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When I started out as a freelancer / independent contractor, I made the conscious decision to not use any of these platforms, out of fear for my client base or
by fbrncci 3y ago
When I started out as a freelancer / independent contractor, I made the conscious decision to not use any of these platforms, out of fear for my client base or finances being tied up and taken away from me due to a simple ToS violation; the fees never sat with me either. Admittedly, it took so much longer to get a consistent base of clients (1-2 years), but it feels like a fresh of breath air over having to rely on another platform to do right by me. Now I am at 0% fees, NET-14 and get paid directly without a hold.
- elwebmaster 3y agoDon’t worry, on Upwork you can blatantly violate the TOS and even if the client complains the platform will not take away the payments. Or maybe they will, but they most definitely will not refund them to the client. Speaking from experience (as the client).
- roflyear 3y agoSame experience
- jt2190 3y ago> NET-14 Impressive! Assuming that I’m correct and that that hyphen should be read as “minus”: How are you able to get your clients to pay in advance? Assuming that I’m wrong, it’s still impressive.
- jt2190 3y agoFor clarification, “NET -NN” and “NET NN” are common shorthand for describing cash flow, where the minus signifies that the customer pays before receiving the product or service, and a positive number signifies that they receive the product or service before paying. Freelancers are typically paid after providing a service.
- papertrail-work 3y agoThe advertisement of your service seems like the best part of Upwork though. If you already have clients, there's no point in using it.
- ZoomZoomZoom 3y agoIsn't it against the ToS? If you advertise yourself as an independent entity you basically lure people outside of the platform.
- fbrncci 3y agoYes it’s against the ToS of most service platforms.