Have you heard of Fiverr? It's a hot way to outsource work, on any budget! The question is, is it a scam or is it real legitimate place where people can sell and buy services?
Fiverr.com is a website that connects service providers and customers. The unique twist to this site is that every service is offered for $5 (thus the name fiverr). Most people might think that you can't get much for $5, but surprisingly there are many gems to be found. Often you'll find services on Fiverr that you can't get anywhere else, for any price.
Fiverr is easy to use. You can sign up for a free account in just a few seconds. Within a few minutes you can be hiring someone or even offering your own $5 gig.
Fiverr ties in nicely with Paypal, allowing you to either pay for gigs via Paypal or get paid that way.
Offering Services On Fiverr.com
You can make some quick cash by offering your own “Gigs” – Fiverr’s term for job or service offers on the site. Describe your offer by filling out the “I’ll do […] for $5” form. You’ll then be redirected to a page where you can describe your offer in a little more detail, add some information for buyers along with some tags and how long it will take you to complete the gig.
Fiverr.com is a great way to make a little extra cash, but keep in mind that you’ll get only $4 for each gig. Fiverr takes a dollar cut. Your best bet is to stick to offering tasks that will only take you a few minutes to complete when offering Fiverr gigs. If you're willing, you may want to consider offering a 'loss leader'. That means that you offer something that's highly underpriced in order to entice clients in the hopes that they will continue to hire you at a regular price after they've had a chance to sample the great work you do. Just be careful that you’re not spending so much time on underpriced services that you have no time to work at your regular rate.
The flip side of using Fiverr is that as a buyer of services you have hundreds of options at your disposal. The site itself can be used for fun (have someone create a cool caricature of you), for family (hire an Oprah singer to wish Aunt Sally a happy birthday) or for business (hire a ghostwriter to proofread your latest blog post). Many people use Fiverr for business, of course. Take some time to browse through the categories and you're sure to find some hidden gems.
Some popular Fiverr gigs include creating short videos, writing blog posts and articles, and creating graphics such as ebook covers, banners, buttons and the like. All for only $5.
As with any outsourcing site, there are both good and bad providers on Fiver, so be sure to check feedback before hiring anyone. But at just $5, it’s easy to try out new providers as well. You might just find a hidden talent.
Most Fiverr providers are very fast, often turning around work in just a few hours. If you need something immediately, though, it’s a good idea to either work with a Fiverr provider you’re familiar with, or find another way to get the job done. The last thing you want is to miss a critical deadline because you relied on an untested (and unreliable) Fiverr seller.
Job Requests on Fiverr.com
If you can’t find what you’re looking for or have a rather specialized task you need done, consider posting a job request. Requests are listed on the site and service providers then have the option to get in touch with you to work out a gig.
All in all, Fiverr is a fun and useful website for business and pleasure and is not a scam. I have used it to buy certain things such as website tweaks, banners etc. I am also a seller on Fiverr and offering text links and have made some good sales. Just make sure you head over there with a plan and a budget or you may up browsing for hours upon hours and buying all kinds of stuff you don't need! Have fun and spend those five bucks wisely.
