Fiverr Review (What I’ve Learnt After Spending $4000)

What is Fiverr, and should i be using it? Well, i have decided to write this Fiverr review in order to put questions like this to bed.

More and more people are turning to fiverr it’s an online revolution!

The website allows you to find freelancers in almost any area of expertise, and you can have jobs done from as little as $5.

If you looking for a fiverr alternative, their main competitors are, Freelancer, Upwork and People Per Hour.

I have used both Fiverr and Upwork for some time now…

i continue to use them both almost every day.

Fiverr is great website if you know how to use it, Fiverr can also be terrible, if used in the wrong way.

Today i’m going to talk you through the pro’s and con’s, that way you can decide if you want to use it.

In this Fiverr review, i am going to be covering the following topics and questions, from the perspective of both buyer and seller:

• What is Fiverr?
• Is Fiverr a Scam?
• Advantages of Fiverr
• Disadvantages of Fiverr
• Is Fiver legit?
• Negotiation Tips
• Fiverr Seller Levels
• Fiverr Processing Costs
• How to Register
• Conclusion

What is Fiverr?

Fiverr is an online marketplace for freelance services, it was founded in 2010 by Shai Wininger and Micha Kaufman.

These two wanted to create a two sided platform for people looking to buy and sell online services from as little as $5.

On Fiverr these services are known as “gigs”.

In an interview with forbes, Micha Kaufman described fiverr as the “Amazon for digital services”.

Fiverr is becoming more and more popular with freelancers looking to sell their services on the platform.

The same goes for buyers, the platform is certainly growing in popularity, it does make life very easy for both sides!

I have used Fiverr for over 3 years and i’m a big fan of the platform.

With that being said, there are a few things you need to be are of, there will always be a minority that ruin it for the majority, and fiverr is no different.

Is Fiverr a Scam?

This is an important part of the fiverr review, I have been on the wrong side of fiverr, and on the occasion, i have questioned my trust for the platform.

As you will see from the screenshot below i have had 210 completed “gigs” on Fiverr, i’ve only ever had to cancel 9 of these.

Out of the above 9 gigs, every single freelancer agreed to cancel.

Fiverr is just like amazon, sellers want to minimize the level of negative reviews, these reviews can effect their business in a huge way.

Just like with any platform, you will have a few untrustworthy sellers, but fiverr protects you from being ripped off.

I never once had a problem cancelling an order, i have always got my money back.

So, is fiverr a scam? No, absolutely not! But are there people on the platform that will try to take advantage? Yes there are.

If you take your time and use fiverr correctly, you can save alot of money.

I have spent over $4,000 on fiverr gigs and i’ve never had any money stolen…

Here is a video to show you what i’ve learnt from spending $4000…

Before you go ahead and start working with a freelancer take the time to talk about your project, have a look through their reviews…

Look for any consistent issues.

When i’m looking for a freelancer, i look for people with 4 star rating and above. Over time, you will build up a trustworthy team of freelancers, i now work with 4 or 5 on a regular basis. Anyway, onto the next part of this fiverr review.

Advantages of Using Fiverr

First, let’s look at some of the advantages for a buyer.

1. If you’ve got a limited budget, fiverr is a life saver. You really can get loads of different things done for only $5, but do remember this will be the most basic service on offer. If you are looking for top quality you are going to have to spend a little more than this.
2. At $5 you aren’t risking a lot of money. Let’s say you want some marketing images done for your business, you can find a freelancer on fiverr no problem, you’ll risk say $5 – $40. If you were to go to a graphic design agency you’ll be spending hundreds of dollars for just the consultation. Fiverr does offer value for money, that’s for sure.
3. You can manage an entire project in one place. Let’s say you are building a website, by using fiverr you can communicate and manage as many freelancers as you want on one platform. In the past you could have spent hours chasing different programmers and developers, this takes up alot of time! On fiverr all you need to do is log on, and maybe send a couple of messages asking for an update on progress, this will save you a great deal of time.

Now, some advantages for the seller..

1. As a freelancer, fiverr will give you MAJOR exposure, i mean it’s one of the most popular websites in existence. Millions of people use fiverr and to make the most of it all you need to do is to create an attractive profile and you can start building your reputation. Think of it as having a shop, you can set up shop on a quiet road, but you’ll be spending a lot of time (and money) trying to find customers, on a quiet road, one or two people might look in your shop window everyday. Now think of having a shop on one of the busiest roads in the world, thousands of people are walking past your store everyday and you aren’t having to spend any time or money going out to find customers, they come to you!
2. If you have just begun your journey as a freelancer fiverr can make life much easier for you, it gives you a chance to show the people what you can do. Many freelancers started their businesses on fiverr, it’s a ready made platform for you and your business.
3. You don’t have to worry about getting paid, Fiverr will make sure of that. Fiverr will hold your fee’s in an escrow account until you have delivered the work and the customer confirms they are happy. If you have a dispute with an unhappy customer, all can be resolved within the dispute center.

Disadvantages of Using Fiverr

Let’s look at the disadvantages from a buyers perspective.

1. Even though gig’s start at $5, you will always have a service charge of $1. Not the end of the world, but worth mentioning.
2. There are some poor freelancers out there, i suppose it’s the same with any platform but be aware of this. Make sure you carefully inspect the sellers profile before purchasing anything.
3. Fiverr can become fairly time consuming, if you don’t communicate your project goals effectively you will spend a lot of time going back and forth with the freelancer.

Now from the sellers perspective.

1. Although you can encourage people to contact you before ordering a gig, some people will just purchase without contacting you. If you don’t complete the gig on time you will risk negative feedback. If you are unable to work for whatever reason, you can set your profile to away or on holiday, this will stop people from ordering gigs you cannot complete.
2. Fiverr’s commission is fairly high, on average you will pay about 20% plus your transaction fees.
3. If you want to withdraw, you have to wait 14 days from gig completion, this is for safety purposes. Fiverr wants to protect the buyers experience at all costs (this might even be a positive, there is no work without happy, returning buyers).

Is Fiverr Legit?

There is no doubt about it, Fiverr is a reputable company, the platform works really well for both buyer and seller. People will always ask “Is Fiverr Legit?”, it’s a natural question to ask before you part with your money.

With this being said, there will always be freelancers that aren’t so legit, but rest assured your money is safe whilst using the service.

If you have any issues, you can always turn to the dispute center.

Fiverr is a legitimate website, the only risk you run is wasting your time, if you end up working with a poor designer you will have to find somebody else to complete the task.

Poor designers are becoming less and less common on fiverr, as a reputable company they want to protect their image, if a seller violates the terms of service they will be removed from the platform immediately.

Let’s get onto the next section of this fiverr review.

Negotiation Tips

I think negotiation is a fascinating subject, but sometimes i feel that people use the word in the wrong context.

Negotiation is not about getting one over on the other side, negotiation is about finding a win/win situation for both the buyer and the seller.

If you are looking to build strong, working relationships this can only be done over time, you need to build trust between both parties.

When you start out on fiverr as a buyer, take your time to think through and plan out the tasks you want completed…

Trust me it will save you time in the long run.

I have written a case study from a buyers perspective, it shows you how to find and then negotiate with sellers on fiverr.

Within this case study, i find a freelancer to create a 3D rendered image of a product i’m looking to sell on amazon.

You can see the video is below, check it out and let me know what you think!

As a seller, be as open and honest as possible, make your pricing transparent. Buyers will normally negotiate with you, if you feel like the buyer may be returning with repeat work it might be worth offering a discount.

On the other side of this, if you don’t feel like a job is worth your time, communicate this to the buyer, be as polite and as courteous as possible.

Fiverr Seller Levels

As a seller your aim should be to work your way up the fiverr seller levels. As you move higher up the levels you are able to create more gig’s, you are also given the ability to offer further extras alongside your gigs.

New Sellers

• Five gig multiples
• Up to seven active gigs
• You can offer two gig extras ($5, $10, $20)

Level One

In order to reach the first level you need at least 60 days as an active seller on fiverr.

You need to have maintained a 4.8 star rating for 60 days and you must have completed 10 individual orders. Here are the increased benefits.

• Ten gig multiples
• Up to ten active gigs
• You can offer four gig extras ($5, $10, $20, $40)

Level Two

Before you get to level two, you will need to have completed at least 50 individual orders.

You will need to have maintained a 4.8+ star rating for 60 days and your earnings must have surpassed $2000. Here’s what you get.

• Fifteen gig multiples
• Up to twenty active gigs
• You can offer five gig extras ($5, $10, $20, $40, $50)
• You now qualify for priority customer support

Top Rated Seller

This is the level you want to be aiming for, this elite group of sellers enjoy a growing number of benefits.

To reach this level you need to have earned at least $20,000 on fiverr. You will also need to have maintained a 4.8 star rating for 60 days. Here are a few of the benefits.

• Twenty gig multiples
• Up to thirty active gigs
• Six gig extras ($5, $10, $20, $40, $50, $100)
• You can set custom offers up to $10,000
• You qualify for VIP customer support
• Earning clearance reduces from 14 days to 7 days

Fiverr Processing Costs

Here are the associated costs for a buyer. This is copy and pasted directly from Fiverr’s terms of service.

“All purchases are subject to a service fee of $2 on purchases up to and including $40, and 5% on purchases above $40. This helps us operate our platform and offer 24/7 customer support for your orders.”

And the associated costs for a seller.

As a seller, 20% of your earnings go to fiverr, this is the cost you pay for using their platform. Please note that 20% fee is taken on tips too.

It’s free to join fiverr so i guess they need to make their money somehow!

How to Register

So if you are looking to get signed up as a buyer it’s nice and easy!

Click here to be directed to the homepage, from there it’s pretty simple.

1. On the homepage, click “Join”
2. Put in your email address and hit continue
3. Pick your username
4. Choose a password (Make sure you can remember it!)
5. Then click join and congratulations, you are now a registered user on fiverr
6. Make sure your activate your account, Fiverr will email you a link for activation

It’s as simple as that!

Conclusion

Let’s finish this article off, i’ve been going on for long enough. I’ll finish by saying fiverr is a superb platform, i use it almost every day for at least two of my online businesses.

There will always be pro’s and con’s as there are with any platform, overall i would say there are much more positives than there are negatives.

I’d happily recommend anyone to fiverr.

As a buyer, I have spent over $4000 on fiverr and 95% of the freelancers i’ve worked with have been brilliant.

By using fiverr i have saved myself alot of money, i dread to think what i’d of spent elsewhere.

With the huge range of different services on offer you could run a business solely using freelancers from fiverr.

As a seller the benefits can be enormous, there are a number of sellers making $1 million plus you can see why it’s such a popular platform.

I hope you have enjoyed my fiverr review, have you had a good or bad experience using fiverr? Let me know in the comments below!

More from me soon,

Nick

eBusiness Boss