Please message me before placing an order!

[chirag8838]

I also have done this in some of my gigs like website error fixes and website development but I have clearly mentioned that thing in gig description first in line. The thing here is that not all fixes and website development can be categorised by the gig packages fiverr offers some people want simple with little customisations while other wants something very complex likewise some fixes are easy and can be done quickly while others requires hours of coding work and I don't want to that kind of hard work just for basic price of the gig. My point being it's written so I can estimate price and time of work before we can move forward.

[williambryan392]

I think this is one of those rare occasions when it makes complete sense for this kind of gig, and is when it should be used 🙂 

[chronos_1]

Not true completely. We offer game development services in the platform and every game is different from the other so it is a must for buyer to contact us before ordering to get an accurate costing with timeline of the game buyer wants to make. I am sure there would be many such categories where messaging first would be beneficial for both buyer and seller. 

[yannisenglish]

I take your point about Fiverr being a quick easy buy kind of place. Personally, I don't see how a background removal service needs more explanation than, you know, remove the background from a photo. It's possible this seller may have had too many jobs in the queue and either isn't aware they can limit their orders or they are aware but don't want their gig disappearing from search.

There are a lot of services that need only a few simple pieces of information to get going and the requirements questions is enough to capture it. Some services, though, require a bit of back and forth before putting money down.

I have a message in my description requesting Buyers to contact me first and I have a very good reason for that: vaguely relevant orders.

I'm a niche blog writer, meaning I only write within a specific topic. My gigs are written tightly enough where I feel most people can understand my offering so 8-9 times out of 10, when they order without contacting me it's fine. The problem is people who enter the vaguely relevant territory.

As an example, I once had someone place an order for a blog post about their gamer tea product. Okay, I am a games writer so the "gamer" part is relevant. However, I a) have no expertise in writing about tea which is within the food and nutrition market and b) I am not a product promotion writer. This is what I dub a vaguely relevant order and it's because of this that I ask people to contact me.

So, to answer your question, yes I have tons of confidence in my writing skills. If I had the time and energy, I'd take on a multitude of topics and rely heavily on research to get the job done. But I don't have that kind of time. Furthermore, I believe in delivering written content that's authentic and based on my own experience. That's why I niche down and write about something I'm actively engaged with. So, if someone isn't clear about what I can and cannot do for them, I'd rather they err on the side of caution and just drop me a message. It saves both my time and my buyer's time when they drop me a message to the tune of "hey! could you write a piece about beekeeping as an alternate hobby for gamers?" and I simply say "nope, I have no expertise in this area, have a good one!"

Bonus: I've had several occasions where Buyers messaged me if I could do a certain topic and after I said "no" they thanked me for my honesty.

[mariashtelle1]

10 hours ago, williambryan392 said:

The first message I got from them was 'y u did not message first'.

Just out of curiosity: what did you reply and did you keep working with that seller? 

[williambryan392]

32 minutes ago, mariashtelle1 said:

Just out of curiosity: what did you reply and did you keep working with that seller? 

I replied that the message to message them first was in the requirements so I couldn't see it before purchase. I then gave my requirements and he completed the gig. It was fine in the end!

[developer_emon2]

I'm newbie on Fiverr I know not much about Fiverr system I'm a new seller just. Today a buyer direct order me without message and submit requirements. So, What can I do now? Please suggest me all expert person plz 😑 

[melanielm]

On the gig order page, click on the Resolution Center on the right-hand side. There is a place to request more time for the delivery or a cancellation of your order. What you do is up to you. You can select that you cannot complete the order because the buyer did not send requirements.

Edited April 13, 2022 by melanielm

[vickiespencer]

To avoid this problem in the future, set up your gig requirements so your buyer must finish them before the order starts.

Edited April 13, 2022 by vickiespencer

[tatjanamitevska]

As a seller myself, when I buy something I always message first out of respect. I have felt anxiety from receiving orders from buyers I haven't spoken before, most of the time goes well even if they don't contact me before but I don't want to provoke such anxiety to other sellers. 

Regardless if they have "contact me before the order" or not in their description, my opinion is that we are not machines, we are humans and as such I own you the respect and 5 minutes of my time to to say "Hi, are you up to do this this work for me" 

[visualstudios]

Depends on the service. I work in video, and it's impossible to know if we can even do what some people ask for. Or to provide accurate pricing without project details.

For $5 gigs that makes sense. For certain niches, it makes sense (I buy v/o often for projects, and I generally don't message first because there really isn't anything to discuss, just read the words on the document, if I selected a seller is because I want their voice, no way to go wrong there).

But the more creative/complex the gig is, the more important it is to message first.

[gizdesigns]

On 4/26/2022 at 7:41 PM, tatjanamitevska said:

As a seller myself, when I buy something I always message first out of respect. I have felt anxiety from receiving orders from buyers I haven't spoken before, most of the time goes well even if they don't contact me before but I don't want to provoke such anxiety to other sellers. 

I will never be comfortable placing an order on fiverr without messaging the seller first. I'm a seller too, but I've purchased quite a few services here too. 

I've received discounts from sellers, received my order faster than the duration set on their gig page and enjoyed many other benefits just by communicating with the seller first. 

Not all gigs require you to message the seller first, but some others do. Services on fiverr are not all the same. 

[newsmike]

On 2/27/2022 at 10:26 PM, williambryan392 said:

(I like supporting new sellers and I like that it was cheap). 

The first message I got from them was 'y u did not message first'.

No good deed goes unpunished. 

[williambryan392]

 

2 minutes ago, newsmike said:

No good deed goes unpunished. 

Haha ain't that the truth!

Re this topic, each to their own as the saying goes! Everyone is free to run their fiverr business how they see fit.

If the gig offering / job is complex, like web design or a business plan for example then I fully understand the need to message first. I would want to do this as a buyer as I want to be sure the seller can deliver successfully. Complex gigs require discussion and I don't want to waste time.

But I do stand by my view (maybe I'm wrong!) that fiverr was not primarily designed to be a 'discuss before purchase platform'. That's how u-p-w-o-r-k and t-o-p-t-a-l work and is something that makes fiverr very different. I don't want to spend the time discussing what I want, I want to find a description that matches what I want and that's why I like fiverr. I do however always read the gig descriptions fully!

It's kind of like the tipping debate, I understand how some can find this slightly icky, but this is 'fiverrs house' and this is how fiverr (mostly) wants it to work. 

I don't mind waking up to new messages, but I love waking up to new orders far more! 

[newsmike]

10 hours ago, gizdesigns said:

Not all gigs require you to message the seller first, but some others do.

Actually none can "require" it. They can ask for it, but that is not the way Fiverr is intended to work.  It is usually a nervous, inexperienced seller who is so unsure about their abilities that they need a courtship prior to purchase.  We are, like it or not, an on demand platform. It is a huge red flag that I believe should make a buyer avoid the seller. 

Edited May 15, 2022 by newsmike

[williambryan392]

4 minutes ago, newsmike said:

We are, like it or not, an on demand platform. It is a huge red flag that I believe should make a buyer avoid the seller. 

Agree, unless it's a complex gig which requires discussion, although I suppose you could argue that if it is too complex then it would make sense to break it down into multiple gigs and be highly niched.

I would also suggest to other sellers that it does put buyers off because they are on fiverr because of the on demand nature, and putting a request to message first is a barrier to a sale.

Less than half my buyers message first and I love it.

[newsmike]

3 minutes ago, williambryan392 said:

Less than half my buyers message first and I love it.

I have some people who message first every day, and that's fine.  I'm happy to discuss the job and get an offer out. My problem is with the buyers who want to interview the sellers first. Either they have shaky skills, or poorly written offers in their gigs, meaning that they are nervous as to whether they can actually perform what they advertise, or their gigs are poorly written and leave all sorts of details out of the scope of the offer.  Often someone will place an order with me, and if there are extras that need to be discussed, that conversation happens. 

[williambryan392]

Just now, newsmike said:

I have some people who message first every day, and that's fine.

Absolutely fine.

I even have repeat buyers that always ask 'can I make another purchase?'. I'm like 'Sure!'

 

 

[williambryan392]

Love this

 

Edited May 15, 2022 by williambryan392
Hiding buyer name

[wordsfire]

Background removal can be quite complex based on the image in question.

I see nothing wrong if a seller wants to make sure they can deliver something optimal before an order is placed. As far as the "contact me before placing an order" part, it's the best way to weed out impulse buyers, confused buyers, I-want-it-yesterday buyers, I'll-need-it-after-10-other-sellers-deliver-something buyers, etc.

Those who started selling at $5 per gig won't understand it though. 👀

[williambryan392]

7 minutes ago, wordsfire said:

Background removal can be quite complex based on the image in question.

I understand that, but the buyer wrote 'I will remove any background from any image' so I felt confident he could do the work.

 

9 minutes ago, wordsfire said:

Those who started selling at $5 per gig won't understand it though. 

I don't follow, what do you mean? I started at $5 18 months ago and it was definitely an... experience!

[miiila]

5 hours ago, newsmike said:

Actually none can "require" it. They can ask for it, but that is not the way Fiverr is intended to work

For the Gigs that people can directly order, yes, completely agree; for most use cases, it's possible to set Gigs and Requirements Page up in a way that direct orders work. But Fiverr also has the "ask for a Custom Offer" option, and if people need a custom offer, they should either order a Gig that covers everything (and more if needed) that they need, or contact the seller for a custom offer. That should be pretty self-evident, though, and most people do message in such cases, at least in my experience. Of course, there are people who'd need a custom offer, but order a Gig package that does not cover what they need, but that's not a system issue, it's user error/abuse.

If Fiverr Gigs were completely logically set up in all categories (mainly, if they order Gig multiples, the delivery time would need to go up accordingly, and certain Gig extras would have to be billed per multiple, not per order), and there would be some more fine-tuning (like what file type people want to provide), in theory, I could set up my Gigs in a way that nobody would ever need to message first, though.

My Gigs say something like "order directly if a Gig fits, or contact me for a custom offer". I wouldn't mind if all people who actually could order directly, would do so, as it would save time, but on the other hand, those are also those who order a Gig with 5 or 7 days delivery time, and let me know on the order page that they need it done last Saturday ;). The issues that can arise from such things would be avoided if they had messaged first, but, again, that's not a system issue but user error/abuse, and all in all, I'm very much a fan of the direct order feature.

I don't mind people (that is, actual potential customers, not other sellers, Telegram scammers, etc.) messaging, but it would be great if I could set everything up in a way that most customers wouldn't have to message even for custom offers, unless they want to.

Like William, I like the option to simply buy right away myself, and have done that with most of the orders I placed as a buyer, as I only needed a custom offer once myself. 

[gizdesigns]

6 hours ago, newsmike said:

Actually none can "require" it. They can ask for it, but that is not the way Fiverr is intended to work.  It is usually a nervous, inexperienced seller who is so unsure about their abilities that they need a courtship prior to purchase.  We are, like it or not, an on demand platform. It is a huge red flag that I believe should make a buyer avoid the seller. 

Fiverr is an on-demand marketplace!

Fiverr is an on-demand marketplace!! 

Fiverr is an on-demand marketplace!!! 

It's the same song I keep seeing in this forum, yet Fiverr encourage sellers to send custom offers, subscriptions & create milestones for some complex projects. Isn't it in the communication stage (inbox) that you send custom offers? 

I've seen pro sellers, too many TRS, & Rising Stars with this 'innocent & easy to digest' message in their descriptions (all with orders in queue), yet they still keep their badges. If fiverr don't frown at this, why should you?

You can't just go around labeling sellers inexperienced or unprofessional simply because an argument doesn't fit your narrative. This is only your opinion, not the opinion of actual buyers ready to hire a seller. 

Not all gigs require this message, but some do. Agree or Disagree... THIS IS THE WAY! 

[newsmike]

3 hours ago, gizdesigns said:

You can't just go around labeling sellers inexperienced or unprofessional simply because an argument doesn't fit your narrative. This is only your opinion, not the opinion of actual buyers ready to hire a seller. 

Actually, I can label this anyway I wish. For instance, I can label your approach to this as uninformed and unserious. Fiverr does not allow a seller to REQUIRE contact prior to ordering. That is a "fact", not a "narrative." This might be easier if you learned the difference between the two. This is the reality, and just because you don't like it, does not make it untrue. You can play make believe all you want, but it makes you appear silly. Fiverr is not DESIGNED to work with the REQUIREMENT that you are demanding, while pounding the table. 

Fiverr is an on-demand marketplace!

Fiverr is an on-demand marketplace!! 

Fiverr is an on-demand marketplace!!! 

Edited May 15, 2022 by newsmike

[raghnalltuathai]

7 minutes ago, newsmike said:

Absolutely, requiring contact prior to sale is the mark of a noobie, terrified of a bad review.

Ouch, Mike. Not long ago we had the same discussion, sad to see it didn't change your mind on this topic at least a little bit.