Does being "overbooked" and not keeping link active harm your gig?

[jennywchan]

Does being “overbooked” AND not keeping the gig link active harm your gig?
I have two clients who placed very large orders back to back. So I’ve marked it as “overbooked” even though it’s just “2 gigs.” Does this harm your gig in the long run? Like, put you lower in search rankings or something? Can people still message me if they’ve already been messaging me - and can I still send custom offers? Sorry - I’m just a little confused about the “gig paused” vs “vacation” vs “overbooked.” I just don’t want my ranking in search to go down. I also want PREVIOUS clients to be able to message me and get custom offers. Thanks!

[graphixunlimite]

I have no idea and would love to know the answer.

[eoinfinnegan]

There is a lot of confusion, misinformation and assumption about this whole thing.
My approach has been to do the following in these situations:

1. Extend delivery times of the gigs to as long as it might be necessary
   and/or
2. If I am unsure and completely overbooked, I will pause gigs that take a long time.
3. I leave one gig active so people can still message me if they want to - one that doesnt sell well.
4. If previous/regular buyers contact me, I send them a custom offer by first activating the gig, then send the offer, then pause again after they order (Sent custom offers cannot be ordered if you pause the gig afterwards).
5. When I complete some of the work and am expecting to be able to take orders again within 2-3 days, I unpause the gigs again.

This has worked for me, has occasionally meant my gig moves in ranking but it seems to go back to normal when I make the deliveries I have due - ie. by the time I am actually ready to take orders again.

[jennywchan]

Okay, so I learned something new! If you’re “overbooked” AND you keep your gig link INACTIVE, apparently, returning clients can STILL message you, and you can STILL send a custom offer. I just tried it even though it says “Gig Paused.” 🙂

[jennywchan]

There is a lot of confusion, misinformation and assumption about this whole thing.

My approach has been to do the following in these situations:

1. Extend delivery times of the gigs to as long as it might be necessary

   and/or

2. If I am unsure and completely overbooked, I will pause gigs that take a long time.
3. I leave one gig active so people can still message me if they want to - one that doesnt sell well.
4. If previous/regular buyers contact me, I send them a custom offer by first activating the gig, then send the offer, then pause again after they order (Sent custom offers cannot be ordered if you pause the gig afterwards).
5. When I complete some of the work and am expecting to be able to take orders again within 2-3 days, I unpause the gigs again.

This has worked for me, has occasionally meant my gig moves in ranking but it seems to go back to normal when I make the deliveries I have due - ie. by the time I am actually ready to take orders again.

Thanks for all the great insight. As for #4, I just tried it, and I did NOT have to reactivate my gig before sending a custom order to a RETURNING client. The returning client WAS able to message me, but was NOT able to place a new order (only when I sent them a custom offer were they able to place the order). I used the “overbooked” option, where I limited my gig to just “1” at a time (since I got one very large order that’s the equivalent of 10 gigs in one haha)