Confused About "Positive" Reviews

[fonthaunt]

Reply to @sincere18: I was just talking mostly about the seller and why from a seller perspective, 4.5 stars or 99% feels like a bad/negative thing.



There are some buyers that are less likely to buyer from anyone with less than 100% rating but there are many different reasons for that and it doesn’t apply to all buyers. Unfortunately, sellers who have 100% (some new and some not) will also sometimes warn buyers in the forums and suggest that they not buy from anyone less than 100% because at the time it seems like a good strategy for the seller who has that 100%. Overall I don’t think it affects that many buyers. There are other reasons buyers may feel that way as well, but as mentioned, my primary comment was about the seller’s viewpoint.



I think the OP is a seller who was worried about 4.5 stars and 99% and a lot of comments were also based on seller concerns. I suppose the buyer perspective could be a thread by itself and maybe it should be. 😉

[sincere18]

Reply to @fonthaunt: Exactly, I completely understand you were talking about most from a sellers perspective, but that was part of my point, buyers, many buyers don’t share the same perspective on it, that’s all. A seller cannot worry too much about it, because it’s par for the course, at some point, someday someone may give you a rating slightly less than perfect. It’s part of business and life too.

[fonthaunt]

Reply to @sincere18: I entirely agree overall. I lost sleep for two days on my 4.9 and it wasn’t worth it. Buyers do look at levels, so that is the place where I think the rating system puts sellers at a disadvantage in a different way from other e-commerce sites. A seller with 9-10 sales can be temporarily hurt pretty badly by ratings that aren’t even technically negative and that isn’t right.



What calmed me down eventually was reading how many people have lost 1 or even 2 levels and did get them back unless they were clear down in the 70% or less range. (If they are that low, there is probably a good reason for it.) I realized that 98 or 99% wasn’t going to hurt me with Fiverr or with buyers as long as I maintained a good record overall. And, finally, some vodka and orange juice was very helpful in calming me due to the vitamin C. 😉



For panicky sellers, you are right that everyone would benefit from knowing many buyers don’t pay much attention to ratings unless they are very low. Good sellers recover from an occasional lower rating as well. I still stand by it that Fiverr could do a better job with the ARS. I think properly site-managed ratings and reviews are good. Sellers can rate and review buyers too and that’s great, but Fiverr intentionally doesn’t display buyer ratings and buyer reviews are rarely seen unless sellers go hunting for usernames on search engines.

[sincere18]

Reply to @fonthaunt: I can say that I never really pay much attention to the actual number unless it’s lower than let’s say 90%…but if a seller has something I want, good photos, video, etc., I take the time to read reviews. And I also know as a buyer the law of percentages, that 1 negative review is usually an anomaly.



Plus I usually read reviews and scan down the list before deciding to try a seller, so I don’t really even notice the 4’s or 4.5’s even, only if it’s much less.

Also, someone else posted in the forums on this before, but if there is a negative review, how the seller responds to it can make all the difference and showcases a sellers professionalism. Plus as a buyer if I see that a seller has nearly all good reviews and one bad one, I put the assumption on the fact that it was the buyers issue (not communicating properly, etc., etc) as to why it didn’t turn out right.



I understand Fiverr kind of has it’s own system, but you are right over time it balances itself out. and bottom line, like anywhere else on the web, if you have a portfolio that really showcases your talent, and artistic abilities, no matter what it is you are selling, some people just want to buy from that person no matter what.

[babarali9]

Thanks mame nice info