Cheating the System

[cfordbabe]

NOTE: THIS IS A MESSAGE TO FIVERR! IN THE NICEST AND KINDEST WAY POSSIBLE, I AM NOT LOOKING FOR ARGUMENTS OR DEBATES OR FIGHTS.



Dear Fiverr Staff,



I was browsing around the web recently and I noticed a post on a “blackhat” forum that detailed exactly how to get top ratings on Fiverr and move up the rankings. You only need a decent private proxy provider. Then you set up new accounts here on Fiverr with the proxies I just mentioned and then buy your own services. Then you use your fake accounts to rate your gig as 5 stars and write positive reviews. Its a flagrant abuse of trust and one that Fiverr should be working to address, as people with legitimate gigs get shoved to the bottom of the pile.



I move that the rating system be revised completely. Or even be decommissioned in favour of something better.

[brandontvedt]

First of all, are you really the Flickr model whose picture you are using as a profile pic? I doubt it, and if you took that from someone else, I’d change it. Breaks the ToS and will get your account pulled.



Secondly, fake ratings don’t really help as much as you might think. The important thing is whether or not a seller can -actually do the work-. People who get fake ratings often can’t.



So while they may get a few orders this way, they’ll almost certainly get a bunch of negative ratings on those orders. And every real negative would take ~95 fake positives to balance out. Expensive, considering they are losing at least the $1/order to Fiverr themselves.



On the other hand, if the person is truly competant and talented, and they just needed to get their foot in the door so to speak, and once they are there end up delivering all their orders 100%, well…is that a bad thing really?



Yes, I get they cheated and that the individual in question is super-unethical, blah blah blah, but as far as Fiverr is concerned, they have a new top provider who is actually delivering and making them money now. I don’t think they care -how- you get there (‘there’ being ‘making them a a lot of money’) so much that you do get there.

[cfordbabe]

Yes I actually am that Flickr model. Are you really that person in your pic? I find it very rude that you doubt me when a) we’ve never met, b) we’ve never spoken.



I really am not bothered if my account is banned, as I haven’t sold anything on this account (possibly because I haven’t broken into the upper echelons here as the cheats have kept me down), and as I mentioned in my OP, its really easy to get a new account.



If the person is truly competent and talented, what raises them above the rest in that they can get away with bucking the system? Why should they get away with squashing other people who haven’t cheated?



And don’t dismiss me or my opinions with your “blah blah blah”, it’s extremely rude and I absolutely will NOT back down to someone who tries that with me.



The simple fact is, people lose out because other people are cheating the system. Whatever spin you try to put on it (oh they’re only getting their foot in the door), it IS cheating and should be stopped.



How do you know when a rating is fake? It’s almost impossible for anyone to see. I think even the Fiverr staff have trouble seeing it. But if Google can collect data about bad IP addresses (ones that are proxies), why can’t Fiverr?



I understand that there are a lot of good sellers on here, but there is also a large percentage of poor ones, by which I mean cheats.



And Fiverr SHOULD care. It IS unethical and they really need to act, before they start getting too much bad publicity



Back to you.

[cfordbabe]

PS This was a suggestion, in the suggestion forum. I THINK it’s for Fiverr staff to read and digest, not for other people to complain and gripe about.



Also, I wonder why you are defending the cheats? Hmmmm…

[Guest merileep]

First off. It wouldn’t do much. And, if you can afford to buy dozens of your own gigs than why are you even bothering? Wouldn’t make sense.



And second. I’ve sent a message to Richelle about your profile picture that you say is you. I happen to know the girl you claim to be. Guess we’ll see how that pans out.

[cfordbabe]

Sheesh, not much sympathy here is there?



Oh you know the girl I claim to be? lol! In an internet of some 2 and a half billion users, you claim to know me! Go ahead, send your message to “Richelle” whoever that is. And if you do know me, then why don’t I know you? I’ve never seen you before.



Also, why am I getting abuse for making a SUGGESTION to FIVERR?



Maybe I’m touching a few black hat nerves…

But in case I’m not. I don’t think you understand the context of my suggestion merrileep. You only have to buy maybe 4 or 5 of your gigs to get into the “rising star” places on here. So for 20 - 25 bucks you are able to climb the ladder VERY quickly.



Fiverr will either do something with my suggestion, or they will completely ignore it. I know which one is more likely, which is a shame.



______________________________________________________________________________

**** Either way, further replies from non-fiverr-employed people will be respectfully ignored. This was after all a suggestion, not an invitation to a cat fight. ****

[bigbadbilly]

Hi @cfordbabe.

As far as Merileep says. Who cares. But, a Google image search of your pic brings up the image and the contact info to use it. If you know where to look for stock footage.



All that aside. Let me tell you. Having 4-5 gigs doesn’t bring you up anywhere. I have around 10000 completed gigs and rarely show up anywhere in search. And did I mention that I have a perfect rating? Not one negative feedback.



So, the theory you read on the blackhat forum simply isn’t true.



And buying your own gigs wouldnt help much either. For me. I would have had to spend about $50,000 bucks to get the positive numbers I have. And I still wouldn’t show up, because I don’t. I rely on repeat and self promotion.



Nobody, except Fiverr actually knows how they run their search. And they won’t talk. And, the high-ups at Fiverr don’t really read this forum. The forum is for users like me and you. So everything here is just guesses.



Hope that answers your questions, even a little.

[cfordbabe]

So what you (bigbadbilly (the first person not be an utter douche towards me for no reason)) are trying to tell me, is that the “suggestions” forum that Fiverr implemented is a waste of time. Well that’s just freaking awesome.



Maybe the blackhat post I read was old, I don’t know. I haven’t used Fiverr much the past year or so. Either way, it WAS a suggestion and I didn’t ask for all the abuse I just got. Seems this is more of a stamping ground for weirdos who enjoy verbally bashing people.



Well, whatever. As I already said, Fiverr will either act or they won’t. Judging by what you are saying, they won’t. Either way, I’m done with this discussion and won’t be visiting this thread again.



Thanks Billy, for not being a douchebag and replying with some sensible numbers.

[cheezees]

Reply to @cfordbabe: You didn’t get any abuse. Your profile pic appears to be fake and you were called out on it. You weren’t bashed, just exposed. But you said you were “done with this discussion and won’t be visiting this thread again”. So I guess you won’t read this. But really, that pic isn’t you. 🙂