projects that were not my speciality.

Even thought I had developed the ability to screen thoroughly - I had to take on clients that I knew were not going to optimal and then when the bidding war bomb was dropped, of course, it got worse.

My score was lower steadily after having spent a year getting it back up 100%, it dropped to 94% because of an especially cruel client in December.

So, by the end of December, my credit cards were maxed out, and I was literally going to be homeless.  I called my daughter in Indiana (I lived in Oregon) and she offered to help me. Her and her husband drove all the way from Indiana to Oregon with their truck and trailer and loaded up my 99 Firebird, all my furnishings and moved me back to Indiana to live with them.

So, now I can build my client list slowly and I don't have to knowingly take on bad clients. But because of that one horrible client in December, who left a scathing review of exagerations and outright lies, I've only been able to get one new client in three months along with two repeat clients who "still like me". Of course, I have to get 10 new reviews before I can have that one removed. I figure that will most likely take about 3 years to get back to the volumn on Upwork I was doing before June 2022.

What did I do wrong? I put all my eggs in one basket. I believed the UpWork videos of the young freelancers who giggled and stated "I work exclusively for UpWork, because that's what works for me. Tee-hee!" Very misleading. I don't watch the Upwork marketing videos anymore. And, I feel like an idiot for believing them.

So, yes, I still submit proposals on Upwork, but only if I truely appreciate the description. In the meantime, I'm going through the process of recruiting new clients off Upwork. That takes a long, long time because for one thing, it's a new process that I must now learn having never done it before.

However, I'm certainly not going to let it deter me from doing my very best to rebuild my business both on Upwork and now, off Upwork. I will never again put all my eggs in one basket.

I've been in this world a long time and I absolutely believe that there is always hope. So, when I get bucked off, I get right back up, dust myself off, and get right back on the horse. That's what I recommend to every other freelancer who experiended similar circumstances to mine.

Best of wishes to everyone,

Susan Daniels

[#24]

The same. Since the fatidic summer of 2022 I am uncertain about income here. I don't know if the bidding or what the hell, but that like by a curse is not as it used to be.

[#25]

Probably also is that, the sea of freelancers swimming besides us.

[#26]

You should return to old ways where bidding is hidden or invisible. So, it doesn't have to push people into competing with bidding wars.