I Don't Trust A Gig I Got

[izah_moh]

Okay, so I’m a bit of a paranoid person. And especially on this site after reading a lot of peoples stories, it’s very wise to be cautious and sceptical.

I got a gig late last night and immediately set to work on it. (Won’t mention the Seller’s name or the Gig in question in case they stumble upon this. At least then I can deny that I was speaking about them 😅 ) But something about the whole thing didn’t feel right, the gig almost felt…too easy? And over the years I’ve learned to trust my instincts.

So I went and checked out the buyer’s profile, and would you look at that! A Level 2 Seller!? AND They are offering the exact same gigs (MULTIPLE of them) that they were hiring me to do. And their gig cost hundreds of dollars while mine barely cost twenty.

Now at the end of the day, do I have proof that this person is hiring me to do their work that they’ve been hired by someone else to do for an 8th of the price? No, I don’t. Do I really care if that is what they are actually doing??? Not really, don’t really much care. Money is money, and I’m getting paid either way. Just wish I was getting paid more if my suspicions are true. I’m just posting this to see if this is something common or that I can report? Shit, I don’t even know HOW to report something like this!

Is this a nothing issue and just an eco-system of Fiverr? Like, they’re allowed to do this? I’d love to hear some advice from any of you reading this!

Anyway, I hope you all are having a good day! And if the person who hired me stumbles upon this…disregard everything I just said, I wasn’t talking about you-BUT, your order will be ready soon 😘

⚠️

THE PERSON CANCELLED THE GIG! SO I WAS RIGHT!!! :rofl:

[ducktheunicorn]

It’s actually not against TOS. It might be against your ethics, and feel downright dirty, but it’s not something you can report. Before I raised my prices all of my customers were resellers. Now, I get paid what they were getting paid without having to pay for outsourcing, so I learned how to beat them at their own game.

Taken from Fiverr TOS: https://www.fiverr.com/terms_of_service
By offering a service, the Seller undertakes that he/she has sufficient permissions, rights and/or licenses to provide, sell or resell the service that is offered on Fiverr.

[eoinfinnegan]

For all you know they are getting you to do one part of a larger project or they are getting you to do something that they will ultimately use as a foundation for the work they do. I do both of these things now and then and I don’t see anything wrong with it. In fact, it’s a great way for newer sellers to get some experience at the start.

There are lots of other things that would explain why they hired you. If someone is selling your work on to someone else, well that’s none of your business. If you feel you are not getting paid enough then you can always have a discussion with the person who set your prices.

[english_voice]

Okay, so I’m a bit of a paranoid person. And especially on this site after reading a lot of peoples stories, it’s very wise to be cautious and sceptical.

I got a gig late last night and immediately set to work on it. (Won’t mention the Seller’s name or the Gig in question in case they stumble upon this. At least then I can deny that I was speaking about them 😅 ) But something about the whole thing didn’t feel right, the gig almost felt…too easy? And over the years I’ve learned to trust my instincts.

So I went and checked out the buyer’s profile, and would you look at that! A Level 2 Seller!? AND They are offering the exact same gigs (MULTIPLE of them) that they were hiring me to do. And their gig cost hundreds of dollars while mine barely cost twenty.

Now at the end of the day, do I have proof that this person is hiring me to do their work that they’ve been hired by someone else to do for an 8th of the price? No, I don’t. Do I really care if that is what they are actually doing??? Not really, don’t really much care. Money is money, and I’m getting paid either way. Just wish I was getting paid more if my suspicions are true. I’m just posting this to see if this is something common or that I can report? Shit, I don’t even know HOW to report something like this!

Is this a nothing issue and just an eco-system of Fiverr? Like, they’re allowed to do this? I’d love to hear some advice from any of you reading this!

Anyway, I hope you all are having a good day! And if the person who hired me stumbles upon this…disregard everything I just said, I wasn’t talking about you-BUT, your order will be ready soon 😘

⚠️

THE PERSON CANCELLED THE GIG! SO I WAS RIGHT!!! :rofl:

Based on your story it sounds like a reseller has bought your gig.

A reseller is someone who bids for or accepts work at a high price, and then gets another seller to complete the task for a low price. Apart from a bit of admin, they do nothing apart from make money.

Morally I have a massive issue with resellers as most of them are not honest with their clients about who is doing the work. This can result in communication errors, and time delays. Also, because of these difficulties, if the original buyer is unhappy, the reseller will more than likely slap you about a bit by leaving you negative feedback or cancelling the order - even though it was probably their poor communication that was at fault.

Sadly though, as far as I’m aware, there is nothing to prevent resellers operating.

I think what you have to take away from this experience is that someone, somewhere was prepared to pay a far higher price for you work. You should explore increasing your own gig price.

[tiakovolana]

yeah, i’d rather buy from you directly, in fact i might just. this is why i wouldn’t trust allot of the more expensive options, when there are much less expensive options that seem to be offering the exact same thing in the exact same style. i don’t like it because it hurts more honest sellers who wish to charge more, not to mention it’s a bloody cheek

i agree with everything that @english_voice said, though sshhhh, let em place an order 😛

[izah_moh]

It’s actually not against TOS. It might be against your ethics, and feel downright dirty, but it’s not something you can report. Before I raised my prices all of my customers were resellers. Now, I get paid what they were getting paid without having to pay for outsourcing, so I learned how to beat them at their own game.

Taken from Fiverr TOS: https://www.fiverr.com/terms_of_service

By offering a service, the Seller undertakes that he/she has sufficient permissions, rights and/or licenses to provide, sell or resell the service that is offered on Fiverr.

Well, that sucks! But I guess that’s how the cookie crumbles…😅

[izah_moh]

For all you know they are getting you to do one part of a larger project or they are getting you to do something that they will ultimately use as a foundation for the work they do. I do both of these things now and then and I don’t see anything wrong with it. In fact, it’s a great way for newer sellers to get some experience at the start.

There are lots of other things that would explain why they hired you. If someone is selling your work on to someone else, well that’s none of your business. If you feel you are not getting paid enough then you can always have a discussion with the person who set your prices.

A little harsh, but I appreciate your feedback. Thank you for sharing your point of view with me.

[eoinfinnegan]

Based on your story it sounds like a reseller has bought your gig.

A reseller is someone who bids for or accepts work at a high price, and then gets another seller to complete the task for a low price. Apart from a bit of admin, they do nothing apart from make money.

Morally I have a massive issue with resellers as most of them are not honest with their clients about who is doing the work. This can result in communication errors, and time delays. Also, because of these difficulties, if the original buyer is unhappy, the reseller will more than likely slap you about a bit by leaving you negative feedback or cancelling the order - even though it was probably their poor communication that was at fault.

Sadly though, as far as I’m aware, there is nothing to prevent resellers operating.

I think what you have to take away from this experience is that someone, somewhere was prepared to pay a far higher price for you work. You should explore increasing your own gig price.

Having just confessed to being someone who resells work from other sellers, I have to take issue with most of what you said there. Yes, there are many resellers who are problematic.I am not one of them and actually, the reseller clients I have for longest are the ones who have spent most over the years. This general “reseller bad” idea comes from a small amount of resellers who cause problems and most likely don’t actually get anywhere as resellers.

A good reseller knows that making sure your suppliers are happy and like working with you is the key to doing it well.

[izah_moh]

Based on your story it sounds like a reseller has bought your gig.

A reseller is someone who bids for or accepts work at a high price, and then gets another seller to complete the task for a low price. Apart from a bit of admin, they do nothing apart from make money.

Morally I have a massive issue with resellers as most of them are not honest with their clients about who is doing the work. This can result in communication errors, and time delays. Also, because of these difficulties, if the original buyer is unhappy, the reseller will more than likely slap you about a bit by leaving you negative feedback or cancelling the order - even though it was probably their poor communication that was at fault.

Sadly though, as far as I’m aware, there is nothing to prevent resellers operating.

I think what you have to take away from this experience is that someone, somewhere was prepared to pay a far higher price for you work. You should explore increasing your own gig price.

Ya, the practice seems scummy, but it is indeed a learning experience. Thankfully though I might be getting bumped up to a Level 1 seller soon so I can mess around with the option of increasing my prices.

But for now I’m comfortable with them and don’t see or feel a need to over charged for them. I’d much rather work hard on multiple projects and gather money then barely get one project that pays a lot.

Thank you so much for your wonderful advice!

[izah_moh]

yeah, i’d rather buy from you directly, in fact i might just. this is why i wouldn’t trust allot of the more expensive options, when there are much less expensive options that seem to be offering the exact same thing in the exact same style. i don’t like it because it hurts more honest sellers who wish to charge more, not to mention it’s a bloody cheek

i agree with everything that @english_voice said, though sshhhh, let em place an order 😛

[ducktheunicorn]

Having just confessed to being someone who resells work from other sellers, I have to take issue with most of what you said there. Yes, there are many resellers who are problematic.I am not one of them and actually, the reseller clients I have for longest are the ones who have spent most over the years. This general “reseller bad” idea comes from a small amount of resellers who cause problems and most likely don’t actually get anywhere as resellers.

A good reseller knows that making sure your suppliers are happy and like working with you is the key to doing it well.

I agree, not all of my reseller clients were bad clients. I even kept one and give him a small discount for sticking on and passing the price increases on to his clients. Granted, this person is a web designer who orders copywriting services so it’s not exactly the same. For the most part though, resellers have left a bad taste in my mouth with poor communication and added work after placing an order.

[izah_moh]

Having just confessed to being someone who resells work from other sellers, I have to take issue with most of what you said there. Yes, there are many resellers who are problematic.I am not one of them and actually, the reseller clients I have for longest are the ones who have spent most over the years. This general “reseller bad” idea comes from a small amount of resellers who cause problems and most likely don’t actually get anywhere as resellers.

A good reseller knows that making sure your suppliers are happy and like working with you is the key to doing it well.

I get where you are coming from, most “bad eggs” spoil the whole bunch for the rest of us.

I don’t even much mind the whole “reselling” thing. If I was being told that my work was going to be resold, that would even make me work harder so I can keep you as a steady source of income because it seems that you would obviously get more work that you would want to outsource.

I don’t know, it would just be nice to get paid more, y’know? If you are making $500 on the gig and you’re paying me $20 (example), that seems like highway robbery.

So at the end of the day, just tell me and pay me more.

[tiakovolana]

you could go the commercial licence rout. so, a casual customer buying for personal use gets the $20, but if you want reselling rights you’d have to pay extra?

[english_voice]

Having just confessed to being someone who resells work from other sellers, I have to take issue with most of what you said there. Yes, there are many resellers who are problematic.I am not one of them and actually, the reseller clients I have for longest are the ones who have spent most over the years. This general “reseller bad” idea comes from a small amount of resellers who cause problems and most likely don’t actually get anywhere as resellers.

A good reseller knows that making sure your suppliers are happy and like working with you is the key to doing it well.

Do you explain to your clients that you will not be producing the work for them?

Do you explain that you will be subcontracting out the work, leading to potential delays in their project to allow for the additional communication between parties?

If you do, great. I commend you.

[eoinfinnegan]

Do you explain to your clients that you will not be producing the work for them?

Do you explain that you will be subcontracting out the work, leading to potential delays in their project to allow for the additional communication between parties?

If you do, great. I commend you.

Well first off - This isn’t something I do for all services or all clients.

I hire people to do some of the more basic elements of SEO and Marketing that I offer individual clients. I do everything else. This is because if I were to do these at my hourly rate then the cost to the client would be far more. In this way, my clients get my expertise overseeing and directing cheap service providers.

It’s a win for them and it’s why my clients don’t end up on the forum complaining about the awful experience they had with SEO sellers. I charge a certain amount for my time but there definitely isn’t a case of selling for $100 and buying for $20. There is no excessive profit here. If making my delivery time means paying a seller’s extra fast fee then that’s what I do. It has happened where sellers let me down and I end up hiring someone else; that cost is on me.

I do things this way as it is more convenient, effective and cost-efficient for my clients while also ensuring I can provide a fuller service.

Do you explain to your clients that you will not be producing the work for them?

I have done at times when it was relevant but given that I look through anything someone else does for me, it isn’t generally necessary to explain that.

Do you explain that you will be subcontracting out the work, leading to potential delays in their project to allow for the additional communication between parties?

That is a weird and loaded question. It would be really odd for me to list out all the potential issues that could arise from whatever process I have. I give a delivery time and ensure the work is done in that time. That’s all that’s needed. I presume you don’t list the potential pitfalls of hiring someone who is working on their own either, right?

I do explain to sellers that what I am doing, how I work, what it entails etc. They have the option to opt out. Hasn’t happened yet as far as I recall.

[eoinfinnegan]

I get where you are coming from, most “bad eggs” spoil the whole bunch for the rest of us.

I don’t even much mind the whole “reselling” thing. If I was being told that my work was going to be resold, that would even make me work harder so I can keep you as a steady source of income because it seems that you would obviously get more work that you would want to outsource.

I don’t know, it would just be nice to get paid more, y’know? If you are making $500 on the gig and you’re paying me $20 (example), that seems like highway robbery.

So at the end of the day, just tell me and pay me more.

I don’t know, it would just be nice to get paid more, y’know? If you are making $500 on the gig and you’re paying me $20 (example), that seems like highway robbery.

So at the end of the day, just tell me and pay me more.

Seems to me like everyone should try reselling and see how much they make out of it, see how easy it is, how it’s just a little bit of admin.

You are making up numbers to exaggerate the issue here but if you are selling something that’s worth $500 for $20, that’s on you. People are in business here and they expect you to charge the price you want for things. If you are charging $20, why should I say “I’ll give you $100 even though you charge everyone else less”. It makes no sense.

[vickiespencer]

As a proofreader, resellers book my gigs often. I have no problem with that. I make my 💰

My dad is a farmer. :man_farmer:. Where would he be if he did not have someone to resell his product?

[english_voice]

Well first off - This isn’t something I do for all services or all clients.

I hire people to do some of the more basic elements of SEO and Marketing that I offer individual clients. I do everything else. This is because if I were to do these at my hourly rate then the cost to the client would be far more. In this way, my clients get my expertise overseeing and directing cheap service providers.

It’s a win for them and it’s why my clients don’t end up on the forum complaining about the awful experience they had with SEO sellers. I charge a certain amount for my time but there definitely isn’t a case of selling for $100 and buying for $20. There is no excessive profit here. If making my delivery time means paying a seller’s extra fast fee then that’s what I do. It has happened where sellers let me down and I end up hiring someone else; that cost is on me.

I do things this way as it is more convenient, effective and cost-efficient for my clients while also ensuring I can provide a fuller service.

Do you explain to your clients that you will not be producing the work for them?

I have done at times when it was relevant but given that I look through anything someone else does for me, it isn’t generally necessary to explain that.

Do you explain that you will be subcontracting out the work, leading to potential delays in their project to allow for the additional communication between parties?

That is a weird and loaded question. It would be really odd for me to list out all the potential issues that could arise from whatever process I have. I give a delivery time and ensure the work is done in that time. That’s all that’s needed. I presume you don’t list the potential pitfalls of hiring someone who is working on their own either, right?

I do explain to sellers that what I am doing, how I work, what it entails etc. They have the option to opt out. Hasn’t happened yet as far as I recall.

Thank you for being so open. I think there is a massive difference between subcontracting parts of a project (which it seems you do), and simply making a living reselling gigs. It is normal business practice to subcontract some elements of a project, and if that is declared to the client - then everything is 100% morally fine.

However, my experience of resellers is a nightmare. In my experience they are pushy bordering on rude, have no respect for gig times, are always chasing for delivery, they demand cheap prices, want big discounts for lots of business (in reality it’s not lots of business), they want additional work for free, often they can’t explain details which are key to the project, and most importantly if their client asks for a revision, the reseller struggles to communicate what the client wants changed, etc.

Only nine days ago I told a prospective buyer (reseller) they were being disrespectful and wanting too much of my time for what they wanted to pay. I then blocked them. Less than 20 minutes later I had a message from a different account explaining that they are sorry and they still wanted to work with me. No way. I blocked them.

To me resellers are parasites.

[izah_moh]

⚠️

THE PERSON CANCELLED THE GIG! SO I WAS RIGHT!!! :rofl:
Geez! What a head rush 😂
My only grievance right now is the work lost 😅
And I was terrified for a second that the cancellation would ruin my rating :thinking:
I wasn’t even gonna snitch on the seller though, business is business-but oh well, life moves on 😅

[english_voice]

⚠️

THE PERSON CANCELLED THE GIG! SO I WAS RIGHT!!! :rofl:

Geez! What a head rush 😂

My only grievance right now is the work lost 😅

And I was terrified for a second that the cancellation would ruin my rating :thinking:

I wasn’t even gonna snitch on the seller though, business is business-but oh well, life moves on 😅

Sorry to hear that. As I wrote a second ago, resellers are parasites. End of.

[tiakovolana]

yeeeeah i hope you didn’t send him anything before he cancelled

[eoinfinnegan]

Thank you for being so open. I think there is a massive difference between subcontracting parts of a project (which it seems you do), and simply making a living reselling gigs. It is normal business practice to subcontract some elements of a project, and if that is declared to the client - then everything is 100% morally fine.

However, my experience of resellers is a nightmare. In my experience they are pushy bordering on rude, have no respect for gig times, are always chasing for delivery, they demand cheap prices, want big discounts for lots of business (in reality it’s not lots of business), they want additional work for free, often they can’t explain details which are key to the project, and most importantly if their client asks for a revision, the reseller struggles to communicate what the client wants changed, etc.

Only nine days ago I told a prospective buyer (reseller) they were being disrespectful and wanting too much of my time for what they wanted to pay. I then blocked them. Less than 20 minutes later I had a message from a different account explaining that they are sorry and they still wanted to work with me. No way. I blocked them.

To me resellers are parasites.

Yeah fair enough, we are probably talking about two different things.

[izah_moh]

I don’t know, it would just be nice to get paid more, y’know? If you are making $500 on the gig and you’re paying me $20 (example), that seems like highway robbery.

So at the end of the day, just tell me and pay me more.

Seems to me like everyone should try reselling and see how much they make out of it, see how easy it is, how it’s just a little bit of admin.

You are making up numbers to exaggerate the issue here but if you are selling something that’s worth $500 for $20, that’s on you. People are in business here and they expect you to charge the price you want for things. If you are charging $20, why should I say “I’ll give you $100 even though you charge everyone else less”. It makes no sense.

Seems to me like everyone should try reselling and see how much they make out of it, see how easy it is, how it’s just a little bit of admin .

I’m sorry, but you are literally doing nothing while someone else does all the hard work. Yes, you oversee it and all that other nonsense but at the end of the day you didn’t sit down and DO the work. Just because I can bake a cake doesn’t mean that when I have someone else to do it that at the end of the day I made that cake.

It’s just a matter of accepting your role. No one’s going to crucify you.

Also just because someone else charges less doesn’t mean you are required to manipulate them. Can you do so? Yes. Is it still a scummy move? Also yes.

In this particular situation I wasn’t even trying to point any fingers, I just had a gut instinct and decided to share it.

Also your “everyone should try reselling to see how easy it is” line and point is very deceiving and twisted.

If EVERYONE resold, then who would be there to do the grunt work? Since everyone is doing it, no one would want to work for cheap.

[graphtersawyer]

⚠️

THE PERSON CANCELLED THE GIG! SO I WAS RIGHT!!! :rofl:

Geez! What a head rush 😂

My only grievance right now is the work lost 😅

And I was terrified for a second that the cancellation would ruin my rating :thinking:

I wasn’t even gonna snitch on the seller though, business is business-but oh well, life moves on 😅

I don’t outsource and never have. I was just trying to get a story of my own conception written that I didn’t want to write myself due to other commitments. I canceled the order because I don’t work with immature sellers. 😉

[izah_moh]

yeeeeah i hope you didn’t send him anything before he cancelled

Not a he.

But no, didn’t send anything. I just wish I could get the time back that I invested. I have SO MANY OTHER THINGS to do but I prioritized this one because they were sweet and very straightforward.