Revisions are a key feature of the gig completion process of Fiverr. In line with Fiverr’s buyer-centric approach, they help ensure buyers are completely satisfied with a seller’s work. But navigating revisions as a seller on Fiverr can be a tricky and delicate process.
A revision on Fiverr is when a buyer rejects a seller’s work and requests they fix or amend it before completing a gig. While revisions don’t negatively impact your rating as a seller, it’s important to handle them carefully. That’s why it’s a good idea to have a clear revisions policy.
In this article, we discuss everything you need to know about revisions on Fiverr. We cover how they work, how many you can offer, and the best way to deal with them as a seller.
What Are Revisions On Fiverr?
Revisions on Fiverr allow a buyer to reject the work a seller has delivered and request they make changes to it. Sellers don’t have to offer revisions and if they do, they can decide the limits around them, choosing to offer unlimited revisions if they want (although we recommend offering 2 or 3).
If you’ve delivered work to a buyer, they might request you make some small changes to it. These could include fixing typos, revising a paragraph, or adding a photo.
When this happens, the gig will appear as rejected on your gig homepage. This doesn’t mean the buyer won’t accept the work. It simply means they’ve requested revisions before they mark the gig as complete.
Can You Offer No Revisions On Fiverr?
You can offer no revisions on Fiverr if you don’t want to, although this might not be the best practice, as offering revisions can give buyers more confidence in your services. You ideally won’t have to deal with too many revision requests, but some buyers won’t place orders if you don’t offer them.
Here are some things to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to offer revisions:
- If you do offer revisions, they’re usually included in your gig fee – For example, a seller’s gig might offer up to 3 rounds of revisions included in the price
- As a seller, you can also set the parameters of what a revision includes – For example, fixing typos, changing photos, and adding more links to the existing text might be revisions
- Revising an entire piece of work, changing the scope of the gig, and other extensive changes generally won’t count as revisions and will require a separate order to fulfil these requests
- Buyers can only request revisions while the gig is still in progress, and they’re unable to do so once a gig is marked as complete
Are Revisions Bad On Fiverr?
Revisions are not bad on Fiverr. A request for revisions won’t affect your ratings or level as a seller. However, if you mismanage the revisions process, the buyer may cancel the order or leave you negative feedback, and this can be bad for your profile.
Revisions are not necessarily a bad thing. For many freelancers, client feedback is a standard part of their process. This includes minor revisions to ensure the client is happy with the work.
When Fiverr Revisions Are Not Used Properly
But revisions can become a problem when the buyer changes their mind about what they want or asks for extensive changes. When it comes to revisions, the best-case scenario is the buyer asks for a minor correction or change to the work. Worst case, the buyer completely changes their mind or the brief.
When the revisions process goes pear-shaped on Fiverr or you refuse to make the revisions, the buyer may cancel the order. They may also leave a negative review, affecting your rating and seller level. This is why it’s important to approach revisions properly, which we’ll cover shortly.
Does A Revision Count As Late On Fiverr?
A revision does not count as late on Fiverr, even though it may seem like when the buyer asks for a revision that the deadline has been missed and you get a “##LATE##” message. This seems to be a bug with Fiverr’s systems, as you actually don’t have a time limit as a seller.
It’s always best to respond to buyers as soon as possible when they request a revision. This lets you iron out any details about what the buyer needs, and it lets them know that you’re on it and means they shouldn’t feel the need to chase you up if they haven’t heard from you.
How Much Time Do You Get For Fiverr Revisions?
Fiverr buyers have 3 days from order delivery to request revisions from a seller. Fiverr doesn’t set a time limit for sellers to complete revisions. However, it’s best to respond to them as quickly as possible, so that the buyer doesn’t cancel the order or leave a negative review.
If a buyer doesn’t request revisions within 3 days of delivery, the gig will automatically be marked as complete. A buyer can’t request any revisions once this happens.
No Time Limit
There’s no time limit for sellers to respond to revision requests, as long as they deliver the work by the deadline. This is useful in situations where the buyer asks for revisions but can’t provide immediate instructions, such as if they’re on holiday or simply don’t reply to you until a few days have passed.
These scenarios aside, you should aim to respond to a buyer’s request for revisions as soon as possible. If you don’t, the buyer may cancel the order and leave a negative review.
If, for any reason, you need a decent chunk of time to do the revisions, communicate this with the buyer. Let them know you’ve received their revision request and will complete it within a certain timeframe. This gives the buyer a chance to raise any concerns about the proposed new deadline.
As with many things on Fiverr, when it comes to revisions clear communication between the buyer and seller is essential.
Can Buyers Reject Your Revisions On Fiverr?
Buyers can reject your revisions on Fiverr and continue requesting more revisions until they are happy with the project or they run out of revisions to use. Before you submit a revision for the buyer to check, ensure you have clearly understood what the buyer is asking for.
Generally, one revision should be enough to get the project to where the buyer wants it. They may request a revision because they have changed their mind slightly on an aspect of what they want, or because you’ve slightly missed the mark on what they were looking for.
The Buyer Changes Their Mind
If the buyer constantly changes their mind in a seemingly unfair manner (constantly asking for revisions that don’t reflect what they asked for in the first place), you may need to go to the Resolution Center, as this is likely a buyer trying to take advantage of you. They may request revision after revision and the project gets nowhere but uses up your time.
If It’s On You
If you miss the mark the first time around, that’s not necessarily something to worry about. The buyer might just ask you to tweak something small about the way you’ve worded something in a written piece, or slightly alter the colour of part of your design. What constitutes a minor change will depend on the service you provide and the specifics of that project, but a few small changes don’t necessarily call for a visit to the Resolution Center.
But if you’re constantly missing the mark and not delivering on what the buyer asks with each revision, that’s on you. They will keep requesting revisions until they run out, or they may even request a refund if you’re not carrying out the job properly. They might also leave a bad review, which can be damaging in the long run.
Give The Buyer What They Want
This is why it’s key that you thoroughly read through what the buyer is looking for when they first place an order, and don’t be afraid to ask for additional instructions. The same applies with each revision – make sure you know what the buyer wants, and it’ll be easier to give them what they want without the need for many revisions.
As a guide, we recommend offering up to 3 revisions. This should be more than enough to get the job done right each time.
How To Deal With Revisions On Fiverr
As a seller, the best way to deal with revisions on Fiverr is to have a revisions policy. You should also clearly explain this revisions policy in your gig description and make it a gig requirement for buyers to accept this policy.
Have a Revisions Policy
The best way to manage revisions is to manage buyers’ expectations around them from the start. You can do this by developing a revisions policy, which you display in your gig description.
A revisions policy sets out:
- What types of revisions requests you’ll accept – For example: typos, corrections, and minor changes of fewer than 100 words
- What types of requests fall outside of your revisions policy and require gig extra – For example: completely changing the scope of the project or requesting more logos when they’ve only paid for one
- The number of revisions you offer per gig (we recommend offering 2-3)
Ask Buyers To Accept These Terms
When creating a gig, you can also add your revisions policy to your gig’s requirements. This means a buyer must tick the checkbox to accept your revisions policy before purchasing a gig.
You can also continue to remind buyers of your revisions policy in your communications with them. For example, if a buyer rejects an order and requests revisions, you can respond that you’re happy to do so, and that they’ll have 2 revisions left once complete.
Ensure You Have The Information You Need Before Starting
Another way to manage buyers’ revision requests is to get all the necessary information from the buyer from the start. Make sure you get clear instructions about what exactly they want. For example, if your gig is to write a 500-word blog post, you’ll want to know the topic, keywords, tone, and links that the buyer requires.
Many freelancers request this information in the form of a brief. By starting this way, you have a greater chance of producing work the buyer is happy with, with no revisions required.
Want more tips for dealing with clients? Check out my ultimate Fiverr guide here.
How Many Fiverr Revisions Should You Offer?
We recommend offering 2-3 revisions on Fiverr, but it’s fine to offer more or less and it will depend on your services. Fiverr sellers aren’t obligated to offer revisions, but offering revisions can give buyers confidence that you’ll go out of your way to ensure they get what they want.
The number of revisions you offer might depend on the nature of the work you’re producing, the gig fee, and what your competitors are offering. As the seller, you can decide.
Just remember – you need to honour the number of revisions you promise a buyer or put in a gig description.
What Does Unlimited Revisions Mean On Fiverr?
Unlimited revisions on Fiverr means there is no limit to the number of revisions that the buyer can request on a given project. This is not a recommended practice for sellers, as it can lead to excessive revision requests that waste your time, and you may end up cancelling orders as a result.
Unlimited revisions may sound like the ultimate way to instil confidence in a buyer, as you’re basically telling them that you’ll do whatever it takes to get their project to where they want it. But in reality, you’re just inviting buyers to request countless small tweaks to the order. Some buyers will take advantage of this, while others won’t even notice you offer it.
It’s the small percentage of buyers that will take advantage that make this not worth using. It’s just inviting potential cancellations and dealing with the Resolution Center. It’s far better to offer about 3 revisions, as this tells the buyer you want to make sure you give them what they need without giving them free rein to ask for 20 small changes at no extra cost.
You can offer extra revisions at an additional fee if buyers do want to have a bit of extra assurance, but in my experience, nobody ever paid for these. Just stick with about 2-3 revisions, and do such a good job first time around that you rarely need to deal with them!
4 Ways To Make Your Revisions Effective On Fiverr
1. Always Read Through What The Buyer Wants
This applies to any interactions you have with buyers, but it’s especially true when handling revisions. If you want to have the easiest time giving them exactly what they want (and therefore minimizing the need for further revisions) you need to be clear on what the buyer is looking for. The easiest way to do this is just to take your time to read what they ask of you.
Read their instructions once, twice, even three times to ensure you know what they expect you to do for them. Buyers are within their rights to request revisions if you give them the wrong thing, so don’t let this happen by paying attention to what they want!
2. Don’t Be Afraid To Ask Questions
If you’ve read through the buyer’s instructions a few times and there are still a few things you’re unsure about, don’t be afraid to ask the buyer some questions. They should be happy to help ensure you know what they’re looking for, as it makes their life easier in the long run too.
It also shows buyers that you care about what they want, and this can help you build up relationships with clients. This is one of the keys to becoming successful on Fiverr, as repeat buyers are great ways to boost your income on the platform.
3. Put In As Much Effort As You Would With Any Job
It’s easy to get disheartened when a buyer isn’t happy with your work. If it’s a tiny tweak that only takes a second, it’s usually not a huge inconvenience. But when a buyer genuinely doesn’t feel your work was good enough, it can be frustrating. But you need to treat any revisions as if they were a new order.
Put in the effort you’d normally put in, and treat the buyer as you would treat a new potential customer. The moment you start slacking is the moment your customers will begin to lose faith in your services, and this can cost you orders – and therefore money – in the long run.
4. Ask Them To Check It Before They Request More
This is a great way to get the buyer’s views on your work without formally submitting it. This means that, if they do require any additional changes, you can make them without using up another one of the buyer’s revisions – which should be limited, like we told you earlier!
This does 2 things:
- Gives the buyer confidence that you’re genuinely trying to help them
- Minimizes the chances of you having to deal with order disputes
The first is a bit more obvious, as it shows the buyer you’re willing to go beyond the hard number of revisions they agreed to when they placed their order. This tells them you are happy to keep working until they are happy, without formally offering any additional revisions.
Secondly, it minimizes the chances of the buyer using up all their revisions and still requiring more changes. This can lead to the buyer leaving you a bad review (if they genuinely feel you weren’t up to the task) or requesting a cancellation (if they just want their money back).
So, always ask the buyer to review the revision before actually submitting it, and if they’re happy, go ahead and submit it!
Final Thoughts
Revision requests on Fiverr allow buyers to ask you to make changes to the work you’ve delivered. As a seller, you can decide whether you offer revisions and, if you do, how many.
The best way to manage buyers’ expectations around revisions is to develop and clearly communicate a revisions policy. This protects the relationship with your buyers, as well as your rating and seller level.
Kate is an Australian freelance writer now based in Europe. She has contributed to Freelance Ready as both a writer and an editor, drawing on her legal background to write about the regulatory and financial aspects of freelancing. She’s also an expert at finding the best flat white within a 5km radius! Learn more about Kate here.
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