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I'm always careful with my buyers too. If it feels wrong, I won't work with them. But that holds true outside of the platform as well, simply because I hate spending time arguing.

"You will edit my video perfectly. Do. You. Understand. If you do a good job, I will pay you tomorrow. I expect a perfect delivery in one hour. My budget is five dollars. Set up the offer. I don't have much time." You mean those? 😄

Perhaps so. My previous remark was an attempt at humor (granted, it may not have landed perfectly), as the answer to your query seemed quite apparent. No platform would permit such a practice when its revenue model hinges on a percentage cut from each transaction. It's just plain logic. This scenario would require you to set up multiple orders. Alternatively, apply for a pro account, which allows you to establish custom offers up to $50,000. A trio of these custom offers, and you're there. It may not be ideal, but that's how Fiverr works. Chances are, Fiverr isn't the ideal platform for your needs. Corporations hiring FCTO would likely source candidates through other channels. Even if you were to find a potential client, they would probably need to draft contracts and transfer funds directly to your bank account for their accounting records. While I can't claim extensive knowledge of the cybersec or IT business beyond narrating some 100,000 words for various courses on the subject, my impression is that companies seeking FCTOs would typically resort to other recruitment options. That said, you could tap into a different market: small to medium-sized businesses needing cybersecurity assistance or IT support. The orders you could expect from this clientele would likely be in the hundreds to a few thousand dollars, not $150,000, but then again, the job might entail securing a small client database, helping them develop a small-scale solution, implementing a new register for their cashiers, setting up a database on a laptop or dealing with the outcome of a medium business having a breach.

Do you have evidence to support the claim that CS typically favors buyers? If that's indeed the case, could it imply that buyers generally wouldn't exert the effort to cancel an order unless they were genuinely dissatisfied with the delivery or service? Fiverr hates cancellations just as much as we do. Each cancellation represents a lost opportunity and forfeited revenue, not just for us but for Fiverr as well. They miss out on their 20% cut. Do you really believe that Fiverr willingly and knowingly cancels orders without a valid cause on such a massive scale? If that is the case, how frequently? How often will a CS representative go "You know what, I feel like cancelling some orders for no reason today since I'm an evil sadist and should have become a dentist instead"? If Fiverr tends to side with the buyer, there's probably a reason for that. And that reason is most likely that this platform is crowded with mediocre sellers. Fiverr is trying to do something about that.

It's not larger than a Fiverr gig. It's larger than his willingness to pay the price of access to Fiverr. 🙂

As I've touched upon in a prior discussion on a different thread, this is a significant win for Seller Plus in general. The importance of insights about your buyers ahead of order has become more important than ever. In any case, I still agree with this change. It's another step towards purging the platform of subpar sellers. I think it goes without saying that such an email should be equally accessible to all. I have no idea why you haven't received it. Perhaps we're just too many sellers to distribute to all at once?

This we can agree on. Fiverr could certainly improve that process, and it would be a welcome improvement if Fiverr did this. More transparency around the decision Fiverr makes when canceling would also be helpful. But if Fiverr is to pay for arbitration, sellers and buyers will have to foot the bill. It's a difficult balance to strike: is Fiverr going to interfere? When? How? And when is the interference too much, or too little?

I agree that the system isn't balanced when it comes to high-ticket sellers. See screenshot about 4.2 stars now being the new standard.

@visualstudiosBy the way - sorry if I'm not responding to all your thoughts. I see you've updated and edited some of your posts.

In the majority of cases, I would agree, provided we're ignoring the consumer rights that you're legally required to adhere to. Yes, this is more applicable to tangible goods than services, but even so, any potential client will likely seek some contractual reassurances before engaging with you in a business transaction, especially when substantial amounts of money are on the line. While I agree that there's a key difference between the power you have as a shop owner (in my example) and a Fiverr seller, I don't think it's an excuse for sellers to be able to sanitize their reviews through cancellations, even when the buyer may have endured a truly bad experience. Demotion is unlikely unless you're getting a lot of cancellations. In that case, I'd say the issue might lie more within your business model than Fiverr's. The average score you need to maintain your level has also been lowered, and rightfully so. It would allow for a more balanced rating system where the difference between 4 and 5 stars doesn't necessarily break you in half. And frequency matters, in my opinion: if a seller is having to deal with multiple cancellations because of unhappy buyers, they probably shouldn't be allowed to sell on the platform in the first place. Let them go to Up****.

Our experiences regarding the quality of buyers differ. I've encountered perhaps a couple of unfounded cancellations during my nine years on the platform. I've run into my share of troublesome buyers, and those encounters have taught me strategies to avoid the majority of them. I agree that there are cases where orders might be unfairly cancelled, but in my view, these instances are relatively rare. Let's say you own a store and manage to upset a particularly irritable customer—let's call her Karen—with your service, product, or the lack thereof. Karen is entirely within her rights to vent her frustrations on Google, Yelp, or Trustpilot with a one-star rating about your business, refund notwithstanding. Could the current system be refined to mitigate unnecessary cancellations? Absolutely. However, I genuinely believe that in the rare occurrence of a professional receiving such a review post-cancellation, they should be equipped to handle it. The buyer cannot simply exploit the work for free, as they don't possess the rights to use it, as per the terms on Fiverr. As a seller, you always have the option to pursue legal action.

So you can't see how not completing an order should affect your completion rate? Good lord. I think you hit the nail on the head.

It seems that a lot of sellers are fearful of their buyers, transparency, and honest feedback. The fact that so many people are rattled by this, tells me something about how necessary this change was. If you're an actual professional, you'd welcome honest, transparent feedback about your customer's experience, because the service you provide is top-notch. One gripe I've always had with Fiverr is their rating system: five stars can mean anything from "mediocre" to "decent" to "phenomenal". That's simply not how it should work. A quick browse through the search results will reveal countless sellers who have been meticulously sanitizing their reviews, dodging negative reviews for years, simply by cancelling orders when the going got tough. As a buyer, you're completely unable to trust the public reviews. They mean nothing. This is a good change if you're a true professional. That entails knowing how to deal with not just your deliverables, but people.

It's certainly refreshing to see that buyers can now leave reviews for cancelled orders. After all, this is standard practice elsewhere. Even after cancelling an order, I could still have had a terrible experience, and I should be able to let the community know. But as is the norm with other platforms, businesses ought to respond to any negative feedback they receive. It's only fair. I haven't had the time to read everything yet, but from what I understand, we won't be able to review the buyer, but we can respond to the review. This is another good argument to get Seller Plus, giving you insights into a buyer's order completion. There's a clear reason behind this decision, in my opinion. You see, some sellers – those who have an inflated sense of their own perfection yet serve up nothing more than mediocrity – shouldn't have the privilege of publicly shaming customers who've had poor experiences at their hands, on the customer's profile. That should be fairly easy to understand.

While there are more difficult languages out there, Sean Sutherland who is a senior lecturer in English Language and Linguistics at the Univerisity of Westminster would disagree with you. Why is English so hard to learn? (theconversation.com) And I know some brits who think Americans have got it all wrong. Not even English speakers can agree on how to speak English. Not that it's unique to English.

To be fair, English is one of the harder languages to learn. It's not a very good universal language because it takes being a native/fluent speaker to speak it well. I grew up with English alongside Norwegian. It's natural to me. I can hear one of the stupid contradictions or idioms and instinctively understand it because it's been nearly as much a part of my life as Norwegian. We're taught English from 1st grade. We're six when we start learning it at school. When we're about 11, we're expected to be fluent enough not to need dubbing of children's TV shows. According to the University of Bergen in Norway, 90% av Norwegians are completely fluent. We're among the top five countries with the best non-native English skills in the world. If you walk down a street in Norway, you'll see signs saying "Sale" instead of the Norwegian "Salg." I just came across an e-mail from that aptly named airline Norwegian, tempting me with a "Storby-weekend," meaning "Large City Weekend." Notice the "weekend"? Even if we have a perfectly good word for it, "helg", it's much more natural to use the English word. Now, let's pay a visit to Spain, where I live. Only 22% (!) of the Spanish population reported being able to hold a conversation in English. They don't want to or aren't able to learn it, and most of them don't care. All media is dubbed, and if you're stupid enough to ask a Spanish person, "Habla inglés?" their default response is "no, no, no, un momento, por favor", while desperately trying to find someone brave to interpret for them, staring blankly into the void that is their glossary lessons 40 years ago... "Me help" or "Help you." "O tal vez fue... Hippipottamousooo sii! Me remember tzis word, si si si". Not trying to make fun of the Spanish here, but this was an actual encounter with a guy at the bank who could only remember "me," "help," and "hippopotamus" from his English lessons. That's the only time you'll ever see me defend our friends, the fluent English speakers, because even with all the above in mind, there's no excuse for not learning it if you're running an international online business. Not even if you're scared to the point of shaking in your pants. Sorry. French is one language I can't handle. It's like speaking the Norwegian Bergen dialect, backwards.

Vickie - you're one of the best communicators I know on Fiverr. Your support skills are well-established, and you've consistently proven that here on the forum. Your patience, coupled with a somehow inhuman willingness to help even the worst ignoramuses you meet, is praiseworthy on its own. When I transitioned into Pro, the only adjustment I made was the amount of time I dedicated to each client. It gave me the flexibility to focus on one project at a time – a luxury I didn't have prior to upping my rates. I also started expecting more from myself, but the skills I possessed were already there. Becoming a pro seller is more about demonstrating that you're already a professional in the outside world. There's a Norwegian movie that comes to mind titled "Headhunters". It tells the story of a top recruiter who doubles as an art thief, stealing artworks from the people he recruits into prominent SEO positions. The protagonist makes a poignant statement: "It's all about being renowned". I think that captures the primary challenge of Pro. As for skills, you've already got them, and plenty of it.

I understand your feelings of frustration. Fiverr typically give gigs that they anticipate will perform well in the marketplace access to promoted gigs, and for a good reason. This approach mirrors how regular gig visibility works: if you earn and your buyers are satisfied, you'll be placed prominently in the listings. One strategy to improve your gig's visibility is to update and rejuvenate your gig. This might offer a small boost to your visibility. I would advise that you carefully plan all the modifications, craft an impeccable gig description, produce a gig video, and apply these changes simultaneously when everything is thoroughly prepared and ready to go. With these improvements, there's a chance that Fiverr's algorithm will give you that boost. If you do a great job when/if a buyer comes along, Fiverr might reward your efforts with additional visibility. It's all about getting the ball rolling. Before you do any of this, though, ensure you have a good value proposition. Consider what makes you unique. Why should a buyer order from you and not one of the other 200.000 gigs? That promise of uniqueness should serve as the backbone of your strategy here. Best of luck!

Let's all go for Esperanto instead. We might get there. A long way to go before we become a type 1 civilization. Antaŭeniru pli, frato.

I never had any issues with slumps after extensions. I deal with many repeat buyers, which could play a part in this. But in my experience, the occasional extension won't affect you. With that said, it can annoy the buyer leading to less favorable private feedback, and hurt you that way. So it's best to avoid it, just from a satisfaction standpoint.

Sorry for the late response Vickie! I forgot about this post until I had to refer back to it for someone currently navigating post-promotion My experience as a Pro... Let's see. One major change has been an increase in my rates. The decision to not opt for Pro in the voiceover category was intentional; I didn't want to price myself out of competition. This was a sensible move then and still holds true now. For my content writing gigs, adopting Pro made perfect sense. After assessing my net hourly income from the last 20 orders, I realized I wasn't earning as much as I aspired to. I calculated that my rate had to be doubled and that I could afford to have fewer clients from those gigs. It worked out very well. Most of my regulars stayed on. A few left due to pricing, and that's fine. Fiverr Pro can be great if you're already operating in the 100+ USD pricing bracket or if you're aiming for it. The vetting process is time-consuming, but you get some nice benefits once you earn the Pro status. Without going into extensive detail here, the perks of being Pro have positively influenced my non-Pro gigs and workflow as well, particularly when dealing with support. Of course, sporting the Pro badge is a nice touch too.

I meant other measurements, not other parts of the buyer satisfaction rate. It should have been "Other stats include public ratings.." and it should be part of a separate bullet point. It got lost in editing. With that said, I believe on-time delivery could be factored into your buyer satisfaction - if not directly - then by the fact that late deliveries will affect your buyer satisfaction rate because of feedback from the buyers.

So Fiverr is broken because you can't compete with nearly 200.000 other sellers. Ok. It's not ignoring the "problem". The "problem" here is that you're trying to sell exactly the same thing as 200.000 other people. Imagine if you want to open a store on a busy shopping street. You see 40 bakeries all selling the same cookie. Do you think it's a good idea to open another bakery on that street? And if you did, do you expect customers to start rolling in to buy your cookies automatically? Fiverr will promote the creme of the crop on top. People have spent years building a reputation and profile to get there. They've invested thousands of manhours into their business. That's why they're on the top. Nothing is broken except the idea that you can come to this platform, create a gig, and beat the competition simply by being here. I often tell new sellers they tend to get a slight boost right at the beginning. If you can't get enough momentum, you'll most likely never make it because of the massive competition on Fiverr. We're not telling you this to be unhelpful or to "ignore the problem." We're telling you this because it's the truth. If you want to succeed, you need to offer something unique and have it all planned out before you post your first gig. Since you're clearly not happy with the level of support and information we've given you for free on our own time, here is some advice you might find more useful: You're a talented designer, based on your portfolio. What you're lacking are the skills to market yourself. Upon reviewing one of your gig descriptions, I noted a few things you can improve. The current description reads akin to a detailed procedural guide. As a prospective buyer, it's important for me to feel drawn in and inspired rather than being given a checklist of required inputs. A compelling gig description should highlight the value and unique benefits the client will receive. This could involve painting a vivid picture of the outcome I can expect. After all, people don't buy a product or a service; they buy what it can do for them. Use engaging and dynamic language, and inspire action rather than listing the information needed from the client upfront. It's about crafting a narrative that makes the buyer excited to work with you. P.S. Attention to detail is vital. If you're posting a gig full of typos, how can a buyer expect you to be detail-oriented and meticulous about your work? If your goal is to convert more prospects into clients, I would recommend honing your marketing and copywriting skills. On Fiverr, you're not just a designer. You're also a support specialist, a professional marketer, a copywriter, and a salesperson. Sell the value and potential that purchasing a logo from you can offer rather than the product or the process itself. In addition to using your gig description to do this, you can also use gig videos to increase engagement, clicks, and in turn, conversions. Gigs with a video are more likely to sell, if the video is good. I hope this advice is more to your liking! Best of luck!

It depends on the link. Do you trust the sender, and is the link relevant to your conversation? Have you had a serious conversation with the individual on the other end, and does the link make sense in that context? If yes, perhaps it would make sense to click a link. For example, a buyer might ask you to design a logo and send you a link to their website to view their branding and get to know the company better. On the other hand, if someone sends you a random link, be very careful. It could lead to malware, phishing, or scams. You want to exercise some common sense here.

You could use an auto refresher on Fiverr, but just like cooking bacon in the nude, it's not a good idea. Fiverr's system will sniff it out quicker than a bloodhound on a hot trail and faster than you can say "banned account."