Fiverr's Handling of Fraudulent Buyers Is Unbelievable: A Concern for Seller Integrity

[marco186j]

Many of us have encountered situations where a buyer exploits the system to harm a seller's reputation, only to find that Fiverr's support system falls short in addressing these concerns.

One of the most common issues faced by sellers is buyers placing orders and then promptly canceling them without valid reasons. This practice is not just an inconvenience; it directly impacts a seller's reputation and credibility on the platform. What exacerbates this problem is when these buyers utilize multiple accounts to repeat the same damaging actions and further spam the seller's inbox. It's a clear exploitation of the system that jeopardizes a seller's livelihood.

Fiverr offers an option on the order page to contact support if issues arise, but sadly, the support doesn't always understand the severity of the situation. Instead of adequately addressing the problem, sellers often find themselves compelled to continue working on an order despite being fully aware of the potential risks associated with fraudulent buyers. This not only undermines a seller's sense of security but also erodes trust in the platform's commitment to seller protection.

Furthermore, it appears that Fiverr's priorities may be skewed. There's a prevailing sentiment among sellers that Fiverr prioritizes its 20% cut over the platform's integrity and the well-being of its sellers. While revenue is undoubtedly essential for any business, it should not come at the cost of compromising the fairness and security of the platform for its users.

As a community, it's imperative to bring attention to these issues and push for improvements in Fiverr's policies and support mechanisms. Sellers are the backbone of this platform, and their concerns regarding fraudulent buyers and inadequate support must be addressed effectively to ensure a fair and trustworthy environment for all users.

What are your experiences with Fiverr's support system when dealing with fraudulent buyers? Do you believe Fiverr should reassess its policies to better protect its sellers and maintain the platform's integrity? Share your thoughts and suggestions on how Fiverr could improve its approach to handling such issues.

SELLER'S OPINION ARE WELCOME HERE!

[newsmike]

2 hours ago, marco186j said:

What are your experiences with Fiverr's support system when dealing with fraudulent buyers?

Fraudulent sellers are a much bigger problem on Fiverr.  

[marco186j]

6 minutes ago, newsmike said:

Fraudulent sellers are a much bigger problem on Fiverr.  

You are accusing me?

You are definitely a troll without a doubt!

[newsmike]

1 minute ago, marco186j said:

You are accusing me?

You are definitely a troll without a doubt!

No, why such a guilty conscience?  🙂 I really wasn't but the way you reacted, now I'm suspicious. 

Edited December 4, 2023 by newsmike

[marco186j]

1 hour ago, newsmike said:

No, why such a guilty conscience?  🙂 I really wasn't but the way you reacted, now I'm suspicious. 

You seem like you are always suspicious, no doubt in that either.

[donnovan86]

11 minutes ago, marco186j said:

You seem like you are always suspicious, no doubt in that either.

I mean, @newsmike has all the right to be suspicious. A lot of sellers come here and constantly blame buyers for their mistakes. "Why did I get banned?" said a person that did academic work once, blaming the buyer that he forced them to work on it. You're not forced, you can always report the order to customer support. I had someone that wanted me to write website content and article for a site that was selling credit cards, most likely fakes. I reported, the order was canceled and moved on.

There are fraudulent buyers, but there are also fraudulent sellers, and quite a lot more than fraud buyers. Just go to various seller pages and guess what. All of them either have Native or Fluent as their English level, but they can't really connect 2 words together, let alone a sentence in English. On top of that, a lot of sellers will just set a random price to see if it sticks, and they increase the price whenever someone asks for their help. There was a buyer here that complained about such a seller I think just a couple of days ago.

I've been here for 10 years, and I can tell you for a fact that there are way more fraud sellers than buyers. I think Fiverr's system is pretty good at dealing with buyers that try to manipulate the system, just like they deal with fraud sellers. If you check the forum, there are a LOT of sellers here that complain either about losing their account or about buyers forcing them to do stuff. It's very rare to see Fiverr ban someone randomly, it does happen sometimes but they immediately revert the ban if it was automated and by mistake. So in general, the system works pretty well. Yes, it's not perfect and there will be times when you are hurt as a seller. But then again, this happens to any business, be it online or offline.

For example, around a year ago I had a person that liked my work, but due to them seeing my work at 1 AM their time, they just rushed to rate my work and gave me 1 star all the way. Even if the text is obviously positive and they liked it. I can't go to customer support because that's feedback manipulation and can get me banned. So, it's still there on my account, even if this was an obvious mistake. I just moved on.. 

Edited December 5, 2023 by donnovan86

[vickieito]

7 hours ago, marco186j said:

One of the most common issues faced by sellers is buyers placing orders and then promptly canceling them without valid reasons.

This is not a problem. If buyers cancel for no reason, it doesn't hurt our seller stats, reputation, or credibility.

8 hours ago, marco186j said:

What are your experiences with Fiverr's support system when dealing with fraudulent buyers?

I've had lots of buyers cancel for no reason and Fiverr always adjusts my stats for me so it doesn't affect my seller account. As long as the cancelation is due to buyer error, the seller isn't penalized.

8 hours ago, marco186j said:

Instead of adequately addressing the problem, sellers often find themselves compelled to continue working on an order despite being fully aware of the potential risks associated with fraudulent buyers.

This is a problem. And it's a problem caused by the sellers, not FIverr. These sellers risk their accounts getting banned because they choose to work with fraudulent buyers. As @donnovan86 stated, no one is forcing you to work. If you feel threatened or suspect your buyer, stop and report them right away.

8 hours ago, marco186j said:

Sellers are the backbone of this platform

I found out that whenever I felt exploited by a buyer, feeling overworked and taken advantage of, it was because I didn't have a backbone. I couldn't say "no" to a buyer. I didn't set boundaries. I offered unlimited revisions. I was always fearful. It's very hard for Fiverr to help sellers who can't even stand up for themselves.

Once I started being more assertive, it was easier for Fiverr to help me when I did run into a troublesome buyer. I also had less cancelations and happier buyers. It's so easy to get stressed out about our seller stats that we started operating out of a fear-based mindset. And that can be very dangerous because that type of mindset creates fertile ground for buyers to take advantage of you.

 

 

[marco186j]

16 hours ago, donnovan86 said:

I mean, @newsmike has all the right to be suspicious. A lot of sellers come here and constantly blame buyers for their mistakes. "Why did I get banned?" said a person that did academic work once, blaming the buyer that he forced them to work on it. You're not forced, you can always report the order to customer support. I had someone that wanted me to write website content and article for a site that was selling credit cards, most likely fakes. I reported, the order was canceled and moved on.

There are fraudulent buyers, but there are also fraudulent sellers, and quite a lot more than fraud buyers. Just go to various seller pages and guess what. All of them either have Native or Fluent as their English level, but they can't really connect 2 words together, let alone a sentence in English. On top of that, a lot of sellers will just set a random price to see if it sticks, and they increase the price whenever someone asks for their help. There was a buyer here that complained about such a seller I think just a couple of days ago.

I've been here for 10 years, and I can tell you for a fact that there are way more fraud sellers than buyers. I think Fiverr's system is pretty good at dealing with buyers that try to manipulate the system, just like they deal with fraud sellers. If you check the forum, there are a LOT of sellers here that complain either about losing their account or about buyers forcing them to do stuff. It's very rare to see Fiverr ban someone randomly, it does happen sometimes but they immediately revert the ban if it was automated and by mistake. So in general, the system works pretty well. Yes, it's not perfect and there will be times when you are hurt as a seller. But then again, this happens to any business, be it online or offline.

For example, around a year ago I had a person that liked my work, but due to them seeing my work at 1 AM their time, they just rushed to rate my work and gave me 1 star all the way. Even if the text is obviously positive and they liked it. I can't go to customer support because that's feedback manipulation and can get me banned. So, it's still there on my account, even if this was an obvious mistake. I just moved on.. 

There's another one.

[marco186j]

12 hours ago, vickieito said:

This is not a problem. If buyers cancel for no reason, it doesn't hurt our seller stats, reputation, or credibility.

I've had lots of buyers cancel for no reason and Fiverr always adjusts my stats for me so it doesn't affect my seller account. As long as the cancelation is due to buyer error, the seller isn't penalized.

This is a problem. And it's a problem caused by the sellers, not FIverr. These sellers risk their accounts getting banned because they choose to work with fraudulent buyers. As @donnovan86 stated, no one is forcing you to work. If you feel threatened or suspect your buyer, stop and report them right away.

I found out that whenever I felt exploited by a buyer, feeling overworked and taken advantage of, it was because I didn't have a backbone. I couldn't say "no" to a buyer. I didn't set boundaries. I offered unlimited revisions. I was always fearful. It's very hard for Fiverr to help sellers who can't even stand up for themselves.

Once I started being more assertive, it was easier for Fiverr to help me when I did run into a troublesome buyer. I also had less cancelations and happier buyers. It's so easy to get stressed out about our seller stats that we started operating out of a fear-based mindset. And that can be very dangerous because that type of mindset creates fertile ground for buyers to take advantage of you.

 

 

Yes, fiverr does force to work on the project and have the mental burden on us. I wish you could see conversation with Customer Support. It sounds like Chinese work labor.

[donnovan86]

53 minutes ago, marco186j said:

There's another one.

Another what? Person that has seen this comment OVER and OVER and OVER again? Then sure 🙂

You can easily cancel the order man. Nothing forces you to work on anything if you don't want to. That's the freedom of being a freelancer. As for fraudulent buyers, customer support helps, if you are in the wrong or you did something that's against their rules, they won't. 

53 minutes ago, marco186j said:

It sounds like Chinese work labor.

Increase your fees, optimize your prices, offer less work for the same prices, etc. No one forces you to sell at any price, and you can find your own ways to avoid bad clients.

[catwriter]

1 hour ago, marco186j said:

I wish you could see conversation with Customer Support.

Remove the names and post the screenshots, so we can all see them.

EDIT: And stop offering so much work for such a ridiculous price. 50 videos, up to 10 minutes each, plus a bunch of other things, all for $75? You're basically inviting abusers.

Edited December 5, 2023 by catwriter

[newsmike]

4 hours ago, marco186j said:

Yes, fiverr does force to work on the project and have the mental burden on us.

This is beyond ridiculous. This is only said by people too weak to stand up for themselves and set limits.  Why don't you listen to people like @vickieito and @donnovan86 and realize that your way is not working.  Maybe, just maybe there are some people from whom you can learn? 

Edited December 5, 2023 by newsmike

[saifullahali999]

In last few days one of my gig is also victimized by a group a buyers who place 3-4 orders in a row and then cancel them immediately, at 1st i thought i am the only one who is going through this so i contacted Fiverr support. today i got 7 orders cancelations by 2 buyers before submitting the order requirements.