shenteriamarie

Fiverr already is a legit freelance platform, they even have TV commercials that air as well as Upwork. And yes everyone has the ability to join the platform regardless of their skill level, etc. But Fiverr can weed out the good from the bad by looking at reputations on this platform, the feedback from the clients. Fiverr simply isn't listening to those of us who are skilled and have been on this platform for a long time as well as built very positive reputations on this platform. Even with the over 1900+ jobs I have completed on this platform, my opinion does not seem to matter at all. They are choosing to not listen to logical explanations for situations that arise which is very unfortunate. They also don't care that they have such negative feedback online (BBB). Yet even me, as a 5 star rated seller with over 1200+ positive feedback ratings can't get Fiverr to listen to reason. I also have been a part of the Seller Plus program for about as long as it has been an option- at least a year I believe. And although I do have a Fiverr Success Coach, he has simply been an earpiece for me. He listens when I have issues happening and says he will see what he can do to help which is thoughtful. But other than that, he told me everything I could do to become a top rated seller and I did it all, fixed all my gigs and images, etc. Yet I still do not have that status. Fiverr chooses who they want to become top rated sellers and whatever criteria they have, it seems to be unreachable. Now I keep the coach to rant to and also so I can get paid a week earlier than usual. Then there's the top client issue: I created an e-learning course for a researcher employed at Harvard University, this was via Upwork. I provided them with the proof that I did work for them, my profile had Harvard as one of my clients for a few months, then recently they removed it. They now have said it is denied and I can send the same proof to try again. How weird. Same thing with the other clients I have worked with. Removing gigs: Here is what I received when they removed my animation gig recently: "We kindly request that you adhere to our Non-original designs standards in our Community Standards and provide original, self-made images for your Gig. These images should accurately showcase the products you are offering, enabling potential buyers to make informed decisions." Here's the thing, my gig image is EXACTLY what I offer. I took a screenshot from a video I created for my client using Vyond and they said that is "copyrighted." I have a Vyond subscription which legally allows me to create animation videos using their platform and sell those videos. My gig literally offers animation videos created with Vyond. So this is total nonsense. Every single animation gig on Fiverr contains an image of a video created using the specific animation software they use. This is the weirdest thing I have ever experienced with them. It is literal nonsense. But I get it in thinking there's nothing to complain about with the platform. I have made a lot of money on this platform as well. It has been a great source of income for me. When things are going well, they do go very well. Last year I hit 2 milestones in my business (8K month & 9K month) and I earned quite a chunk of that on Fiverr. But this year, the platform seems to be taking a turn for the worse. So unfortunately yes there are quite a few things to complain about with this platform. Things I haven't experienced with other platforms. Not being heard is not ok.

That is extremely frustrating and so messed up. I am sorry that happened to you. There seems to be no way to reason with them. When they decide we are done, that is the end of it and sadly there is nothing we can do about it. They simply do not care. But every business has a beginning and an end, as more freelancers share these bad practices they have at some point something will be done. It's so unfortunate because I started out on this platform so long ago and it initially was great. Now it is very questionable.

This platform is FAR worse than it was. I have been a seller on Fiverr for 8 years now and it keeps going further and further down. Removing the buyer's request section was a bad move. Now new sellers have no way whatsoever to succeed. At first they could try to get sales by putting in offers to the requests, now it's pointless. The new system provides practically ZERO results. They also allow buyers to run the platform. A seller's opinion does NOT matter at all. If a buyer wants something done, it gets done. If they want a refund even if you have put in a lot of work for them, Fiverr will simply provide them with a refund. Nothing else matters. If you protest in any way and keep messaging them via customer support, they find other ways to penalize you and try to kick you off the platform. Because I was protesting the fact that they refused to provide a partial refund to a buyer whom I did a LOT of work for, they are now penalizing me. They removed my animation gig today for no other reason other than it supposedly goes against their TOS. Saying my gig has unoriginal content but didn't provide any explanation as to what the unoriginal content is. They don't care to work out any solution, talk about unfairness. That gig has been posted for the past 4 years and NOW they conveniently find an issue with it, go figure. I thought this platform was great, but this year it seems to be extremely frustrating and impossible to even try to earn significant money on this platform. Also having a Fiverr Success Coach simply means you get to voice how you feel with no solution to your problems. They have no power to really do anything. This platform has become extremely disappointing. They also don't care about all the negative reviews online. The BBB (better business bureau) website has so many negative reviews for them and they could care less.

Interesting idea...

@vickieito Congratulations on your success on the platform! Unfortunately it isn't working out so well for others. How often do you receive matches for jobs daily with their new system? As opposed to how often a new seller would receive matches for jobs? It is literally shutting out new sellers from the platform. Of course it can be nice to have buyers come to you, but there are literally zero buyers going to newbies with this new system Fiverr has set up. Buyers would have to use the normal search in order to find someone new and be willing to give them a chance. It is simply near impossible for new sellers to grow their business on Fiverr, it is extremely difficult now that they have removed BR. What they should have done instead is give people the opportunity to be seen by those looking for the services they offer by leaving the BR section up. It was also a way for newbies to stay active on the platform by putting in bids daily to possibly receive jobs, but it no longer exists. So just like previously a lot of people create profiles on the platform then leave because there's nothing else they can do but wait for the possibility of someone contacting them, which usually doesn't happen. I saw BR as an absolute plus and a great way to get directly in front of those looking for the services one offers. They could have also done the matching system with BR, this would give the buyer more options to choose from which I liked seeing more matches as opposed to the 1 or 2 you mentioned. There seems to be no chance for newbies anymore. It is catering to those on top. I have had success with Fiverr, but I also know how hard that road was and how it continues to be with new things they have implemented. As the platform evolves, it was once one that worked well for those starting out with freelancing, not so much anymore. Then the promoted gigs section which is its own form of Facebook ads which can get out of hand. Then there's the early payout feature which I hear can be a big nightmare. I get that they have to evolve to make more money from sellers on the platform, but some of these new features are very questionable.

Removing the buyer's request section was NOT a good idea. As a seller here since 2015, I know how hard it can be when starting out on this platform. BR was a great tool for newbies to possibly get business. By relying on the "match system" it literally shuts out a lot of people from getting any sales. Even if people copy and paste their responses within BR that is not difficult to spot, just going through to recognize who the real buyers or sellers are is what matters. At least on Upwork people can find jobs they can do, Fiverr made a terrible decision with this. Then with the crap shoot of buyers that can be very ignorant, if they leave negative feedback automatically your gig is placed lower in search, zero real visibility and forget about getting top rated seller. I hired a Fiverr Success Coach and fixed my gigs perfectly to the instructions he provided, did I get TRS, no! Their next complaint was that the audio in my voice over gig wasn't at the standards of others. Yet when viewing TRS voice over gig feedback in comparison to mine, they had 1 star and 2 star ratings. I have 548 (5-star) ratings and 7 (4-star) ratings. I literally don't understand this platform, it seems to be getting worse as time goes on. Even the promoted gigs section is horrifying, it worked great for me in 2021, but by 2022 I had spent $100 and received $0 in return. I had to turn those off immediately! What is this Facebook ads now??? I feel bad for newbies, this platform is changing a lot and it seems to only be catering to the ones on the top.