Stop Working For Free! The New Trend Now on Fiverr is BAD!

[markp]

I am also dealing with a bad buyer.

Do not bring that thread in here. you have already been told what to do by support

[vira_lanka19871]

Its always a good idea to add an low cost gig for samples,demos or rough ideas.but then again,it will depend on whats to be done. 😃

[priya007]

No Doubt Dear, You saying Righ (Y)

in terms of designing it is usually normal

[boyuan851]

I agree with you, under no circumstances a buyer or a seller should threaten the other side. That would be more than bending the rules, and can be criminal.

On the other hand the price of the service is decided by supply and demand. Your competitors are just as important to decide pricing as the customers. If you do notice a trend a particular service average selling price is lowered, it could signal an oversupply situation.

[sharmanthapa451]

They are only buyers if they actually buy.

No one asking for free work will ever convert into a buyer

trying to get something for nothing from the other is always going to end badly,

and I don’t work for free

Hum, is there a common theme, here?!? :thinking:

I buy tons of articles/writing gigs and a good amount of proofing gigs with a dabbling of other things. I have never asked for a free sample.

If I want to “test” a seller, I order a $5 gig.

If they present a gig according clients expectation, then $5 is worth giving…

[lucycodex]

I am personally more concerned about this:

[catzyjade]

I think the main reason is the new sellers, they trend to give free stuff more often thinking that they will get orders in future. As for the buyers they want to see samples before placing the order for insurance i guess, since all the Top rated ask for $5 for samples, and a newbie places the order for $5, i don’t think they can charge for samples. So they do it for free 😃 maybe this is the reason some buyers think that they can use same method for milking the top rated sellers.

Sometime i often see some buyer request that asking to make a logo or something by referring an attached image with the watermark. So my guess is that they might get that with the top rated seller and thinking that some cheap $5 seller will trace the image and get his work done. So its useless to give watermark samples for graphic designs to the buyers. They can manipulate that easily.

[kemstylebossy]

These days, I keep seeing buyers request saying “you must work first before they can order from you!” The Freelancing ideology is moving into fiverr…

Soon… we’ll all be working for free! Because those Bloody buyers will only take all the samples they get and send it over to the Original job owners and get paid Huge amounts of Money for doing absolutely Nothing!

I’ve personally worked for several buyers like this that would first request for you to design before they will place an order. Even after several hours of trying to convince these set of buyers, they still insist on their ideology. Then after you take over 24 hours to brainstorm and make them a great design, they just Ghost you after receiving the work.

I’ve had a very recent experience that is really making me MAD at myself and I have promised myself that I will never allow any buyer to do this to me again.

If you want to see a sample design… show commitment too… even if it’s going to be a $10 commitment for an $100 gig!

Have you had any BAD Experience like this before? Kindly share and let’s all learn how we can stop these leechers from taking our intellectual properties and make millions out of it for free!

Thanks

I was a victim of this but now I’m wiser wasted too much time to get bailed on.

[andycancun]

As a voiceover guy I offer a free demo of a client’s script. It’s usually one line of the script for the client to get a feel for my voice with their words, so I’m not giving a full sample. It’s never more than 15 seconds and I change a word or two in the script I read so they can’t use it . And 9 times out of 10 it gets me the full job.

I do the same thing for my clients in the real world and bringing that practice to my Fiverr gigs has yielded some very regular clients.

I suppose it depends on the gig, as I know many gigs can’t be segmented like that. But if yours can, why not? Just be smart and value your time.

I wish you all success and send warm greetings from Cancun!

[fivenv]

Seems to be rather common and buyers are quite creative with how much they can get for free.
In my early days, I got duped into something like that. Spent time on a strategy and the buyer went on a rant demanding a refund AFTER ALL the work had been completed according to the brief, and the cost which outlined what they would receive. It’s unfortunate.

More recently, I had a buyer reach out for some work. Went on to provide the offer, but spent a good deal after receiving messages with questions coated in “want more info”. Had I led on, I would have consulted at no charge for them to take that work elsewhere.

It tough, but sometimes you have to learn to say “NO” or our hard work will just be exploited.

[markp]

Please watch the video

If people start asking multiple questions or start making absurd requests tell them “xyz you are requesting is part of the gig” and they will need to place an order for your basic gig, or send them a custom offer. If someone is not going to order your basic gig or comes out with nonsense like “just testing you” they are never going to order. Your time is money and they are paying for what you know. Asking a few questions is ok but when it goes beyond that it stops.

[powerii]

They are not the type of buyers you want anyway. A relationship that starts off without trust and with one side trying to get something for nothing from the other is always going to end badly, whether in business, on Fiverr or life in general. Tell them it’s not happening and walk away. Spread this word to the rest of Fiverr!

You have to be careful about “spreading the word” as you call it as you may be spreading the wrong word.

Every story has 2 sides. You are only spreading one side.

[powerii]

I keep seeing buyers request saying “you must work first before they can order from you!” The Freelancing ideology is moving into fiverr…

Yes, last week 4 buyer contact me and requested to do free works. I think they aren’t genuine. Potential buyers always pay $5 and request a sample.

Don’t blame the buyers, blame other sellers who offer lousy work. So buyers get tired of wasting time - weeks and months, ( time is money for you and the buyers as well) that is why they do more vetting.

In the real brick and mortar world, a lot of work goes into getting just one single Customer or client. Although prices may be a bit less on Fivver clients do not expect any less quality of work or service.

Don’t call buyers thieves and crooks because they wouldn’t settle. Compromise is one thing and settling is another.

Keep that in mind!

[eoinfinnegan]

Don’t blame the buyers, blame other sellers who offer lousy work. So buyers get tired of wasting time - weeks and months, ( time is money for you and the buyers as well) that is why they do more vetting.

In the real brick and mortar world, a lot of work goes into getting just one single Customer or client. Although prices may be a bit less on Fivver clients do not expect any less quality of work or service.

Don’t call buyers thieves and crooks because they wouldn’t settle. Compromise is one thing and settling is another.

Keep that in mind!

Don’t blame the buyers, blame other sellers who offer lousy work. So buyers get tired of wasting time - weeks and months, ( time is money for you and the buyers as well) that is why they do more vetting.

I get what you mean here about “other sellers” in this situation and I understand that to a point. However, you can’t reasonably say “dont blame the buyers” when there are quite a few buyers who request samples with absolutely no intention of paying for a service. When I first started here, I discovered a buyer who was asking 10 different people to translate parts of a document “as a sample” but actually got their whole document translated like that! From that moment on, I chose not to offer free samples. Since then, any client who has refused to pay for a sample has had to go elsewhere. Often they return a week or so later and ask if they can place the order as the person they got was not good enough.

You see, when someone does rubbish work, or plagiarizes material etc, it costs them little or no time so they are more than happy to do a free sample. For quality sellers to deliver a quality sample, it takes time and effort which deserves to be paid for, regardless of whether the buyer had a problem with other sellers (whether the buyer simply chose the wrong seller or had unrealistic expectations for the price they were paying).

In summary, demanding free samples is not “vetting” it is being cheap and actually makes the chances of getting a good seller go down instead of up. I buy from sellers regularly and would never ask for a free sample as I respect the people I want to work with.

[sharoonamin]

Low rates and such situation is 100% fault of the seller when you sell things in $5 dollars and offer such things then dont blame unprofessional people out their because you are equally being unprofessional

[introvideos12]

Ha! Yeah I had a cold message once being like “hey, so i need a book ghost written. You will write 1-2 chapters for free as a sample before I submit the full order. Keep in mind you are up against 10 other sellers who are competing for this job. If I like you, then I will use you.”

I actually went back to him and politely told him I wasn’t interested in his offer and I don’t work for free. He got mad, which is typical of this kind of “buyer”. I told him what was stopping him from approaching many sellers saying “You will write chapters 1-2, You will write 3-4 and so on and so forth” until his whole project has been done for free. I’d laugh at any finished product - with so many styles of writing it will read like someone who had no idea what they were doing! Hahaha!

He told me I “just didn’t get his project” I was like “Nah I just don’t think you get how being a BUYER works.”

Now that’s a good way to treat them. One good turn deserves another, eh!

[designit_247]

Please watch the video

If people start asking multiple questions or start making absurd requests tell them “xyz you are requesting is part of the gig” and they will need to place an order for your basic gig, or send them a custom offer. If someone is not going to order your basic gig or comes out with nonsense like “just testing you” they are never going to order. Your time is money and they are paying for what you know. Asking a few questions is ok but when it goes beyond that it stops.

A very good video, I love their reply.

[homeestates]

You have to be careful about “spreading the word” as you call it as you may be spreading the wrong word.

Every story has 2 sides. You are only spreading one side.

Not at all. If a buyer wants something for free, then sellers should walk away. There are not two sides to this.

[gina_riley2]

Don’t blame the buyers, blame other sellers who offer lousy work. So buyers get tired of wasting time - weeks and months, ( time is money for you and the buyers as well) that is why they do more vetting.

In the real brick and mortar world, a lot of work goes into getting just one single Customer or client. Although prices may be a bit less on Fivver clients do not expect any less quality of work or service.

Don’t call buyers thieves and crooks because they wouldn’t settle. Compromise is one thing and settling is another.

Keep that in mind!

Don’t call buyers thieves and crooks because they wouldn’t settle.

I agree. I get tired of reading threads bashing buyers all the time. Granted there are times when it is warranted as Eoin has mentioned. I know there are those that had every intention of stealing work and never paying. I also know that vast majority of us get skeptical about certain gigs because we’ve been ripped off once too many times.

It’s funny to read how some //stress here is some not all// sellers complain that buyers are thieves, liars, cheaters, stupid, idiots, etc. then the next post is, “Why am I not getting sales?” :roll_eyes:

I, personally, have never asked for anything free. I say a buyer wants a sample, buy a $5 gig. If the seller doesn’t have a $5 gig, ask for a $5 gig sample custom offer.

I don’t believe anyone should work for free.

[joygrz35]

yesterday one buyer knock me and ask some sample previous work. I think he is serious about work.i send him 20 sample file than he ask more than i ask him what’s you need tell me fast he said i first check your all jons than i give.i said no ar first you tell me what’s you need than he said you are bad i don’t want to work with you. Than i undertand he just want to take my files free and never order anything beacuse he is e new seller only complete 4 work and he said me he give me a $400 order. i ask him you only complete4 order if you get $400 so do it why you knock me. he said i did’nt not talk with other matters i jusy need many sample.
please i request you all don’t give any client samples if anyone ask many many time this.
Thank you

[garythomas9501]

I have never done a bit of work for free here… If anyone ever ask to “Test”, “Complete half of the work before contact”… or any thing like that its a huge red flag for me.

[joygrz35]

I have never done a bit of work for free here… If anyone ever ask to “Test”, “Complete half of the work before contact”… or any thing like that its a huge red flag for me.

yes you are right 🙂

[malikumer13503]

My sister is also a freelance designer and she learned the hard way to never ever provide anything for free, because even a sample takes time that you could be using to work on a paid project. The live portfolio is available for free, if they want to see more then they should be ready to pay. A good client will know this is how business works.

Yup you are right …

[malikumer13503]

Please watch the video

If people start asking multiple questions or start making absurd requests tell them “xyz you are requesting is part of the gig” and they will need to place an order for your basic gig, or send them a custom offer. If someone is not going to order your basic gig or comes out with nonsense like “just testing you” they are never going to order. Your time is money and they are paying for what you know. Asking a few questions is ok but when it goes beyond that it stops.

Hahah lol …this tooo good man haha …

[asimhamzagraphi]

Yeah You are totally right. But there is a thing new sellers want order at first they donot worry about the price, time and efforts. They take there chances more over they are unexperienced of such things.
I also did this many times but now I avoid doing such things. I have a idea it works in GRAPHIC DESIGNING maybe work in other also. Use a watermark kind of thing on designs It cannot bring your effort and time back but atleast it cannot allow buyers to steal work