How to deal with troll potential buyers?

[josh_oh]

I do resume service, and sometimes buyers reach out with chat first to discuss their needs, and perfectly happy to help them out and start with general advice, but sometimes I get buyers (I even start to think they’re trolls who want to waste time) who just send things to me and expect me to work on it at time convenient for them. Then I politely suggest them to take a look at my package and I’m happy to help them out afterwards.

1. Am I handling this right? obviously they should look at my packages to setup orders?
2. Is it ok to ignore troll buyers making unreasonable requests?
3. say potentially, these buyers send an offer to me, I work on it, then they decide to ‘cancel’ the order to take advantage of my service for free, then what should I do? (I read that in this case nothing much can be done)

Any advice appreciated.

[enunciator]

If you are talking about Tolkien-type trolls, then sunlight takes care of them quickly. If it is a D&D type troll, then you will need fire or acid to permanently deal with them. 🤓

Jokes aside, directing a potential buyer to your packages is a good move. If they don’t know exactly what you are offering, then quite a bit of time will be wasted explaining it to them.

Blocking further communication with bad prospective buyers is far better than receiving an order from them.

A buyer who wants to cancel an order after receiving a delivery is almost always a tricky situation. Fiverr CS cannot force a buyer to accept a delivery, but CS also cannot force a seller to accept a cancellation or revision request. Best outcome is the cancellation occurs but Fiverr reimburses you for the order. Worst outcome is the buyer runs off with your work and Fiverr doesn’t reimburse you, leaving you out in the cold.

[imagination7413]

Welcome to the Fiverr forums.

1. Yes, and yes.
2. YES! THANK YOU!
3. See above post from @enunciator. There is, sadly, always a risk. (Glanced at your gigs. They look pretty solid, but I would recommend using the FAQ section to define exactly what does and does not qualify as a revision.)

Also:

I see a lot of advice that encourages the freelance tropes - the idea that we’re all workaholic night owls, perpetually hunched over keyboards, waiting at the beck and call of potential clients. Never log out… Always be agreeable to clients… Give free samples or mock ups… Answer right away… If you needed an experienced professional to give you permission, in plain words, here it is: it’s okay to be a human being. Never give out free work. No samples. No mockups. Period. That’s what your po…

[looseink]

I do resume service, and sometimes buyers reach out with chat first to discuss their needs, and perfectly happy to help them out and start with general advice, but sometimes I get buyers (I even start to think they’re trolls who want to waste time) who just send things to me and expect me to work on it at time convenient for them. Then I politely suggest them to take a look at my package and I’m happy to help them out afterwards.

1. Am I handling this right? obviously they should look at my packages to setup orders?
2. Is it ok to ignore troll buyers making unreasonable requests?
3. say potentially, these buyers send an offer to me, I work on it, then they decide to ‘cancel’ the order to take advantage of my service for free, then what should I do? (I read that in this case nothing much can be done)

Any advice appreciated.

I get buyers (I even start to think they’re trolls who want to waste time)

Just a little comment from a slightly different angle: There are a lot of new Buyers on Fiverr as there are new Sellers.

Possibly the Buyer you are dealing with is new to the platform and does not fully understand how it works.

We can’t “assume” this Buyer is a “troll” as we do not know the full story.

Try not to profile Buyers until you have enough information to make an informed decision.

It makes you come across as a bit less than professional.