A request comes in while you are parked. Two-bedroom flat, pickup van, and a proposed price that looks thin. Then you read the notes: third floor, no lift, a big fridge and a washing machine. What you do in the next minute decides whether you win the job, lose it, or win it and spend the whole afternoon regretting it.
On Sphere, the customer proposes the price. You can accept it, send a counter-offer with the price the job needs, or leave it. The customer then chooses from the drivers who responded. That makes pricing part of the work, the same way tying down a load is.
Accept, counter or leave it
Ask yourself one thing: does this price cover the job as described, including getting to the pickup and getting to your next job?
If it does, and the details are clear, accept. A fair price accepted quickly is often the fastest way to win a job. Countering everything out of habit, even fair requests, makes you look slow or difficult.
Counter when the price is genuinely too low for the work, or when the request shows effort the customer probably did not price in. Stairs and heavy appliances are the usual ones.
Leave it when the load is far beyond your vehicle, the details are too vague to price, or the timing does not work for you.
Read the request properly
Most pricing mistakes come from skimming. "Few items" turns out to be a generator and forty cartons. Before you price, check:
- The load. What items, how many, how heavy? A fridge, washing machine or generator is a different job from a few cartons.
- Floors and access. A third-floor walk-up with no lift, a narrow street where you cannot park close, an estate gate where the gateman may hold you up.
- Route. Picture the road you will actually drive. Bridges and busy corridors at peak times can turn a short trip into a long one.
- Timing. A rush-hour or late-evening pickup usually costs more time and fuel.
- The return trip. If the drop-off is somewhere you are unlikely to pick up another job, you may be driving back empty. That is fair to factor in.
- Loading help. If the customer expects you to help carry, agree it clearly before they accept your offer.
If something important is missing, ask the customer before you commit. One question now saves an argument at the pickup.
Writing a counter people will accept
Price the job, not your mood. Similar jobs should get similar prices from you, on a Monday morning or a Friday evening.
Add a short reason. A note like "Third floor with no lift and a large fridge, so I have countered to cover the extra time" does more for you than the number alone. The customer can see you actually read their request.
Stay polite when the price is low. Many customers have never organised a move and simply do not know what carrying a fridge down three floors involves. A respectful counter teaches them. A rude one loses the job.
Two traps catch new drivers:
- Overpricing to "test" the customer. They can see other offers, and inflated counters rarely win.
- Underpricing to grab everything. A job that does not cover your fuel, your time and the wear on your vehicle is a loss dressed up as work.
Once they accept, the price is the deal
Do not raise the price at pickup unless the job is genuinely different from what was described, such as extra items or floors the customer left out. If that happens, explain calmly and agree any change before you carry anything.
Show up when you said you would. If you are held up, tell the customer early, before they have to call you. Keep fridges upright, protect anything fragile and secure the load before you move off. Complete the job inside the app, and never pressure anyone to settle things privately.
Drivers who keep their word get fewer complaints, more repeat customers and, over time, more jobs.
Drive with Sphere
Turn your truck or van into steady income
Accept move requests in Lagos, Abuja and Ibadan on your own schedule. Free to join, and you keep 90% of every job.
Repeat customers
Shop owners, small businesses and event planners often need a vehicle again and again. If your first job with them went smoothly, they will often ask for you next time.
You earn that with ordinary habits. Communicate clearly. Be on time, or give honest updates when you are not. Treat their goods like your own. Greet the gateman, be patient with security and be polite to their staff.
One reliable business that moves goods every week can be worth more to you than a pile of one-off jobs.
Be online when it counts
You cannot win jobs you never see. Stay online during the hours customers in your area are most active, keep your phone charged and respond quickly. A fast, fair response often beats a slower, cheaper one.
Keep the vehicle clean, fuelled and stocked with ropes, straps and covers. For the cost side, read our guide to fuel, maintenance and route discipline.
How to do this on Sphere
Joining as a driver is free. Download the Sphere driver app and submit your licence, ID and vehicle details for approval. Once approved, you receive requests in Lagos, Abuja or Ibadan. For each one, accept the customer's price or send a counter-offer, and the customer chooses.
You keep 90% of every job you complete, and Sphere takes 10%. More on the drive and earn page.
Frequently asked questions
Should I always send a counter-offer?
No. If the customer's price is fair for the job, accept it quickly, because that is often how you win it. Counter only when the price really does not cover the distance, load, access or timing.
Can I change the price after the customer accepts my offer?
The agreed price is the deal. Raise a change only if the job turns out different from the description, such as extra items or floors, and agree it with the customer before you continue.
How much of each job do drivers keep on Sphere?
You keep 90% of each job and Sphere takes 10%. Joining costs nothing.
What do I need to sign up as a Sphere driver?
Your licence, ID and vehicle details, submitted through the driver app for approval. Once you are approved, you can start taking jobs.
Should I factor in the empty return trip?
Yes. If you are unlikely to find another job near the drop-off, you may drive back empty, and your counter-offer can reflect that.
Start driving
Turn your truck or van into steady income
Accept move requests in Lagos, Abuja and Ibadan on your own schedule. Free to join, and you keep 90% of every job.
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