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Can I contact other sellers to ask them ...?


miiila

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You wonder if you can contact other sellers who work in the same field as you to ask them for tips or whatever?

The simple answer: you can - technically - because, unlike users who are exclusively buyers who can’t be contacted at all unless they initiate contact with a seller (because they’d get bombarded with spam else), other users need to be able to contact sellers to ask about custom offers if the Gigs offered aren’t what they need and they intend to buy from that seller.
But you shouldn’t, because it’s considered spam and against Fiverr’s Terms of Service (read the ToS if you haven’t yet, it might save you from getting banned from the platform forever).

And you’re likely to get reported by the seller you’ll spam, so don’t do it.


The long answer, for people who say “but I just want to ask them something, why are they so mean and would report me…”:

You know, the thing is that you’re not the only person who’d do that.

I often get people in my inbox who ask for help, tips, advice, work, money, my orders, my customers …
It would not be a problem if it happened once every two months, but it happens constantly, and that is a problem.

  1. I have to reply/hit the spam or report button within a short time to protect my stats, just as if it was a customer, I can’t just ignore their message (If I could just ignore it without it affecting me, I’d simply do that).

  2. Fiverr actually asks users to report behaviour that’s against the rules, to help keep the platform useable (I don’t remember the exact wording, but that’s about the gist of it). For a reason.

  3. You’re harming the conversion rate of the sellers you message for help.

  4. If I’d reply more or less in depth to even a handful of such questions per month, that would set me back several hours per month, maybe the only free time I’d have.
    If I’d reply to all of them, I could scrap my Fiverr career because there wouldn’t be time left to talk to my actual customers and do the jobs I get.

  5. That’s one of the things this forum is for. You can make a topic and ask if people who work in … would answer your questions, then those who’d want to could do so, and they’d only have to do so once vs. answering to all the sellers who might ask them in their business inbox, at a time that’s convenient for them, and without any effects on their response rate, time, conversion rate.


I hope this will keep some people from burdening their fellow sellers with unwanted messages, and will keep some people from starting their Fiverr career with a warning, suspension, or even ban, while giving more insight into the why than just “it’s against ToS”.

Cheers.


PS
Please don’t post “thanks for your tips” or anything like that, if you want to express your thanks, that’s what the like/heart button is for, but feel free to comment if you have something to say regarding the topic, of course.
That keeps topics on-topic and easily readable. Thank you 🙂

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…thanks for the tips. (I’m sorry!)

Jokes aside, this really had to be said (although I feel like we’ll have to repeat it over and over again. At some point, I’ve tried to be nice to everyone who wanted my orders because ‘I had too many’. I’d explain nicely why it’s not OK to spam… And I’d get replies that were either dismissive or flat-out rude.

I understand being new on the platform (Fiverr is tricky to figure out at first) but asking for advice/orders from your competition just doesn’t seem like the ‘easy’ way out for me. Even if we disregard how it’s spam - why would someone with a decent amount of experience hold the hands of newbies (when, as you’ve mentioned, we often don’t have much time due to work (and other things, of course!)

So yeah, I do hope that this will help clarify why we get annoyed (or just report spam, I guess.)

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Cold contacts are all about providing value. If you can message someone with something that is actually helpful for them, they probably be appreciative and won’t report you. If you message someone asking for handouts (orders, work, clients… in short, money), you won’t be so lucky.

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From a completely mercenary standpoint, these messages also decrease our average hourly wage. Service-related freelancing only pays for work completed, not answering messages. If, as Visualstudios said above, that message provides value to me, it is (or can be) profitable in some way, even if not monetary. Otherwise, it hurts income.

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Cold contacts are all about providing value. If you can message someone with something that is actually helpful for them, they probably be appreciative and won’t report you. If you message someone asking for handouts (orders, work, clients… in short, money), you won’t be so lucky.

I’d say that’s a point for when you, for example, email someone; they are free to just trash your email without any consequences, but not on a platform like Fiverr, where all your stats count.

I haven’t got a single such message that was helpful for me in any way in my over four years here, so I guess the chances of it happening are extremely low and I’d vastly prefer no such messages at all to such messages with perhaps 1 actually helpful one every 5 years or never.

Now If I wanted to work as a reseller and resell mostly crap to my customers, that would be a different matter, I guess, but I’d still prefer to pick sellers myself and not have them cold-contact me, but, yeah.

It’s possible, though, that sellers who want to resell, or outsource parts of their work generally, like those who sell videos might outsource VO, for example, find value in some messages, that’s right.

The risk of getting reported still is there, especially for people who think but only think they are offering something actually helpful to the seller they contact (“I can traslate any laguidge 24 hours I do your work and u only paaay me $5 u take more from buyer u dont have to work”), might be even higher, as some sellers might not want those kind of people on the platform, basically scamming customers if given the chance.

And even if we disregard those (you certainly weren’t thinking of those kind of messages), even someone who knows that they are offering something potentially helpful, has the risk of getting reported, as you can never be sure if the seller you contact considers your message helpful too.

As I said, if I could simply ignore that kind of message, I wouldn’t mind too much and probably not report, however, it would still cost me time.

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On 6/11/2021 at 10:00 AM, miiila said:

I’d say that’s a point for when you, for example, email someone; they are free to just trash your email without any consequences, but not on a platform like Fiverr, where all your stats count.

I haven’t got a single such message that was helpful for me in any way in my over four years here, so I guess the chances of it happening are extremely low and I’d vastly prefer no such messages at all to such messages with perhaps 1 actually helpful one every 5 years or never.

Now If I wanted to work as a reseller and resell mostly crap to my customers, that would be a different matter, I guess, but I’d still prefer to pick sellers myself and not have them cold-contact me, but, yeah.

It’s possible, though, that sellers who want to resell, or outsource parts of their work generally, like those who sell videos might outsource VO, for example, find value in some messages, that’s right.

The risk of getting reported still is there, especially for people who think but only think they are offering something actually helpful to the seller they contact (“I can traslate any laguidge 24 hours I do your work and u only paaay me $5 u take more from buyer u dont have to work”), might be even higher, as some sellers might not want those kind of people on the platform, basically scamming customers if given the chance.

And even if we disregard those (you certainly weren’t thinking of those kind of messages), even someone who knows that they are offering something potentially helpful, has the risk of getting reported, as you can never be sure if the seller you contact considers your message helpful too.

As I said, if I could simply ignore that kind of message, I wouldn’t mind too much and probably not report, however, it would still cost me time.

I don’t recall having sent any unsolicited messages in my entire Fiverr career, but I’ve received some that I can classify as ok. I’m fine with a “Hey, here’s my portfolio, if you ever want to team up let me know” - as long as the portfolio is impressive. I’ve gotten to be familiar with the work of a couple sellers that way, and if I ever need it in the future it can be convenient (because they were actually good at what they do). It’s networking, something that is often lacking in online freelance.

I’m not talking about messages from people with no skills, broken English, etc. I’m talking about messages from talented, successful people who know what they’re doing. Those are fine. I know, 99% of messages don’t fall under that category, but it’s still a possibility. And it’s all about how you frame it. The problem is that the vast majority of contacts are just asking for stuff, be it advice, orders, work, whatever. Contacts offering something for nothing in return (as long as it’s reasonable, you don’t want to look desperate in any way) are far less likely to be interpreted negatively. 

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I don’t recall having sent any unsolicited messages in my entire Fiverr career, but I’ve received some that I can classify as ok. I’m fine with a “Hey, here’s my portfolio, if you ever want to team up let me know” - as long as the portfolio is impressive. I’ve gotten to be familiar with the work of a couple sellers that way, and if I ever need it in the future it can be convenient (because they were actually good at what they do). It’s networking, something that is often lacking in online freelance.

I’m not talking about messages from people with no skills, broken English, etc. I’m talking about messages from talented, successful people who know what they’re doing. Those are fine. I know, 99% of messages don’t fall under that category, but it’s still a possibility. And it’s all about how you frame it. The problem is that the vast majority of contacts are just asking for stuff, be it advice, orders, work, whatever. Contacts offering something for nothing in return (as long as it’s reasonable, you don’t want to look desperate in any way) are far less likely to be interpreted negatively.

Yes, I know what you meant, thanks for bringing that perhaps 1% possibility into the discussion. In other settings, if they’d for example, contact other sellers with offers to collaborate here in the studio category, or through the forum messages, I’d not be quite as annoyed; at least it wouldn’t affect my stats and “only” take me the time to skim the message long enough to be able to reply “no thank you”, and give me the freedom to completely ignore it as well - or I could chat with them, in case it was something I might indeed be interested in.

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On 6/11/2021 at 10:07 AM, miiila said:

Yes, I know what you meant, thanks for bringing that perhaps 1% possibility into the discussion. In other settings, if they’d for example, contact other sellers with offers to collaborate here in the studio category, or through the forum messages, I’d not be quite as annoyed; at least it wouldn’t affect my stats and “only” take me the time to skim the message long enough to be able to reply “no thank you”, and give me the freedom to completely ignore it as well - or I could chat with them, in case it was something I might indeed be interested in.

Yeah, and it’s all about volume. I get the sporadic contact (many go directly to spam so I don’t see them). If I was getting multiple notifications a day from meksells I would also be annoyed.

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On 6/11/2021 at 10:08 AM, animation_expo said:

Thanks for sharing your important tips.

You didn’t read them. She literally said not to thank her. You think posting on the forums “thank you” makes you look good, or brings you orders, but showing that you can’t even read (which is what you did here) has the opposite effect. Now you look like a meksell that will never go anywhere, congratulations.

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On 6/11/2021 at 10:44 AM, miiila said:

Please don’t post “thanks for your tips” or anything like that, if you want to express your thanks, that’s what the like/heart button is for, but feel free to comment if you have something to say regarding the topic, of course.

That keeps topics on-topic and easily readable. Thank you 🙂

Well, said @miiila; however, users have to be interested in genuinely reading and understanding what you wrote. And it appears that some feel it is more important to comment than know what they are commenting on. I suppose we have some Fiverr YouTube “guru” to thank for that. :woman_facepalming:t2:

Last night I got my first Spam message in ages. The person was a new user from this month who posted, “How can I help you today?” Since he contacted me through my business proofreading account, I asked him if he needed proofreading for his business. He did not reply.

On 6/11/2021 at 10:54 AM, visualstudios said:

You didn’t read them. She literally said not to thank her. You think posting on the forums “thank you” makes you look good, or brings you orders, but showing that you can’t even read (which is what you did here) 

Also, I have looked at the sellers on the Fiverr Forum that are now “Regulars.” The bar has been set very low when many of the members are of the kind that post the type of posts on a thread that we saw above and that you commented on. Especially when Forum members who actually give thoughtful comments and help do not get “Regular” status. Really, who deserves that status more?

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Oh I’m really sorry, for the mistake, I really didn’t read the full post, I though the post was positips tips or sothing like this though,

Thak you so much for realise and To point out my mistakes.

It is best to be mindful of the Original Post. It is frustrating to users who read them to have so many others users comment thoughtlessly with out genuinely reading that post.

You are one of 4 people that did so. Are you being Told that commenting on the Fiverr Forum will get you orders or benefit you somehow?

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It is best to be mindful of the Original Post. It is frustrating to users who read them to have so many others users comment thoughtlessly with out genuinely reading that post.

You are one of 4 people that did so. Are you being Told that commenting on the Fiverr Forum will get you orders or benefit you somehow?

I am a new seller in this market place, so Some silly mistakes must be started, you will see these with a forgiving look. And I’m pretty disappointed that I haven’t received a single order yet. So now I am giving time to the forum.

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I am a new seller in this market place, so Some silly mistakes must be started, you will see these with a forgiving look. And I’m pretty disappointed that I haven’t received a single order yet. So now I am giving time to the forum.

And I’m pretty disappointed that I haven’t received a single order yet. So now I am giving time to the forum.

Welcome to the Fiverr Forum! Lol, I have been here for 4 years, and I still spend time here when I should be working.

Unfortunately, your gigs are in a very oversaturated niche.

Just look at these statistics:

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You need to figure out why as a new seller, buyers would order from you instead of one of the other 129,225 gigs that are on Fiverr that are offered by new sellers.

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And I’m pretty disappointed that I haven’t received a single order yet. So now I am giving time to the forum.

Welcome to the Fiverr Forum! Lol, I have been here for 4 years, and I still spend time here when I should be working.

Unfortunately, your gigs are in a very oversaturated niche.

Just look at these statistics:

You need to figure out why as a new seller, buyers would order from you instead of one of the other 129,225 gigs that are on Fiverr that are offered by new sellers.

Welcome to the Fiverr Forum! Lol, I have been here for 4 years, and I still spend time here when I should be working.

That cracked me up a little—in a good and innocent way 😂.

Don’t want to comment on the effectiveness of invaluable tips from OP—but personally tips like this made me scared even to think about messaging a seller here from day one.

Even today I was thinking about ordering from a seller here for something I really want to get done and I know they will deliver it perfectly to my liking. But afraid to send an enquiry 😅.

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Thanks for sharing your important tips.

You didn’t read them. She literally said not to thank her. You think posting on the forums “thank you” makes you look good, or brings you orders, but showing that you can’t even read (which is what you did here) has the opposite effect. Now you look like a meksell that will never go anywhere, congratulations.

Now you look like a meksell that will never go anywhere, congratulations.

I looked up meksel and came across this historical and informative nugget from the forum history

Lately, the forum is full of the same topics on how to get sales, which are getting old and boring. Over the time some of the regular forum members invented a new word for those people, MEK-SEL Mek-Sel (noun) - a new person that joined Fiverr, doesn’t have the necessary skills, his or her English sucks, they tend to steal other people’s work, and yet somehow they bitch about not getting sales. I know that some of you guys are still beginners and that the concept freelancing is a whole new wor…

And I was also reminded of one of frank’s post to be kind. By tomorrow @miiila 's post will be flooded by more thank yous and heartmojis. We cannot end up calling out everyone…

I gave your post a ❤️ even though you thought better and hid it

I received a notification and said hey don’t encourage me lol! ❤️

After I typed, @miiila had included an edit to keep the post on track 😅

Even today I was thinking about ordering from a seller here for something I really want to get done and I know they will deliver it perfectly to my liking. But afraid to send an enquiry

Why not?

I once ordered from another seller who had worked with me on a manual for a buyer. I had checked his work and liked it. Also, there are so many sellers outsourcing their work/part of it. For example, I helped a screencast video developer develop a storyboard.

Spamming is what’s being discouraged in the post!

Especially when Forum members who actually give thoughtful comments and help do not get “Regular” status

I just noticed your ID is not associated with a Regular badge 🤯

I read threads as far back as 2017 and benefit from your responses on them.

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Welcome to the Fiverr Forum! Lol, I have been here for 4 years, and I still spend time here when I should be working.

That cracked me up a little—in a good and innocent way 😂.

Don’t want to comment on the effectiveness of invaluable tips from OP—but personally tips like this made me scared even to think about messaging a seller here from day one.

Even today I was thinking about ordering from a seller here for something I really want to get done and I know they will deliver it perfectly to my liking. But afraid to send an enquiry 😅.

Don’t want to comment on the effectiveness of invaluable tips from OP

Sounds like a comment to me, though 😉

but personally tips like this made me scared even to think about messaging a seller here from day one.

Even today I was thinking about ordering from a seller here

Nobody ever said it was a problem to message a seller if one indeed intends to order from them, though! This is just about spammy messages. By all means do message them. I’ve ordered from sellers I knew through the forum myself, and why not, it can be a pretty good way to avoid issues, just as you say,

I really want to get done and I know they will deliver it perfectly to my liking

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On 6/11/2021 at 1:43 PM, bintzia said:

And I was also reminded of one of frank’s post to be kind. By tomorrow @miiila 's post will be flooded by more thank yous and heartmojis. We cannot end up calling out everyone…

Yeah, my PS edit was just damage containment, I knew there’d be people who’ll just comment with thank you for the tips without reading the tips, let’s just ignore it and chat. 

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On 6/11/2021 at 1:43 PM, miiila said:

I’ve ordered from sellers I knew through the forum 

Aaaaha!

Someone will screenshot this into their YouTube video encouraging everyone to increase post response because DIDN’T I TELL YOU

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On 6/11/2021 at 1:44 PM, bintzia said:

Aaaaha!

Someone will screenshot this into their YouTube video encouraging everyone to increase post response because DIDN’T I TELL YOU!

I’ve posted in several threads that I’ve hired and been hired by people I knew from the forum, it’s no secret 😉

Anyway, dear friends who do actually read the topics you comment on, don’t spam. And YT gurus, don’t encourage people to spam other people, you’re wasting both their time with a 99% chance (%age courtesy of @visualstudios) and put them at risk of a warning, suspension, ban. Tell them something actually helpful, like posting actual content on the forum might help.

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i have a question. i am a new seller and all i know is that response time matters. sometimes i get messages from i don’t know fake clients i guess asking questions over questions and then after a day they disappear. should i be reporting them just leave it like that? and never answer them back?

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I am a new seller in this market place, so Some silly mistakes must be started, you will see these with a forgiving look. And I’m pretty disappointed that I haven’t received a single order yet. So now I am giving time to the forum.

not getting orders is really heart breaking. you should do more marketing, do more publicity for your gig and then see the results. that will get you orders, not being active in the forum comment box. polishing your work skills, good communication and marketing your gig is the key to success here on fiverr. all the best to you.

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i have a question. i am a new seller and all i know is that response time matters. sometimes i get messages from i don’t know fake clients i guess asking questions over questions and then after a day they disappear. should i be reporting them just leave it like that? and never answer them back?

They most likely aren’t spammers (unless they ask you to give them work to do!) they might just move on or get busy with their lives. It happens - some people don’t like to say ‘sorry I chose someone else’ outloud because it’s awkward (or that’s what I think at least.) Fake buyers are people who ask you to do work for them BEFORE placing an order.

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