Stop poaching!

[musiclover]

Do NOT contact the past customers of other sellers! It’s morally wrong, and I consider it SPAM. Every now & then, sellers contact me offering me a better deal on a gig I’ve already ordered from someone else. I don’t care how good the deal is, I hate spam and I hate when people try to steal customers from other hardworking sellers. When I get messages from poachers, I respond back and then immediately click “report”.



If you want to make sales, go about things the right way. Advertise!

[mark74]

It never happened to me, but I’d behave exactly like you if I have such a message from anyone!!

[cheezees]

Nakita, this is a new low.



I would be extremely EXTREMELY annoyed by this. I have had other seller spam my inbox with offers of services I do not need and have never bought as a buyer here. I even had a brazen new seller, who, when I reminded them of Fiverr’s No-Spam policy and Terms of Service, bold-faced lied and said they contacted Fiverr and were told that what they were doing is OK.



Right, because Fiverr now encourages SPAM. Riiiiiiiight! :-<

[musiclover]

Reply to @mark74: Lucky you Mark. There are people teaching new sellers this very technique in ebooks. It really boils my grits!

[stop_it_man]

I will absolutely report this activity when I encounter it.

[mark74]

Reply to @musiclover: I’d like to burn those books… ops, but they are e-books… well, so I’d like to burn them together with devices where they are downloaded into!!!

[musiclover]

Reply to @mark74: Lol! You’re silly. Most books regarding Fiverr discuss such shady techniques. I get them because I’m curious and want to see if there’s anything I already don’t know.

[mark74]

Reply to @musiclover: Well, naturally I was joking… but being named silly…

[ryuken]

Wow first they used to steal gigs including description, reports, portfolio and now customers with the spam messages. Have yet to see such seller but that is new low.

[musiclover]

Reply to @ryuken: Used to? They still do that stuff. Its crazy around here.

[Guest mcromano]

How can they even do that in the new version? D:

[jasveena]

Now this is just not for sellers! It applies to buyers too! Have you had buyers who constantly harass you to offer more than what you normally do for $5? I have had a few already since I became a seller. You got to pay the price for the quality. Do not spam sellers with your irrelevant offers you expect sellers to give !

[musiclover]

Reply to @jasveena: Yeah that’s a very good point as well.

[bigbadbilly]

There is nothing wrong with sending out a message or two, especially to past clients.



That is NOT considered spam.



I’ve never done it myself… Hell, I’ve never even posted a gig up on the forum before. I do, in fact find it annoying.



However. Let’s be honest here. Sending a message to someone, either a past client or a potential one is not spam.



Spam is the repeated messages.



I’m not sure of the age groups of people posting in this post.



But… In real life. The following happens. From every smart business. Big or small.



-Mailings to your house. From people/companies you have purchased from before, and from new ones looking for new business.



-Updates on new or improved products/services. Again. From large or small businesses.

• Hell. TV commercials, by the theories on this post would be considered spam.
  
  
  
  Sending information is actually a good habit to get into. You do, in fact get new clients that way.
  
  
  
  Spamming is not. Once you get a message, if you say not interested and they continue to bother you… that’s spam. There is a difference.
  
  And, in a comic kind of way. Every time I look at this forum and see a post I don’t agree with… It’s spam. Especially when I log in an a little later and see it again… and again… and again. Funny how the line can be blurred.
  
  
  

[musiclover]

Reply to @bigbadbilly: I’m sorry you don’t understand the full meaning of spam. Spam is when someone messages you without permission to do so. Just because someone has ordered a gig from you does NOT give them permission to message you promotions (gig offers).



People have actually gotten their messaging feature disabled because they email people randomly (even past customers).



There is a SPAM policy for a reason. You can not message someone without them opting in. Yes, messaging past customers is a normal business practice, but most companies, get customers permission first.



If a seller wants to contact past customers, then maybe they should ask “is it okay to message you in the future regarding new gig offers that you maybe interested in?” Before or after they deliver.



So, again, there isn’t just one meaning for spam.

[bigbadbilly]

Well. I don’t agree. But that’s OK. The world would be a boring place if everyone thought the same way.



Just to add in.



I understand exactly what you’re writing and where you’re coming from. Like I said. I just don’t agree.



I should also add that I’m the type of guy who throws out the junk mail I get without even looking at it. But, I will save a Pizza Shop flyer and try them out. Which I never would have done if they didn’t send me the flyer to start with.



Does anyone see my point? They “Spammed” me but got a client. And it wasn’t really spam, it was advertising their product.



On my website (Which is a film web site and nothing to do with the gigs I offer ) I save every E-Mail address I get from people sending me messages. And, once in a while I send out massive messages with the ‘Opt out’ button on the messages. But never once has anyone said I was spamming them.



Same as gigs. Especially when it comes to past clients. If they liked your work, and say… even left good feedback, then if I have a new related service I would have no issues letting them know.



Again. I see your point. But I really think spam is a repeated barrage of messages. Especially after you said no.

[thepsychicchef]

Oh my gosh! I have never had this happen, but it’s a really low thing to do. It’s bad enough that competitors in the same general field here on fiverr talk bad about one another, but this is terrible!

[cheezees]

I think we’re getting off track here. The spam relates to looking up other seller’s past buyers (through the reviews) and spamming them with you own similar service.



I get many messages this way and at first I wondered how in the world they knew I had just bought something like this. I hit “Report” every single time.

[musiclover]

Reply to @bigbadbilly: I see your point as well. I too keep certain circulars that come in the mail. I never think of Direct Mail as spam though. 🙂

[solmio]

If only the world was a perfect place…but… :-B

[crystalsmith]

Reply to @kjblynx: Exactly. By doing business with someone and becoming a “client”," you are in fact, “opting in.” There is absolutely nothing wrong with following up with past clients, reasonably. All the client has to do is mention they are no longer interested in your services and at that point, any further contact would technically be considered spam. Any smart and successful business entrepreneur would followup and keep up with clients. That is just what you do.

[sweetandpretty]

Okay, that explains so much. I received a message from a seller the other day that left me quite confused. They were writing like I had inquired about their gig, but I never had. When I replied back and said I’m sorry, but I don’t have any idea what you are talking about, they never replied. That doesn’t seem like a good tactic. I would never buy from someone pulling that.

[bigxor]

A certain auction site had the same problem… they started scrambling the buyers user ID’s in the feedback so sellers couldn’t contact other sellers clients.



Are you reading this FIVERR??

[musiclover]

Again…we’re getting off topic. -_-

[anarchofighter]

Reply to @musiclover: Actually it does.



Recent purchases are a specific and itemized exception from the CANSPAM act and from the Do Not Call List.