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How communicative should a seller be?


vagusvagus

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I’ve never used Fiverr before, so I’m not sure what to expect in terms of ‘customer service’ from sellers. I realise a lot of them are quite busy. I placed an order to with someone ~3days ago to have a logo made. He had 40+ people in his queue, but his profile specifically states not to worry about that, because he always does his work on time. His reviews are good, and people seem happy, hence why I’m a bit dubious about posting this, but I’m still feeling uncomfortable so if someone could shed some light that would be great.

Immediately after I’d made payment I sent a message to the seller giving a basic idea of what I would like in the logo, as there were no instructions given as to what he needs from me as the buyer. I was expecting him to get back to me with a few questions to refine the idea in his head of what I’m after (I have no idea what is required in making something creative for a complete stranger so I was happy to take his direction and answer whatever he needs). We’re now 8 hours away from the deadline and still I’ve heard absolutely nothing from him. Not even acknowledgement that he’s received my order. No questions, no request for clarification etc. Is this normal? How can he know what I want if he hasn’t asked me anything?

I’m not compaining at this point, I just want to know if this is normal behaviour and if I can expect this in (potential) future fiverr transactions.

Thank you

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Being 8 hours from the deadline without ever hearing from a seller means you should request a cancellation immediately. That is not normal. You could also contact customer support and tell them the situation and let them cancel it for you.

I’ve had very busy designers go for two or three days if the deadline was a week or ten days but it should never get that close to the deadline without any communication.

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I actually would wait to cancel, honestly. If the seller had 40 in queue, that’s a lot of orders. Some sellers aren’t talkative and technically he hasn’t broken any rules yet.

I agree it’s not very common and I like to message sellers before I even order to see if we communicate well, even in a brief exchange. Since you ordered though, I’d give him a chance to delivery. If it actually runs late and he doesn’t communicate by then to explain, then I would worry.

I would probably wait the full grace period (which is maybe 2-3 days) and if he never writes or delivers at all, you’ll get a “ridiculously late” notice. Then you can cancel, get a fiver credit to buy from someone else, and Fiverr will automate a negative review on the seller which warns others.

Hopefully he’ll instead deliver a nice logo even if squeaking in at the deadline. If it’s not what you asked for, he should revise it. Note- you can’t cancel based on only personal taste, but you can if he didn’t follow your specs and won’t fix it. That’s just my opinion as a buyer and seller. It’s up to you in the end. 🙂

Edit: You said something about him not listing instructions? Just the be sure, did you fully start the order? Do you see a clock counting down the time to deadline?

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As a Buyer you Should always message a Seller before placing the order. You should have Discussed all the Details with him(Idea’s, Colors, Specific fonts, Sketches or examples etc) then you should ask him about the things he offer and the Exact time frame. Its better to discuss the details first so you don’t have to worry about the job in the future because you will be trusted that he will Deliver it on time and with all the aspects that you had discussed but its better now to wait and see what he delivers. If its not your taste Go to the ‘Resolution Center’ and Cancel the Order. 🙂

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Every seller is different and arranges their time schedule differently. I agree with Fonthaunt that you should wait for the deadline although if it becomes late I would expect at least an apology/explanation from them, but that is just me.
Some sellers allow lots of time to complete their orders so they deliver well before the deadline as this gives a positive impression. Personally, I keep my lead times shortish and as a result this can mean coming close to the deadline.

Similarly, everyone handles communication differently. I have often received great work from people without any communication until the delivery. It’s not how I do it as I know, as a buyer, that it can be nice to get an acknowledgment of your order, particularly when it is design related.

I’m not sure how I would handle 40 orders in a queue but I imagine I may be a bit less communicative with each one if I was dealing with 40 different people (+ however many messages). Hope it works out for you.

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Hello, you should have contacted him first and know if he will be available to do your work, for a seller with more than 40 orders, you should know he will be very busy, he may be working on your ideas and trying to get your work done, try and be patient with him but if the order enter late and you didn’t get any message or your logo, you can cancel or talk to customer support.

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Sorry for taking so long to get back to you all. In hindsight it makes complete sense to message the seller BEFORE making the purchase, and I’ll definitely be doing that from this point onward. He ended up delivering within the deadline, although it wasn’t really what I wanted. I’ve requested a revision with some more specificity this time, because my first request was clearly not very well defined (my fault, I was expecting more back-and-forthing. I didn’t expect him to take my first vague description and run with it) .

Thank you all very much for your replies. I do want to be fair with sellers when I’m dealing with them so I wanted to be sure of what sort of behaviour to expect and accept and how I can make their job easier.

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@vagusvagus I think it’s awesome that you came to the forum, got a variety of opinions and want to be fair. Different buyers and sellers vary in their methods, but buyers like you make Fiverr a better place.

I hope your end result comes out well! Either way, the experience and seeing viewpoints will help you get the most out of Fiverr in the longer run.

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If you search some of my posts over the past couple of years I have always mentioned it’s best to send a message to the seller in advance of placing an order.

This is the best test to see how fast the response will be. I’m a seller but also a buyer. With one inquiry that I made from a seller, it took him 19 days to reply and when he did I laughed.

In today’s business it’s a skill to communicate, many don’t have that skill or simply don’t understand business.

So, no matter what you want to buy online, send a message first and wait for a reply to your inquiry then make an executive decision! Take care.

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In some cases it’s best to email in advance. This is a bargain basement website, after all. Why expect AAA+ customer service when you’re paying $5? At the very least, buyers should be relived that they haven’t got a steaming pile for their money.

Personally I don’t “welcome” people to my gig. If they send a message asking about progress or something that seeks a response, sure. But I’m not going to be sycophantic for peanuts. Or big money, come to think of it. Anyways, everyone should just approach this how they want. If you get an awful buyer, it won’t matter. If you get a great buyer, it won’t matter. If you get an average buyer, it might matter. Why waste time on it?

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I was really pleased to see this (original) post, because I am worried, as a seller, that I am too communicative. I see myself as part of a team - with the buyer. As a writer, it is absolutely essential that I get every bit of information that is required to deliver a professional service. Unfortunately, I have been met with one-word replies to quite crucial questions - and even received no response at all. For the past 24 hours, for example, I have stayed awake - honestly - to ensure I meet the requirements of a client in another part of the world. To say getting answers to questions was like getting blood from stone would be an understatement. I am a professional, I want to deliver a professional service - and communication is the vital key to that level of delivery. You did nothing wrong VAGUSVAGUS.

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This might sound terrible but as a seller I am very uncommunicative. If someone orders, I take a glance at the order details and that’s it. If there is insufficient info I tell buyers that I need more. Other than that though, I just deliver work as I get it done. Most of my orders are for 10+ articles or articles and videos and I simply don’t have time to constantly communicate with buyers unless I need too,

Also, when I started in Fiverr, I did communicate a lot more and this actually got me in trouble. i.e buyers think we have a great enough relationship to get free extras etc.

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Why would my attitude affect my business?

All I’ve stated is that I won’t be sycophantic, and everyone should approach this as they wish. If a buyer wants confirmation that I have their order, I’ll confirm. Otherwise, I don’t really see the point in going through every order with a complimentary welcome basket, for the reasons I outline in my post above. Others might.

Big deal, really. I represent myself, not Fiverr. You are welcome not to buy from me if you find this attitude negative and want someone who lays out the red carpet–but I ain’t got time for that. I’d rather focus on my work.

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Well, that’s just not a positive attitude for someone who represents Fiverr! /s

But yeah, another very good reason not to bother. Sorry buyers–this is a bargain basement website in that you can get services for cheaper. That involves cutting corners, which means lots of communication (unnecessary comms) is gone. If you don’t like that, visit a local agency and enjoy the sycophancy–you’re paying for it, after all! I’m not being negative–I’m being realistic. Anyone who suggests otherwise needs to come at me with better than “ooh you negative, bad Fiverr rep” and take their head out of their nether parts.

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“I feel that we have bonded”, “You’re like a friend to me”, and so on, while trying to get free extras or skip the queue, or both.

If that’s how they treat their friends, no wonder they’re looking for new ones on an anonymous platform.

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hi all, well i am having the same thing right now
its 1 day after the due date and i am not even getting a msg back from the seller
now i have planes to do with that order (company logo) and waited 5 days or wasted 5 days only to find out that i will have to wait again and try my luck with another seller
let say i dont like that feeling
so i advise sellers atleast say somthing like, working on it, somthing…

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I never message anyone unless it’s to clarify instructions. The “back-and-forthing” takes time.

5 or 10 minutes of exchanging messages may appear insignificant to you as a buyer but when there are 30 buyers being dealt with on a daily basis, it adds up to hours of wasted time.

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