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Fiverr can be a wonderful place to make money online, even if you’re starting as an entrepreneur. But just like any other business venture, a seller can avoid some pitfalls and situations, and one of those is to prevent bad buyers on Fiverr if you are selling services.
In this blog post, we’ll look at some things you should look for to avoid these problematic buyers. And how to effectively restore your profile and block them once you have found yourself in this situation.
- Sellers Who Are Affected Most by Scams and Bad Buyers
- Blocking a Fiverr Buyer
- What About Fake Sellers on Fiverr
- How Do You Know if a Buyer is Scamming You on Fiverr?
- What Happens if I Report a Buyer on The Fiverr Platform
- How to Repair Your Fiverr Reputation And Bad Reviews
- Removing a Star Review on Fiverr
As a seller on Fiverr, encountering a bad buyer can be frustrating and discouraging, but sooner or later, it will happen. However, it is essential to remember that Fiverr has systems to address such situations and protect you.
To begin, Fiverr takes the issue of bad buyers very seriously. If you encounter a buyer who violates Fiverr’s Terms of Services or causes you unreasonable hardships, it’s important to flag the issue as soon as possible. Let’s face it, Fiverr has 3.4 million active buyers so that a few bad apples will happen.
The number of problematic buyers is not a published statistic, but even if just 1% of those 3.4 million buyers, that would be a staggering 34,000 buyers that will not help you advance your freelancing career on the Fiverr platform. What’s worse is that they create a new account when they get banned or whatever. It’s a vicious cycle for sellers who are dealing with them.
Sellers Who Are Affected Most by Scams and Bad Buyers
Unfortunately, those affected most by scams and bad buyers on Fiverr are new sellers just starting. It is often difficult for them to spot the warning signs of a lousy buyer or to know what steps to take if they have already encountered one. They also want to take advantage of the inexperience of new sellers on precisely what they can do if something needs to be fixed.
Experienced sellers are not immune, either. Some gig services that deal with one-off services, such as a graphic design concept or other artistic work, can be purchased but not approved for the order. The buyer takes the job and requests a refund. This happened to me a lot back when I was offering writing services.
There are some protections you can put in place to help protect with this, such as watermarks and other embedded signals, which can deter the theft of services, but unfortunately, it still goes on.
Fiverr Encourages Sellers to Work It Out with Buyers.
Fiverr encourages sellers to resolve buyer disputes before escalating the issue to their support team. As such, the first step is to try and settle the problem with the buyer using Fiverr’s Resolution Center.
If the issue cannot be resolved through the Resolution Center and messages by simply contacting the buyer, and you believe the buyer has violated Fiverr’s Terms of Service, the next step is to report the buyer to Fiverr’s Customer Support Team. Please provide as much detail as possible about the issue, as this will be what they go on. This includes evidence such as messages exchanged, screenshots, and any other relevant information about the service offered.
Once alerted to a potential problem buyer, Fiverr’s team will investigate the issue. After gathering relevant information from you and the buyer, they will take appropriate action to resolve the issue and protect the interests of both parties. Remember that while Fiverr does its best to ensure all parties are adhering to the rules of the platform, some things will slip through the cracks,, which is why including an abundance of information is best to present your case.
Blocking a Fiverr Buyer
As a seller on Fiverr, interacting with buyers is a crucial aspect of your business, and if you’re dealing with a scam buyer, then it costs your business money. There may come a time when you encounter a problematic buyer who tests your patience, and you don’t want to deal with them anymore. In this case, blocking the buyer from your services is best.
To block a buyer on Fiverr:
- Follow a simple process.
- Go to the conversation page with the buyer and click the three dots in the top right corner.
- Select “Block & Report.” Once you block the buyer, they won’t be able to contact you or place any orders on your profile.
What About Fake Sellers on Fiverr
Fiverr is a popular online marketplace for freelance services. Still, only some sellers on the platform are legitimate, which can make your life worse if you are an honest seller. Because the platform has all these fake seller accounts, they may take a biased approach when deciding on a case from legitimate sellers like yourself.
There is nothing you (as a seller) can do regarding fake sellers. However, it’s essential to understand that your clients may have dealt with these fake sellers before you, which can undoubtedly make them ask for more and may throw up a red flag, but in actuality, it may be just because they dealt with one of these bad sellers or fake accounts which may have taken advantage of them before you.
How Do You Know if a Buyer is Scamming You on Fiverr?
As a seller on Fiverr, it’s essential to watch out for scamming buyers to protect yourself and your work from being stolen. While most buyers on Fiverr are genuine, there are always a few bad apples looking to take advantage of unsuspecting sellers, which we’ve mentioned before.
Here are some red flags to look out for:
Working outside of Fiverr
One of the most apparent signs of a scammer is when they ask you to work for them outside of Fiverr from the start of the order. Not only is this a violation of Fiverr’s terms of service, but it’s also a tactic scammers use to avoid Fiverr’s dispute resolution process. If a buyer tries to take communication off the Fiverr platform, it’s a good idea to stop working with them.
However, doMake sure to correct this for moving your buyer away from the Fiverr platform. Working on a project outside of Fiverr after you have completed jobs for a buyer and future projects are off the forum is what most freelancers strive for. This way, it eliminates the 20% Fiverr cut, but you do lose the protection of Fiverr Resolution support.
Premium services
Another red flag is if the buyer requests work that requires a base price plus additional fees for “premium” services. While it’s not uncommon for buyers to request add-ons or upsells, this is a common tactic scammers use to get more money out of unsuspecting sellers and can undoubtedly be a bad experience if you’re unprepared. Always make sure you understand what you’re agreeing to before starting work.
An example would be if you were selling backlinks on a blog and they requested it to have an additional backlink or have frontpage access, etc. All of these are outside of the scope of the original gig that is offered. Some may even request videos or specific traffic counts before accepting the gig delivery.
Requests for free samples
Some scamming Fiverr buyers may try to persuade you to offer free samples to “test your skills,” but of course, they want to give you the requirements for the test. While offering samples can be an excellent way to showcase your work, be wary of buyers who try to take advantage of your generosity and request content or service on a specific topic. If a buyer is unwilling to pay for your work upfront, it’s best to avoid working with them altogether. Chances are they are just attempting to get something for free.
Haggling over prices
Know your worth and stick to it. While it’s normal for buyers to negotiate over prices, be wary of buyers who haggle excessively or try to negotiate a price significantly lower than your advertised rate, or offer different types of payments. They may even want to exclude details related to the gig. This could be a sign that they are not willing to pay a fair price for your work and may even disappear without paying after you’ve delivered the work and rejected it, which means you won’t get paid.
Poor communication
Finally, poor communication is always a red flag when working with buyers on Fiverr. Be wary of buyers who don’t respond to your messages, communicate in broken English or use overly aggressive language. These are all signs of a potentially scamming buyer.
In conclusion, be aware of these red flags when working with buyers on Fiverr. Protect yourself by following Fiverr’s terms of service. Ensure you understand what you agree to before starting work and include as many details in your gig description as possible. If you suspect a buyer may be scamming you, contact Fiverr’s customer support team immediately to report the issue and find a resolution.
What Happens if I Report a Buyer on The Fiverr Platform
As a seller on Fiverr, you might come across a buyer who has violated the platform’s terms of service, leaving you in an unfavorable situation and what could be a difficult choice. However, Fiverr has made it easy to report someone who has caused trouble or committed wrongdoing without them knowing you did it.
Reporting a buyer is a simple and easy process that you can undertake to protect your account and ensure a safe online marketplace for every person that uses it. And since it’s usually anonymous, you don’t need to worry about retribution.
When you report a buyer on Fiverr, the Customer Support Team takes the necessary action to investigate the report and determine if it’s valid and what measures must be taken against the offender. If the team finds merit in your claim, they will take the appropriate actions to rectify the situation. The steps may include canceling the order, removing a review, or banning the person from the platform altogether.
It’s important to note that you should only report a buyer if you genuinely believe they have violated Fiverr’s terms of service. For instance, if a buyer is unresponsive or requested a refund for no valid reason, you should report them.
How to Repair Your Fiverr Reputation And Bad Reviews
A good Fiverr reputation is crucial for freelancers to succeed on the platform and the number one deciding factor many buyers are looking for. However, if your overall Fiverr seller rating needs to be better, it can significantly impact your business, causing you to miss customers and more. Your gigs may even be surpressed in the Fiverr search results pages.
Here Are Some Ways You Can Repair Your Fiverr Reputation:
Communicate with potential buyers: First and foremost, it’s crucial to be transparent and communicate with potential buyers about who you are, what services you offer, and what skills you possess. By doing so, you can build trust and gain their confidence, which is necessary for better ratings.
Many buyers will ask questions by sending you a message about your gig, respond quickly, and assure them that you can complete the project on time and up to standards. Promise less, then deliver more! Remember, you may be dealing with a first-time buyer, and they may need to learn how to leave feedback or accept the gig delivery.
Ask for feedback: Second, always strive for great feedback. Encourage your clients to provide feedback on your work so that you can know what you can improve upon. Moreover, follow up a couple of times with clients post-delivery to ensure customer satisfaction. Being proactive can boost your ratings on the Fiverr platform and your traffic through better search results.
Deliver high-quality services: Third, providing high-quality work on time is vital. Make sure to keep clients informed about the progress of their project, including the timeline and any delays. Consistency in delivering high-quality services will not only satisfy clients but also encourage better ratings and get you the type of buyer you want on the gig platform.
Resolve disputes: Disputes can sometimes arise in any business, so handle them effectively. Keep calm, understand the client’s perspective, and work together towards finding a solution that keeps them happy. How you resolve disputes can impact how potential clients rate you.
Push down negative reviews: Having five reviews, and 1 of them is negative, can mean your gig is safely buried on page 17 of the Fiverr search results. You will need to increase your positive reviews in order to effectively bury the negative review.
You can do this by reducing your prices or offering incentives on your gigs (not for feedback) but a bonus type of deal so buyers will leave feedback. One thing you don’t want to do is buy fake reviews, however.
If your gig is relatively new and one of your first five feedbacks was negative, it may be a good idea to remove the gig and create a new gig. Although your negative feedback will still be against your account, it will not show to potential buyers on the gig sales page.
Removing a Star Review on Fiverr
Can a negative rating be removed on Fiverr, such as a one-star review from a buyer? It’s a question that many sellers ask themselves when they receive less than favorable feedback from a buyer. While it can be a complex process, there are possibilities. And remember, there are two sets of feedback, one that the seller sees and one that only Fiverr sees.
Fiverr’s resolution center allows sellers and buyers to resolve any disputes. If a seller requests a review revision and a buyer agrees, Fiverr can replace the negative rating with a positive one. However, this is not guaranteed, and it’s at the buyer’s discretion which is a problem since they are the ones that left the negative review in the first place.
There are cases where you can have the negative feedback removed, however. Like most feedback systems, there are rules that help protect the buyer and seller from problems. For example, a buyer can’t leave negative feedback and encourage users to go with another specific seller.
Something like:
“Not good! ABC company offered a much better service than this!”
That’s a no-no! In this case, Fiverr support will likely remove the feedback because the buyer may view it as spam to promote their account.
There are other examples of bad reviews as well, and if you receive a bad review, it’s essential to make sure you attempt to check the terms and conditions on Fiverr and see if it violates them. Do a deep dive into messages from the buyer as well. And remember always to check and block any potential buyer before you start working on a project if you experience a bad buyer.
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