[Biggest feature in a long time just released to very little fanfare]

I'm not sure that this is a big deal, to be honest.

My reasoning is as follows:

• Build your hourly rate into your Gig price
• Optional extras in lumps of your hourly rate
• Milestone-based Gigs allow this in micro-lumps of hour-based pricing

[Another golden goose quitting Fiverr. Is this a trend?]

6 hours ago, visualstudios said:

You can't look at it like this, because the counter argument is obvious - hire me directly, outside the platform, and get your project done for 20% cheaper. When we're talking about $10 projects, it doesn't matter. When we're talking about $10k projects, it does.

The more expensive you are, the harder it is to justify your rate being 20% higher than it could be (and is) when dealing directly.

To put it in simpler terms, it's like VAT. It's always the end consumer paying for it - and there's a limit to how much the end consumer will take. It's not the seller paying 20%, it's the buyer. So you can't say "as a seller, I don't care about the 20%", because it's not your problem. It's the buyer's problem. And the buyer does care about the 20%, specially when that means literally thousands of extra dollars paid for nothing.

Imagine a sliding scale for platform overhead fee - based on $ amount of project? Would this perhaps be more equitable as Fiverr moves upmarket?  

[How to rank your fiverr gigs?]

I've took the Fiverr training suggestion about Quora participation. I also do a lot of mailshots presenting my Fiverr Gigs. 

[Assessing Buyer Accountability and Ensuring Fair Business Practices]

22 hours ago, strategist_ceo said:

The rationale behind Fiverr's decision to proceed with the cancellation of an order, despite it being associated with a buyer whose actions were seemingly unjustifiable, eludes my understanding. 

This particular project started with an agreement on intended scope (A), after which, through mutual discussions, the buyer implied compliance with my recommendation (B). Despite successful delivery within the agreed parameters, the buyer has now introduced a new condition (C) which, as per our detailed conversation history, never surfaced prior to the completion of the project.

Resolving this unexpected condition not only demands a complete overhaul of the work already delivered, but it also translates into at least an additional 20 hours of my effort. It's perplexing, as my records of our correspondences prove no prior mention of (C) in our discussions before the commencement or during the execution of project (B).

I am compelled to question if there is a clear demarcation between "reasonable revisions" versus "exploitative requests for unpaid work under the guise of revisions." Does the customer service team undertake a thorough investigation to gauge the legitimacy of both parties’ claims before moving towards cancellation? In this case, the buyer’s supposed order requirements only materialized post-delivery, a circumstance that seems inherently unfair to the seller?

I did refuse to work on (C) because it was an "ultra woke / extreme left" scenario.

Would a milestone-based proposal perhaps have been suitable for that project? 

An all-or-nothing approach to a complex project is bound to end up with differences of opinion on the rare occasion. This can end up with two beasts in the proverbial pottery shop.

[El-cheapo client - lesson learned this week...]

21 hours ago, texvox said:

Sorry that you had to learn this lesson in this way @desmond_aubery. As @visualstudios mentioned, low-budget clients can often be very difficult to work with. 

I take the position that not every low-budget client is necessarily a terrible experience waiting to happen, but you have to vet them to the moon and back before accepting a project from them. Because this is so difficult to do I no longer offer any discounts to first-time buyers here on this platform (or off really). Discounts are a luxury, not a right, which I reserve for buyers that I have a good working history with. A properly timed discount can be a great customer service gesture for an ongoing relationship, but if someone is coming to me on day 1 asking for the moon for nothing that tells me that this person at the very least devalues my services. And at the worst? Well, you got a little taste of that (although it can get much worse; trust me on this). 

When I first got into freelancing an experienced freelancer made a joke that I didn't understand at the time, but I completely get now. He said:

$5000 client: "Sounds good; invoice paid."

$50 client: "Before we get started, let me tell you about how this project is going to change both our lives..."

Extremely cheap clients tend to make a habit of over-valuing their own importance while under-valuing yours. I've definitely found this to be true.

You need them and they need you. Both sides need to see the value of the other or the project quickly becomes overly-lopsided in terms of give-and-take. If they're coming at you like a leech they may very well just be a leech. Hopefully this lesson drives some great results in your future though!

Thank you for your incredibly useful observations and advice. Kudos, sir. 

[El-cheapo client - lesson learned this week...]

10 hours ago, visualstudios said:

Never do this. Low budget clients are the most demanding, unreasonable, vengeful buyers you can get.

It seems counter intuitive, but a buyer buying the same exact thing for 100 times the price will 99% of the time be much more understanding of issues, will readily accept to pay extra on top for things out of scope, etc. If they're paying pennies, they'll work you to the bone and never be satisfied. Just say no.

Thank you very much. I agree wholeheartedly. 🙏

Lesson learned - the hard way.  🤗

[El-cheapo client - lesson learned this week...]

7 minutes ago, emmaki said:

Personally, I think the best thing anyone can do is have their own business, website etc. and use the platforms to gain extra work. Fiverr, at least, doesn't make you pay for "interviews," but it does leave you at the mercy of bad clients unless you pony up for Seller Plus. 

I do think Fiverr is "doing a Toyota" - you have

• "Normal" Fiverr - unvetted cattle market free-for-all if you can pass dubious approval processes
• Fiverr Pro - vetted sellers, unvetted buyers; increasingly cattle marketish
• Fiverr Enterprise - The apparent Rolls-Royce/Bentley of the Fiverr world (you'll have to excuse me for not thinking of Toyota as luxury)

Confusingly, Fiverr Pro used to be the Lexus of the Fiverr world, at least until Fiverr realized it had been too strict with its vetting and opened the door to many more sellers as a part of its "we're going upmarket, boys" August 2024 product release. Your mileage may vary as to whether going upmarket + opening floodgates = premium services (no shade to sellers who were upgraded then, it's Fiverr's very questionable actions and marketing I am talking about here). 

My view is that Fiverr offers a platform for buyers and sellers to connect. All well and good. For this, Fiverr earns 20% + interest on 14 day payment clearance. To have to pay extra is something I simply won't do.  

To do a Toyoda-style model, would require brand changes - product differentiation is very important:

• "Normal" Fiverr => Fiverr
• Fiverr Pro => Tenner
• Fiverr Pro => Mega-something

Frankly, I've seen business failures like this aplenty, over the years.

[El-cheapo client - lesson learned this week...]

1 hour ago, emmaki said:

Lessons well learned!

It's not so much morals, but very punishing (currently) for sellers who fail to identify red flag buyers and avoid them. The buyer you're talking about in this order was looking for freebies from the outset. It doesn't matter how reasonable they seem. As a cohort, they are simply too unpredictable - and most of them will take you to the cleaners. As the saying goes, the road to H*ll is paved with good intentions.  

Fiverr won't help you here, because the reviews are meant to "reflect" the "honest experience" of the buyer, while the Success Score only seems to take into account a buyer's impressions of how the order went. BTW, the buyer can't see your initial review until you post it (your initial review is written after they send feedback. In any case, it's the private feedback from the client which you'll never see or hear that may damage you more, and for months. 

Fiverr is trying to get bad sellers to leave the platform, and you're in the middle of a crossfire between the bad sellers and an algorithm. Since buyers bring in the money, there is an imbalance that has dramatically worsened in 2024 - but good luck anyone trying to get anyone from Fiverr to admit this. I wouldn't want to be a new seller in 2024. For a platform that's ultimately about connecting a buyer with a seller, it has turned into a metric minefield full of hidden rules governed by AI and humans who are either unable or unwilling to be open and transparent. 

My vetting processes on Fiverr are about 1,000,000% more strict than anywhere else - and only to protect my profile. I lose a lot of business for it, but if I didn't do it, I would stand to lose it all. Morals, kindness, passion projects, all that stuff? No way. This platform is a battlefield at the moment. 

Thank you for your deep insights into the Fiverr client base. I agree whole-heartedly.

I'll let my Fiverr Gigs float along and see where the Fiverr team go with their platform. I see many errors of judgement unfolding. In order to move up-market, Fiverr needs to follow the Toyoda business model.

There is a reason why Toyoda owns multiple vehicle brands:

• Diahatsu - low cost, functional
• Toyota - mid-range, good reputation
• Lexus - up-market brand, competitor to Benz
• Hino - heavy trucks

It is true that other freelance platforms are genuinely abysmal.

[El-cheapo client - lesson learned this week...]

1 hour ago, sunboatrecords said:

I am sorry that you had such a negative experience in your beginning on Fiverr.

You can fix this by bringing clients from elsewhere to purchase your gig here.

You only have three reviews. If you receive, let's say, another 10 five-star reviews, your profile will look a lot different.

Fiverr is one of the biggest marketplaces on the planet. It's not something that a freelancer can ignore.

As for the rest, unfortunately, we have to learn some lessons the hard way.

Best regards,

Spyros.

Thank you.  

My first clients have been the kind I would probably have ignored in my former engineering consulting career. It seems that they were not overly honest up-front and this only showed during project execution.

I've always tried to give more than a client pays for, but remembered Fiverr training course mentioning up-selling clients, and applied this. 

The problem is that an el-cheapo client can turn nasty in the middle of a project - try for 'scope creep' - and if they don't get their way - leave the seller vulnerable to a poor review. This is really a type of blackmail, which Fiverr should try to avoid as much as possible.

If Fiverr do not see sellers as their golden geese, they will eventually lose the golden eggs.

[El-cheapo client - lesson learned this week...]

Well, I learned a bitter lesson this week. Put it down to a 'newbie' seller experience.

• Accepted a new client for a low-cost Gig based on his being a 'poor young engineer' needing some assistance
• Client seemed to be reasonable, although I did notice a name-change from external web-presence
• Project was to supply a simple report for client to progress further
• We agreed a project specification in writing
• I created a special low-cost special Gig for said client
• Client accepted offer and placed order
• I produced a really nice report and delivered it against his agreed specification - lots of bells-and-whistles
• All of a sudden client began a campaign of massive 'scope creep' - essentially multiplying the initial project effort at least tenfold
• I advised that the scope additions could be offered as an extended offer
• He declined the offer
• He decided that the project provision was complete and signed off
• Client left he with a very nasty review which smashed my reputation on the Fiverr system, even though I outlined the client difficulties in my project feedback

So, the take-away value from this:

• Do not take low-price Gigs to 'help a client with a low budget'
• Fiverr's reputation system is loaded against a moral-centered supplier
• Clients use this distortion as a way to press for 'scope creep'
• Fiverr platform appears to not be the place to use for long-term business - at least not for the moment

I will now leave my Fiverr Gigs 'as is'. What comes from them comes. I'll proceed to promote my projects through direct sales and my new online shop presence (these actually take far less than Fiverr's 20% + earnings from extended 'clearance' period). Fiverr impressions contribution to my marketing efforts is abysmal, to say the least. Most of my clicks are driven from my business website, anyway.

The Fiverr journey has been an interesting one, to say the least.

 

[How to Spot a Scammer or Spam in Your Fiverr Inbox: A Handy Checklist]

19 hours ago, creativecolumn said:

#8 - 🚩 Frequent changes to project scope or requirements

This is a common red flag. While some adjustments are expected during the course of a project, excessive changes can disrupt workflow, cause delays, and lead to misunderstandings. It's important for freelancers to establish clear boundaries and communicate effectively to manage scope changes effectively.

 

#9 - 🚩 Requesting excessive revisions beyond the scope of the initial agreement

Another warning sign is when buyers request excessive revisions that go beyond the scope of the initial agreement. While revisions are a standard part of the process, continuous requests for significant changes can lead to scope creep, delays, and dissatisfaction for both parties.

 

My first two clients had a habit of trying this.

I have typically included the final agreed project scope of supply before order placement, then in the project itself, immediately after order placement.

I quote against a major scope change as this is not a 'revision', but an 'extra' to the original scope. Over the course of my Engineering career I made certain to correctly define the project scope and scope of supply, before proceeding. I reflect this back to the client when they attempt scope creep.

If the client still tries to be unreasonable, I offer an elevated quote for the changes - while all the while being as professional as possible.

[Who, or what, controls Gig impressions?]

Who, or what, controls Gig impressions?

What I mean by this is the following:

• Fiverr earns 20% for marketing our Gigs for us. Yes/No? (They also make money during the 'payment clearance' time)
• The seller can only do so much to set up their Gig.
• The seller can promote externally on Social media. Surely this helps?
• Is it not in Fiverr's best interest to promote high-paying Gigs?
• The inner working of Fiverr's marketing algorithm is hidden from the seller.
• On occasion Fiverr can rev up the impressions when it 'feels' like it.

Am I missing something obvious in the balance of responsibility?

[Wow! 564 Five star reviews down to a 0.7 Rating - Thanks Fiverr]

Is the Fiverr platform stable? A bit concerning... especially for a new seller.

[Only (4) GIG for New Sallers!?]

7 hours ago, webcut said:

@milos_siena Can you suggest them like if they have 6 gigs then they should pause or delete those gigs ?

I had 5 active Gigs, and a new one in development and dumped the fifth and the new development.

I then expanded my remaining 4 Gigs to having 3 options each. So, in all, I offer 12 options.

The rest is now up to Fiverr to bring in the customers. I had two initial customers, with successful outcomes. The front-end marketing (impressions) is up to Fiverr now. That's what they earn their 20% cut for. Also, don't forget them earning interest on our money using delayed payments.

Fiverr is now going to have to up its front-end marketing game... I have linked the Gigs on my website and pumped emails. Fiverr needs to bring the rest.

 

 

[Only (4) GIG for New Sallers!?]

Is there a logical reason for all this dramatic Gig pruning?

[Wow! 564 Five star reviews down to a 0.7 Rating - Thanks Fiverr]

Surely it is very unprofessional to mess around with sellers' livelihoods like this?

Would not a staged approach have helped? Especially with apparent major changes.

This messing around and uncertainty has me - as a new seller - adopting a wait-and-see attitude until the dust settles. Very concerning.  

[Down to 4.9 Stars for No Reason?]

For a New Seller, this is beyond frightening... 🥸

[How do experienced Sellers deal with new Jeckyl-&-Hyde clients?]

2 hours ago, emmaki said:

Sounds like the perfect candidate for blocking. You might want to consider a frilly message explaining how you're not a good fit etc pre-block.

If you don't want to do that, enforce question limits (maximum 1 hour / 10 questions or however you do it) and note that any time over this will be charged at $X. 

The reviews look okay under the new review system. I would have blocked after the first gig though. These clients don't change. 

Thanks very much for your reply. Very much appreciated.  😊

I really like your idea of 1 hour, X questions - whichever comes first. Then offer to charge at X$ - and stop at the hard stop.

It was my very first Gig on Fiverr, so I really bent over backwards to assist, but, there seemed to never be an end to the demands. I treated it as a loss-leader. My problem is that I'm a bit of a softie, sometimes.

After the 2nd Gig, I did actually block the former client. Glad to see I did the right thing.  🤗

 

[How do experienced Sellers deal with new Jeckyl-&-Hyde clients?]

Scenario
Pre-Gig acceptance discussions go fine.
Client kept well updated on project progress
Client happy
Early delivery made
Client expresses happiness, thanks and praise with your work

Then...
Begins trying to ask advice post delivery outside agreed scope of supply.
Calls for commitments that were never made
Shown clipped comms exchange - client agrees
Then tries again, and again - rinse repeat
Extremely manipulative - almost bi-polar

I counter...
Exercising sincere diplomacy
Offer an extra time for further discussion - via Fiverr
Client never picks up on this
Continues trying to ask for more unpaid information
Seems to be trying to push towards final payment acceptance - feel question time
Eventually offered a separate consulting Gig
Client finally accepts.

New Gig...
Scope twice confirmed before order, directly after order placement
Project starts
Regular updates
Early delivery
Cycle repeats - questions beyond agreed time agreed
Please check this, please check that, I only have a small budget... etc
I hold firm and offer an extension to the Gig - multiple times
When client finally realizes the 'free consultation' has closed - rage quits - pays - storms off

For the record
I have been in the Engineering Consulting game for nearly 40 years, but am new to Fiverr. This is one of the worst clients I have ever encountered. Very manipulative, bordering on abusive. With face-to-face discussions, this kind of client normally just storms off in a huff when they don't get everything free they try for.

I'd love to hear comments from our experienced Fiverrs...  

[How many active gigs are currently allowed on Fiverr?]

Rather a disruptive step for new sellers, in my humble opinion. Seems a bit unprofessional. 🤗

It will force me to drop some Gigs. I had planned for more to create spread and test response. I do wish they would have warned me when I began a few weeks ago.

The impact may be rather severe. I do hope the owners have thought through the changes properly. Some changes can have large ripple effects if not properly managed. New sellers begin looking to spread their offerings on other sites.

Update:
I dropped one active, new Gig & removed a Gig I was working on. I will try to streamline my existing gigs from 4 to 3 using packages within existing Gigs. Hopefully my pain will be minimized come 14 March. 😇 

[Greetings from the fascinating world of heat-transfer and heat-exchangers]

Thank you everyone for your wonderfully warm welcome. 🤗

[How to distinguish true buyer from a fake buyer]

Stay within the Fiverr communication interface. This is your protection mechanism.

Ignore any outside communication requests - treat these as scammers - they do not want traceability. If a 'client' does not want to place an official order on the Fiverr platform, then ignore them. 

[Directions on how to post a digital software package for sale Gig]

Thanks everyone for your incredibly wise comments. It is very much appreciated.  😊

I had a good, long think about it, and believe that a suitable approach - and better for the customer - is to indeed offer a training and support Gig, with the software being essentially used as part of the medium of training - so, essentially being incidental to the project. So, the training is the main focus - and will be customized to suit each customer's needs. 

Let's see if this is appropriate.

[Directions on how to post a digital software package for sale Gig]

14 hours ago, uk1000 said:

You'd need to attach after a buyer orders, so in the order page you press "deliver" and attach the files you want to deliver (such as your .zip file).

If it's too big Fiverr help says you can use dropbox but you also need to show proof of work (you need to be careful of getting flagged eg. for partial deliveries if you don't properly show proof of work or deliver fully).  So if possible attach it on Fiverr deliver.

So it wouldn't be automatic. You'd have to manually deliver each order uploading the .zip file each time. But Fiverr would want the software customized I think.

Fair-enough. I'm beginning to understand their general philosophy.

[Directions on how to post a digital software package for sale Gig]

4 minutes ago, puspojit_biswas said:

Well, I guess you are trying to sell some digital products on Fiverr. 

If yes, 

• You can create a gig related to your description of your service or product.
• If a buyer expresses interest in purchasing your product and places an order, you can discuss it with them and share the product through the delivery chatbox.

I did try precisely that, but the platform flagged it immediately.