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8 things I learned as a seller on Fiverr


avstauffenberg

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1. Fiverr is not responsible for you

Fiverr is a libertarian marketplace - As a libertarian myself I like the concept but the dark side of it it is you have to take care of yourself.

2. Learn psychology

You need at least basic psychology knowledge. As a seller, your main goal is not to get more sales but more quality sales. The only way to protect yourself against potential abusive (or simply uninformed) buyers is to spot them before start working with them. You can do this in the first exchange of messages. With very low prices, some buyers seem to be uninterested in their own purchase or uninformed. I rejected a lot of people simply because I noticed they don’t have basic business knowledge, but they were willing to buy a website for their businesses at 300 USD. As a seller, you work much harder with an uninformed buyer than with a buyer who really knows what he wants. Losing time and energy will impact your business by keeping you ‘prisoner’ in an endless order.

3. Stop selling cheap

Sellers are more exposed to abuses than buyers, whether we talk about free extra work or unfair feedback. You can literally buy a photography service and leave negative feedback related to a video service which is not provided. The buyer could interpret your gig in his/her way because of the lack of knowledge or language barrier or whatever reason.

The problem here is not the buyer but your 5 USD gig. Imagine this: If a person comes to you trying to sell you an iPhone X with 100 USD, would you accept? Let’s say the phone is working perfectly, it is not stollen, it is in perfect condition. Could you believe that? Perhaps not, why? Because it is too cheap to be a serious offer. This is the pricing psychology, people are not looking to buy cheap things, they are looking to buy expensive things they can afford. If you really have an iPhone X to sell, please sell it at the right price.

4. Be a buyer

If you sell on Fiverr but you’ve never bought something yet, go and buy a service ASAP. Most of the people with internet access can literally throw 5 USD out of the window, so as a seller you’re not taken seriously if you sell that cheap. But if you’re a seller with 5000 USD services with bad reviews it is most probably your fault. If a buyer orders a 5000 USD service he/she will read your description maybe twice, a buyer prepared to spend 5000 USD is willing to invest the energy and time required to provide clear information, to respond in time and to take you seriously. That is a buyer who is looking for something specific if he/she comes with 150 revisions, it is because he needs his website, logo or whatever to be perfect. Even if you don’t have clients willing to spend 5000 USD on your services, imagine you have and write your gig for them, not for the 5 USD customers. This means clear details, good FAQ, make sure your gig is as clear as a contract.

5. Select your customers

Recently Fiverr introduced Blind reviews which is a very good idea. Why? It avoids ‘bribery’, if a customer who wasn’t respectful, or he asked for more than he bought but at the end, he leaves you a very good review, as a seller you might consider giving him a very good review back. This is a form of bribery. With blind reviews, you rate your buyers as you consider. For one-time buyers, this is not a big deal, but for people who constantly outsource on Fiverr, a bad review could actually have an impact on their business as long as the sellers are looking to that aspect. As a buyer on Fiverr I’m looking for the best services available at the best prices, guess what, the sellers that provide them have a lot of clients, if you have a negative review as a buyer those sellers might reject you.

6. Be objective

Learn to control your emotions. Look at the situation objectively and be always fair, even when you’re wrong. I saw a lot of reviews from sellers like “Worst experience ever”, this is an emotional response. It doesn’t help you, it doesn’t help the community, it doesn’t hurt the buyer. As a seller, I will not reject a buyer because he has 1 such review. If the experience was very frustrating, explain why: communication, language barrier, lack of interest, etc. Firstly, when you explain you help the community. Secondly, while you’re thinking about your arguments you might find you’ve done mistakes too and your review might be unfair and emotionally driven. Avoid personal acts of vengeance, they are not profitable.

7. Be a doctor

This is a sales technique. The reality is buyers come to you because you know to solve a specific problem. But, sometimes buyers tend to be dominant and provide specific recommendations, in other words, to tell you how to do your job. Be a doctor means you’re in charge, he pays you but you know much more about the work than your client. When you go to a doctor you don’t diagnose yourself, he’s the expert you pay and respect his knowledge. It doesn’t mean to ignore your customer’s requirements, it means to evaluate their requirements and propose something that really makes sense. As a designer not once I rejected some specifications because they were terrible for the design. I did that politely, I explain that if it is not good enough to be in my portfolio it is not good enough for your business. To be a doctor requires you to really know your industry and have arguments and the emotional intelligence necessary to know how to talk with your clients. It is easier to just do whatever they ask you to do, but then don’t complain if the clients are not respectful enough, if you don’t respect your own work.

8. Sellers should work together

I know Fiverr is a very competitive space, but in my view, it would be smart for sellers to work together if they are at the same level, pricing, and quality. What I mean by that, the price competition is the worst competition ever, in any business. Cheap services are bad services unless it is a funnel but that’s another topic. By working together I mean some kind of agreement on price between same level sellers in order to bring more quality customers on Fiverr. Keep the competition as much as possible to the quality of the services and avoid touching prices. Be smart, on the long-term competition driven only by the quality will make you a better seller, will raise the prices generally and will bring more quality customers on Fiverr.

What things did you learn on Fiverr as a seller/buyer?

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1. Fiverr is not responsible for you

Fiverr is a libertarian marketplace - As a libertarian myself I like the concept but the dark side of it it is you have to take care of yourself.

2. Learn psychology

You need at least basic psychology knowledge. As a seller, your main goal is not to get more sales but more quality sales. The only way to protect yourself against potential abusive (or simply uninformed) buyers is to spot them before start working with them. You can do this in the first exchange of messages. With very low prices, some buyers seem to be uninterested in their own purchase or uninformed. I rejected a lot of people simply because I noticed they don’t have basic business knowledge, but they were willing to buy a website for their businesses at 300 USD. As a seller, you work much harder with an uninformed buyer than with a buyer who really knows what he wants. Losing time and energy will impact your business by keeping you ‘prisoner’ in an endless order.

3. Stop selling cheap

Sellers are more exposed to abuses than buyers, whether we talk about free extra work or unfair feedback. You can literally buy a photography service and leave negative feedback related to a video service which is not provided. The buyer could interpret your gig in his/her way because of the lack of knowledge or language barrier or whatever reason.

The problem here is not the buyer but your 5 USD gig. Imagine this: If a person comes to you trying to sell you an iPhone X with 100 USD, would you accept? Let’s say the phone is working perfectly, it is not stollen, it is in perfect condition. Could you believe that? Perhaps not, why? Because it is too cheap to be a serious offer. This is the pricing psychology, people are not looking to buy cheap things, they are looking to buy expensive things they can afford. If you really have an iPhone X to sell, please sell it at the right price.

4. Be a buyer

If you sell on Fiverr but you’ve never bought something yet, go and buy a service ASAP. Most of the people with internet access can literally throw 5 USD out of the window, so as a seller you’re not taken seriously if you sell that cheap. But if you’re a seller with 5000 USD services with bad reviews it is most probably your fault. If a buyer orders a 5000 USD service he/she will read your description maybe twice, a buyer prepared to spend 5000 USD is willing to invest the energy and time required to provide clear information, to respond in time and to take you seriously. That is a buyer who is looking for something specific if he/she comes with 150 revisions, it is because he needs his website, logo or whatever to be perfect. Even if you don’t have clients willing to spend 5000 USD on your services, imagine you have and write your gig for them, not for the 5 USD customers. This means clear details, good FAQ, make sure your gig is as clear as a contract.

5. Select your customers

Recently Fiverr introduced Blind reviews which is a very good idea. Why? It avoids ‘bribery’, if a customer who wasn’t respectful, or he asked for more than he bought but at the end, he leaves you a very good review, as a seller you might consider giving him a very good review back. This is a form of bribery. With blind reviews, you rate your buyers as you consider. For one-time buyers, this is not a big deal, but for people who constantly outsource on Fiverr, a bad review could actually have an impact on their business as long as the sellers are looking to that aspect. As a buyer on Fiverr I’m looking for the best services available at the best prices, guess what, the sellers that provide them have a lot of clients, if you have a negative review as a buyer those sellers might reject you.

6. Be objective

Learn to control your emotions. Look at the situation objectively and be always fair, even when you’re wrong. I saw a lot of reviews from sellers like “Worst experience ever”, this is an emotional response. It doesn’t help you, it doesn’t help the community, it doesn’t hurt the buyer. As a seller, I will not reject a buyer because he has 1 such review. If the experience was very frustrating, explain why: communication, language barrier, lack of interest, etc. Firstly, when you explain you help the community. Secondly, while you’re thinking about your arguments you might find you’ve done mistakes too and your review might be unfair and emotionally driven. Avoid personal acts of vengeance, they are not profitable.

7. Be a doctor

This is a sales technique. The reality is buyers come to you because you know to solve a specific problem. But, sometimes buyers tend to be dominant and provide specific recommendations, in other words, to tell you how to do your job. Be a doctor means you’re in charge, he pays you but you know much more about the work than your client. When you go to a doctor you don’t diagnose yourself, he’s the expert you pay and respect his knowledge. It doesn’t mean to ignore your customer’s requirements, it means to evaluate their requirements and propose something that really makes sense. As a designer not once I rejected some specifications because they were terrible for the design. I did that politely, I explain that if it is not good enough to be in my portfolio it is not good enough for your business. To be a doctor requires you to really know your industry and have arguments and the emotional intelligence necessary to know how to talk with your clients. It is easier to just do whatever they ask you to do, but then don’t complain if the clients are not respectful enough, if you don’t respect your own work.

8. Sellers should work together

I know Fiverr is a very competitive space, but in my view, it would be smart for sellers to work together if they are at the same level, pricing, and quality. What I mean by that, the price competition is the worst competition ever, in any business. Cheap services are bad services unless it is a funnel but that’s another topic. By working together I mean some kind of agreement on price between same level sellers in order to bring more quality customers on Fiverr. Keep the competition as much as possible to the quality of the services and avoid touching prices. Be smart, on the long-term competition driven only by the quality will make you a better seller, will raise the prices generally and will bring more quality customers on Fiverr.

What things did you learn on Fiverr as a seller/buyer?

people are not looking to buy cheap things, they are looking to buy expensive things they can afford .

Totally Agreed!

I also observed this 👍

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I agree with everything but the last one so that’s a new record. I don’t want to agree to similar prices with others in my category. Why would I want to help the competition?

You don’t help the competition, you help yourself. Pricing competition leads to lower prices and bad services for everyone. In contrast quality competition leads to better and more expensive services. So, if sellers would raise their prices at the same level the only competition between similar level sellers would be a progressive one. I hope it makes sense.

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You don’t help the competition, you help yourself. Pricing competition leads to lower prices and bad services for everyone. In contrast quality competition leads to better and more expensive services. So, if sellers would raise their prices at the same level the only competition between similar level sellers would be a progressive one. I hope it makes sense.

So a $529,000 Lamborghini should be in the same price range as a $50,000 Mercedes? They should get together and both sell for $529,000?

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I’d recommend adding:

Review your buyer’s profile before initiating an order with them.

It’s especially good for interactions with buyers who are sending up a couple red flags, but you’re not quite sure if there just might be a language barrier or not. If there are red flags and the user has an incomplete or brand-spanking-new profile with no reviews: enter at your own risk.

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1. Fiverr is not responsible for you

Fiverr is a libertarian marketplace - As a libertarian myself I like the concept but the dark side of it it is you have to take care of yourself.

2. Learn psychology

You need at least basic psychology knowledge. As a seller, your main goal is not to get more sales but more quality sales. The only way to protect yourself against potential abusive (or simply uninformed) buyers is to spot them before start working with them. You can do this in the first exchange of messages. With very low prices, some buyers seem to be uninterested in their own purchase or uninformed. I rejected a lot of people simply because I noticed they don’t have basic business knowledge, but they were willing to buy a website for their businesses at 300 USD. As a seller, you work much harder with an uninformed buyer than with a buyer who really knows what he wants. Losing time and energy will impact your business by keeping you ‘prisoner’ in an endless order.

3. Stop selling cheap

Sellers are more exposed to abuses than buyers, whether we talk about free extra work or unfair feedback. You can literally buy a photography service and leave negative feedback related to a video service which is not provided. The buyer could interpret your gig in his/her way because of the lack of knowledge or language barrier or whatever reason.

The problem here is not the buyer but your 5 USD gig. Imagine this: If a person comes to you trying to sell you an iPhone X with 100 USD, would you accept? Let’s say the phone is working perfectly, it is not stollen, it is in perfect condition. Could you believe that? Perhaps not, why? Because it is too cheap to be a serious offer. This is the pricing psychology, people are not looking to buy cheap things, they are looking to buy expensive things they can afford. If you really have an iPhone X to sell, please sell it at the right price.

4. Be a buyer

If you sell on Fiverr but you’ve never bought something yet, go and buy a service ASAP. Most of the people with internet access can literally throw 5 USD out of the window, so as a seller you’re not taken seriously if you sell that cheap. But if you’re a seller with 5000 USD services with bad reviews it is most probably your fault. If a buyer orders a 5000 USD service he/she will read your description maybe twice, a buyer prepared to spend 5000 USD is willing to invest the energy and time required to provide clear information, to respond in time and to take you seriously. That is a buyer who is looking for something specific if he/she comes with 150 revisions, it is because he needs his website, logo or whatever to be perfect. Even if you don’t have clients willing to spend 5000 USD on your services, imagine you have and write your gig for them, not for the 5 USD customers. This means clear details, good FAQ, make sure your gig is as clear as a contract.

5. Select your customers

Recently Fiverr introduced Blind reviews which is a very good idea. Why? It avoids ‘bribery’, if a customer who wasn’t respectful, or he asked for more than he bought but at the end, he leaves you a very good review, as a seller you might consider giving him a very good review back. This is a form of bribery. With blind reviews, you rate your buyers as you consider. For one-time buyers, this is not a big deal, but for people who constantly outsource on Fiverr, a bad review could actually have an impact on their business as long as the sellers are looking to that aspect. As a buyer on Fiverr I’m looking for the best services available at the best prices, guess what, the sellers that provide them have a lot of clients, if you have a negative review as a buyer those sellers might reject you.

6. Be objective

Learn to control your emotions. Look at the situation objectively and be always fair, even when you’re wrong. I saw a lot of reviews from sellers like “Worst experience ever”, this is an emotional response. It doesn’t help you, it doesn’t help the community, it doesn’t hurt the buyer. As a seller, I will not reject a buyer because he has 1 such review. If the experience was very frustrating, explain why: communication, language barrier, lack of interest, etc. Firstly, when you explain you help the community. Secondly, while you’re thinking about your arguments you might find you’ve done mistakes too and your review might be unfair and emotionally driven. Avoid personal acts of vengeance, they are not profitable.

7. Be a doctor

This is a sales technique. The reality is buyers come to you because you know to solve a specific problem. But, sometimes buyers tend to be dominant and provide specific recommendations, in other words, to tell you how to do your job. Be a doctor means you’re in charge, he pays you but you know much more about the work than your client. When you go to a doctor you don’t diagnose yourself, he’s the expert you pay and respect his knowledge. It doesn’t mean to ignore your customer’s requirements, it means to evaluate their requirements and propose something that really makes sense. As a designer not once I rejected some specifications because they were terrible for the design. I did that politely, I explain that if it is not good enough to be in my portfolio it is not good enough for your business. To be a doctor requires you to really know your industry and have arguments and the emotional intelligence necessary to know how to talk with your clients. It is easier to just do whatever they ask you to do, but then don’t complain if the clients are not respectful enough, if you don’t respect your own work.

8. Sellers should work together

I know Fiverr is a very competitive space, but in my view, it would be smart for sellers to work together if they are at the same level, pricing, and quality. What I mean by that, the price competition is the worst competition ever, in any business. Cheap services are bad services unless it is a funnel but that’s another topic. By working together I mean some kind of agreement on price between same level sellers in order to bring more quality customers on Fiverr. Keep the competition as much as possible to the quality of the services and avoid touching prices. Be smart, on the long-term competition driven only by the quality will make you a better seller, will raise the prices generally and will bring more quality customers on Fiverr.

What things did you learn on Fiverr as a seller/buyer?

What I mean by that, the price competition is the worst competition ever, in any business…By working together I mean some kind of agreement on price between same level sellers in order to bring more quality customers on Fiverr.

Wouldn’t that be anticompetitive and maybe against the law (if they are competing sellers)?

favicon_4.icoFederal Trade Commission – 11 Jun 13

ftc_social_share_default_en.thumb.jpg.f1653e388b31eddb9aa56c82c3b05aff.jpg

Price Fixing

The official website of the Federal Trade Commission, protecting America’s consumers for over 100 years.

From the above linked site:

Generally, the antitrust laws require that each company establish prices and other terms on its own, without agreeing with a competitor. When consumers make choices about what products and services to buy, they expect that the price has been determined freely on the basis of supply and demand, not by an agreement among competitors

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So a $529,000 Lamborghini should be in the same price range as a $50,000 Mercedes? They should get together and both sell for $529,000?

A $529,000 Lamborghini should be in the same price range as a $529,000 Lamborghini, don’t try to sell your Lamborghini cheaper to beat the competition.

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1. Fiverr is not responsible for you

Fiverr is a libertarian marketplace - As a libertarian myself I like the concept but the dark side of it it is you have to take care of yourself.

2. Learn psychology

You need at least basic psychology knowledge. As a seller, your main goal is not to get more sales but more quality sales. The only way to protect yourself against potential abusive (or simply uninformed) buyers is to spot them before start working with them. You can do this in the first exchange of messages. With very low prices, some buyers seem to be uninterested in their own purchase or uninformed. I rejected a lot of people simply because I noticed they don’t have basic business knowledge, but they were willing to buy a website for their businesses at 300 USD. As a seller, you work much harder with an uninformed buyer than with a buyer who really knows what he wants. Losing time and energy will impact your business by keeping you ‘prisoner’ in an endless order.

3. Stop selling cheap

Sellers are more exposed to abuses than buyers, whether we talk about free extra work or unfair feedback. You can literally buy a photography service and leave negative feedback related to a video service which is not provided. The buyer could interpret your gig in his/her way because of the lack of knowledge or language barrier or whatever reason.

The problem here is not the buyer but your 5 USD gig. Imagine this: If a person comes to you trying to sell you an iPhone X with 100 USD, would you accept? Let’s say the phone is working perfectly, it is not stollen, it is in perfect condition. Could you believe that? Perhaps not, why? Because it is too cheap to be a serious offer. This is the pricing psychology, people are not looking to buy cheap things, they are looking to buy expensive things they can afford. If you really have an iPhone X to sell, please sell it at the right price.

4. Be a buyer

If you sell on Fiverr but you’ve never bought something yet, go and buy a service ASAP. Most of the people with internet access can literally throw 5 USD out of the window, so as a seller you’re not taken seriously if you sell that cheap. But if you’re a seller with 5000 USD services with bad reviews it is most probably your fault. If a buyer orders a 5000 USD service he/she will read your description maybe twice, a buyer prepared to spend 5000 USD is willing to invest the energy and time required to provide clear information, to respond in time and to take you seriously. That is a buyer who is looking for something specific if he/she comes with 150 revisions, it is because he needs his website, logo or whatever to be perfect. Even if you don’t have clients willing to spend 5000 USD on your services, imagine you have and write your gig for them, not for the 5 USD customers. This means clear details, good FAQ, make sure your gig is as clear as a contract.

5. Select your customers

Recently Fiverr introduced Blind reviews which is a very good idea. Why? It avoids ‘bribery’, if a customer who wasn’t respectful, or he asked for more than he bought but at the end, he leaves you a very good review, as a seller you might consider giving him a very good review back. This is a form of bribery. With blind reviews, you rate your buyers as you consider. For one-time buyers, this is not a big deal, but for people who constantly outsource on Fiverr, a bad review could actually have an impact on their business as long as the sellers are looking to that aspect. As a buyer on Fiverr I’m looking for the best services available at the best prices, guess what, the sellers that provide them have a lot of clients, if you have a negative review as a buyer those sellers might reject you.

6. Be objective

Learn to control your emotions. Look at the situation objectively and be always fair, even when you’re wrong. I saw a lot of reviews from sellers like “Worst experience ever”, this is an emotional response. It doesn’t help you, it doesn’t help the community, it doesn’t hurt the buyer. As a seller, I will not reject a buyer because he has 1 such review. If the experience was very frustrating, explain why: communication, language barrier, lack of interest, etc. Firstly, when you explain you help the community. Secondly, while you’re thinking about your arguments you might find you’ve done mistakes too and your review might be unfair and emotionally driven. Avoid personal acts of vengeance, they are not profitable.

7. Be a doctor

This is a sales technique. The reality is buyers come to you because you know to solve a specific problem. But, sometimes buyers tend to be dominant and provide specific recommendations, in other words, to tell you how to do your job. Be a doctor means you’re in charge, he pays you but you know much more about the work than your client. When you go to a doctor you don’t diagnose yourself, he’s the expert you pay and respect his knowledge. It doesn’t mean to ignore your customer’s requirements, it means to evaluate their requirements and propose something that really makes sense. As a designer not once I rejected some specifications because they were terrible for the design. I did that politely, I explain that if it is not good enough to be in my portfolio it is not good enough for your business. To be a doctor requires you to really know your industry and have arguments and the emotional intelligence necessary to know how to talk with your clients. It is easier to just do whatever they ask you to do, but then don’t complain if the clients are not respectful enough, if you don’t respect your own work.

8. Sellers should work together

I know Fiverr is a very competitive space, but in my view, it would be smart for sellers to work together if they are at the same level, pricing, and quality. What I mean by that, the price competition is the worst competition ever, in any business. Cheap services are bad services unless it is a funnel but that’s another topic. By working together I mean some kind of agreement on price between same level sellers in order to bring more quality customers on Fiverr. Keep the competition as much as possible to the quality of the services and avoid touching prices. Be smart, on the long-term competition driven only by the quality will make you a better seller, will raise the prices generally and will bring more quality customers on Fiverr.

What things did you learn on Fiverr as a seller/buyer?

By working together I mean some kind of agreement on price between same level sellers in order to bring more quality customers on Fiverr. Keep the competition as much as possible to the quality of the services and avoid touching prices.

This is pretty much the definition of “cartel”.

In a libertarian marketplace?

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I thank you for the wise advise. I haven’t been here on fiverr long but I have been selling drawings for half a century. I had to laugh at “be a doctor” Yes, absolutely, people will hire you for your expertise and then try to operate you like a drawing puppet . Knowing what will deliver the idea, how the viewer parses an image, the emotional effect of color and composition. This is what an artist does. This is what I and others are selling. I have a pen plotter that draws better, and faster, than I do…but it hasn’t got any idea of WHAT to draw. Best of luck to you Sir.

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1. Fiverr is not responsible for you

Fiverr is a libertarian marketplace - As a libertarian myself I like the concept but the dark side of it it is you have to take care of yourself.

2. Learn psychology

You need at least basic psychology knowledge. As a seller, your main goal is not to get more sales but more quality sales. The only way to protect yourself against potential abusive (or simply uninformed) buyers is to spot them before start working with them. You can do this in the first exchange of messages. With very low prices, some buyers seem to be uninterested in their own purchase or uninformed. I rejected a lot of people simply because I noticed they don’t have basic business knowledge, but they were willing to buy a website for their businesses at 300 USD. As a seller, you work much harder with an uninformed buyer than with a buyer who really knows what he wants. Losing time and energy will impact your business by keeping you ‘prisoner’ in an endless order.

3. Stop selling cheap

Sellers are more exposed to abuses than buyers, whether we talk about free extra work or unfair feedback. You can literally buy a photography service and leave negative feedback related to a video service which is not provided. The buyer could interpret your gig in his/her way because of the lack of knowledge or language barrier or whatever reason.

The problem here is not the buyer but your 5 USD gig. Imagine this: If a person comes to you trying to sell you an iPhone X with 100 USD, would you accept? Let’s say the phone is working perfectly, it is not stollen, it is in perfect condition. Could you believe that? Perhaps not, why? Because it is too cheap to be a serious offer. This is the pricing psychology, people are not looking to buy cheap things, they are looking to buy expensive things they can afford. If you really have an iPhone X to sell, please sell it at the right price.

4. Be a buyer

If you sell on Fiverr but you’ve never bought something yet, go and buy a service ASAP. Most of the people with internet access can literally throw 5 USD out of the window, so as a seller you’re not taken seriously if you sell that cheap. But if you’re a seller with 5000 USD services with bad reviews it is most probably your fault. If a buyer orders a 5000 USD service he/she will read your description maybe twice, a buyer prepared to spend 5000 USD is willing to invest the energy and time required to provide clear information, to respond in time and to take you seriously. That is a buyer who is looking for something specific if he/she comes with 150 revisions, it is because he needs his website, logo or whatever to be perfect. Even if you don’t have clients willing to spend 5000 USD on your services, imagine you have and write your gig for them, not for the 5 USD customers. This means clear details, good FAQ, make sure your gig is as clear as a contract.

5. Select your customers

Recently Fiverr introduced Blind reviews which is a very good idea. Why? It avoids ‘bribery’, if a customer who wasn’t respectful, or he asked for more than he bought but at the end, he leaves you a very good review, as a seller you might consider giving him a very good review back. This is a form of bribery. With blind reviews, you rate your buyers as you consider. For one-time buyers, this is not a big deal, but for people who constantly outsource on Fiverr, a bad review could actually have an impact on their business as long as the sellers are looking to that aspect. As a buyer on Fiverr I’m looking for the best services available at the best prices, guess what, the sellers that provide them have a lot of clients, if you have a negative review as a buyer those sellers might reject you.

6. Be objective

Learn to control your emotions. Look at the situation objectively and be always fair, even when you’re wrong. I saw a lot of reviews from sellers like “Worst experience ever”, this is an emotional response. It doesn’t help you, it doesn’t help the community, it doesn’t hurt the buyer. As a seller, I will not reject a buyer because he has 1 such review. If the experience was very frustrating, explain why: communication, language barrier, lack of interest, etc. Firstly, when you explain you help the community. Secondly, while you’re thinking about your arguments you might find you’ve done mistakes too and your review might be unfair and emotionally driven. Avoid personal acts of vengeance, they are not profitable.

7. Be a doctor

This is a sales technique. The reality is buyers come to you because you know to solve a specific problem. But, sometimes buyers tend to be dominant and provide specific recommendations, in other words, to tell you how to do your job. Be a doctor means you’re in charge, he pays you but you know much more about the work than your client. When you go to a doctor you don’t diagnose yourself, he’s the expert you pay and respect his knowledge. It doesn’t mean to ignore your customer’s requirements, it means to evaluate their requirements and propose something that really makes sense. As a designer not once I rejected some specifications because they were terrible for the design. I did that politely, I explain that if it is not good enough to be in my portfolio it is not good enough for your business. To be a doctor requires you to really know your industry and have arguments and the emotional intelligence necessary to know how to talk with your clients. It is easier to just do whatever they ask you to do, but then don’t complain if the clients are not respectful enough, if you don’t respect your own work.

8. Sellers should work together

I know Fiverr is a very competitive space, but in my view, it would be smart for sellers to work together if they are at the same level, pricing, and quality. What I mean by that, the price competition is the worst competition ever, in any business. Cheap services are bad services unless it is a funnel but that’s another topic. By working together I mean some kind of agreement on price between same level sellers in order to bring more quality customers on Fiverr. Keep the competition as much as possible to the quality of the services and avoid touching prices. Be smart, on the long-term competition driven only by the quality will make you a better seller, will raise the prices generally and will bring more quality customers on Fiverr.

What things did you learn on Fiverr as a seller/buyer?

To be a doctor requires you to really know your industry and have arguments and the emotional intelligence necessary to know how to talk with your clients.

I like this one a lot but I can’t be a doctor without having a license. What I am is an expert in what I do. Sometimes a client tries to dictate details to me about what I should do. If you really know your talent, you will not allow this.

You will communicate and explain that you do things as you do through your years of knowledge and practice. Be the expert. And let your clients know that.

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Thanks for some useful ideas, avstauffenberg. Definitely some food for thought there. I like the points about pricing psychology - Pricing too cheap is arguably suspicious!

Like other people here I’d take issue with the final ‘price fixing’ idea though. You describe Fiverr as a libertarian marketplace (and in fact describe yourself as a libertarian!) but the idea of price-fixing would seem to be in direct conflict with this? I think people still need to have the freedom to set whatever price they like, and then the market will ultimately decide who wins. After all, people should be able to choose to pay more for a better quality service. On the other hand, sellers who are less experienced may need to opt to sell their services for less (at least initially).

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1. Fiverr is not responsible for you

Fiverr is a libertarian marketplace - As a libertarian myself I like the concept but the dark side of it it is you have to take care of yourself.

2. Learn psychology

You need at least basic psychology knowledge. As a seller, your main goal is not to get more sales but more quality sales. The only way to protect yourself against potential abusive (or simply uninformed) buyers is to spot them before start working with them. You can do this in the first exchange of messages. With very low prices, some buyers seem to be uninterested in their own purchase or uninformed. I rejected a lot of people simply because I noticed they don’t have basic business knowledge, but they were willing to buy a website for their businesses at 300 USD. As a seller, you work much harder with an uninformed buyer than with a buyer who really knows what he wants. Losing time and energy will impact your business by keeping you ‘prisoner’ in an endless order.

3. Stop selling cheap

Sellers are more exposed to abuses than buyers, whether we talk about free extra work or unfair feedback. You can literally buy a photography service and leave negative feedback related to a video service which is not provided. The buyer could interpret your gig in his/her way because of the lack of knowledge or language barrier or whatever reason.

The problem here is not the buyer but your 5 USD gig. Imagine this: If a person comes to you trying to sell you an iPhone X with 100 USD, would you accept? Let’s say the phone is working perfectly, it is not stollen, it is in perfect condition. Could you believe that? Perhaps not, why? Because it is too cheap to be a serious offer. This is the pricing psychology, people are not looking to buy cheap things, they are looking to buy expensive things they can afford. If you really have an iPhone X to sell, please sell it at the right price.

4. Be a buyer

If you sell on Fiverr but you’ve never bought something yet, go and buy a service ASAP. Most of the people with internet access can literally throw 5 USD out of the window, so as a seller you’re not taken seriously if you sell that cheap. But if you’re a seller with 5000 USD services with bad reviews it is most probably your fault. If a buyer orders a 5000 USD service he/she will read your description maybe twice, a buyer prepared to spend 5000 USD is willing to invest the energy and time required to provide clear information, to respond in time and to take you seriously. That is a buyer who is looking for something specific if he/she comes with 150 revisions, it is because he needs his website, logo or whatever to be perfect. Even if you don’t have clients willing to spend 5000 USD on your services, imagine you have and write your gig for them, not for the 5 USD customers. This means clear details, good FAQ, make sure your gig is as clear as a contract.

5. Select your customers

Recently Fiverr introduced Blind reviews which is a very good idea. Why? It avoids ‘bribery’, if a customer who wasn’t respectful, or he asked for more than he bought but at the end, he leaves you a very good review, as a seller you might consider giving him a very good review back. This is a form of bribery. With blind reviews, you rate your buyers as you consider. For one-time buyers, this is not a big deal, but for people who constantly outsource on Fiverr, a bad review could actually have an impact on their business as long as the sellers are looking to that aspect. As a buyer on Fiverr I’m looking for the best services available at the best prices, guess what, the sellers that provide them have a lot of clients, if you have a negative review as a buyer those sellers might reject you.

6. Be objective

Learn to control your emotions. Look at the situation objectively and be always fair, even when you’re wrong. I saw a lot of reviews from sellers like “Worst experience ever”, this is an emotional response. It doesn’t help you, it doesn’t help the community, it doesn’t hurt the buyer. As a seller, I will not reject a buyer because he has 1 such review. If the experience was very frustrating, explain why: communication, language barrier, lack of interest, etc. Firstly, when you explain you help the community. Secondly, while you’re thinking about your arguments you might find you’ve done mistakes too and your review might be unfair and emotionally driven. Avoid personal acts of vengeance, they are not profitable.

7. Be a doctor

This is a sales technique. The reality is buyers come to you because you know to solve a specific problem. But, sometimes buyers tend to be dominant and provide specific recommendations, in other words, to tell you how to do your job. Be a doctor means you’re in charge, he pays you but you know much more about the work than your client. When you go to a doctor you don’t diagnose yourself, he’s the expert you pay and respect his knowledge. It doesn’t mean to ignore your customer’s requirements, it means to evaluate their requirements and propose something that really makes sense. As a designer not once I rejected some specifications because they were terrible for the design. I did that politely, I explain that if it is not good enough to be in my portfolio it is not good enough for your business. To be a doctor requires you to really know your industry and have arguments and the emotional intelligence necessary to know how to talk with your clients. It is easier to just do whatever they ask you to do, but then don’t complain if the clients are not respectful enough, if you don’t respect your own work.

8. Sellers should work together

I know Fiverr is a very competitive space, but in my view, it would be smart for sellers to work together if they are at the same level, pricing, and quality. What I mean by that, the price competition is the worst competition ever, in any business. Cheap services are bad services unless it is a funnel but that’s another topic. By working together I mean some kind of agreement on price between same level sellers in order to bring more quality customers on Fiverr. Keep the competition as much as possible to the quality of the services and avoid touching prices. Be smart, on the long-term competition driven only by the quality will make you a better seller, will raise the prices generally and will bring more quality customers on Fiverr.

What things did you learn on Fiverr as a seller/buyer?

Cheap services are bad services unless it is a funnel but that’s another topic. By working together I mean some kind of agreement on price between same level sellers in order to bring more quality customers on Fiverr.

Nah, wouldn’t work. I can design and build websites but I don’t offer this service because it’s not my specialty. That said, I have seen websites delivered by some sellers on Fiverr who charge premium rates, and I wasn’t impressed.

If I were to offer website design (as someone with no formal training), I would charge a minimum of $200 - $500 just to compensate me for the amount of time spent working on a project. This though seems to be the going rate offered by most sellers. In this case, are they all underselling themselves? Or are they all winging it like I would be, and just charging for their time?

I actually wish people would stop recommending how other sellers should price themselves altogether.

Fiverr used to be a race to the bottom as far as pricing is concerned. However, over the past 2-years, its become a race to the top. The consensus among most has changed to “higher prices are better.”

While this might be true, it is steadily resulting in waves of some sellers charging far more than what they are really worth. If they get away with it for a while, that’s fine. However, in the long-term, it undermines the basic idea that higher prices equal higher quality, and may diminish consumer trust to a certain degree.

Smart sellers should price themselves based on how much social proof they have that they are able to deliver decent quality, and what broader market rates are off-Fiverr for what they sell. Of course, everyone is different.

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1. Fiverr is not responsible for you

Fiverr is a libertarian marketplace - As a libertarian myself I like the concept but the dark side of it it is you have to take care of yourself.

2. Learn psychology

You need at least basic psychology knowledge. As a seller, your main goal is not to get more sales but more quality sales. The only way to protect yourself against potential abusive (or simply uninformed) buyers is to spot them before start working with them. You can do this in the first exchange of messages. With very low prices, some buyers seem to be uninterested in their own purchase or uninformed. I rejected a lot of people simply because I noticed they don’t have basic business knowledge, but they were willing to buy a website for their businesses at 300 USD. As a seller, you work much harder with an uninformed buyer than with a buyer who really knows what he wants. Losing time and energy will impact your business by keeping you ‘prisoner’ in an endless order.

3. Stop selling cheap

Sellers are more exposed to abuses than buyers, whether we talk about free extra work or unfair feedback. You can literally buy a photography service and leave negative feedback related to a video service which is not provided. The buyer could interpret your gig in his/her way because of the lack of knowledge or language barrier or whatever reason.

The problem here is not the buyer but your 5 USD gig. Imagine this: If a person comes to you trying to sell you an iPhone X with 100 USD, would you accept? Let’s say the phone is working perfectly, it is not stollen, it is in perfect condition. Could you believe that? Perhaps not, why? Because it is too cheap to be a serious offer. This is the pricing psychology, people are not looking to buy cheap things, they are looking to buy expensive things they can afford. If you really have an iPhone X to sell, please sell it at the right price.

4. Be a buyer

If you sell on Fiverr but you’ve never bought something yet, go and buy a service ASAP. Most of the people with internet access can literally throw 5 USD out of the window, so as a seller you’re not taken seriously if you sell that cheap. But if you’re a seller with 5000 USD services with bad reviews it is most probably your fault. If a buyer orders a 5000 USD service he/she will read your description maybe twice, a buyer prepared to spend 5000 USD is willing to invest the energy and time required to provide clear information, to respond in time and to take you seriously. That is a buyer who is looking for something specific if he/she comes with 150 revisions, it is because he needs his website, logo or whatever to be perfect. Even if you don’t have clients willing to spend 5000 USD on your services, imagine you have and write your gig for them, not for the 5 USD customers. This means clear details, good FAQ, make sure your gig is as clear as a contract.

5. Select your customers

Recently Fiverr introduced Blind reviews which is a very good idea. Why? It avoids ‘bribery’, if a customer who wasn’t respectful, or he asked for more than he bought but at the end, he leaves you a very good review, as a seller you might consider giving him a very good review back. This is a form of bribery. With blind reviews, you rate your buyers as you consider. For one-time buyers, this is not a big deal, but for people who constantly outsource on Fiverr, a bad review could actually have an impact on their business as long as the sellers are looking to that aspect. As a buyer on Fiverr I’m looking for the best services available at the best prices, guess what, the sellers that provide them have a lot of clients, if you have a negative review as a buyer those sellers might reject you.

6. Be objective

Learn to control your emotions. Look at the situation objectively and be always fair, even when you’re wrong. I saw a lot of reviews from sellers like “Worst experience ever”, this is an emotional response. It doesn’t help you, it doesn’t help the community, it doesn’t hurt the buyer. As a seller, I will not reject a buyer because he has 1 such review. If the experience was very frustrating, explain why: communication, language barrier, lack of interest, etc. Firstly, when you explain you help the community. Secondly, while you’re thinking about your arguments you might find you’ve done mistakes too and your review might be unfair and emotionally driven. Avoid personal acts of vengeance, they are not profitable.

7. Be a doctor

This is a sales technique. The reality is buyers come to you because you know to solve a specific problem. But, sometimes buyers tend to be dominant and provide specific recommendations, in other words, to tell you how to do your job. Be a doctor means you’re in charge, he pays you but you know much more about the work than your client. When you go to a doctor you don’t diagnose yourself, he’s the expert you pay and respect his knowledge. It doesn’t mean to ignore your customer’s requirements, it means to evaluate their requirements and propose something that really makes sense. As a designer not once I rejected some specifications because they were terrible for the design. I did that politely, I explain that if it is not good enough to be in my portfolio it is not good enough for your business. To be a doctor requires you to really know your industry and have arguments and the emotional intelligence necessary to know how to talk with your clients. It is easier to just do whatever they ask you to do, but then don’t complain if the clients are not respectful enough, if you don’t respect your own work.

8. Sellers should work together

I know Fiverr is a very competitive space, but in my view, it would be smart for sellers to work together if they are at the same level, pricing, and quality. What I mean by that, the price competition is the worst competition ever, in any business. Cheap services are bad services unless it is a funnel but that’s another topic. By working together I mean some kind of agreement on price between same level sellers in order to bring more quality customers on Fiverr. Keep the competition as much as possible to the quality of the services and avoid touching prices. Be smart, on the long-term competition driven only by the quality will make you a better seller, will raise the prices generally and will bring more quality customers on Fiverr.

What things did you learn on Fiverr as a seller/buyer?

As a seller, you work much harder with an uninformed buyer than with a buyer who really knows what he wants. Losing time and energy will impact your business by keeping you ‘prisoner’ in an endless order.

This is perfect. When you low-ball your work, you lose in so many ways.

Thanks for your empowering post. It just doesn’t pay to shortchange yourself and we have to optimize our skills and understanding of clients.

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1. Fiverr is not responsible for you

Fiverr is a libertarian marketplace - As a libertarian myself I like the concept but the dark side of it it is you have to take care of yourself.

2. Learn psychology

You need at least basic psychology knowledge. As a seller, your main goal is not to get more sales but more quality sales. The only way to protect yourself against potential abusive (or simply uninformed) buyers is to spot them before start working with them. You can do this in the first exchange of messages. With very low prices, some buyers seem to be uninterested in their own purchase or uninformed. I rejected a lot of people simply because I noticed they don’t have basic business knowledge, but they were willing to buy a website for their businesses at 300 USD. As a seller, you work much harder with an uninformed buyer than with a buyer who really knows what he wants. Losing time and energy will impact your business by keeping you ‘prisoner’ in an endless order.

3. Stop selling cheap

Sellers are more exposed to abuses than buyers, whether we talk about free extra work or unfair feedback. You can literally buy a photography service and leave negative feedback related to a video service which is not provided. The buyer could interpret your gig in his/her way because of the lack of knowledge or language barrier or whatever reason.

The problem here is not the buyer but your 5 USD gig. Imagine this: If a person comes to you trying to sell you an iPhone X with 100 USD, would you accept? Let’s say the phone is working perfectly, it is not stollen, it is in perfect condition. Could you believe that? Perhaps not, why? Because it is too cheap to be a serious offer. This is the pricing psychology, people are not looking to buy cheap things, they are looking to buy expensive things they can afford. If you really have an iPhone X to sell, please sell it at the right price.

4. Be a buyer

If you sell on Fiverr but you’ve never bought something yet, go and buy a service ASAP. Most of the people with internet access can literally throw 5 USD out of the window, so as a seller you’re not taken seriously if you sell that cheap. But if you’re a seller with 5000 USD services with bad reviews it is most probably your fault. If a buyer orders a 5000 USD service he/she will read your description maybe twice, a buyer prepared to spend 5000 USD is willing to invest the energy and time required to provide clear information, to respond in time and to take you seriously. That is a buyer who is looking for something specific if he/she comes with 150 revisions, it is because he needs his website, logo or whatever to be perfect. Even if you don’t have clients willing to spend 5000 USD on your services, imagine you have and write your gig for them, not for the 5 USD customers. This means clear details, good FAQ, make sure your gig is as clear as a contract.

5. Select your customers

Recently Fiverr introduced Blind reviews which is a very good idea. Why? It avoids ‘bribery’, if a customer who wasn’t respectful, or he asked for more than he bought but at the end, he leaves you a very good review, as a seller you might consider giving him a very good review back. This is a form of bribery. With blind reviews, you rate your buyers as you consider. For one-time buyers, this is not a big deal, but for people who constantly outsource on Fiverr, a bad review could actually have an impact on their business as long as the sellers are looking to that aspect. As a buyer on Fiverr I’m looking for the best services available at the best prices, guess what, the sellers that provide them have a lot of clients, if you have a negative review as a buyer those sellers might reject you.

6. Be objective

Learn to control your emotions. Look at the situation objectively and be always fair, even when you’re wrong. I saw a lot of reviews from sellers like “Worst experience ever”, this is an emotional response. It doesn’t help you, it doesn’t help the community, it doesn’t hurt the buyer. As a seller, I will not reject a buyer because he has 1 such review. If the experience was very frustrating, explain why: communication, language barrier, lack of interest, etc. Firstly, when you explain you help the community. Secondly, while you’re thinking about your arguments you might find you’ve done mistakes too and your review might be unfair and emotionally driven. Avoid personal acts of vengeance, they are not profitable.

7. Be a doctor

This is a sales technique. The reality is buyers come to you because you know to solve a specific problem. But, sometimes buyers tend to be dominant and provide specific recommendations, in other words, to tell you how to do your job. Be a doctor means you’re in charge, he pays you but you know much more about the work than your client. When you go to a doctor you don’t diagnose yourself, he’s the expert you pay and respect his knowledge. It doesn’t mean to ignore your customer’s requirements, it means to evaluate their requirements and propose something that really makes sense. As a designer not once I rejected some specifications because they were terrible for the design. I did that politely, I explain that if it is not good enough to be in my portfolio it is not good enough for your business. To be a doctor requires you to really know your industry and have arguments and the emotional intelligence necessary to know how to talk with your clients. It is easier to just do whatever they ask you to do, but then don’t complain if the clients are not respectful enough, if you don’t respect your own work.

8. Sellers should work together

I know Fiverr is a very competitive space, but in my view, it would be smart for sellers to work together if they are at the same level, pricing, and quality. What I mean by that, the price competition is the worst competition ever, in any business. Cheap services are bad services unless it is a funnel but that’s another topic. By working together I mean some kind of agreement on price between same level sellers in order to bring more quality customers on Fiverr. Keep the competition as much as possible to the quality of the services and avoid touching prices. Be smart, on the long-term competition driven only by the quality will make you a better seller, will raise the prices generally and will bring more quality customers on Fiverr.

What things did you learn on Fiverr as a seller/buyer?

I don’t agree with point 8 either.

Let’s take a simple watch. Let’s compare a $5 watch with a $5000 one. They both tell time, with the latter being more accurate at it.

They both take the same effort, time or money to be built? NO.

That’s the same way with freelancers. Some use templates to build a website, and some build it from scratch using Notepad. Some design it like a 2-year-old and some design it like Picasso.

Just because you consider there’s a limit to your creative genius and to your ability to create mastery (when it’s not), that doesn’t mean we all have to limit ourselves and the price range we follow.

Buy a $5 article and a $100 one, on the same topic and length, and you will see what difference the $95 makes. 🙂

I rejected a lot of people simply because I noticed they don’t have basic business knowledge, but they were willing to buy a website for their businesses at 300 USD.

Tell that to the majority of sellers that get orders without being asked and HAVE to work it somehow to not get demoted by cancellations.

Since this website is made in such a way that people can order without your approval, and if you reject them you are penalized, your advice seems a little self-approving, don’t you think? 🙂

You have good points otherwise! Thanks for posting.

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I don’t agree with point 8 either.

Let’s take a simple watch. Let’s compare a $5 watch with a $5000 one. They both tell time, with the latter being more accurate at it.

They both take the same effort, time or money to be built? NO.

That’s the same way with freelancers. Some use templates to build a website, and some build it from scratch using Notepad. Some design it like a 2-year-old and some design it like Picasso.

Just because you consider there’s a limit to your creative genius and to your ability to create mastery (when it’s not), that doesn’t mean we all have to limit ourselves and the price range we follow.

Buy a $5 article and a $100 one, on the same topic and length, and you will see what difference the $95 makes. 🙂

I rejected a lot of people simply because I noticed they don’t have basic business knowledge, but they were willing to buy a website for their businesses at 300 USD.

Tell that to the majority of sellers that get orders without being asked and HAVE to work it somehow to not get demoted by cancellations.

Since this website is made in such a way that people can order without your approval, and if you reject them you are penalized, your advice seems a little self-approving, don’t you think? 🙂

You have good points otherwise! Thanks for posting.

Tell that to the majority of sellers that get orders without being asked and HAVE to work it somehow to not get demoted by cancellations.

Since this website is made in such a way that people can order without your approval, and if you reject them you are penalized, your advice seems a little self-approving, don’t you think? 🙂

Haven’t you got the message yet? It is still your fault! You need to raise prices to deter people from doing this and clarify things in your gig description etc etc… 😉

Just kidding. I just thought I’d say it satirically before everyone else jumps in. 🙂

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This thread gets me thinking. A good thing. Thinking about price. The idea that price competition to the exclusion of all other criteria is bad for everyone, sellers and buyers, does make sense. Still, I can understand how to many it might seem counter intuitive. Bonus question…what economist first proposed this idea? I thought it might be Adam Smith.

Anyway - I price for my time and the unique quality and nature of my work. Apples and Oranges. Art is especially NOT a commodity. Reliability and Professionalism and unique art is only worth the premium price to experienced buyers. They’ve been down the rat hole of “bargain” pricing and have no trouble paying in advance for headache relief.

The thread got me thinking about what I want out of Fiverr over the long term. I do NOT want a series of hit and run buyers. I DO want customers who have projects and need team members to realize them. If they are happy they’ll have another project next year and think of me. It will take a while but the $5 hustle does little for me or (in the long term) for Fiverr. I suspect that the “Pro” category is a recognition of this.

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