Finding a Gig to Buy and Contacting a Potential Seller

[fonthaunt]

I thought I might try posting a few common Buyer Questions/Issues with help references based on forum posts of the past. Many of the Buyer posts in the Ranting Pot have to do with purchases gone wrong. Some could have been
avoided with a little advance knowledge or research. I want to say right up front that I am not the author of the help articles I will refer to. I just go to these articles often in the Fiverr help topics when answering questions.

Key Points:
For this post, I’m thinking about times a buyer needed to filter gigs to find the ideal seller and problems that can arise over communication.

Finding a Gig:
Filtering gigs according to factors can help you with a match. It might seem obvious, for example, to look for the highest level sellers and sometimes it is. Not always! You can filter by level.

If you have time and a budget, it may be great to look at the offerings of busy level 2 or even Top Rated Sellers. You might find dozens to hundreds of reviews to study and lots of samples. In some cases (not all) these sellers may need extra time due to long queues and might charge higher prices for solid package deals.

Other times, you might be working with your own low budget or need someone who is at the keyboard and ready to stay up all night to fill your order. You can filter for new or level 1 sellers to see what’s there. They may turn out perfect for you for repeat orders or they may be learning the ropes and deliver something that needs extra polish. Either way, filters can be your friend. You can search by more than level. Check out seasonal filtering, delivery time choices, online status, language and more! See this article for details:

http://support.fiverr.com/hc/en-us/articles/204358863-Finding-a-Service

Communicating with Sellers:
Another common problem is communication. If you find an experienced seller with lots of reviews, well-written and thorough gig descriptions and a long queue, you may be best off just to place an order. If the seller clearly states that they sell Royal Blue Widgets, have tons of reviews by buyers who loved those blue widgets, there may be no need to ask if the seller can deliver a Royal Blue Widget.

Another seller, especially newer ones or those who need some work on their written communication, it might not be that clear. Their description might list their available “gadjets” for $5 and their sample image is blurry. You might assume they have yellow gadgets (misspelled) and order five for $25. If it turns out they had white ones and “gadjets” means something different where they live - you end up unhappy and so does the seller.

When in doubt, contact that seller before ordering and clear things up! You may find a great seller with awesome deals, or agree that the deal isn’t a fit, but no one gets harmed. For more on communication, check this out:

http://support.fiverr.com/hc/en-us/articles/204358873-Contacting-Sellers

~Hope this helps! Happy buying and thanks!

[edume]

Based on my many years in business and not just on fiverr, a potential order starts with an open dialogue, in this case on fiverr, via messaging regarding the buyers needs.

I’m a seller, but also a buyer, it’s difficult to find reputable sellers that can prove their history outside of fiverr. After all, if people say they are “professional” and some say they have years of experience you need to prove it. Unfortunately, many cannot.

Time is money and if you have to wait many days to get your order and are in a long queue, it may not be worth your time vs $ spent and may not get the quality you are looking for as that seller is already overburdened with orders.

As a seller, we ( I say “we” because I do have a staff and a company, we help people on fiverr who need our services) decided to provide the same level of service as we do for our corporate clients not on fiverr. In fact, we even reduced delivery time because we know our clients require a quick turnaround for their business. This has worked out well.

As I had previously stated in another posting I did a while back last year, it is best to initially send a message with a question or two to a seller before you purchase anything. Why? It’s a test to see how quickly a seller will respond and if he/she answers your questions. In one situation when I was looking to purchase something, I would choose four or five sellers and send messages. Several never answered, two did answer and one seller took 19 days to answer my initial message.

Check feedback. but it’s not foolproof. There are people who exchange gigs, meaning they purchase each others gig with the goal to leave each other positive feedback. That is happening more and more.

To some, “levels” make a difference. To others, it doesn’t matter. In fact, it’s all related to credibility, trust, reputation and communication.

I can go on and on about details, but in the end, to find a good service it will take time to search and evaluate the seller. Not everything is five dollars, so it’s a good idea to carefully read the description of the service. Hopefully this helps a little.

[contentcruise]

The things that would bring you to a seller is the profile, reviews and rating, but all these do not mean the seller is the right person for you.

I think before hiring, you should interact first to determine if you are dealing with the right person or not.

As Seller/Buyer, I prefer to interact and I like buyers who communicate to those that would just placed order and disappeared, nothing more until delivery time.

Since the concern here is hiring the right seller who can deliver competently, I would not advise picking a seller based on the level they are on fiverr, because some new sellers are professionals in their niches outside of fiverr, and you won’t know their competence unless you interact with them.

[jey242]

Sometimes I take a second look at sellers who are upfront and honest about their abilities and their limitations.

[fastcopywriter]

I love your advice, thanks for telling people to place an order and not ask obvious questions.

With that said, today I turned one of those messages into a $20 order. The guy wanted a LinkedIn summary and a cover letter, normally I would have done that for $10 in 3-days, so instead I sent him a $20 custom offer with the promise that I would do it in 1-day, and he accepted.

I still prefer buyers to order directly from my gigs, but I learned a lucrative lesson today- any message can be turned into money.

[mariamughal]

Yes! I guess it’s the right thing to do. Being a seller,I also prefer to communicate with the buyer before he actually order the gig because that enables me to understand his requirements and demands and I’m able to judge whether I can do that job or not!

[prodesign12]

It is a good idea.

[prodesign12]

Before placing an order communication should be given priority. Perhaps it helps to understand the seller’s ability of the work. Another important thing is that a seller can be clear about the work and he may get a chance of increasing his gig price.

[Guest rakhibul24]

Really i appreciate it. nice idea

[kitchiepanget]

I depend it a lot with how he or she manage the chat and if she or he is serious with the project. Not sure, just a suggestion. I am a good seller but I don’t have a buyer. Lets call it as a prediction.

[weebio93]

Very much agreed with you

[Guest ramiyo]

It is really informative post which is helpful for buyer for finding quality work, effective sellers.

[marketstar]

Really Good idea.

[eoinfinnegan]

I find most people are not here just for one thing. I was asked about writing product descriptions by a client and when I discussed it with them they had a lot more work required, it went from $50 to $300 for a complete rewrite of their products,website copy and email templates.
A lot of buyers are unsure of how things work here, so they are a bit coy about what they ask. Good communication can reveal a lot and result in a lot more work.

[amieebryant]

SPAM. Read the forum Do’s and Dont’s.

[Guest danish_writer]

Nice ideas i must say!!

[akoscreative]

Adding to what has already been contributed, I strongly believe in clear briefs. When Buyers give a good description of what it is that they are after, it enables the Seller to make a fairly good Offer. Some Buyers have posted requests that I sometimes feel is just for ‘jokes’.
Example J Washington’s head in a tiger …’ what ever that means.
Not only does it not explain anything, it be viewed as negative…anyway

As a Seller, I try to avoid political kind of art that may attract lots of negative controversy. I don’t know what others think- but thats me.

[wslogodesign]

SPAM

[aishaoiza]

SPAM

[mary1979]

SPAM

[janiye]

It all depends on a buyer’s need. Buyers coming to Fiverr assume price is fixed at $5 so asking for more is always a problem. One would know about the quality only when one has tested out a seller at least once, particularly if what one is buying is a creative product of some sort, such as a logo and appeal of the product is subjective. What is known—based on reviews—is whether the seller is reliable or not in terms of delivery and approach to work. It then makes sense to go with a seller with good reviews rather than one with poor reviews. However, if you are in hurry, would it not be wise to settle for a seller with average reviews rather than one with great ones, but a horribly long waiting list?