Fiverr is an awesome marketplace that enables sellers to offer all their helpful and affordable services to potential buyers. For a seller, working at Fiverr even though great at times can also have its negative moments. We may work with amazing clients who we build great relationships with and turn into repeat customers, but eventually stumble upon the bad seeds–the mean, sleazy take advantage or even attempt to get free work from you type of buyer.
If you want to learn how to evade such evil buyers on Fiverr you've come to the right blog post! Below are some warning signs and tips to avoid sleazy, bad, and scamming buyers on Fiverr.
1. Slick and Sly Samples:
You have some pretty sweet samples on your Fiverr gig eh? What if that's not enough? What if your potential client starts asking you to make some "custom samples"?
Sleazy Fiverr Buyer Scenario: "Hi, I came across your video editing gig, saw your samples, and it looks really good! Before I place an order I just wanted to make sure that you are the right person for me. Send me a few samples (pay close attention here my fellow Fiverr sellers! This is the key right here...) of how you would edit the video attached. If it's good I'll hire you!"
What do you do in this situation?
Do you:
a) Do the work, and try to get the client "if it's good"
b) Do the work, and watermark it?
c) Tell client that you do not do "custom samples" and that if they would like to hire you you'd be "more than happy" to refer them to the rest of your samples.
Best choice is not to do it at all. Go with letter C. Don't work for free! (Yes, I rhymed!) Let the client know that they can use their best judgment (from what they've seen from your portfolio, and ratings) to choose you as their seller.
Or give them a link to your other samples if your Fiverr gig portfolio isn't as vast as the work you do outside of Fiverr. No "custom samples " using their work. For all you know the minute you edit the video (or whatever they're asking) and send it to them it's their turn to say goodbye. You will never hear from them again. They just stole the work you did for them...for free!
What about the watermark option?
Okay, so let's say you do the work with a watermark, and send it to your "potential Fiverr client". They then respond with a "can you take off the watermark? I can't tell if the video quality is clear." (Something along those lines–you know an excuse for you to take off the watermark)
From then you would have realized that you just fed a sleazy troll buyer, and wasted your time. You "intelligently" worked...for free. They can't use the work, but you practically wasted time...yeah, not the best option.
If you really want to make "custom samples" show an example of what you can do on your own work not theirs. If they still try to push you into using their work–end it. Go about your business, and block them! You do not have time for trifling scams.
2. The Slave Mentality:
These buyers are usually the mean ones who threaten a bad review if you do not provide pizza, sausage and hot wings even though they only paid for a crusty old bread stick. Avoid disrespectful buyers at all costs.
What if they started their PMS phase after they purchased the order? Yes, there are those buyers too! The buyers who seemed sweet (at first), but in due time strip their layers of cuteness and reveal the 50 shades of satan.
Cancel as soon as you can before it is too late. If though you did work on the order you have every right to claim your money (hello, you did the work), and accept the soon to come mean review. You can also professionally leave a review below the buyer stating their faults.
3. Redemption and the Non-responsive:
The client buys your gig without even contacting you (some are okay with this, but I usually specify to contact me first) or–and this is the worst part–they order and don't even read your gig description ! Most of the time when this happens the buyer either:
1. Under pays or
2. Asks for something you do not even provide
Seem familiar? To top it all off they don't fill out your gig requirement, and basically leave you to chase after the wind. You contact them, and guess what? It's been at least two days with no response, and that Fiverr delivery clock is tick ticking your happiness away, and is counting down to your doom!
These clients aren't usually sleazy or mean–they just make life a little harder for you.
What do you do?
If they don't fill out gig requirement and are non-responsive:
You can give the client a chance (24 hour notice) to respond, and provide required files. If they don't respond within that time you will have to sadly cancel the order as you cannot guess what they want.
If they underpay:
When this happened (buyers under paying me at Fiverr) I used to cancel right away! I got fed up, did not tolerate it, and gave no chances...but that's wrong. Now, I kindly let the client know that they have under paid, that the price costs so-and-so, and say "would be willing to upgrade? Thank you and I look forward to working with you!"
Usually, that works out and they upgrade to the correct amount. If not, well you saved yourself from a cheap client who doesn't want to pay you what you are worth, and can mutually cancel.
If they ask for something you do not provide:
Tsk, tsk, tsk. You can use the telemarketer pitch, "I am sorry we do not offer so-and-so at this time, but we do offer...blah, blah, blah." If your client goes in wanting one thing that you do not provide you can kindly guide them in a different direction that they might want, but never thought of (preferably something you do provide). This way you still convert them into a client.
If they aren't interested in what you have to offer...why are they still there?
Request that mutual cancellation good friend! You don’t have what they want, and neither do they.
Request that mutual cancellation good friend! You don’t have what they want, and neither do they.
Quick easy tips to keep mean or sleazy buyers away:
- Don't oversell. Offering way too many goodies for a tiny price will set you up for failure. So many Fiverr scammers will come to you to abuse you as you just gave an invitation for abuse. Choose a price that is reasonable, and upload amazing looking gig samples that are original ! If sales are slow offer a slight price reduction as a promotion (I offer summer discounts, or winter specials–you might want to try this).
- Limit your revisions. Offering unlimited revisions may come in handy at the start (if you are a new seller), but can attract evil scammers planning to get free work.
Offer unlimited revisions in a bigger package (I had a deluxe, and platinum package for designs that had unlimited revisions priced at $1,750–guess how many sleazy buyers that attracted? Zero, the only sales came from serious clients. I am not saying to price it this high, but to set it up there so only the potentially good clients can reach so far).
Or charge for extra revisions (I do not offer this as my revisions are strict–yes, when I first started on Fiverr I learned that hard way–but I do recommend).
- Look like a pro. Please (I cannot stress this enough) use proper grammar on your gig description, messages, and everything in between! Some scammers look for sellers with limited English grammar to get the cheapest offer, and then threaten to cancel with a bad review if you do not do "such-and-such" work.
Not only that, but you could be pushing away the good buyers. They watch out for sellers they cannot communicate with properly.
Who wants to work with someone they can't understand or someone who can't understand them? Nobody, communication is the key!
Foreigner or not, if you would like to sell successfully on Fiverr brush up on your English, Spanish, French, Mandarin etc... if you offer services in such languages. Besides English I offer additional services in French as I also speak it natively, but considering I spent most of my time in the USA (childhood to current) I brush up on it often.
- Do not contact outside of Fiverr. If a client wants to contact you outside of Fiverr, kindly direct them to Fiverr's set of rules regarding outside contact, and provide the link. If they persist let them know that all your messages are currently being monitored by the Fiverr staff (ironically it truly is), and that their account could be suspended indefinitely if they continue requesting that you do so.
Some sleazy buyers will try to get you to work outside of Fiverr, and end up not paying you at all.
I once had a stalker client who wanted to find me on social media, friend me and "get to know me." Business and personal life should not mix.
This rule practically shielded me from them, and they discontinued their search for me as they did not want to lose their precious Fiverr account.
You have to keep in mind that there are many amazing clients, and buyers on Fiverr. They by far outnumber the "bad seeds," but sometimes the bad seeds still manage to get to sellers anyways and that's okay. It's life.
At the end of the day we learn from it and move on. I hope these tips helped you out a bit or gave you some ideas. If you guys would like a "How to avoid sleazy Fiverr sellers " addition to this blog post please let me know in the comments below!
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