[DISCUSSION] Stay away from third word client.
Essential premise: I work daily with clients from all over the world, and wonderful professional and personal relationships develop with many of them. It is not a matter of prejudice, but of real market dynamics that many freelancers clash with every day, especially on platforms like Fiverr.
While spending time in industry communities, I often read warnings about managing clients from certain emerging markets (such as the Indian market), known for being particularly complex to handle. Recently, I wanted to give a guy who contacted me a chance. Initially, there seemed to be a few "green flags": he immediately accepted a high rate, which I had deliberately proposed as a filter.
To protect myself 100%, I clearly specified in writing on the order invoice what was included and what was not, inserting the explicit phrasing: NO MIX, NO MASTER.
And guess what the disputes were about? Exactly: he complained about the fact that the track was not mixed. Despite me showing him the invoice and explaining that mixing & mastering is a separate service, it was no use. Angry reaction, disappointment, and, almost certainly, a negative review on the way.
Unfortunately, in many less developed markets or those with different working standards than ours, there is still a strong cultural gap in business management. Often, the basics of professional communication are lacking, and there are expectations to receive unagreed-upon extras, completely ignoring contracts and invoices. This way of doing things creates completely unrealistic expectations and unfair behavior.
My advice is to be extremely careful: sometimes, even covering your back with a written contract is not enough to protect your profile from the absurd demands of those who are not yet ready to operate in a regulated professional market.