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Valeria's avatar
Valeria K Community Member

Increasing Transparency in Boosted Proposals

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.

~ Valeria
Upwork
886 REPLIES 886
Azaz's avatar
Azaz M Community Member

Does anyone think that this is something fair happening on Upwork?

azazmuzaffar_0-1668672062359.png

 

MALCOLM's avatar
MALCOLM H Community Member

That can't be real.

Alex's avatar
Alex P Community Member

No way this can be real, man. 

Azaz's avatar
Azaz M Community Member

This is something that I am seeing regularly now, not sure if this is something fair happening. 

I was submitting proposals regularly by boosting them even before this connects live showing method was introduced, most of those jobs are not even get interviewed, and if someone has been interviewed, not get hired.

- I have realized that Upwork is only forcing Freelancers to go for more connects by boosting and leaving all those methods of ranking (good skill set and profile etc..) 
- On the other hand, clients are completely free to just post the job and be good to go if they hire/interview or not.

This is something that I think is not fair, and also showing live bid connects, so someone would go more than that just shows a sign of greediness.

These are just my thoughts, my opinion is just to impose some rules on clients as well so if they are gonna post the job, they should must hire, so someone at least would not lose his/her connects.

azazmuzaffar_0-1668672498156.png

 

Pa's avatar
Pa K Community Member

Upwork already charging to much,on top up its another hoverhead on the developer.. extermy disappointed with this.

Ifedi's avatar
Ifedi E Community Member

Last month, I spent up to $100 bidding for jobs, which is bad. The funny thing is that since I joined Upwork it has never been  this difficult Upwork should please review this 

Tariq's avatar
Tariq A Community Member

nice update

Amit's avatar
Amit K Community Member

Hi Team,

 

Is this boosting feature during bidding under beta version or is it going to be permanent?

 

Regards,

Amit Kumar

Stacy's avatar
Stacy A Community Member

Is anyone else finding that their work has slowed down since this new bidding connects thing started? I love the platform and have been quite successful until recently. I hate to use this to complain, but I really think the bidding ridiculous amounts of connects thing is wrong. First, it puts freelancers in a position to have to buy more connects, something I never had to do before, and Upwork already takes quite a bit off the top for jobs, so to have to continue to buy connects doesn't sit right with me. Thoughts from anyone else on this?

Vira's avatar
Vira L Community Member

For me it was more like died then just slow down. And taking to consideration commission Upwork takes from freelancers I won't put money into getting clients too, especially if you can look for projects on LinkedIn free of charge, by writing to the people directly. Right now LinkedIn works for me much better than Upwork.

 

I bought a lot connections here only to waste them on a few clients who turned up to be unprofessional and brought nothing, but wasted my time. I wonder it there are any professionals left on Upwork by now.

Magdalena's avatar
Magdalena G Community Member

I boosted a proposal and just immediately after I realized I had missed writing the header that the client was asking to look at my proposal. 

 

I withdrew already knowing that I would lose my connects but what I didn't know was that I was also going to lose the possibility of submitting a proposal again!!! What sort of SCAM is that?  First, there should be a way of at least editing the proposal once in case you made a mistake but as there's no option, at least you should be able to resubmit even if losing the connects! 

 

I hate the new Upwork bidding system, it's a lot of money thrown at this company for NOTHING!

Bronwyn's avatar
Bronwyn S Community Member

Hi everyone,

Are there other freelancers out there who, like me, are among the unlucky 50% who have been "chosen" for this ridiculous new system of bidding for connects. Yes! Half of us have been chosen to waste our connects!

 

I find it ridiculous! I am grateful to Upwork for providing a platform on which I can earn a living, but let's face it! They are already taking 25% of what we earn. Then come the PayPal fees and again, the charges when we transfer from Paypal to our bank accounts. Now we are forced to put in a bid at least 1 connect higher than the lowest bid. Previously, the highest number of connects for a job was about 6, I think. Now you're lucky if you get away with anythig under 9. And when our connects are all used up, what do we do? We either wait until our next batch of connects comes along, or we buy more - in my opinion, the only one benefiting from this system is Upwork.

 

Last week, I put in a bid for a job - there were already 20 to 50 proposals. I was forced to use up 9 connects - the highest number of connects used by a freelancer was 20. I got the assignment - which means that my profile, my CV, my samples etc. impressed the client more than the number of bids I wasted.

 

If, like me, you find this new system terrible, please contact Support and tell them so, otherwise it's going to carry on.

  

Tiffany's avatar
Tiffany S Community Member

Seems silly to lament that you've been given a choice. You recognize that the freelancers who don't have that option are still competing for the same jobs with those who do, right? They're at the same disadvantage as those who choose not to boost. The difference is that they don't have a choice. 

 

I'm also puzzled by why Upwork is taking 25% from you when they take only 20% of the first tiny front end of the job and then 10% from everyone else. Do you know what you're making that extra payment for? 

 

Do you know whether your bid was one of the top three on that job? If so, do you have reason to know that the client would have found your bid on page three or four and still hired you if you hadn't boosted? 

Martina's avatar
Martina P Community Member

It's available to all freelancers now. 

 in my opinion, the only one benefiting from this system is Upwork.

I agree. It's an income stream. Hopefully one that gets them out of the losses they incur year after year, so that they will not come up with more creative monetization ideas. 

They are already taking 25% of what we earn.

They don't.

David's avatar
David N Community Member

I think it's better the way it was before, it doesn't make any sense to spend more money to get a job that is way below what you spent to get it in the first place! You cannot compete with a freelancer who has boosted his bid more than ten times! but at the end of the day who is benefitting more? your guess is as good as mine.

Asif's avatar
Asif M Community Member

please remove this feature otherwise we have to leave upwork, 

Asif's avatar
Asif M Community Member

waste of connects 

Vincent's avatar
Vincent D Community Member

Not really a fan of boosted proposals. It works against the very marketplace Upwork is trying to foster. It seems short sighted to have this money grab of connects that seemingly ruins the value prop of finding the best qualified freelancers. It just provides folks with a few extra dollars the ability to jump to the top of a stack regardless. Not sure what value prop the client actually gets from this. It seems they just get a watered down stack of proposals top heavy with new or desperate freelancers. Not sure this game helps clients find the right fit for the role their looking for. 

Kelly's avatar
Kelly G Community Member

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who hated the new bid thing, I have a whole month trying to find a new job unsuccessfully because there's always someone bidding higher, even I waste almost 300 connects in about two weeks, and now there's no sense to be the first proposals after clients post the job... Plus all the scams and people with double profiles subcontracting others this site has turned a complete mess.

It was better when they reviewed the profiles before.

Kelly's avatar
Kelly G Community Member

I'm in this platform since 2016 and never was SO HARD to find a job, because now clients can't see you for how good you are or if your proposal was quick, now they see first the ones who spend more money in connects no matter their reputation...

Let's be honest, this is only helping desperate freelancers, and scammers, no matter how good they want to said this has been for the community, it's not that way.

 

I've read A LOT of complain about this feature here but no one seems to hear, working here was an infinite better experience when they reviewed the profiles before letting you reach clients.

MALCOLM's avatar
MALCOLM H Community Member

I think they're just testing the feature, gathering data. It probably takes at least 1 year to gather enough data. I see they have a lot of features they are testing, some in beta and some that are coming.

Alex's avatar
Alex P Community Member

You're wrong, Malcolm. 
 
This "function" appeared in the summer of 2021, it's already been a year and unfortunately everything has gotten worse since.
MALCOLM's avatar
MALCOLM H Community Member

Both of our responses are opinions, as only Upwork knows the answer. That's why I lead with "I think".

 

I said it takes at least 1 year. Keyword, "at least". Please read things thoroughly before responding.

Alex's avatar
Alex P Community Member

Where do you get this information from? That it takes at least one year?
I pointed out to you that it has been more than a year since they introduced this feature and things have only gotten worse since then. Noone gathering any data, they are just taking more money for nothing. 
Please think thoroughly before you write something. We are trying to solve a problem here, not just communicate.

MALCOLM's avatar
MALCOLM H Community Member

Did you read the original post?

 

Read the original post by the community manager. Click the link in that post, scroll down to the bottom and read the second line before last.

 

If you have feedback on how to make something better, that's what I would post. Complaining without a solution does nothing.