vickieito

Hi @lacroix88, I had the same issue and brought it up to my Success Manager. I religiously answer every single message and even check my spam folder regularly because I notice the system will sometimes say I have unread messages when I don't. When my Success Manager looked at it, she saw that there were some spam messages that I responded to right away that were accidentally counted as not being responded to. I'm not sure how that happened. So she had CS correct my response rate back to 100%. You might want to contact CS (or your Success Manager if you have one) to take a look at that for you.

1. Dad jokes, puns, word plays, and corny jokes make me really happy. 😊 2. As organized as I am when I work, I'm extremely scatterbrained and forgetful in my personal life (for example, running around the house looking for keys that were in my hand the whole time or going to the store for milk, only to buy everything but milk or stopping at a stop sign ... and forgetting to "go" again). 3. I am very reactive when I watch movies - my kids make fun of my audible gasps, loud guffaws, weeping, and short bursts of exclamations (such as "Oh no!").

I lost thousands of dollars earlier this year related to scams/online hackers that involved multiple online accounts, many of them created by others who were using my stolen identity. Fiverr was the only online account that actually covered me for my loss - even though it was my fault for not taking better security measures to protect myself. I did click on a "harmless" link containing Malware, I did have multiple tabs open in my browser for different online accounts, and I did have several online accounts with the same password. I overly trusted/relied on my 2-factor authentication and regular checks for malware (and didn't think how easily phishing scams can get past those measures).

Scammers are a threat to anyone who does anything online. They are experienced social engineers who thrive off of the low-hanging fruit - people who leave their guard down and fall for their carefully engineered tactics. If you aren't vigilant in protecting yourself, it's easy to get caught unaware. These scammers have a strategy to get you to take actions that seem harmless - clicking on links, downloading files, or visiting other sites - for their benefit. That's why Fiverr has a lot of controls in place to protect you if you follow their rules and safeguards. It's also good to be aware that there are people out there who want to scam you. Knowing this can help you to protect yourself as you interact with others on the platform (and other places online). Many scammers create multiple accounts on a daily basis, so the more sellers use that spam button in their inbox, the better Fiverr can deal with these scammers. Fiverr automatically disables accounts that get marked as spam by multiple users. Fiverr also got rid of Buyer Requests (which was full of scams/spam) and replaced it with Buyer Briefs (which has a reporting feature for sellers to quickly report scammers or spammers). There are also safeguards that Fiverr has to prevent users from creating multiple accounts (which catches some of the scammers/spammers who are trying to create multiple accounts).

It's also okay to say "no" to projects, especially if the buyer wants a quick turnaround. I have longer delivery times (and only accept a quick-turnaround project if there's an available gap between my other orders). Usually, I turn away expedited projects and opt to work with buyers who are open to a 2-week delivery (or longer) so that I can schedule my orders better.

Because a buyer can rate the seller however they want, as long as it's their honest opinion. Or they can choose not to rate you at all, since leaving public feedback is optional. I know how hard this can be on sellers, especially if you are new and every review counts. It looks like your buyer is the "bulk discount" type of buyer, who likes to get as many images as possible for the cheapest price possible. So if you can't do that, he won't give you a good review. I've raised my prices significantly because I don't want to work with those types of buyers.

I think some sellers block buyers simply because they are working on orders and they have to respond to every message right away (or mark the messages as spam) in order to keep their seller statistics up in terms of response times (<1 hour), response rate (100%), and on-time deliveries. Especially since Fiverr started putting timers on some messages that say "Respond within 5 minutes to increase your chances of getting a job." It can be hard to get any work done when there are a lot of incoming messages and you want to maintain quick response times (and may have 3 or 4 messages going on at a time and also have deliveries that are due that same hour, so they are fighting against multiple clocks). When I was a new seller, I thought it was rude that many buyers just disappear right in the middle of conversation (or they blocked me if I tell them that I'm unable to take their order). Many times I would tell them I couldn't do their project because they wouldn't share that much information - they would just say, "I have a big job, can you do it?" Even after probing, they would just say cryptic things like, "I can pay you $2,000 .... why can't you take this job?" And I would answer that they still haven't told me what they wanted done ... And then they would block me. ....so for the longest time, I couldn't use the block feature. I thought it was extremely rude, and maybe a part of the online, social media culture that existed, where people could just leave in the middle of conversation, or block whoever they wanted, for any reason. I also thought it was an excuse for poor communication. I got used to it though, and just shrug my shoulders when a buyer chooses to act that way. As a seller, I started to use the block button. The first one was a buyer who initially blocked me because I declined the job (because they couldn't give me details of their project ...and then they unblocked me to make sneering remarks about how they found a "better" seller). After they wasted my time sharing the details of how this other seller was better than me, I did block them ... and in the middle of conversation. I also started to use the spam button, especially when I get a lot of spammy messages in my inbox. Sometimes I might accidentally use that spam button (and mark a legitimate buyer as a spammer) if we go back and forth more than five times without the buyer mentioning their project details (sometimes even legitimate buyers say "Hi," "How are you?", "Do you write?," "Will you join my team?," "Can I ask questions?" ... and if it's not leading anywhere, I might mark them as spam, accidentally).

Anyone can easily become a business buyer by setting up a business account. Even becoming a Fiverr Select buyer (the one with the cool crown) is fairly easy, buyers only have to spend $500 and close 10 orders in 6 months. Don't judge a buyer by these badges because they have nothing to do with the quality of the buyer. Pay attention to your conversation with your buyer and if something feels off, trust your spidey senses. You can say "no" if you don't feel comfortable with an order.

Orders canceled by the buyer before he or she submits the order requirements should not affect your order completion rate. Orders placed "by mistake" also shouldn't affect your order completion rate (but you may need help from customer service to adjust your order completion rate so it doesn't affect you).

When I applied to be a seller on Fiverr, I also applied as a freelancer on another platform. I was accepted as a seller right away on Fiverr but was rejected on the other platform. I think it was because there were too many freelancers offering the same service as me. I didn't think too much of it. Fiverr accepted me as a seller right away, so I put all my effort into growing my Fiverr business. Freelancing platforms can decide who they will allow to work on their site or not, so if one doesn't accept you, try to find other ways to earn income.

I agree with @looseink - I was off-grid at a National Park a couple of days ago (and we came home late, so I went straight to bed). When I woke up, I found out there was a buyer message that was sitting in my inbox for 7 hours. It was definitely the longest I've gone without responding to a buyer. But the buyer didn't mention my slow response time ... and they did end up placing an order. It's nice working with buyers who understand that sellers do have a life and don't need to respond right away.

I'm so happy to hear from some of my favorite buyers on the forum @gina_riley2, @moikchap, & @smashradio! An exclusive forum could work for more established buyers who may be looking for that community of like-minded individuals where real conversations can take place (and without the level of spam that is on the main forum). I think it's awesome that @gina_riley2 & @moikchap have participated so much on the forum, since most of the buyers that I see don't stick around for long. I wonder what made the difference for you two? I don't think limiting that forum to Fiverr Business or Fiverr Select buyers will help the disgruntled first-time buyers who haven't even decided yet if Fiverr is worth their time. I like @moikchap's idea of an onboarding process to get buyers talking to the community (and soliciting feedback) before their first order. Because it's usually in the first orders when a new buyer has a bad experience (as @gina_riley2 mentioned). I'm so glad that you did stay with Fiverr (and the forum)! This is what I'd like to see happen more often. It is refreshing to see things from a buyer's perspective, and it would be nice to see more buyers being active on the forum. These are all great advice @moikchap! Maybe in the onboarding process Fiverr can let first-time buyers know there's a community where they can get a second opinion from when making their first order? Also, I know @Yoav.M was doing roundtable discussions with several sellers on different topics. Maybe this is one of the things we could have a roundtable discussion on?

Hi Everyone! I'm really grateful for all that Fiverr and our m0ds are doing to enhance the community experience here for sellers and really want to see the same for buyers. Having a supportive community (and knowing that Fiverr cares about my feedback) makes all the difference for me as a seller. I know it'll do the same for our buyers if we can give them that same type of community that sellers enjoy. Concerns About Buyer Attrition It's great that Fiverr is being proactive about creating more engaging content and resources for buyers, but I have concerns about customer attrition based on the buyers that I see coming to the forum (as well as the buyers that I interact with on Fiverr's platform). I really started thinking about this ever since Fiverr Lift came out (https://www.fiverr.com/cp/the-lift#partners) with a link directly to the main forum so buyers could "Interact with other businesses like yours, ask questions, and find the info you need to get ahead." Although the forum is a great place for sellers, it really isn't a place for buyers to find "like-minded" individuals or the support that they need. The forum is heavily geared for sellers and the only spot for buyers (Tips for Buyers) isn't really helpful. There is good content there, but you have to dig through the countless posts from sellers venting about buyers (basically telling buyers how to make the life of sellers easier) or posting why buyers should order from newbie sellers. Many of these posts won't answer the questions that buyers have when they come to the forum (which are usually questions on how the platform works, from a buyer's perspective). Many buyers on the forum only make 1-2 posts and then leave because they are already frustrated with their experiences on Fiverr. Here are a few examples ... A disappointed buyer who thought Fiverr would be better than Up***k: https://community.fiverr.com/forums/topic/307536-why-fiverr-sellers-do-not-use-limit-order-and-pause-for-gigs-if-there-are-not-taking-orders/#comment-1930029 A disgruntled buyer who left Fiverr for Up***k: https://community.fiverr.com/forums/topic/299995-brief-system-is-terrible-for-buyers/ A typical post by a new-to-the-platform buyer: https://community.fiverr.com/forums/topic/284298-how-to-reach-a-specialist-seller/ New-To-The-Platform Buyers If we want to create a better experience for these new-to-the-platform buyers, I think the forum sheds light on why these buyers aren't sticking around. Buyers don't feel supported. They can't find a competent seller to work with. A lot of buyer dissatisfaction revolves around the platform's features (not just the sellers they deal with). So just focusing on sellers' Buyer Satisfaction Rate (BSR) isn't enough. Buyers are having issues with using the platform or its tools, and they don't feel like their needs are being addressed when they reach out to CS, or even the forum for help. It would be great if buyers, especially new buyers, could feel the same sense of community that I feel on the forum as a seller. I would also like buyers to feel that Fiverr has an interest in their feedback and really wants to support them in using all that Fiverr has to help them grow their business. I don't want to see them leaving Fiverr because we aren't giving them the support they need to be successful on this platform. Since Fiverr is placing so much emphasis on new-to-the-platform buyers, this is definitely one area that could make a difference to them. Buyer Concerns About Briefs I would love to see some of these new buyer concerns around Briefs addressed. I'm a seller who is also a buyer, but I don't use the "Post a Request" feature to post briefs, so I can't really provide help for the buyers who come to the forum with questions on Fiverr's Brief & Match feature. I usually share a link or tell buyers to use Fiverr's search instead of briefs, just like how the sellers responded to these two buyers: https://community.fiverr.com/forums/topic/306906-the-thing-called-a-brief-posting-a-need-could-use-a-lot-of-improvement/ https://community.fiverr.com/forums/topic/306782-i-just-posted-my-post-a-request/ It would be nice if the brief feature actually worked for buyers and there was a way for buyers to communicate their concerns and receive confirmation from Fiverr that their concerns are being addressed. Fiverr does this for sellers on the forum, it would be nice to see buyers similarly supported. Here's a buyer who posts a detailed explanation of their experience using briefs - and wonders if there's anyone from Fiverr's team who's actually reading the post: https://community.fiverr.com/forums/topic/307055-no-function-to-manage-posted-requests/ I also started to just message the buyers who post briefs (instead of making an offer). See below. https://community.fiverr.com/forums/topic/296621-fiverr-brief-the-new-way-to-let-buyer-connect-to-seller/?do=findComment&comment=1924815 Note a buyer's comment following my post - buyers want to have real conversations with their sellers because the brief settings are so limited: https://community.fiverr.com/forums/topic/296621-fiverr-brief-the-new-way-to-let-buyer-connect-to-seller/?do=findComment&comment=1926613 After having a negative experience with briefs, some buyers post their requests on the forum, asking "Are there any sellers who can really do the job?" And that's really the only time we hear from them because they leave and don't come to the forum again. So ... what do new buyers need? I really just wanted to start a discussion here to see what others are experiencing/seeing on the platform - are you all seeing what I'm seeing? If you are a buyer - I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences! I'd also like to hear from other sellers and Fiverr's team to see if my concerns have already been addressed in some way and if you have any ideas on tackling this issue. What do you think new buyers need? Another forum category with a Fiverr staffer assigned (like Fiverr Excel)? If so, how do we prevent it from becoming another "Tips For Buyer" category? Or do we need a dedicated forum like Seller Plus (or even an invite-only club that allows some sellers with a good reputation to join)? Or is the current forum good enough? Copying @Yoav.M, @Trisha_Fiverr, @Lena, @lior_porat (just calling on a few of Fiverr's team 😊).

@moikchap & @hightlink - I found out where I was seeing the exact order completion rate ... this is only on buyers who have previously bought from me (so that's why I couldn't see an exact percentage for either of you ... I'm not your seller): I'm not sure how helpful this is - since the orders are with me, I know exactly why the orders were canceled (when my account was shut down, we had several orders in queue that were immediately canceled). I would be more curious to see the exact percentage on buyers who haven't placed an order with me.

Copying @Yoav.M and @lior_porat on @mandyzines's suggestion so that this can reach the right product managers: This would help buyers tremendously. It takes a lot of time to find the seller's responses to reviews, especially when the seller has more than one gig in the same category/subcategory. Even if there's one gig, it can take time to find the right response. I agree! Many buyers will want to easily see the sellers' responses to canceled orders (or negative reviews) ... right next to the buyers' reviews. It's too much work to search for the sellers' responses.

I agree with this - I don't deliver unless I'm 100% confident that I have addressed all of the points that a buyer asks. I do check in often before the delivery, but I also make it very clear that buyers are to thoroughly review the delivery, extend the review period as necessary, and/or request a revision change if they would like anything added, changed, or deleted in the delivery after viewing the finished product in its final state. I welcome feedback on my deliveries because even though I'm confident in my final product, I don't want buyers to ever feel like they are forced to accept an order that they are not 100% happy with. I also know they'll be happier if there's some skin in the game. Even if it's a slight color change or one word that they want to be replaced. Most orders have three revisions and I make it clear that I expect them to use those revisions if they want to. Those revisions are as much a part of the order as the first delivery. Many choose to accept the first delivery, but I think it's nice for them to know they can request revisions.

I opened a file that had Malware, so all of my windows that were open were accessible by the hacker, who withdrew all my Earnings and requested that my account be shut down. Luckily, after 4 days, I was able to get my account back, Fiverr covered the loss, and they fixed my stats (all of my orders in queue were canceled when the account shut down). The hardest part was not being able to communicate with my customers for 4 days. They had no idea what happened. What is the second answer?

It can take a couple of days in between the responses from CS (and often the responses are copy/paste). When my account was shut down by a hacker, there was 2 days in between CS's response, so I had to patiently wait for each response.

CS will normally respond with a copy/paste answer. Just say, "This does not address my initial question..." and then restate your request.

What 3 warnings did you receive?

If you haven't already, create a help desk ticket - let them know that you believe that they made a mistake and that you haven't made any empty or partial deliveries, or abused the rating system and ask them to provide specific details of what triggered the warnings.

Hi @sasyj93, you should have received an email stating the reason for your warnings. Sometimes it ends up in your junk mail. What did those messages say?

So that's how Fiverr is going to classify it ... as a buyer satisfaction case (not as a buyer misusing the revision request). This tells me that Fiverr wants sellers to do everything they can to close the order (and not cancel). There's not much benefit to canceling if the buyer gets a refund and can leave a review (a potentially negative one). If you're going to get a negative review, might as well get paid for it. However, this could become a long, drawn-out nightmare if neither side backs down.

It looks like CS won't adjust your stats for these types of cancelations anymore:

Your gig's visibility in search depends more on the quality of your services and your performance as a seller than anything else. So focus on delivering quality services and improving the look of your gig over time. Making improvements to my gigs (by improving the gig images, gig descriptions, and packages) has only helped me look more professional to my buyers (which also helps any price increases that I make).