Was this a bad move?

[recspec]

I made a caricature gig a day ago and I got a message asking for a very large order that would have been used for promotion of a movie or something of the sort. There was never an actual order put in, but I looked at the trailer and weighed in on how long it would take me to complete what the buyer was asking for The buyer had a very complex request, but didn’t elaborate on what exactly they expected. Me being a student and also working part time, it felt like it would have been best to I decide to decline the offer. I didn’t outright say that I wouldn’t do it. I asked for the buyer to elaborate more and make clear exactly what their deadline would be. I said if their deadline was not immediate, then I wouldn’t mind doing the job. However, they never got back to me.



Even though it could have given me some great exposure, I felt that the payout would not have been equivalent to the actual work I would have been putting in. I kind of feel bad about it, because if real it could have been great. But I’ve had experience with people taking advantage of me in the past and something didn’t feel right about someone asking me to work on this big assignment so soon. I don’t know.



Was it a bad move declining this offer? ;-;

[Guest madisoncase]

Always ask more details about the order. And agrees to a large task. And yes, don’t declining offers.

[captainfive]

For someone who has 0 sales, I think you should’ve taken up the offer. You need to start somewhere, and that could’ve been a great stepping stone.



Don’t be too scared. Based on your post, you seem like someone with trust issues. Drop that if you want to sell here on Fiverr. You need to have thick skin, confidence, and a “me against the world” attitude if you want to succeed here.



Do your best work AT ALL TIMES, and you will make it.



But this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be cautious. There are scammers here too, mind you. So at the end of the day, it’s really up to you.



Good luck though!

[fonthaunt]

I think you did exactly the right thing. Sometimes you are just going to get a feeling, maybe an intuition, and your gut says to move on. Even if you have no sales that is more reason to decline, not less. Your first 10 sales will already be a ton of work. You want them to be super smooth and with at least some over-delivery. You can afford to decline and you can also afford to mutually cancel 1 or 2 jobs if they are going poorly. You cannot afford negative ratings or angry buyers.

[jamesbulls]

From what I’ve read on the forums, it’s actually pretty common for buyers to abuse sellers (and particularly new sellers) by dangling large amounts of work, or the promise of large amounts of work, without actually buying a gig and trying to get the seller to start working for free. Fishy buyers act fishy, and if I were in your position I’d have said “no,” too.

[trinarium]

If they never get back to you on the details of the order then it’s a VERY good thing you didn’t say yes immediately. Having your first gig be something huge where you don’t have clear instructions is, imo, a big risk. Even if they didn’t leave a bad review (devastating to a new seller), all your time would’ve been tied up, and who knows how many revisions they would have wanted.

[julipalmer7]

I think for the most part you did the right thing by following your gut, even though you have no sales yet, dont give up you will get a sale soon!

[wiseman05]

I personally think you did the right thing, especially as a seller with 0 sales so far.



Trust me when I say this. Start off nice and small and build up some sales before taking on big demanding tasks. A bad review early on is pretty bad for newer people.



Actually, expect a message from me to help you out.

[blackhare00]

I think you did the right thing. When the buyer does not give specific details it can cause a host of problems and you may have to do too many revisions not worth your time. Sometimes as a beginner buyer you have to do a little more work then what they pay for but there is a limit! Look at what people with similar gigs are offering and get ideas from there.

Good luck!

[recspec]

So the person who messaged me never messaged back after I asked for more details, but I’ve gotten some orders placed on my gigs yesterday. I think I’m going to hold Wiseman05’s advice and keep starting small, but also blackhare00’s. I will start small, but put extra effort in the sales I do receive.



I am a people pleaser, but I also have to remind myself to gauge how much I can actually handle. I have taken everyone’s advice here and I will continue to no matter how many sales I get. Thank you everyone for your advice and replies.

[david388]

Hi @respec, welcome! In short, I absolutely think you made the right move. It sounds like something in your gut was causing you to take pause for a minute, and I think your instincts were spot-on. As some of the other people have mentioned here, taking on excessive requests is a big risk to you from multiple standpoints, and a way to get taken advantage of. Feel free to reach out to me directly if you ever need anything!

[Guest ronsackfield]

i think you made the right choice and before you start working on any project for buyers get some money up front or down payment if you will that will insure that no matter what happens you will walk away with something