principalmike

The new ratings system is slowly taking away my desire to continue on Fiverr, and sucking all of the drive and enthusiasm out of me. Have been a TRS for a couple of years and maintained an average rating of 5.0 for most of that time. However, I now see my ratings falling due to the new metrics and it's soul destroying. I am working harder than ever before and receiving consistently good feedback from buyers - but this is now being combined with lower rating scores, primarily due to the ridiculous 'value' metric and the use of emojis when rating orders. Fiverr seems to think that all change is good, but this one is in danger of really hurting their bottom line. Will they listen? I won't hold my breath...

I am totally convinced that dedicated, hard-working sellers on Fiverr are going to really suffer from the change in the ratings, especially through the 'Value for Money' metric. As with anything in life, the better the quality the more you will pay, but that doesn't mean that customers like that fact. Human nature is such that we want everything and anything to be cheaper. So, when buyers are asked to rate our delivery according to a 'Value for Money' metric they will inevitably think, "Well, it could have been cheaper" (even if they were really satisfied with the delivery). This becomes an even bigger issue when the only way to achieve a 5 star rating is if the Buyer rates your 'Value for Money' as Exceptional (not good or very good, but Exceptional). What are the chances of us being awarded that on a regular basis, especially if our prices are higher than some of our competitors? Virtually zero. Buyers aren't going to think about whether we offer a better service than the other Sellers in our niche, they are just going to think, "Well, it was good, but it could have been cheaper." As I said, human nature will dictate this choice - not the quality of our work. A serious re-think is needed on this metric - and fast!

Possibly, but my previous number of reviews all had 'value for money' as a metric

It was placed 3 days ago

I have just received a rating from a buyer and the 'Value for Money' metric isn't present. 'Service as described' is back. Does this mean they have listened to our concerns?

Sadly, this is a likely response for many people. The crazy thing is that this will also impact Fiverr's revenue. It just doesn't make sense on any level. A change that has been poorly thought through, if at all

The new ratings system is a joke. As is often the case, Fiverr are making it harder for Sellers, especially the 'Value for Money' nonsense. Most people will not leave 5-stars for this because human nature will always say, "It could have been cheaper". As a result, our ratings will drop, and many sellers will reduce their prices, resulting in a race to the bottom. And how does this even help Fiverr? Their income will also drop as a result. Whoever came up with this idea should probably be sacked. The level of incompetence by the decision makers is absurd.

Absolutely correct Annie. It's a mess and contacting Fiverr about it is a waste of time. Generic, cut and paste responses without fail.

I agree with all of your post, except the above. ChatGPT has had a HUGE impact on those of us offering proofreading and writing services. Sales have plummeted beyond belief.

The new ratings system is a joke. As usual, Fiverr are making it harder for Sellers, especially the 'Value for Money' nonsense. Most people will not (and are not) leave 5-stars for this because human nature will always say. "It could have been cheaper". As a result, our ratings will drop, and many sellers will drop their prices, resulting in a race to the bottom. And how does this even help Fiverr? Their income will also drop as a result. Whoever came up with this idea should be sacked! Absolute joke.

I offer resume and letter writing services and over the past 6 weeks my orders have gone from an average of 20 per week to 4 per week. Nothing at all for the past few days. I've been doing this for years, so I know all about the usual ups and downs etc. This sustained and it's definitely different. After a lot of research I've concluded that it's due to tools such as ChatGPT, meaning people simply aren't placing orders. I'm struggling to see a way around this. Anyone else experiencing this?

Good question! I have had a similar experience, and over the past few years had several such slumps. It seems to be down to a couple of things. (a) The private feedback clients give to Fiverr, which we don't see (b) The algorithm changing periodically and pushing certain gigs further down the rankings. It's incredibly frustrating, but I'm not exactly sure what can be done, especially about (b). Like you, I'm still searching for an answer.