"What does it cost?" - "70USD" - "What's you best price?" - "70USD" - "No, really! If I order now!" - "70USD".

[smashradio]

The title is an abbreviated version of a conversation I just had with a potential buyer. 

I think it becomes almost funny when buyers try to haggle. 

The conversation (again, abbreviated) went on: 

Buyer: "I will check out other sellers too, but I wanted to order from you because you have good quality". 

Me: "If you want 50% of the quality, I can recommend using one of the gigs that cost 50% as much. That's half price, half quality."

Do you guys have examples of buyers trying to haggle that ended up giving you a laugh?

 

 

[theratypist]

Buyer: "Hey I really like your profile. You have great reviews. How much can I get [long explanation of project] done?"

Me: "It would cost XXX"

Buyer: "What? XXX? I asked someone else earlier and he charges XX only. I only want to spend XX for this."

Me: "I totally understand if you're working on a fixed budget. However, that is really the price I would quote for that project. There are a variety of sellers here on Fiverr, and I'm sure you'll be able to find someone that could work within your budget."

Long story short, project with XX seller was a mess. Buyer came back to me and we got it done. He's now a repeat customer with lessons learned. 

In his words, "Why is it like the Wild Wild West out here? I have found my go to provider on certain fields here but I wish I knew better the first time. In the start, a lot of the outputs I've received were questionable" We both laugh about those experiences now 😂😂😂

To add: He quickly became Fiverr Select in a short period, like in less than 2 months after joining? So I could only imagine whatever trial and error he was doing. Hahaha

Edited June 12, 2022 by theratypist

[smashradio]

19 minutes ago, theratypist said:

whatever trial and error he was doing. Hahaha

Haha. As a buyer and seller I can certainly attest to it being Wild Wild West out there. 

Yeah I have plenty of buyers who tried other sellers to cut costs, but then end up paying them + me because they couldn't do it right. 

 

[visualstudios]

"Hey, I'd like a video with these characteristics done!"

"Sure, that will be X"

"What? I have this seller that quoted me y for that video, and his stuff looks great!"

"Awesome, you seem like you have found a great deal there! Why are you wasting time talking to me instead of just taking advantage?"

Paraphrased for effect, but yeah, this sums it up.
 

 

[smashradio]

47 minutes ago, visualstudios said:

"Hey, I'd like a video with these characteristics done!"

"Sure, that will be X"

"What? I have this seller that quoted me y for that video, and his stuff looks great!"

"Awesome, you seem like you have found a great deal there! Why are you wasting time talking to me instead of just taking advantage?"

Paraphrased for effect, but yeah, this sums it up.
 

I loved the video! 

[melanielm]

I had an interesting one last week. (Not verbatim)

"Your reviews are impressive. I think you'd be the perfect fit or my project and I know I'll get outstanding work!"

General professional inquiry about what they want.

(Goes on for a while...)

"Since I have no clue if you can actually write or not, I'll make a trial order. 40,000 for $300! I'll pay your price for future projects if you do this one well."

(I go scream in a corner for a while).

I'm sorry, but your budget doesn't align with my prices. 

[katakatica]

9 minutes ago, melanielm said:

"Since I have no clue if you can actually write or not, I'll make a trial order. 40,000 for $300! I'll pay your price for future projects if you do this one well."

 

Do people even KNOW how long that takes? Sometimes I'm happy to write that much in 2-3 weeks! (depends heavily on projects and inspiration of course but it's a LOT...)

Like, seriously... 
That being said, I've been getting the 'I need to make sure you can write OK' a lot as well. I understand it at a certain price point and totally don't mind writing a quick sample/showing stuff I've written before but still! 

I feel like people like trying their luck because they know bartering works in some settings, so... it might work online as well!

[miiila]

I've developed an allergy against irrelevant phrases like "best price", and "I need you to do".

[melanielm]

30 minutes ago, katakatica said:

Do people even KNOW how long that takes? Sometimes I'm happy to write that much in 2-3 weeks! (depends heavily on projects and inspiration of course but it's a LOT...)

They really do have no idea how long things take, I believe. I did have one request for writing 60,000 words in four days once. I told the person that was physically impossible and moved on.

I do understand the interest in haggling or trying to get a discount. It's only natural to want to pay less for a product or service. However, there's a big difference between a reasonable offer and an insulting one.

[smashradio]

35 minutes ago, melanielm said:

I had an interesting one last week. (Not verbatim)

"Your reviews are impressive. I think you'd be the perfect fit or my project and I know I'll get outstanding work!"

General professional inquiry about what they want.

(Goes on for a while...)

"Since I have no clue if you can actually write or not, I'll make a trial order. 40,000 for $300! I'll pay your price for future projects if you do this one well."

(I go scream in a corner for a while).

I'm sorry, but your budget doesn't align with my prices. 

"Upbringing is a talent that very few have."
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, famous Norwegian writer in the 1800s. 

26 minutes ago, katakatica said:

That being said, I've been getting the 'I need to make sure you can write OK' a lot as well. I understand it at a certain price point and totally don't mind writing a quick sample/showing stuff I've written before but still! 

 

I'll respond with something like this: Ok - let's carve this out to make sure I have fully understood your request. You want me to write X amount of words for X USD. Since my rate is XX, that means you want me to write XX number of words for free. Unfortunately, I can't take on pro bono projects at this time, due to high demand. You're welcome to reach out again if/when the budget is aligned with my rates. In the meantime, I'd be more than happy to write X% of your content, based on the percentage of my rate you wish to pay. 

3 minutes ago, melanielm said:

there's a big difference between a reasonable offer and an insulting one.

I wouldn't have set my rates like I have, unless I thought it was "reasonable". If the client disagrees, I don't want them as my client.

Update on the original post: 

The buyer came back after an hour or so. He told me he understood, and that he was happy to increase his budget to fit my rate. 

He was bold enough to ask for some free background music with his order. I obliged and gave him a royalty-free track in my production library. I also recorded two versions for the guy (I usually do). 

10 minutes after delivering, I had a shining five-star review and the buyer even sent me a message thanking be, pointing out the great quality I talked about earlier, and said he would come back for more in the future. 

So it does help to stick to your rates! If I hadn't I could have ended up with a difficult buyer who continued to ask for free work. Instead, I probably have a repeat buyer who knows that I deliver top-notch stuff - but not for free. 

 
 

[mauro_523]

Buyer: Hello see your profile and i want work with you. I want you do this, this and that.

Me: Hello, of course, That would be xxamount and I can have it ready in about xxperiod of time

Buyer: Ok acceptable. Give me email or telegram to send you 

Me: No, sorry, all communication have to be here on Fiverr's platform. Feel free to share the complete file trough this chat

Buyer: I send you here but I want to pay outside because comision too much

Me: Ohh, I understand. Don't worry, I'm willing to lower the price a little bit so you don't take a huge hit on commissions, how does that sound for you?

Buyer: No because I payment after I receive work done.

Me: Sorry, that's not how it works -proceeds to explain how fiverr's payment system works-

Buyer: UNACEPTABUL! I want pay after 

Buyer: You know here is thousands of people. I can find someone else to do for me.

Me: That's ok, please feel free to do so. I hope you find someone suitable for your needs.

I reported him for seeking communication and offering payment outside Fiverr. Soon after I found his account had been disabled.  

Edited June 13, 2022 by mauro_523

[smashradio]

1 minute ago, mauro_523 said:

I reported him for seeking communication and offering payment outside Fiverr. Soon after I found his account had been disabled.  

[markp]

Mr x: i really like your service but it is too expensive and I cannot afford it.

me: sorry to hear that but there are plenty of other sellers on here who may be able to help you.

mr x; I want to be a long term customer and would like your best price.

me: my best price is on the packages. thats why I put them on there.

mr X: but I want to be your long term customer and would like a discount:

Me: thats excellent. if you sign up for the subscription option which is a long term service you will get a substantial discount.

silence...

 

[williambryan392]

Buyers that ask you the price have become a red flag to me. Like why are you asking? It's kinda obvious...

 

Literally had this today:

B=Buyer S=Seller

B: I want to move ahead today, what's your price?

S: $395

B: Any discount?

S: If I don't do X, Y & Z I can do it for $300.

B: Can you do any lower?

S: Lower than my original price, or lower than the discount I just offered?

B: Lower than $300

S: Perhaps it's easier just to tell me your budget?

Silence.

[mateusbl]

Usually I just ignore, this kind of buyer who complain about the price at the first moment certainly will complain for something in the middle of the work. (of course there's exceptions)

One of my previous order, I sent and additional offer for the additional work and the buyer asked a discount "because they have many projects to send me". Of course is just a lie to get a discount, I gave the discount and the buyer simply disappeared.

The correct in my opinion is give a discount but only in the next projects, never at first work. (there's a big chance of buyers mention more projects just to get cheap price)

[newsmike]

46 minutes ago, williambryan392 said:

B: Any discount?

I have found that no one has ever been able to get around this answer to the above question.  "Perhaps, I'm not understanding you correctly, are you asking me to work for you below my normal wage, and if so why?"

[smashradio]

56 minutes ago, williambryan392 said:

S: Perhaps it's easier just to tell me your budget?

Yeah, these buyers don't have a budget. They just want the best bargain. I get that most people come here for bargains, but come on. In my industry (voiceovers), you can easily charge 1500 bucks for a 20-second voice-over on regional tv. Yet they come to Fiverr and buy literally the same product (same quality, same experience, maybe even the same voice-over talent) for 200 bucks instead. 

The other day, I had a discussion where I defended this pricing model to some "industry top-hats" who like their elitist position and love to trash-talk Fiverr. I explained that I can charge less because Fiverr takes care of the marketing, CRM and I never have to audition for jobs.

It's usually <*Order placed* *Record* *Order delivered*>. No directed sessions with corporate schmucks. No waiting on hold while CEOs have their foot massage before they can listen in on the recording sessions. Simply put: I can do more recording, less of all the other stuff, and I get paid for every word I record instead of auditioning for ten roles to get one. 

So yeah. You are already getting one hell of a bargain as it is. But they don't know that. Or perhaps they don't care. 
I know it's similar for a lot of industries.

Edited June 13, 2022 by smashradio

[smashradio]

46 minutes ago, mateusbl said:

 

The correct in my opinion is give a discount but only in the next projects, never at first work. (there's a big chance of buyers mention more projects just to get cheap price)

I sometimes give fixed discounts to clients with ongoing projects. I also send out discount coupons now and then as a way to market my services. But I also see some problems with doing this: by lowering your rate for regular clients, you open yourself up to them expecting even more of a discount. By being firm about your rates all the time, you encourage a bit more respect for your time. But I'm not against discounts to good clients. But I think it should be used sparingly and only to reward loyalty. 

Edited June 13, 2022 by smashradio

[mateusbl]

44 minutes ago, smashradio said:

by lowering your rate for regular clients, you open yourself up to them expecting even more of a discount. 

I have a buyer that everytime he ask for discount, as he sends detailed briefing I still working with him. But is true if you give discount one time, they will start to refuse to pay what you charge.

I also send the "discount coupons" sometimes can be a good deal, where a buyer apply the coupon in one order and they came to more work after that. But I still need to see about this coupons for some reason just a few number of buyers apply it. 

[mateusbl]

54 minutes ago, smashradio said:

I defended this pricing model to some "industry top-hats" who like their elitist position and love to trash-talk Fiverr. 
It's usually <*Order placed* *Record* *Order delivered*>. No directed sessions with corporate schmucks.

I remember one time where I did the same work I offer on Fiverr for a local client, to get the project I had to enter in 2 calls of 2 hours just to the end know if the buyer will accept the offer. The project took 2 weeks to be done.

I offer the same service at Fiverr and some projects are done in maximum 5 days.

[victel]

Oh I get this all the time. When they say they want "to see if you are any good", I just refer them to my feedback.

I also get the "if you do it for XX price then I guarantee you plenty of work". I already have plenty of work. It's why I don't give discounts - EVER! Sometimes it works in my favor and I get the work anyway. I don't mind being asked for a discount, as long as they don't mind being told no. I mean, I DID when I started with Fiverr to build up some feedback, but I don't live in a country where I can afford to work for below minimum wage and still have a roof over my head.

I think a lot of potential buyers just send the same email to 100 sellers (or however many) and simply choose the cheapest... well - caveat emptor!!

What does annoy me is when they say they've seen my profile and gigs (and therefore prices) and get into a whole conversation with me and THEN say "oh by the way, I only have $25 for the ENTIRE project, is that OK?" Ugh.

Edited June 13, 2022 by victel

[smashradio]

5 hours ago, mateusbl said:

I remember one time where I did the same work I offer on Fiverr for a local client, to get the project I had to enter in 2 calls of 2 hours just to the end know if the buyer will accept the offer. The project took 2 weeks to be done.

I offer the same service at Fiverr and some projects are done in maximum 5 days.

Exactly. This is why I love Fiverr. In and out. There's far less time spent on fluff, like meetings, phone calls and e-mail-threads as long as the Eiffel Tower. 

[smashradio]

1 hour ago, victel said:

 

What does annoy me is when they say they've seen my profile and gigs (and therefore prices) and get into a whole conversation with me and THEN say "oh by the way, I only have $25 for the ENTIRE project, is that OK?" Ugh.

Good lord. Nothing is more annoying than spending 30 minutes chatting about a project, just to get the "Could you do it for..."-message. That's why I always get started with the price-talk as soon as possible. I hate to waste time. 

 

[victel]

On 6/13/2022 at 5:37 PM, smashradio said:

Good lord. Nothing is more annoying than spending 30 minutes chatting about a project, just to get the "Could you do it for..."-message. That's why I always get started with the price-talk as soon as possible. I hate to waste time. 

 

I am going to take your advice on this!

[donnovan86]

On 6/14/2022 at 1:37 AM, smashradio said:

Good lord. Nothing is more annoying than spending 30 minutes chatting about a project, just to get the "Could you do it for..."-message. That's why I always get started with the price-talk as soon as possible. I hate to waste time. 

That's why they leave pricing at the end. You already helped them, shared the info, etc, now you invested time, so you are less prone to decline their order. I agree. Talking about prices and deadlines beforehand is crucial. That's why I establish those things beforehand, especially if a project seems more complex.