levinewman

I'll put in a good word for you with the man upstairs. 😀

Good thing I'm a man of faith and this is all just a temporary stop anyway.

Yeah, but in this case we are replacing ourselves. There's no coming back from that. It's the real end game.

Then take it a step further. AI has now replaced us all on Fiverr, and now out in the world, and none of us have jobs and the world is in chaos. But AI is awesome, right? This is an extremely slippery slope.

Again, I don't know their Financials, but I can read a stock chart to know their decisions are having an impact. That begs the question then, what's the end game? Are we all going to be replaced by AI so Fiverr is non existent since AI is basically free? Would that be the goal here? Because that doesn't seem like a smart plan for us or Fiverr or anyone else, but we're sure happy to do it to ourselves.

You're right, I was just using one example. I think we could all point to a dozen other changes or current implements that have negatively affected things. Still, Fiverr adopting it rushed many people out the door and it had to impact their bottom line. My approach, for what it's worth, would have been to lean into, I don't know, the people making me money. Because AI is about to ruin the entire site by replacing creative verticals in every industry. I would have made people a priority so they keep making me money instead of throwing them in the trash.

Significantly decreased since Fiverr's adoption of AI. And when I say significantly, I was making 170k a year on Fiverr prior to the AI-Fiverr implementation, then dropped by 70k a year immediately after. So, yeah, I'm speaking strictly from a financial point of view.

I 100% agree with this statement. I'm a PRO, TRS, and rated 10 and I still think the entire thing is ludicrous.

I want to say very clearly I appreciate and respect your perspective. Debating can feel heavy on the internet, so I want to say it plainly so you do know I care about what you're saying. Regarding the above, I don't know how long you've been on Fiverr, but from my perspective (10 years here) I think it's an honest reaction to the amount of negative changes I've personally seen in my time here. I think fear is the focal point of everything Fiverr does to maintain control. Changes are almost never done without creating a negative impact on sellers. I think the poor communication and poor rollout are the major reasons why people are up in arms and because of these two factors, they are seriously worried about their revenue. And when you implement such massive changes, and it does impact someone's financial stability directly without regard to their well-being and security, then it's 100% your fault and you (Fiverr) deserve to be held accountable.

See, that's where you're seeing it differently. To Fiverr, it's 2 years of data. To us, it's nothing. People can't adjust to something they don't know. That's like you trying to build a rocket in the next month, but you have a culinary degree. Can you adjust, sure. Can you build a rocket in 30 days when you've been a chef your whole life? Extremely doubtful. You might not care about optics, but plenty of people and businesses do. See: Anheuser-Busch. Optics are everything, regardless of one's perspective. Because, generally speaking, everyone can see the optics if they're willing to just look. And the forums show that, regardless of your standing as a PRO seller, you are in the minority when it comes to these optics. You are right, though. We can respectfully disagree. It's just that in this instance, the large majority can see this mess for what it is--a serious mess no matter the optics.

This analogy never works and let me tell you why. If you have a spouse and they tell you every day you're amazing, but they secretly tell their therapist you're a total piece of junk as a spouse, you aren't seeing the full picture. Here's the rub: neither of them ever tell you that you are doing things wrong. But now, that therapist quickly reveals you've been messing up the entire time and you have 30 days to fix it all before you're forced to get divorced. That. That is how this entire thing worked. Fiverr didn't ever fix the existing problems until they said, "Oh yeah, I'm leaving you, you have 30 days to fix a problem that's unfixable in 30 days. YAY!" Stop carrying water for a poorly designed system. You're carrying water for Fiverr when it makes no logical sense to have this system designed in this specific way, and then expect people to completely change their abilities within such a tight window. It's simply bad implementation, bad management, bad communication, and bad leadership.

This post needs a solid bump. @emmaki was calling her shot well before all this craziness has happened. Prophetic, no? A+ work.

Long Post Incoming Quick Reference/Background: My name is Levi and I started on Fiverr about 10 years ago. I worked hard to grind out my spot amongst the writers and in that time I've had a modicum of success. As you can see above, "top-rated", I'm considered a "Pro", and I've got a Success Score of 10. Here are a few other notables I've achieved while working on Fiverr: Chosen to ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange when Fiverr when public. Recognized by Forbes, MSN, Business Insider, and other platforms for my success as a freelancer. Contributed to the Fiverr digital book and other resources. Contributed to more than 10 meetings with upper management and Fiverr teams (combined). Cultivated nearly $1.4 million in sales strictly on Fiverr. I've got bachelor's degrees in both English and Communication from the University of Missouri. Problems to Address As the forums show, Fiverr is in a rough place. It has been for a very, very long time. Leadership doesn't listen, customer service can only respond to positive messages with boilerplate information, and buyers can take full advantage of sellers with zero safeguards. I'm going to highlight some of the issues here that I will also be sending to the New York Post, Fox News, CNN, MotleyFool, and other news/stock outlets. You can get free work from any seller by simply using the phrase, "The delivery didn't meet my expectations." No exceptions. If the buyer simply states the delivery didn't meet their expectations, no matter what you do as a seller, they will get their money back and you'll be out your hard work, time, and money. This is something that continually happens to sellers at all levels. For reference, I've gotten that same message from at least three buyers this week alone. Fiverr makes a big deal about transparency but provides no actual transparency. While I'm rated a 10 above, I have no idea why. I have no idea what I'm doing compared to any other top-rated seller, Pro seller, or level 0 seller. A rating of 10 means nothing to me and no amount of shouting the word "transparency" from the rooftops is going to change that fact. I could bury my head and not care about others because I have a 10, but that's not who I am. It's not right; it's not transparent. Bugs, bugs, and more "bugs". For a long time, I thought the rating bugs and other issues plaguing Fiverr were just technical bugs. But the focus on "transparency" and the gaslighting has me questioning if they were simply trying to drag our ratings down the entire time on purpose. Now that I can see everyone around me flailing and losing out after all their hard-fought work has been for naught, it makes me realize that these "bugs" weren't really bugs at all. Fairness does not exist and sellers are fodder. This is the heaviest on my heart. There is no such thing as fairness or protection for sellers on Fiverr. Any buyer can get back their money and get free work no matter what you're doing. You can't complain about it; you can't fight about it; you can't protect yourself. The bullies have won. You will take your verbal beatings, harassment, and loss of money and like it. It won't ever change until people are so mentally tired they quit; like me. The community cares, but Fiverr doesn't. There are a thousand-and-one posts about the problems that exist here and the ways in which they can be fixed by sellers who are engaged, successful, and genuinely care about the work they do. @emmaki @newsmike @vickiespencer @visualstudios @ssj1236 @catwriter The list goes on and on. But Fiverr is unwilling to listen to people who are putting in the work with boots on the ground for reasons I simply cannot comprehend. This is my final straw. As of June 1, 2024, I will be done with Fiverr and shutting down my account because of these recent ratings changes and because I can't take the abuse any longer. This person sent the boilerplate, "The delivery didn't meet my expectations" right after my initial delivery and when I expressed I don't provide refunds, had me do minor revisions, only to again send "The delivery didn't meet my expectations" and then say they'd be talking to Fiverr support to get their refund the entire time. I am not going to be bullied, pressured, gamified, ridiculed, insulted, belittled, or taken advantage of by Fiverr or anyone else. No more, no longer, not ever. Fiverr, you gave me a lot of opportunities, but you also took advantage of my mental and physical health so often that my wife told me to quit 5 years ago. You let people take advantage of me. You don't protect me. You don't care about me. I'm a person. I'm not a number. In fact, I spent 10 years in the Army and was part of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF1), the very first rotation into Afghanistan two weeks after 9/11, and not even that was more stressful than working here day after day. I deserve better. These sellers deserve better. You're not listening and you don't care, but I do. And I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is by quitting altogether. June 1, 2024--unless you ban me because of my honesty and transparency. @Lyndsey_Fiverr @Kesha

Here's the thing. Nobody gets to rate me on my communication level. Especially not THAT kind of communication. It's literally the only thing that a consultation is. Communication. My job isn't to tell you what you want to hear; it's to tell you how I can help you. If you don't like what I offer or what I'm saying, fine, but that's not poor communication. That's just you having a different opinion or perspective. Nothing to do with communication.

We talk a lot about what we don't like on here because there are a lot of problems, but this right here is everything that keeps me going. I know it's not what everyone believes, and that is 100% OK, but it really does fill me with limitless joy when people do remember God still loves them no matter what's happening or what's on the horizon. I love reading all your stuff, @emmaki, but this is by far my favorite thing yet. Have an epic Valentine's Day; you deserve it. Levi (And even if it's a throwaway comment on your end, it still made my day so much better.)

This is gold.

I read them and love them. That is all. I'm trying to avoid contributing to Fiverr in any capacity. I'm so beyond burned out by this company's continued treatment of sellers that it's not even funny.

Experience matters for naught when it comes to Fiverr's ever-growing need to churn out volume instead of quality.

And yet, Fiverr still sounds like this on half the stuff they send out or create. Hard to differentiate the two sometimes.

The rise of Fiverr-AI has cut writing and copy editing to barebones. Nothing to do with you; just how the site has evolved. They want AI to be the focal point, not sellers.

Sorry, but Fiverr just doesn't care about your experience as a seller and they want your ratings to fall which is why they chose that metric. They literally WANT you to get worse ratings. There's no other explanation.

1. That's a guess that impacts real livelihoods. 2. That's another guess impacting real livelihoods. 3. You're betting that it "may signal opportunities" when in reality if people are getting low scores for "value for money" it will drive prices down for those people and the other people will have to drop prices to not create a bigger value gap that will either 1) reduce their order capacity and/or 2) drive people to leave them poor reviews based on the cost of surrounding sellers within their industry. 4. HIstorical data taken during COVID when stock prices soared at $320 a share all the way until now when stock prices are $27 a share. I'm not a mathematician, but I do hold two bachelor's degrees from a major university, and this doesn't sound like very sound data to base your ideas on.

And yet, value for money is a distinct way to sabotage hard work based on its wildly subjective nature, thus ensuring an inescapable grind where success is more closely tied to 5-star ratings than ever before.

This comment completely ignores all the other people concerned which is the biggest problem with Fiverr. It infuriates me that you're picking and choosing instead of addressing real problems. But, I guess, this is par for the course for the political game that is Fiverr these days. /Create Problem /Ignore Feedback /Praise Randomness /Ignore Feedback /Implement Life-Altering Changes Based on the Feedback of People Not Actually Selling on Fiverr /Profit??

So, they want reviews to go down but they still want to create/maintain impossible standards for maintaining TRS based on 60-day review periods without regard to the entire body of work you've established. Sounds totally reasonable and not at all like it's going to be a problem with keeping successful sellers around. /s