I was scammed by a buyer and I would like advice from now on

[kari_art1]

Hi, I've been on Fiverr since July, after two months of working on my profile and gigs I recently received my first order, the buyer needed the Illustration in a short period and answered my replies late but that was the only really odd thing.

I hurried with the sketch and he suggested some corrections, he also, said that If I finished the Illustration by Saturday he would even add a tip, also, he asked me for a previous version in flat colors before the final submission, and I committed the mistake of sending in the chat the total illustration in flat colors because in my mind "this is for a company and he needs the final version, no this incomplete version, so this is safe", also the guy had a lot of good reviews, but, when I send the flat color version he proceeded to say that he didn't like the illustration and he wanted to cancel the order.

 The illustration was exactly as he required so I knew It was a scam. I permitted him to cancel because that was my first order and I didn't want a bad review.

After this first bad experience I would like to receive advice for the future, for instance, how can I present to the client previous versions like sketches and flat colors while protecting myself from a scam? thank you. 

[newsmike]

2 hours ago, kari_art1 said:

I permitted him to cancel because that was my first order and I didn't want a bad review.

This is the very best way to ensure that you will be performing free work on an ongoing basis. Long term it pays to stand by the integrity of your work and demand to be paid if you met the requirements of the order. There are "buyers" who rely of seller fear to get one free service after another.

[filipdevaere]

Once again this shows that scammers usually pick sellers with no orders (or hardly any orders) combined with a low gig price.