newsmike

That is quite a set of mental gymnastics to go through as opposed to just quoting me correctly and responding to what I actually said. You don't know that. Nor do I, but you speak theories with such absolute certainty, as if you have applied these measures before, and have witnessed the results. Which of course you haven't.

I never suggested that finances were a virtue. You know that. What I actually said was having finances in the game (along with other things like heart and soul) makes people even more motivated not to fail, because there is a higher price to pay if things do not work out. Please try to quote me accurately. Misquoting me, just so you can attack your innacurate version of my words does not help your argument.

I know speechwriting and translation get hammered by people who use Google translate, or just plagiarize others work and sell as their own. I think there can be a solution that works, no one is suggesting that the fee levels in this thread are the only scenario that work. But I appreciate that you are open minded about raising quality to make fiverr a world clas freelance site. I'd like to hear more of your thoughts. So far, I have gotten a lot of folks offering resistance to change, and not one has suggested an alternative. But I believe that allowing the status quo is not sustainable if we are to grow fiverr into what it can be.

I said all 3, not just finances. 3 points of commitment as opposed to two. Simple really.

No, one that assumes that those who sacrifice and put their heart, soul and financial assets into something will take it more seriously than someone with a disposable account who can make a new one every week.

I would rather suspect that it would morph from "low quality" to "high quality" as a logical result of what we are discussing.

I suppose you and I simply have differing opinions of what professional means. We don't all set the bar in the same place. That's OK

This discussion is not about ridding the platform of "new" sellers, it is about purging "scam" sellers, meaning either actual "crooks" as well as sellers who represent themselves as highly qualified, but in reality have no business charging others for what they do. Neither of these help Fiverr. That's why we have used low quality to describe them. Also $20 is not a gate that will support the model. You need a higher threshold. That $250 was just a suggestion, but somewhere about there seems correct, or once again, you have sellers with no investment, therefore, nothing to lose. Personally speaking, I would prefer to buy from someone willing to invest in their business, as opposed to someone who won't. Let me give you an example, there are 25,000 sellers in my category of voice over. If someone is unwilling or unable to invest $200 a month in their business, then I can guarantee you that they have not invested the minimum $3000-$10,000 for a professional audio studio. Look at the thumbnails and you see the vast majority of sellers with non professional equipment pictured in non acoustically treated bedrooms. Yet we do see "new" sellers showing up that are professionals, with proper talents and equipment as well. My best guess is that of the 25,000 sellers in Voice Over, maybe 500 are true professionals, that can deliver. So, we are really talking about solutions that will purge not only the crooks, but also reduce the sellers who really are not bringing measurable quality to the vertical they represent. As others in this thread have stated, this damages fiverr's image, because absolutely anyone can claim to be "the world's best, professional XXX", and there is no vetting except for the PRO level. The part that I think many have missed, is that fiverr could reduce the fee against sales, so, for example, for every dollar you pay fiverr in a month, credits toward the fee. Once you have paid $250 for the month as you normal 20% to fiverr, the fee is wiped out. If you pay $125 in commission, then you only pay $125 for the month...etc. Many possble strategies can be thought of. I would counter that the better the sellers, the better for the buyers. You know: "Quality vs Quantity."

I believe this illustrates the problem. If you are looking for guarantees in the business world, you are going to face real problems. There are no guarantees. The original point was, however, that the McD's franchise owner has sunk their life savngs in, probably borrowed from family, and has a real loss to face if things don't work out. The free account owner on fiverr has nothing invested, so if they get banned for selling stolen logos for example, they can just open a new account the next day, and sell more. We are all business owners here on fiverr, so why would you be looking for ways to allow those unwilling or unable to make the proper investments in their businesses to have the same access as those who do sacrifice to get ahead? That seems counterintuitive unless you are again looking at fiverr as a charity instead of a business. Call "Go Daddy" today and tell them that you want a premium store with custom design and tons of Google Advertising for your new site, but you want it all free, because you aren't sure that you'll get any orders. I say, maybe 10 seconds till they hang up on you.

Thank you, that's very kind of you.

We are really having 2 different conversations here. Above is what the OP stated as the problem. So the discussion was about how to eliminate the large amounts of low quality, scammer accounts. I do agree that something has to be done. Again, a business owner with nothing to lose and no reason to care, is not a recipe for quaity. The low quality, scammer sellers are what gives fiverr its image problem. For example in my category of voice over, it is a very common request that I send the agencies buying my services a demo to play for their client. Very often they ask that the demo has no fiverr branding on it whatsoever. They like what they can buy from me, but clearly do not want their client to know that they are buying from a fiverr seller. That is a real problem, and if fiverr is going to continue to raise the bar on quaity, and image (especially since Microsoft is launching a competitor at fiverr this fall), they need to purge the sellers that create the image of low quality. This topic went sideways when the issue switched to the fact that not every person on the planet could afford to pay to partcipate. I completely get your point, but "not everyone can afford it", is not the answer to what the OP brought up. Nor can it be a a reason not to drive quality and image upwards. I cannot afford the $500,000 franchise fee to open a McDonald's restaurant. Is that unfair? No. Should I get one for free because of that, No. The franchise fee is there to make sure that anyone who opens a McD's has their mortage on the line to make it a success, and will lose their shirt if it fails. That's how you keep people engaged, and focused on quality and performance. That's just business. And trying to redefine fiverr as "democratized offshoring" is inconsistent with the reality that is in fact a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ, which has a fidicuary responsibility to maximize revenue for its shareholders, first, last and foremost. That's it.

Yep. This all boils down to whether fiverr is a place where people can open a business, or is it a free money distribution system for 6 billion people? In almost any situation, whether you are opening a doctors office, a book store or a kebob shop, you have some expenses to make when you open a business. Rent, electricity, taxes, inventory, payroll. etc... You don't get a free coffee shop handed to you, do you? And if you did, every other store front would be a coffee shop with an owner who invested nothing, and therefore has nothing to lose. How many times have we seen bad sellers get banned, and popup with a new account the next day? I realize that we live in an age where "it's not fair" can pass a a reasoned argument. But honestly, this is business. Now if someone wanted to start a charity site that offers opportunities as you are describing, I say, Bravo! But, I ask most seriously, are we running businesses here? Or is fiverr an equity project? It has to be one or the other. You can be both and be publicly traded on the NASDAQ.

No assumption necessary. It is crystal clear. Fiverr takes 20% of each order, and the larger the order, the bigger that 20% is. So if you are selling at $10 and I am selling at $50, then fiver makes $2 from your sale, or $10 from mine. Which would rather have? Rather simple actually.

Fair, but there are a couple undeniable facts to consider. You need to realize that Fiverr is a for profit business. So the more they reduce $5 orders and replace with $25 orders, the more profitable they are. This seems to be their general direction quite steadily for the past few years. Their name is probably the biggest hindrance to moving more quickly. At the end of the day, a publicly traded company is not in the business of solving global inequalities, (a worthy cause, certainly, but for charities). Businesses are in the "making money" business. Plan and simple. If Fiverr's leadership did not do so, the shareholders would swiftly replace them with others that would.

I believe we have needed something like this for a long time. As @frank_d states, the seller needs to have "some skin in the game." In my category of voice over, we have over 25,000 sellers now which exploded after covid struck. Unfortunately many are people with no experience, and just the microphone built into their laptop, who figure, since its free to join, why not? Fiverr could easily charge $250 per month to sell on the platform, then on a sliding scale, reduce that against the seller's billing. The more you bill, the less you pay for the monthly subscription, even eliminate it at some dollar figure. All the while still taking the 20%. It would most certainly eliminate the sellers who are not willing to invest in their business. That raises the quality bar for buyers, and the revenue opportunities for quality sellers at the same time.

Yes, but the PayPal chargeback can happen 6 months from now, 2 years from now. I once found myself with a negative balance of -$20. I’m lucky, some of my colleagues have found themselves with -$500. That’s why I don’t like big orders. Do you ever worry that you are missing out on the big orders that will not rip you off?

Hmmm, I think you need to get out more Mike but yes, it really surprises me when people have never come across it. Offline, it is completely standard to get and give credit limits. You have no idea. 20 char

I get a kick out of the folks who have never had to chase a net 30 customer and hope that you can get invoices paid net 60 days.

And 2 days into the 17, they click revision. And the clock starts again.

Or you could enforce the conditions under which you sold the order and not operate from fear.

Do you fill out the survey on the bottom of the receipt every time you buy Starbucks, go to Wal-Mart, Target, Grocery store? Nearly every business wants you to write a positive review, or do a survey. Do you take time to do every one? Probably not, probably because you are busy. That’s probably why not everyone does yours.

Would be a nightmare. However, fiverr should pay Level 1/2 in the same 7 days as they pay TRS and presumably PRO. I can’t see any reason why fiverr deserves to hold (and collect interest on) my funds an extra week.

I’ve seen it used verbally in sales situations. Interesting to apply it to written word. Good stuff. Thanks

I’d like to ask, as a buyer does this approach bother you? This is the text I use when I deliver. Hi, Your project is enclosed. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know. Otherwise, I would very much appreciate positive feedback. Please add my gig to your favorites so we can work together again in the future. Thanks again.

You can simply place that in the text you use to deliver the product. Something like “If you have questions, please let me know. If you are happy with the work, I would really appreciate positive feedback.”