Is this a ridiculous question?

[angelawalkerhdw]

Hi all,



I’m relatively new to fiver - been here 10 days as a seller, and have had just about 11 clients so far, and all delivered work has received good feedback.



My question is regarding accepting orders. I make it really clear in my gig that I need buyers to contact me and discuss their requirements BEFORE ordering/buying the gig - but I’ve had a few who simply haven’t done that. It feels like they can hold me ransom in some ways - I’m at their mercy if I don’t want a bad review, and they can demand whatever they like for $5. Am I missing something? Is it possible not to accept an order without affecting my current stats?



Thanks for all your help!



Angela x

[angelawalkerhdw]

That’s a fair point - I should probably be more cut and dry in the gig page. Thanks for that. Because it’s writing, sometimes the response I get is a subjective one. I usually want to be contacted first so that they can thoroughly brief me on the project.

[alerafa]

You don’t need to work with them if they have unreasonable requests. Unless I’m missing something and it’s not available for new sellers or something, you have the option to send them a mutual cancellation request along with an explanation.

In case they don’t accept it (in my experience they usually do), you can contact support to help you solve the issue.

[webtelly]

Yes, it’s a tough situation. The first response is to send a mutual cancellation, then remorse and the reality of getting a high cancellation rate sets in. I have found that it really comes down to reverse psychology. The old, “this ashtray was stolen from Mel’s diner” type thing. As soon as you give a command in your gig description, people are going to do the opposite. It is just human nature, sadly. I have started putting little notes in my reviews. Not the nicest thing to do, but it gives people cause for pause.

[jamesbulls]

Some buyers deliberately place orders without contacting the seller just to see what they can get away with. Having said that, I - as a buyer - really dislike the “Contact me first!” gigs because I know it’s often just a way for the seller to refuse to actually sell anything for just $5. I dislike the upsell.

[sincere18]

yes, do a mutual cancellation with a polite stating that you need everyone to contact you first.



However, if you are just doing a straight $5 gig, no extras, I am not sure why you want them to contact you first. Trying to get ALL the briefing done may not always be realistic. Some buyers will not give ALL their info before they actually pay anyway.

[soulriter]

If you don’t have a $5 offering, don’t sell on fiverr. You gotta have a $5 gig. If they pay $5, give them what they pay for. The $5 gigs are the price of doing business on the site, IMO.

[fastcopywriter]

angelawalkerhdw said: I make it really clear in my gig that I need buyers to contact me and discuss their requirements BEFORE ordering/buying the gig - but I've had a few who simply haven't done that.

 

That's because they know it's a waste of time to contact sellers. You want a seller to take you seriously? You put money on the table. I've been ripped off by chatters. "Hey, what do you think of this brand name?" And then they don't have the decency to give me $5 for my time.

 

Recently I contacted a translator for a project, I asked him "how much to translate this to X." Instead of saying $20, $50, etc, the guy asks me to send him the file, I did, that was two days ago. Where the hell is he? Nowhere to be seen. Why? Because messages get lost. If I had hired him right away, he would have the freedom to reject the order or I could have forced a cancellation if he ignores me.

 

Orders don't get lost. Orders stay in the queue. You can even extend the timing by sending a counter for $1. (click Offer More Extras, then Offer Custom Extra and select the amount of days you need to complete an unexpected order).

 

I'm telling you, messages are for suckers. Get the ball rolling before they find somebody else.

[amit98038]

Wow! You got 11 sales in just 10 days ? Without any promotion ?

[fonthaunt]

I do encourage buyers to contact me before ordering because in my own experience prior contact helps me avoid a couple of common pitfalls. (For me those are usually either bulk orders that need to be done in a series and orders related to my response to buyer requests.) IMO some sellers find prior contact very useful and others hate inboxing.



Regardless, one thing that I do not recommend is to try demanding prior contact. Some buyers won’t do it, some will but if it irritates the buyer the gig is less likely to go well. Encouraging or inviting contact is polite but requiring it can get you in a mess. Hopelly Fiverr will implement a short-term accept/decline order option for sellers but until them mutual cancellations are best if you can’t work it out.

[angelawalkerhdw]

Thanks everyone, this has given me real food for thought.



I think going forward I’ll get rid of the demand for prior contact, and instead offer clear cut options. The reality is that if I’m tasked to do a super intense, in-depth article that requires a ton ton of research, or reams and reams of website copy, it’s going to cost more than $45 (which as a new seller is the maximum I can charge on the gig page itself). I’m very quick to respond to all messages and I don’t leave people hanging, so while I can see that’s a concern maybe I need to find a way to communicate that / get some upcoming reviewers to mention that.



I think as a newb I also get overwhelmed by time-fear for a bit, and always want to get the order out IMMEDIATELY - so for some stupid reason psychologically I’d rather be able to get a clear brief out of a buyer before the counter starts ticking, but the more I read what you’ve all said, the more ridiculous that seems.

[angelawalkerhdw]

Reply to @amit98038: Hi Amit, yes - I didn’t promote anywhere outside of fiverr. I did a lot of research before I started selling (and I still am.) Fiverr does have systems to set up to channel a bit of extra attention to new gigs.

[angelawalkerhdw]

Reply to @fastcopywriter: Thanks dude, I needed this kick up the butt

[orcatek]

My gig says to contact for questions prior to order. Funny thing is, some people contact with simple orders. A get a few that try to squeeze thru, but now you can just do the add-ons thru their order explaining how they are beyond the basic gig and to revise or accept the add-ons.



This situation I run into with people not providing scripts for their videos. So I remind them and send the write script extra with the message (love that we can do this now). I get two results, extra paid for or script provided. So far no cancellations. Win-win.

[sincere18]

Reply to @angelawalkerhdw: I think it’s ok to ask the seller to contact you, just not demand it. And state very clearly in your gig, $5 for X number of words.



That way if you get reams and reams of website copy the buyer would know it will cost more. Say something like $5 for X words, if your job is more than X words please contact me first before buying.

[timelyservices]

Some buyers just want to take advantage of you. I would do mutual cancellation for such order if i can do it.

[Guest peppermint_wish]

Reply to @jamesbulls:

Oh, so you don’t want to know if the seller can actually do what you need them to do?

Like you’re going to order 5 pictures atop the tallest building in my city without knowing if i can get up there? LOL

[fastcopywriter]

Reply to @angelawalkerhdw: My pleasure, I love your attitude. Sometimes when I’m brutally honest, people take it the wrong way. 🙂

[sincere18]

Reply to @orcatek: The ones with simple orders, are just being good customers. You said contact you prior to ordering so they do because they think they have to. Also, some buyers may think it’s a timing issue, that a seller wants to ensure they can turn around the job for you in a good amount of time.

[angelawalkerhdw]

Reply to @fastcopywriter:



I try to believe that most people actually mean well (in internet communities) until it becomes undeniably clear that they don’t. It’s a hard mantra to live by online but it serves me well! Thanks again for your feedback



Angela x

[iamforart]

I’ve had trouble with the timing for the gigs, with people loading me up with gigs and work to do, and not understanding when you purchase multiple gigs it’s all the same 24 hrs you are asking me to do this. So I added a note to contact me first if someone needs more than exactly what my gig asks for, so I can direct them to the add-ons or create a custom listing. Seems to have eliminated the problem.



tl;dr trial and error, figure out how to word things, put yourself in the buyers’ shoes, be clear.

[ask_tolik]

My Suggests

1. first note in Big letter and Mark letters " connect before you order"!
   
2. In your first image also make subtitle " connect before you order"! , some even note read description.
   
   
   
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