Tips for Buyers from a Buyer and Seller (I am both) [ARCHIVED]

[jaima1008]

Great article, Eoin! I am new to Fiverr too and have spent a lot of time getting my “ducks in a row”…mostly at this time someone to put my site together and some of the things you mentioned I have considered in narrowing things down, but there were a couple of other things to keep in mind and consider. I appreciate your info and if I ever need “content or product descriptions” I will let you know (I am making a list “go to” people as I go along) Also, I connected…it’s the Irish! I lived in Ireland for 4 years…in Dublin. I also love your dogs :). Thanks again and all the best.

[tediofsamoa]

Thanks for this info. I just joined Fiverr 1/28/16 and am looking for the same…website creation (e-commerce), logo re-make, marketing. Im already talking with one seller. Im looking for atleast 3 “Pro Cleaner”. Also interest include designer for clothing. Thanks again.

[prodesign12]

A very thoughtful information you disclosed for both the buyers and sellers. Indeed, from a buyer’s perceptive it is full of information. Though I am a seller and never bought anything from this site but still it will help me a lot in order to understand a buyer’s psyche.

[onereik]

That’s what I have been trying to say in another thread I posted, I can not offer you the world for $5, and I do care about the quality of work and the services I sell to my clients.

Very well said

[perfectionist23]

What a descriptive post eoin and how you explained each category of seller on Fiverr with this example is mind blowing : )

[mhizruby]

I don’t totally agree with the information you provided… Are you trying to say buyers should not patronize new sellers? Cos what I can read from the above info is

You are promoting higher level/top sellers i.e telling buyers to patronize only higher level sellers and not newbies cos top sellers are the only ones with such qualities (reviews, high offers etc), I’m not saying the points above don’t count but newbies should be considered. .

I’m a new seller and I know how it feels when I don’t get buyers… First of all we should be given a chance/opportunity to prove ourselves… How will buyers know if we are good if they don’t patronize us cos they have this mentality that new sellers are Teenage boys or top sellers have fed them with ideas just as you are doing

1. Checking reviews : newbies won’t get reviews cos they haven’t really made any sales. And not everyone will pay to get reviews, there are new sellers who really want to get reviews the right way by working hard for it.

2. Checking the gigs they offer: because I have too many gigs does not mean I can’t deliver quality and perfect services or I’m a ‘Teenage boy’. I may have too many gigs because I have people I work with that offer those services…

3. A seller will offer cheap service and still deliver the best just to attract buyers and not because he offers poor quality services or doesn’t know his worth…

Fiverr is my full time job and I’m trying to make the best from it. I’m here to make an income, make new friends (like the saying goes, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy) and above all make sure my buyers are satisfied.

All I ask is that buyers should give new sellers an opportunity… Top sellers now were once newbies. … Thanks

[eoinfinnegan]

This article is aimed at buyers, to help them get the most from Fiverr.
It was written from experience and I still stand by it now, having bought over 120 times. At no point do I suggest that people do not use new sellers. In fact, I was a new seller when I wrote this, I may have been a level 1, I don’t remember. My main point is to find out what TYPE of seller someone is, not what level. I would describe some TRS as teen boy types and some new sellers as pro cleaners.

The tips, when used, will help buyers. I am not going to suggest that the best way to get a good result is to buy from a new seller. It may happen that a new seller will give a better result than a TRS but IT IS A GAMBLE. New sellers must try to make that gamble worthwhile. When I began, I offered much more than I do now - around 5 times the amount of work. For the work I do, it does not matter how cheap it is, if it is done badly then it is useless so the buyers I had took a gamble and it paid off for them. They could have gambled on me and I could have delivered rubbish.

I often use new sellers, to try them out and see how they do. Many of those I have tried out are now level 1 and 2 sellers. Others were not as good. Some I still use regularly, others I would probably not use again. However, through communication, my effort and doing a little bit of checking, the new sellers I used were all genuine sellers, with at least reasonable abilities. Blindly using a new seller is a recipe for disaster. Blindly buying from anyone can also have issues but it is less likely when someone is level 2 or TRS.
That’s just the way it is.

You can like it or not but as an experienced buyer I know what I am talking about. I have only ever had to cancel 4 orders. One was an experiment with an SEO seller who delivered absolute rubbish (he was a TRS but isnt any more after I complained to Fiverr), 2 cancellations were down to the sellers having “personal reasons” and the other one, I can’t remember why. All other purchases were good and I gave 5 star reviews for. Out of over 120 purchases, very few of which were $5, that is an excellent return.

[designdame]

@eoinfinnegan

Your post are quite insightful, I sniggered to myself when I read your example.

I quite agree with most of your points, another thing I might add is that sellers - especially new ones like my humble self - need to know how to package their gigs correctly and professionally; from having good descriptions, well designed images of their gigs and effective communication with the potential buyer.

There are many sellers here who know their onions, but due to mediocre presentation, they come off as being " teenage boys".

Having good reviews and ranking is an important indices for the buyer, but like it has been stated earlier, it’s not always the case, as a seller with no review might offer a better service than a TRS.

Well, I will heed your advice and keep improving and give my potential customers a “wow” experience.

PS: I think I might just make an infographic of your example hmmmm

[alpha001]

Awesome post!
I am confident that many people like me have learnt a lot from this post. My question is, if I order a custom Gig from a seller, how feasible is it to get any claim in the event of a bad delivery?
Cheers!

[eoinfinnegan]

With a custom offer, it is vital to ensure that what the custom offer says is what you want done. It should be very specific, especially if what you require is different from the main gig.
This is because what customer service will judge is whether the final delivery matches the description in the custom offer. If the description is vague then judging a good or bad delivery will be difficult. If the job is complicated or has a number of stages, I would suggest splitting it into different parts and different orders.
The first thing you should do with a bad delivery is discuss it with the seller. Do not threaten bad reviews or any other action. Just ask for what you are looking for to be done. If your requirement has changed and so it requires additional work, ask for a custom extra and pay the extra amount.

[pkgentry]

You left out the other option – hire someone from a country where your 5 goes further. That’s what I’m after as a buyer. A statistics tutor in my area charges about $30/hr. A tutor here, who knows just as much but is in a developing country, charges $5.

[smsservice4]

i think, if all of buyers follow this types of think to their mind, it will be perfect for seller.

[eoinfinnegan]

Of course, you can go for the cheapest rates and perhaps get a great deal. You can also get stuck in a situation where communication is difficult, expectations are different and the concept of what quality work looks like is different to what you expect due to cultural differences.
Having an English person write sales copy for the Chinese market is pointless, and vice versa.
Logo design in many developing countries is 10 years behind western countries.
The use of plagiarized material is also more common (but not exclusive to) developing countries.
As with any other criteria, you need to consider the quality of results you expect.

[mzie88]

This is very true, i’m always amazed at buyers who request a Logo , unlimited revision, editable source files ,vector and 5 design concepts to choose from all for $5. Then you see them getring 30 offers!😟

[samanthalove22]

The power of selling is in the power of packaging…If you really wanna make it big as a seller then your gig packaging is important…If you wanna sell to me your packaging matters…Ranging from how you present yourself,how you present your prices and above all your humility stand must be over 100%…Remember, customers have an upper edge when it comes to business!

[eoinfinnegan]

2 year old post - the “bought here 25 times” has now become over 200 times and I would still see the advice here as pretty good.