Marketplace Updates: Changes to Upwork Application Prices

[StanG]

Our goal is to make the number of Connects per proposal better reflect the demand for work in the Marketplace. This change will help us facilitate better matches, increase flexibility to price projects accurately, and attract more top tier clients to the platform.

Check out the product release for Marketplace Updates: Changes to Upwork Application Prices, and let us know your thoughts and question in the comments below.

[jasminevclark]

I'm so curious! Can you describe the job? It says your post was edited for community guidelines.

[tlsanders]

It's not a glitch. It's been under discussion here in the forums for weeks.

[spectralua]

It is new. Minimal value increased.

[lama-pema]

it is not a glitch. Someone working as upwork member responded to the other post. This is stupid. Applying jobs for 30-50$ will cost you 16 connects for what? I mean they don't even get to view the proposal or they don't even hire anyone. 
if Upwork raises the connects to 16 for applying jobs, they should also make some policy that if your proposals don't get viewed or hire. They should return the connects. 
upwork is happily making tons of money out of freelancers. You buy connects if you finish them all and then if you get hired they charge your service fee and then for withdrawal too, there is a fee. How pathetic!

[mobnod]

I support this with 16 connects of my unviewed proposals! If the client does not view a sent proposal it's only fair for Upwork to refund the connects!!

[jendubois]

We are paying to submit proposals that never get views and jobs that never see a hire, time and time again, I mean it is FREQUENT. Why isn't Upwork insisting on better quality and follow through on the job poster side? Waiting for a job to be cancelled to get connects back just doesn't happen Upwork. Do better by your freelancers.

[fd9c3a11]

I find it very painful.

[kk-freelancer]

Classic!

[b86b82ff]

Hello, one question: why does the amount of necessary connects vary for each job? Does that tell me something about the customers who need the job?

[d0ac2b25]

Hi Fidel,

I jumped into Forums to ask the same question.  I have noticed that most of the jobs I am interested in submitting a proposal to are now 16 Connects.  I have only been on Upwork for a few weeks, but had not seen this number so high. 

It will be interesting to see the answer.

Candace

[b86b82ff]

Hello, my concern was really who sets the amount of Connects for each job,
and in the response they clarified it, it is Upwork that sets those amounts
of Connects, not the clients; And yes, the amounts of Connect for jobs are
going up, I don't know why, but I do know that this is not good for me,
that I don't have money to buy Connects, and I can't get jobs...

Anyway I think you can see what the community forum answered me, I think
those answers are public...🤗!

[06d3e539]

I have also noticed recently the increase in connects to apply for the job posts and to me this is inappropriate, Why should I pay 16 connects for a client that will not even look at my personalized proposal? You want us freelancers to apply for job posts that sometimes cost more to pay the connects than the payment you will get from that work done. That doesn't make sense.

Why aren't the connects I paid given back when the job has been awarded to another person, and the connects taken when the person is awarded the work? 

That would be more appropriate, in my opinion, as we only get the connects back when a client reaches out to us.

I hope that Upwork can reconsider this decision.

Also I noticed that I was starting to get more invitations and after the connects increase that has stopped as well.

[a739ae3b]

You just halved the value of my Freelancer Plus account. Are you going to adjust the number of monthly connects it provides? 

[chefperryp]

EXCELLENT question! 

[lbooth]

I'm sorry, I fail to see the effectiveness of this, or boosting bids. I have been here since long before this platform was called Upwork. I was here when ODesk and Elance were separate platforms. I've built my reputation as a top-rated provider with a lot of hard work.

For the last few months, it feels like you've taken all that work and just thrown it, and me, to the wayside. I'm sure other providers feel the same. It's gone from a platform where I had (at times) more work and invitations than I could handle, to feeling like I'm begging for scraps.

I work hard, and even though I buy connects, if my bids (boosted) are not being interacted with, or even seen, then what good does it, or buying more do me? How do you determine a job is worth 16 connects? Shouldn't it be up to the poster to decide what their job is worth?

The idea is that you make money and we make money, but all I'm seeing with these recent changes is you making money off of me and me, not getting to be seen by clients.

[jessalou14]

Wow, Upwork has doubled the price in applying to jobs. Less than a year ago, it was 6 connects. Now I noticed that the minimum for hourly jobs is 12 connects. Add that to the removal of the 5% Upwork fee for long term clients makes it staying in the platform very difficult. I don't mind an increase in prices, but what additional value are we getting? Upwork couldn't even automatically flag obvious fake job postings. 

[tlsanders]

Where did you get the idea that 12 was the minimum for hourly? I just looked at my feed and every hourly job on the front page was 4 connects except for one with a pay range of up to $255/hour--that one was 8.

[jessalou14]

Try applying for an hourly job that has an estimated duration of 3-6 months. 

[tlsanders]

Ah, so you recognize that it is not the minimum for hourly jobs. Thanks for clarifying.

[6f0771e8]

I noticed this today as well.  I just looked at applying to a number of jobs and Upwork seems to have increased the connects today.  Yesterday the most I saw was 6 required connects.  Today I saw mostly 8 and 12.  That is quite an increase.

[uipuip]

Hi, I noticed that you need to use 12-16 connects to send proposals. Is this a recent change?

[be93b8e3]

This will kill the platform. Not sustainable. 

[6f0771e8]

I am not sure I understand the reasoning of increasing the number of connects to appy for a job better reflecting the demand for work.  It mostly feels like you are charging freelancers twice as much to appy for jobs and devauling the Freelancers Plus account.

[dixitshubhashish]

Very Pathetic Decision, 

before initiating this post, you should have told us what additional values you have added for freelancers which are your primary source of income. 
I can list 100s of issues.

• Fake Jobs
• No honest jobs, no matter how much you apply, it ends up fake clients
• Why not earn money from clients as well, 
• Why cant you reduce fees then if so much desperate for investors to report
• Limit user to post job 
• Block users who just post and don't hire even after 100 jobs.
• Job should be active for just 3 days, why it remain active for ages even no hiring.
• Connects should be refunded for each interaction happening, because that's not 100%

Really tired now with upwork services, will search newer platform soon.

•  

[2fcafbb4]

Honestly getiing a gig on upwork is like looking for a niddle in the ocean.

the most annoying part is the rheir contact center almos never respond

i have also been trying to close my accounr and they are aying the service is not availanble ....

cn someone help me on how to close my aount