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.

[rafikdz]

To be honest, I disagree with a lot of Upwork decisions recently.

When I look at the idea of making paid connects a requirement to apply for jobs, it seems a great idea at first it can reduce random job applications, unqualified freelancers, and give a better opportunity to more serious and people that are the best match for the job.

But when you look to what is happening in the Platform, from fake jobs, to connects battle races, to unresponsive clients.

I am not against upwork making money, it is good for both freelancers and Upwork to stay in business.

But, it must be a platform where freelancers feel appreciated so they can perform at their best.

[jendubois]

What other company in the world that isn't a scam makes you pay money to apply for a job? Think about it. Once again, Upwork, looking for revenue, penalizes the freelancers. They keep raising the number of connects required and it is OUT OF CONTROL - 60+ connects sometimes! Why not charge enterprise clients more for the cheap labor and savings on health and other corporate benefits they are raking in using Upwork freelancers. I feel Upwork could be champion for freelancers and the networked organization and instead they nickel and dime us. There are other ways to sort out bad profiles, scamming freelancers, etc. And the connect required do not consistently reflect pay rates. I'd love to see their data on that argument.

[79d8954d]

I came to this platform for the first time to look for a job and ended up wasting a lot of connections because I wasn't familiar with the rules

[dev_null_elop]

Okay, but we are seeing 16 connects jobs since June. Is this just an announcement, or what? I don't understand 

[researchediting]

[Comment withdrawn. Apparently I misunderstood.]

[AveryO]

Hi Dmytro, 

We initially tested the new Connects range in limited categories. The new proposal amounts have now been applied to all categories.

[dixitshubhashish]

I wish there should be downvote button as well.

[butt_wadood]

Hello, I have seen something today, the jobs are requiring more connects to apply than was required before. Till yesterday the rates were different and quite low, but today I have seen that it is charging 12 - 16 connects to apply for an intermediate-level job with a client's budget of around 100 - 500 USD. Have anyone else faced the same type of issue?

[spectralua]

Is same. I see many jobs from scammers, with budget less than $10. All costs 16 connects.

Lets wait 32 connects for job. Or 320. It will be added soon as i see.

ps Upwirk is a zombie! Platform dead but hungry, need more and more.

[da48367a]

@Upwork Please if this is a glitch you guys should inform us... How can one apply for a job with almost $2 and might not even get a response or the client might not even hire. tell us if  Upwork is now expensive or it's just a glitch🙏🙏

[mzitchr]

This is discouraging, there has to be an upper limit for connects.  

[spectralua]

Greed is unlimited. 🙂

[da48367a]

I'm tired of this, Imagine I haven't applied for any job since yesterday thinking it might be a glitch

[spectralua]

Sorry, but it is real. I checked my feed, found one job for 8 connects (unverified, $5 budget). All other 16.

[da48367a]

that means you can now see  16 connect for $5 job😔

[the-right-writer]

So, do not apply for a $5.00 job.

[spectralua]

Bots will aply for sure. Them have free connects.

[da48367a]

After collecting 10% from my pay, i will still use $2 to apply for a job

[tlsanders]

The upper limit is defined by what you are willing to pay.

[hvostal_zabrina]

I just noticed this too starting yesterday! Before yesterday all jobs I saw were between 2 - 8 connects and now every single one is 16! What is happening?!

[3a89c1ab]

Upwork must think they'll always have the market and users won't have alternatives

[68cb8e5a]

UW greed. Without warning, UW retroactively doubled the number required for all jobs <16 connects early yesterday morning, including those that were already posted (the search results were showing one number, but it was double that number when you clicked on the title; it looks like they fixed that revealing glitch). Now you can use double the connects for jobs posted by clients who post and then disappear (no hires, interviews or activity) or for scam postings. 

First, UW introduced the bidding war to try to get people to buy connects, which apparently didn't generate enough $ because some freelancers refused to play the game. Now it's this (freelancers can't really opt out).

[amycapolupo]

I posted this in another thread but here is the kind of high quality job you can apply for for only 12 connects! /s

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

[tlsanders]

Have you considered that Upwork may want to steer freelancers away from those jobs? 

[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.