Accountability

[usvoiceovermale]

As many sellers will agree, Fiverr has provided us with a great opportunity for additional revenue and for that, we are all appreciative. But there’s something off with how the system works, something not quite right. I couldn’t put my finger on it until recently…



Most rants I see posted here involve buyers. Reports of some buyers that can be abusive, some undervalue our work, some blindly order our gigs then cancel and some even try to obtain our work for free. Many of them succeed in their actions and this behavior thus repeats itself over and over again. Fiverr sellers who value their time and quality of work get discouraged and stop offering their discounted services.



And so, we must ask “Why do so many of us experience this type of behavior from some buyers?” The reason is: because they can. They can disrespect you and take advantage of you simply because they have the power. They are empowered with the ability to tarnish your reputation. The ever so dreaded negative feedback. And it seems that some abuse this tool, as well as many other tools such as rejecting perfectly fine work or threatening with negative feedback if you don’t cancel and give them your product or service for free.



But how can we change this? How can we minimize this type of behavior? How can we create equality among buyers and sellers? My answer simply is: “accountability”. There needs to be accountability for buyers’ actions, both good and bad. Sellers should be given the ability to rate their buyers (not just respond/defend negative feedback received). If buyers with poor communication and abusive behavior had profiles reflecting their purchase history, sellers could avoid working with these individuals. I also feel that adding accountability to buyer’s profiles will force them to realize that if they abuse the system, they will lose access to this wonderful community of discounted services.



It’s a very simple suggestion that could make a big difference in the way buyers and sellers interact. If you agree, or have more ideas, I’d love to hear more! Thanks for reading my post from beginning to end.

[nicred]

Exactly what needs to be done. I have had a great experience thus far with fiver. Until recently when one buyer strong armed me into doing work for much less than was CLEARLY stated in my gig description.



I did the work delivered it at the forced discounted rate to avoid the dreaded negative feedback. I felt used. I set my prices for my gig according to how much I think my time is worth, how much I am worth.



I did not join fiver to be abused, I joined fiver because I love what I do and I like to make people happy. I am sure this buyer had done that before, if I could of seen a star rating next to HIS name I might of thought twice before dealing with the order.



I have only been here for a month but it’s becoming abundantly clear that the sellers have no power to combat these bruit buyer except to comply silently. 😑

[artemist]

I am “just a buyer” and I have NO problem with this suggestion. Except that if the rating is visible to sellers it should have some sort of breakdown.



Example – I have made 28 purchases, and 26 were completed well by the sellers, and I left positive feedback on all of them. But I also made two additional purchases in which the seller NEVER responded. I let each run well past the stated deadline, politely messaged the sellers that I really did want the gig and would wait for delivery, but they simply dropped off Fiverr, so I eventually cancelled. Those two cancellations should not count against my record as a buyer.



Same with sellers. Since at least PART of the cancellation ratio is beyond the control of sellers, any statistical report should show a breakdown of the reasons (blame?) behind the various kinds of cancellation for clarity.



** But on a deeper level, while I can see that sellers would like to know the tendencies/histories of potential buyers before they do work for them, is it really going to change anything if sellers don’t get the right to reject selling gigs to problem buyers? What practical good would it do to know that someone is a bad buyer if sellers can’t use that info to avoid/reject them?



Would this potential change just let you cancel those gigs before wasting your time? If so, you might just be adding to ANOTHER problem for sellers - losing levels due to cancellations, even those that are beyond your control.



So to me, the entire feedback & cancellation system needs an overhaul. Not “just” adding another stat that gives you info you can’t really act on.

[usvoiceovermale]

Reply to @artemist: Yes, I agree with you completely. I too have been an active buyer in the community and have had the same experience with a few sellers that you mention. Unfortunately, there are flaws in every system and my suggestion would not create a buyer-seller utopia. It would be interesting to see if there will be any changes/modifications to this particular aspect of the system in the near future.



Thank you for providing great insight into the topic. I enjoyed reading your response.