That old client ghosted me for 6 months, came back, and I raised my rate $15/hr

I had this repeat logo design client on Upwork who vanished after I finished a batch of work back in March. Figured they found someone cheaper on Fiverr or just ran out of budget. Then last Tuesday they hit me up with a rush project, no questions asked. I was nervous but I told them my rate went from $35 to $50 because I've been getting more complex requests lately. They didn't even blink, just said send the contract. Kinda makes me wonder if I've been undervaluing myself this whole time. Has anyone else gotten a raise out of a returning client like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

river_thompson17d ago

Interesting how that works, right? You get ghosted and it's easy to think you did something wrong. But really, people just get busy or distracted. I've seen the same thing happen everywhere. Like at the diner I stop at, they raised their prices after being closed for a bit. Nobody complained, they just paid it. We all do it. We undervalue stuff until someone proves us wrong. Good on you for asking for more. Shows you know your worth now.

david_palmer17d ago

Respectfully @river_thompson, I don't totally buy that analogy. A diner raising prices after a closure is a business decision based on supply and demand, not someone undervaluing themselves. When you get ghosted by a client, it's usually because they found someone cheaper or they dropped the ball themselves. That's not the same as a whole diner full of people just accepting a new menu price. See it all the time in my line of work - people ghost for a quote, then call back in a panic when they realize the other guy's work is shoddy. You raising your price after getting ghosted might just price you out of the next opportunity.

martinez.paul17d agoMost Upvoted

Exactly! People don't question value until it smacks em in the face.