Upwork is taking our hardwork money

[abhi773]

Hello Freelancer

Please stand with me to Boycott upwork.

Upwork charges lot as the upwork fee and on the top apply the job we have buy connects.

To get more job we need spend more connects to enable available badge.

Now when apply for the you have bidding system then again you need to spend more connects.

For everything they charge from us and also from the clients.

U work very hard to earn $250

Then upwork deducts the $50.52

Then for withdrawal again $0.99

Upwork Team

We work very hard and we all have hopes with every job stop looting us.

[feed_my_eyes]

The way to run a business is to calculate your expenses - including your marketing expenses - and add them into the fees that you charge. If you find that a marketing method isn't a good return on the money that you're investing, then you find other ways to market yourself. You can't expect other businesses to reduce their charges to fit your needs, especially a company like Upwork, which has yet to make a profit.

[jeremiah-brown]

The crazy thing...when you think about it...is that everyone here can literally hire a marketing expert to help increase their proposal to contract conversion rate.  Just open a client account and hire a freelancer that specializes in marketing! 

[sajeduls]

You are using Upwork's platform so you have to pay the fee.

In my opinion Upwork's fees is much much much cheaper than other platforms. You only pay 10% fee when you billed a client more than $500 and it's only 5% when you billed $10000. I don't know any other platform that offers less than these fees.

$0.99 is very reasonable withdrawal fee. Other platforms charge $3 even if you withdraw $20. Upwork process your money, they send the money to your local bank account, there are lot of works to send the money to your bank account, you don't think $0.99 is reasonable?

Regarding bidding system: Work on your profile, apply on quality project with good and professional proposal. I don't spend much money on connects and availability badge but I am getting work.

[abhi773]

How about u r getting many projects for below $500 then?

Upwork charges alot

[sajeduls]

I am happy with that, because I am using their platform to earn money and it's reasonable.

[tlsanders]

Upwork is definitely more expensive for freelancers who do a lot of very small one-off jobs than for those who build long-term client relationships or work on larger projects. That's because Upwork makes so very little money on those tiny projects, yet they often cost just as much to service. 

I don't know what you do, but is it possible to evolve your business model to seek out larger projects or longer-term client relationships instead of one-offs? 

[luce-neidert]

What you have to understand is that you are paying for a service that has its cost: access to clients all over the world, a rather reliable platform, advice, help... and you don't need to spend time doing your own invoices.

[PradeepH]

Hi Abhishek,

We are sorry to hear you feel this way. Upwork fees help to cover the costs of acquiring new clients, connecting you with the right opportunities, and providing services like payment protection and customer support. We value your feedback on improvements we can make to give you a better experience. Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think!

Thank you,

Pradeep

[abhi773]

You are charging money from the clients and commission fee from freelancers 

Then from ur connects

So not us and not the client u r in then win win situation

[tlsanders]

Upwork doesn't charge clients unless they choose to upgrade. Job posting is free. That's why you see so many opportunities posted here. 

Let me ask you this, though: would you consider yourself to be in the winning situation if (like Upwork) you had lost millions of dollars every quarter for several years in a row? 

[abhi773]

its a robotic response

[ashrafkhan81]

---

Abhishek U wrote:

Please stand with me to Boycott upwork.

---

What do you plan to do as a next step, after boycotting Upwork? 

[abhi773]

open my own freelancing platform

[jeremiah-brown]

Upwork has posted a loss every quarter this year so it's not like they're making anything.  

Unless they have an army of accountants burying it on the P&L sheet.

[df602768]

If it weren't for Upwork, how would you find clients in the first place and build a career? Don't you think the platform deserves something?

I mean, let's be serious here. 

[25005175]

I'm in favor of you boycotting. In fact, I'm in favor of most freelancers boycotting! Less competition for the rest of us, less scammy freelancers and spammy proposals for clients to wade through.

[bobafett999]

Abhiskek: you made more than 30 k on upwork  - about 10 k per year. You may be correct that their fees could be lower.  I think it should be zero!  But it is what it is.  Any business will have marketing expenses, only you can decide if it is profitable to you to be on the platform.  Or find other gig that earns you 10k per year.

I guarantee that you won't find it!

[ottoemilschmid]

If you don't like the Upwork platform, nobody is preventing you from not using?  Why do you want others not to use it? To prove that you are right?  I suggest you do some homework and look for a platform that is potentially better than Upwork.  Remember to look at various criteria i.e. not just cost.  Then come and share that information here.  If there is a better platform than Upwork, then I'm sure Hayden Brown (Upwork's President & CEO) will listen to your suggestions

[2df1e9c0]

I understand your frustration with the fees and costs associated with Upwork. However, I do not think boycotting the platform is the best solution. Instead, I suggest that you look for other platforms that may be more cost-effective for freelancers. Unfortunately, Upwork is the leading platform for freelancers, so it is difficult to find an alternative that offers the same level of job opportunities. Additionally, boycotting the platform could have potentially negative consequences for other freelancers who rely on Upwork to find jobs.

[25005175]

Additionally, boycotting the platform could have potentially negative consequences for other freelancers who rely on Upwork to find jobs.

---

Unless there is a really bad PR issue from the Client perspective, the only problem I see is for those freelancers already on the marketplaces that the boycotters migrate to!

[pchur]

Sending proposals for projects like 14/16/18/20/24/29 Connects, etc., often leads to the platform taking fees from freelancers without any guarantee of securing the job. This feels unfair and like freelancers are being taken advantage of.