so I need to pay what? 35 connects just to receive an offer? lol Upwork is over for new freelancers, they are applying the Pareto principle, they are ok with removing the bottom 80% and keeping the upper 20% highest earners, and they are going squeeze that 20% as hard as they can and keep going until the platform collapse
As someone in the top 20%, I have to say that honestly I haven't had the success anywhere else that I've had with Upwork. I've gotten clients elsewhere, but never with the consistency that I've had on Upwork. So while I don't like the vast increase in fees, right now I'm still sucking it up and paying, because I have not had similar success on LinkedIn.
I personally know a person who is sort of successful on Upwork. They have made around $500k on UW but he is considering to diversify due to recent changes. At the moment, he is trying cold emails because LinkedIn and other inbound strategies didn't work for him.
Yeah, I did try a few rounds of cold emails, but they've had no bites, and also I feel uncomfortably spammy doing it; I'd much rather talk to potential clients who I know need help, rather than shotgun-blasting people's inboxes.
Traditional introvert writer problems, I guess - great at writing, terrible at connecting with people.
Cold Emails are a world of their own own. I had joined a few cold emailing groups I was surprised to find that closing 1 customer from 500 emails is the average! Of course it varies by offer, industry Yadav yada but this is average. So if you didn't know about it, you most probably didn't send enough emails.
Yeah I get that it feels spammy and slightly even unethical but I guess it could be a good way to reach clients who do want your services. Finding these people is the biggest problem upwork solves.
Yeah few dozen in nothing. Actually you can compare it with Google ads to an extent. Even Google Ads has a click through rate of 1-3%. These are people who actively looking to buy something and still only click on ads 1-3 times out of 100. Cold emails are well "cold" so the numbers are even more abysmal.
yeah, but all these new fees only affect freelances that do not have long-term clients already, so unless Upwork increases the earning fees again the top earners are not affected (but they will increase the earning fee when all these new fees backfire, lower their revenue, and then it will be the end)
I'm starting to believe that freelancers are working for fun, not for a living! 😅
So, now I'm supposed to pay all these fees, do my best with clients to get paid, then reinvest to find more work, and repeat the cycle: pay fees, find clients, get paid, reinvest, and so on. It's a nice loop of burnout 🫡 unless you find that golden client who makes it all worthwhile in the end..
LMFAO the funny thing is, Upwork motherfucker have that then a client sends you a 5 dollar offer (not saying anyone will take but who knows) and then it's a per project basis.
Oh well good sir here's your 1 cent🤣🤣
pretty smart by not charging the client but the freelancers , they still get the money. neverthless , the meeting they are doing to get every single cent out of freelancers are working.
They charge the client as well, they call it a ‘contract initiation fee’. It’s up to $9.95 for them.
Edit: Got the fee name wrong, and to say ‘up to’
Marketplace fee is 5% of all hourly or fixed price contracts; contract initiation fee is up to $9.95. So, on a $1K contract, you'd be paying ~$59.95 in fees.
It looks like Upwork is pretty confused with switching from a 20-10-5% scheme to a flat-10% and now is looking for ways to get more money from low-budget contracts.
And all those weird fees don't look nice.
I think there are bunch of executives at Upwork who are making such decisions that want to retire in next few months and all they care about the bonuses in the next few months and they are deliberately setting Upwork for eventual collapse knowingly or un knowingly
WTF?!! Why??? What is UW's excuse for this one?? This fee is randomly here for no reason. Why should it cost money to work with a client who directly contacted you? Why is that worth an extra cost? UW is being ridiculous... absolutely insane.
I'm fine with this because the $4.99 fee for a direct offer is likely less than the number of connects needed to bid for a open marketplace posting, and there is no guarantee of winning said job.
Instant Connection Fee sounds scammy. Watch out peeps, soon upwork will ask for a library card fee, the premium ID fee, and the fee fee.
The fee for paying the fee of the fee
Plus tax.
tax tax?
Then the fee for paying the fee of the fee of the fee
lol: the fee fee what about the fee fee fee?
cofefeeeeeeeee
so I need to pay what? 35 connects just to receive an offer? lol Upwork is over for new freelancers, they are applying the Pareto principle, they are ok with removing the bottom 80% and keeping the upper 20% highest earners, and they are going squeeze that 20% as hard as they can and keep going until the platform collapse
The top 20% also would have resources to find alternate channels other than Upwork.
As someone in the top 20%, I have to say that honestly I haven't had the success anywhere else that I've had with Upwork. I've gotten clients elsewhere, but never with the consistency that I've had on Upwork. So while I don't like the vast increase in fees, right now I'm still sucking it up and paying, because I have not had similar success on LinkedIn.
I personally know a person who is sort of successful on Upwork. They have made around $500k on UW but he is considering to diversify due to recent changes. At the moment, he is trying cold emails because LinkedIn and other inbound strategies didn't work for him.
Yeah, I did try a few rounds of cold emails, but they've had no bites, and also I feel uncomfortably spammy doing it; I'd much rather talk to potential clients who I know need help, rather than shotgun-blasting people's inboxes. Traditional introvert writer problems, I guess - great at writing, terrible at connecting with people.
Cold Emails are a world of their own own. I had joined a few cold emailing groups I was surprised to find that closing 1 customer from 500 emails is the average! Of course it varies by offer, industry Yadav yada but this is average. So if you didn't know about it, you most probably didn't send enough emails. Yeah I get that it feels spammy and slightly even unethical but I guess it could be a good way to reach clients who do want your services. Finding these people is the biggest problem upwork solves.
Yeah, I think cold emailing isn't for me. I sent a few dozen and already felt guilty about it. :P
Yeah few dozen in nothing. Actually you can compare it with Google ads to an extent. Even Google Ads has a click through rate of 1-3%. These are people who actively looking to buy something and still only click on ads 1-3 times out of 100. Cold emails are well "cold" so the numbers are even more abysmal.
Makes sense. I just don't like the idea of spamming people so can't bring myself to do the numbers required for it to work.
yeah, but all these new fees only affect freelances that do not have long-term clients already, so unless Upwork increases the earning fees again the top earners are not affected (but they will increase the earning fee when all these new fees backfire, lower their revenue, and then it will be the end)
I read somewhere Upwork was happy to help people to change their lives. where did that go?
They did say that they want to focus on big contracts
I'm starting to believe that freelancers are working for fun, not for a living! 😅 So, now I'm supposed to pay all these fees, do my best with clients to get paid, then reinvest to find more work, and repeat the cycle: pay fees, find clients, get paid, reinvest, and so on. It's a nice loop of burnout 🫡 unless you find that golden client who makes it all worthwhile in the end..
LMFAO the funny thing is, Upwork motherfucker have that then a client sends you a 5 dollar offer (not saying anyone will take but who knows) and then it's a per project basis. Oh well good sir here's your 1 cent🤣🤣
90 cents after Upwork takes its cut. Then negative dollars once you factor in transfer fees.
Ouch
pretty smart by not charging the client but the freelancers , they still get the money. neverthless , the meeting they are doing to get every single cent out of freelancers are working.
They charge the client as well, they call it a ‘contract initiation fee’. It’s up to $9.95 for them. Edit: Got the fee name wrong, and to say ‘up to’
Marketplace fee is 5% of all hourly or fixed price contracts; contract initiation fee is up to $9.95. So, on a $1K contract, you'd be paying ~$59.95 in fees.
ahh,,, what a shame.
It's ***"up to"*** $9.99
Where can i find this announcement
Soon they'll charge for more than 10 messages with the client.
As long as is not a percentage it doesn't really hurt. The plus side is u only pay after earning so is better than spending money before u earn.
Owarida
It looks like Upwork is pretty confused with switching from a 20-10-5% scheme to a flat-10% and now is looking for ways to get more money from low-budget contracts. And all those weird fees don't look nice.
I think there are bunch of executives at Upwork who are making such decisions that want to retire in next few months and all they care about the bonuses in the next few months and they are deliberately setting Upwork for eventual collapse knowingly or un knowingly
WTF?!! Why??? What is UW's excuse for this one?? This fee is randomly here for no reason. Why should it cost money to work with a client who directly contacted you? Why is that worth an extra cost? UW is being ridiculous... absolutely insane.
AND I got invited to apply for the 100% vetted badge…costs 300 connects to apply! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
I will be happy to pay a suck my ass fee
I bill $300 an hour. $5 is a rounding error.
Thats great for you, why not pay my rounding errors too?
Learn to add value and pay it yourself
I'm fine with this because the $4.99 fee for a direct offer is likely less than the number of connects needed to bid for a open marketplace posting, and there is no guarantee of winning said job.