Dealing with Over Expectant Buyers/Lowering Cancellations

[eoinfinnegan]

I have seen so many sellers having issues with/complaining about buyers expecting more than their gig offers. While I have had this issue, my answer is not to request a cancellation or to moan about it on the forum. Here are some reasons why a buyer may expect too much and below that are my solutions for both avoiding it happening too often and dealing with the situation when it does happen.

Why do some buyers expect so much?

1. Fiverr is called Fiverr. It used to only offer things for $5 so it is very possible that the buyer has come here expecting to only pay $5. That’s not their fault. Fiverr did a good marketing job in the past and many people still see this as the cheapest place for online services.
2. The buyer may not know how much work is involved in what you do. Some people have never proofread/translated/designed logos/written content etc before, so expecting them to know the time it takes and its value is unrealistic. Very few buyers actually understand anything about web design or SEO.
3. Some are taking the chance. If they ask, maybe they will get more than they are paying for - so some try it out. Some sellers do offer services at very, very low rates for various reasons.
4. Your gig description may talk about what you do in the best/most expensive option. If you have packages and you only describe what you do in your highest priced package then buyers may not realize that you don’t offer that in your basic package.

How to stop getting so many over expectant buyers.
This is straight forward. Look at your gigs and check to see what you offer and for how much. Make sure it is clear, to the point and the prices are easy to understand. Explain the differences between your different options. If buyers are clear about what you offer from the start then you will have much less problems.

How to deal with an over expectant buyer.
I had a mutual cancellation for an over expectant buyer yesterday.
It was MY FIRST IN OVER 6 MONTHS!
I had responded to a buyer request seeking a large translation and I had made an offer, including the offer of a paid sample, which is what they ordered. The sample should have been $5 for 250 words of Russian to English. What they expected was $5 for 500 words of translation + a further article of 500 words! Overall, I would charge $30 for this.
I think the issue here was that they had not read my gig description, just my offer. This buyer was not willing to pay any more so I cancelled.
This is not my only buyer to order and expect more than they paid for. Here is what I usually do and what has turned those buyers into realists and even regular buyers.

Custom Extras - This little beauty of an option is the secret to dealing with this situation.
Here is the secret to using a custom extra effectively.

1. Write (in the message box) exactly what the gig offers.
2. Write exactly what they have offered.
3. Write what you will do for what they have paid.
4. Mention the custom extra option and state that the custom extra below will cover the full cost of what they have asked for. Include the fact that the order is due in “X” days and you need to have their answer within a certain period.
5. State that they have the option of accepting what you offer for what they paid, a cancellation or accepting the custom extra.
6. Create the custom extra, stating that “I will complete the order as discussed in messages”. Enter the appropriate amount and add some extra time if necessary.

You allow them the time to look at the offer, decide etc. This has sometimes resulted in them accepting delivery as only the work they paid for but the majority of the time they pay for the custom extra.
This approach will appeal to and impress buyers as the communication is clear and you look professional. It appeals to me because it increases my $$$. It appeals to Fiverr as you decrease your cancellations.
EVERYBODY WINS!

[miiila]

As the like-button is gone once again, thanks for the read, Eoin.

I have a tangential question, which this here reminded me of:
<<You allow them the time to look at the offer, decide etc. >>

Am I blind or isn´t it possible to set an expiration time for an offer you send to a BR? I can set an expiration time on ‘normal’ custom offers I make, and sometimes do, and I´d actually would rather have that ability for BR offers than for the others, if I could only have it once, though of course would prefer it in all instances. I hope I´m just blind and someone says something to that that will make me slap myself, if not, well, will put it on my list of suggestions for when the suggestion section works again.

[eoinfinnegan]

Glad you liked it.
As far as I know you cannot set an expiration on responses to BR. I know what you mean but I have had buyers come back to be weeks after I responded to their request so I think it is better not to limit them anyway.

[miiila]

The reason I´d want the expiration limit is that I might not want them to come back weeks after I responded though, but thanks for your reply, at least I know that option doesn´t exist for BR and it´s not me not seeing it now.

I guess the only way is to put ‘This offer is valid until <date>. If you´re still interested after that, please contact me for a new offer.’ in the custom field then, in cases one would like to make sure, but that might look a bit off-putting (and also take from the character-limit, I’m bad with that often lol).

[rcarlisto]

Found this to be super helpful. Thank you!

As a new seller I’ve been a bit perplexed at just how much some people are expecting for $5 and was wondering how much of the onus was on me for the descriptions I created for my gigs initially. Definitely in need of some revisions now.

I guess I’ll have to take my cues from the gaming industry and use the custom extra’s to micro-transaction the hell out of my orders. :\

[eoinfinnegan]

Once again, the magic of the custom extra has worked.
This morning I had a translation order of $5 which required a lot more work than was covered with this order. Instead of a nasty message, a cancellation request and a moan on the forum - I sent an explanatory message with a custom offer and ABRACADABRA - this $5 under-order was magically transformed into a $40 order.
Although breaking the “magician’s code” by showing you this, you can see the method for this magic trick in the attachment.

[eoinfinnegan]

As a new seller, you are likely to get more people trying to get you to do more for less. Weigh up each one, sometimes a positive review is worth more than the money you get. As you get more reviews and move up the levels, you can be a little more picky about the prices and type of work you do.

[miiila]

I love magic. Much preferable to the kind of moaning you´re referring to.
Good trick, though some people call it common sense. The thing with common sense is that it´s not all that common though lol.

[homeestates]

This is all good stuff. With all the packages, extras and offers on a gig page it can be difficult for a buyer to keep up sometimes!

I confirm everything in my initial message to the buyer so there is no misunderstanding from the outset. It is nice to have a moan on the form sometimes, though.

[eoinfinnegan]

True that!

[eoinfinnegan]

Exactly and yes, I am partial to the occasional moan here too!

[eng_yasmeen]

its same problem here