Fiverr Review
Shamsudeen
Summary
Fiverr started in 2010, until I started buying gigs on the platform, I never thought of writing a Fiverr review.
So, it's safe to say what you're about to read is the practical experience of a Fiverr gig buyer.
Though you may not find all the information you need in this post, this is because Fiverr consists of over 200 gig categories with more than 83 million gigs.
It is impossible for anyone - an individual or brand - to have purchased all the gigs on Fiverr.
But I believe sharing my Fiverr review experience will help you make better business decisions, understand how Fiverr works, and learn how to use the platform to your advantage.
Whether you're a seller looking to make money selling services on Fiver, or you're a buyer wanting to grow your business, Fiverr is a reliable marketplace for individuals, businesses, and brands.
But first, let's explore what Fiverr is?
What is Fiverr?
Fiverr is an online marketplace for freelancers to offer their skills as a service to digital marketers. The platform connects marketers and businesses with on-demand freelancers with relevant skills.
Fiverr is an Israeli company started by two entrepreneurs - Shai Wininger and Micha Kaufam.
The Fiverr headquarter is in Tel Aviv, Israel, with global footprints offices in New York City, San Fransico, Berlin, Kyiv, London, and Orlando.
Since 2010, Micha Kaufam has remained the CEO till date.
The company has over 545 workers. In 2020, the company processed over $699.3 million in gross merchandise.
Since its inception, the company has processed services for more than 5.5 million buyers from over 830,000 sellers across 160 countries of the world.
Also, there are more than 200 gig categories on Fiverr.
It is interesting to know that Fiverr generates 55% of its annual revenue from repeat buyers. This figure indicates more buyers are satisfied with the services delivered on Fiverr.
How Does Fiverr work?
Fiverr works equally for both buyers and sellers to buy or sell digital service s on the platform. As I said above, it is a marketplace for buyers and sellers of digital marketing services to exchange value.
But first, let's see how Fiverr works for buyers?
Fiverr For Buyer
First, you need to sign up for a Fiverr account to enable you to carry out transactions on the website.
Buyers can search through the millions of gigs on Fiverr to find affordable and relevant freelancers to work with.
As a buyer, when you discovered an interesting gig, Fiverr lets you contact the seller for further inquiry before placing your order.
The conversation takes place within the Fiverr internal email services. Buyers are advised to contact a seller within the Fiverr platform to prevent fraudulent sellers.
After discussing them with the seller, you'll pay in advance through Master card or PayPal if you choose to order the services. At this stage, you can send the job requirements to the seller so that he can complete the work according to your instructions.
Fiverr will notify the seller of the order so he can start working on it.
The seller sets the gig delivery time and price. Fiverr doesn't interfere in this area of the services.
After completing the order, a notification email will be sent to the buyer. You have the option to review the work done or request changes before the money is released to the seller.
If you did not respond to the email message after three days, Fiverr will mark the gig as complete.
Fiverr For Seller
Before you can sell on Fiverr, you need to create an account.
Although all accounts on Fiverr are buyer's accounts by default, you'll be able to switch to the selleraccount after completing the sign-up process.
Initially, when the Fiverr freelance marketplace was launched, all gig offerings were originally set at $5.
This means freelancers can only list their gigs at a $5 offer. But as the platform grows bigger and attracts buyers from all sectors of the digital world, Fiverr started allowing sellers to take control of their gig pricing.
As a seller, you can price your services as you want buyers to pay you. There are gigs on Fiverr as high as $3,000.
You have unlimited opportunities to earn from the Fiverr website. When you provide exceptional value, people will always come to you.
What are Fiverr Gigs?
Gig is the term used to describe the services you offer and sell on Fiverr.
As a seller, when you create a gig, you have the opportunity to talk about your expertise, gig description, what buyers should expect, and how your service can help business owners move one step up.
Your gig information is what a potential buyer will see, read, and decide upon whether your service is what he needs or not.
One important thing to note is that you can only create a gig on a desktop/laptop computer. At the moment, creating a gig is not possible on the Fiverr mobile apps.
If you want to start selling services on Fiverr, here is a step guide to create your first gig on the platform.
6 Steps to Creat Your First Gig on Fiverr
Creating your first gig on Fiverr is not a complicated process, the stpes are simple even for beginners to complete.
Fiverr gigs consist of six steps, each step consists of several tasks to complete.
Let's go over each step one after the other:
1. Gig Overview
Gig Title
In this section, you need to write your gig title. Make sure it's concise, short, catchy, and clearly describes what your service is all about.
At a glance, a potential buyer should understand what the offer is about and how relevant it is to what he's looking for.
Most gigs on Fiverr start with "I will...
This is the default and best practice among Fiverr sellers.
You have a maximum of 80 characters to pass your message across. If you want to master the art of writing catchy headlines or titles, here's a comprehensive article you can read today.
Category
Next, you need to define your gig's category and the sub-category from the Fiverr drop-down menu.
This is an important step you need to carefully review before making the selection. You won't be able to change the gig category after it's published.
The services you offer should serve as the base for your gig category. If your services are related to SEO, you can choose digital marketing as your primary category and search engine optimization as the sub-category.
As you write your gig headline, Fiverr will provide a list of category suggestions to choose from. This is to help you make the right choice quickly.
Some Fiverr categories required sellers to verify their skills. Fiverr do this to keep the platform off scammers and low-grade freelancers.
Tags
You need to enter the appropriate tags a potential buyer might use to find your services.
Tags help buyers find relevant gigs on Fiverr faster. So, it helps to use the right words so people can find your services when searching for one.
You can use up to five tags and it doesn't matter which case letters you used, only special characters are not allowed.
Gig Metadata
Here you need to describe the type of services you're offering. Fiverr has done a very good job here by simplifying the process.
Based on your gig title and category, Fiverr has preset metadata for most gigs on the platform. You only need to select the appropriate data for your gig type from the options.
Here is an example of Fiverr metadata for an image editing gig.
2. Pricing
The next step is to enter your gig pricing, package, descriptions, and extra services if available.
What you see here might depend on your gig type.
If your gig doesn't require different packages, you can toggle on/off the package feature.
This is where you can set up things like revision, gig packages, pricing, delivery time, etc.
At the moment, you can list a maximum of 3 different packages for a gig.
3. Description and FAQ
The next step is to briefly describe your services so potential buyers will understand what to expect.
You have up to 1,200 characters to describe what your gig is and how it will help buyers improve their business value.
Also, on this page, you can set up a series of frequently asked questions people might want to ask. This is a good opportunity to educate buyers on the scope of your gig.
If you offer large projects that can be broken down into smaller steps or tasks, you can set up milestones on this page to help buyers understand your workflow and the process.
Instead of pricing your services as a whole, you can bill buyers based on per task completed in the whole project.
Fiverr milestone is a helpful tool to help sellers increase gig interest and sales. It bridge communication gap and help buyers manage expectations.
Learn more about Fiverr milestones on this page.
4. Gig Requirements
After placing an order, the buyer needs to provide the required information or tools for you to start working on the order. This is an important step in the overall gig setup process.
This is where you can request all the information about the gig. You need to be concise and direct here. Ask for relevant info or tools that will help you complete the task according to the buyer's expectations.
5. Gig Gallery
An image speaks a thousand words...
This is where you add images that best represent your gig offer. Make sure to add images that clearly describe your services and the benefits to buyers.
You can upload video content that best showcases or explain your services. Also, you can upload pdf document that highlights your past work.
Video content should be less than 75 seconds and not exceed 50MB.
When you're done uploading your materials, check the consent box to agree to the Fiverr digital asset terms of services usage.
Net, click the save and continue button to publish your gig.
Note: You can only upload and use images/content that you own or have permission to use.
6. Publish
Although you've completed all the steps to publish your first gig on Fiverr, there is one last step...
As a first-time seller on Fiverr, before you can publish your first gig, you need to verify your phone number. This is for account security and it's mandatory for all first-time sellers on Fiverr.
So, click on the "Verify Now" button to complete the phone verification purpose.
Clicking on the Verify now button will open a dialog box. You need to input your mobile number in the space provided.
After completing the phone verification process, there is one more step to go through. You need to set up a security question in case of account recovery and for additional security purposes.
Once you complete this process, your account is ready to publish its first gig on Fiverr. The only thing left is to click on the "Publish Gig" button to get your gig on the Fiverr marketplace.
How Fiverr Protects Buyers
Fiverr comprises diverse people from all works of life, nationality, community, and different skills. In a community as big as Fiverr, there are bound to be occasional disputes and disagreements.
The way these disputes or disagreements are resolved is the most important factor rather than the cause of it.
If you're buying on Fiverr, you're covered by the Fiverr buyer's protection policy in case there are issues with the gig delivery.
From placing your order to the gig delivery time, every step of the transaction is protected by the Fiverr buyer's protection policy.
First, Fiverr advises both the seller and the buyer not to communicate outside of the Fiverr messaging system. Fiverr might not be able to assist you with any transaction or communication that takes place outside of the Fiverr website.
If you order for services and the delivery did not meet your expectation or as described by the seller, Fiverr advises you try to resolve it with the seller first.
In most cases, extra communication with the seller might help resolve the issue.
You can request the gig revision from the seller, or provide more information on what you're expecting from the services.
But in case you can't reach an agreement with the seller, the best option is to request for gig cancellation from the Fiverr resolution center.
Every gig order on Fiverr has its resolution center page. You can access this page by logging in to your account, clicking on the order in dispute, then, accessing the resolution center link at the bottom right of the page.
You will be taken to a page like the one in the image below.
Even if the gig is marked completed, there is a 13-day grace period to report any issue with your order to the Fiverr support customer service. The order can be canceled during these periods and you get a full refund.
However, once the 13-day grace period is over, and no report from a buyer, the money will be released to the seller for withdrawal.
Here is the help content to learn how to use the Fiverr resolution center to resolve issues.
Fiverr Seller Protection
If you're selling on Fiverr, you take responsibility for the service you offer.
Fiverr does not provide much protection for the seller, but you're covered by the Fiverr terms of service as long as you do your transaction within the website.
However, Fiverr does provide several best practices to protect yourself and stay safe doing business on the website.
Here are some of the seller's best practices to consider while doing business on Fiverr.
1. Transparency
Your Fiverr seller profile is important to show potential buyers who you are. For most buyers, the first thing they will do before placing an order is to check the seller's profile.
From your profile picture to the gig description, everything should represent who you are and why a buyer should consider you over other freelancers.
A good practice is to use your real picture, and clearly describe what you offer and how it can help businesses achieve their goal.
2. Don't Negotiate outside of Fiverr
This advice is for both the seller and the buyer.
If a buyer asks you to message him outside of the Fiverr messaging system, you might be a victim of potential fraud.
Aside from being vulnerable to scammed actors, this violates the Fiverr terms of service.
As a Fiverr gig seller, you can only be protected and assist with services rendered within the Fiverr website.
3. Ask Questions
For some services, like voice-over, asking buyers questions about the use of the services might give you a clear context of the buyer's intention.
If you're not comfortable with the use of your services, you could discuss with the buyer how to better use the service to benefit both parties.
And if a buyer is a threat to your life or services, you can report such a buyer to Fiverr support for appropriate investigation.
Buyers might use inappropriate language, or want you to go against your terms of services, you have the right to report such a buyer to Fiverr.
Is Fiverr Trustworthy?
Fiverr is a trustworthy freelance marketplace for many reasons.
First, the number said it all - with over 5.5 million buyers since 2010, and more than 830,000 sellers spreading across 160 countries, no doubt, Fiverr is a legit platform to sell and buy digital marketing services.
However, as legit as Fiverr is, this does not rule out the fact that you can get scammed on the platform.
It is important to know that Fiverr only acts as the middleman between the seller and the buyer to ensure a smooth business transaction.
Whether you're buying or selling on the website, you're not dealing with Fiverr directly, instead, you're dealing with a buyer or seller.
While Fiverr provide a secure marketplace to buy and sell marketing services, it is the buyer and the seller's responsibility to trade with due diligence
Here are a couple of tips to avoid Fiverr scams for both buyers and sellers.
How to Avoid Fiverr Scams
Fiverr scams might come in different forms. Buyers and sellers can be scammed on Fiverr.
You might get defrauded for paying for a service that was never delivered.
Also, it is very common to pay for services that do not meet the gig description.
For sellers, buyers often scam sellers by demanding extra services that are not part of the initial agreement to avoid the extra fees.
In whatever form it appears to be, I have listed some tips to help you stay safe while doing business on Fiverr.
Tips for buyers
1. Look for fake reviews
Fake reviews are not hard to spot on Fiverr if you look carefully. To get buyers' attention, Fiverr sellers do buy reviews from places like Facebook groups.
Some sellers go the extra mile to create another account as a buyer, buy their own gig, then leave a 5-star review on it.
One of the ways to spot fake reviews is to look at the seller's year of joining Fiverr.
If a seller has been on Fiverr for less than 3 months but with hundreds of reviews, there's probably something going on there. There is the possibility that what you're reading are paid endorsements from fake buyers.
You might need to check on other freelancers offering similar services.
So, stay away from buying gigs with reviews that look suspicious.
2. Check Seller Profile
Always check the seller's profile before placing an order.
By checking the seller Fiverr profile, you might be able to spot a red flag.
For instance, if you're buying a content writing service from a seller who can't spot typos or grammatical errors in his gig description, you already know what to expect.
3. Deal with Top Rated Seller
Some gigs required that you deal with top-rated or pro verified sellers on Fiverr.
You can find level-1 sellers offering the same service for less price, but you don't risk your time, money, and business reputation.
A good example of such a gig is the executive content writing services.
You want someone with experience. A writer who understands what company executives want from writing on blogs, LinkedIn profile pages, email, etc...
If you don't want to risk your reputation as a business executive, you'd opt for the top-rated sellers on Fiverr.
From the gig pricing, it's obvious the seller knows the value and worth of the service.
4. Watch out for Bogus Gig Offerings
This is an obvious way to get scammed on Fiverr.
As a buyer, be reasonable and be objective in your buying decision.
If an SEO link-building seller offers 1,000 backlinks for $10, you probably won't get the worth for your money.
What you'll get are spamming links from useless websites with no real traffic.
Stay off gigs that promise mouthwatering outcomes for very low effort or money.
5. Review Completed order
Due to a busy schedule, you might not be responding to seller messages on time. Some sellers, aware of this, might deliver your gig without completing the task.
Since Fiverr automatically mark gig order as complete after 3 days if no response were made to the order delivery message, you might end up paying for a service that was never delivered.
You need to review the service within 3 days of delivery before marking it as completed.
Don't assume the job was done according to your description when you have not verified it.
For instance, if you order an image creation gig on Fiverr, make sure to verify it's not an existing image online. A simple Google image search will reveal if the image already exists or not.
Fiverr Tips for Seller
1. Gig transparency
To avoid unnecessary disputes, gig transparency is important for sellers.
You must be transparent about your gig services description. Be as detailed as possible to eliminate any form of confusion for buyers.
Look at your service listing from a buyer's perspective. Is there anything you might want to ask the seller if you're the one buying?
If you think there is information missing, consider creating a FAQ section where you list possible questions and answers for buyers.
2. Never Transact outside of Fiverr
No matter the situation, don't ever deal with a Fiverr buyer outside of the website.
Even if the buyer promises to keep the transaction confidential and with more incentive. If you accept to deal outside of Fiverr, you're likely to be a victim of online fraud.
In the event of disputes between a buyer and a seller, Fiverr can only resolve the issue for transactions that took place on the website.
Fiverr Customer Supports Services
Being the largest marketplace for creative work in the digital marketing space, one will expect that the Fiverr customer support system will be above the bar.
However, from what I read on some independent review sites, the Fiverr customer support services is a kind of mixed feeling and experience.
A lot of dissatisfied customers report bad experiences dealing with customer services on Fiverr.
A review of 1,187 Fiverr customers on Sitejab resulted in a 1.75-star rating. And on Trustpilot, several customers are reporting the inefficient way or manner the Fiverr customer's services treat their issues.
I think this is one of the areas the company might need to improve on.
However, Fiverr offer several support channels to get the help you need doing business on the website.
There is the availability of email support, phone call, forum, knowledge bank articles, and blog articles.
Except your case is a unique one, Fiverr has a lot of helpful content to help you figure out the solution to your problem.
Whether it is a selling or buying issue, or account-related, there is a lot of relevant content on the website that provides detailed solutions to help you out.
Contacting customer service should be the last thing after all available support channels have been exhausted.
Here are the Fiverr customer contact or supports services details:
You can get the help you need by contacting Fiverr on any of these customer care and supports channels.
Pros and Cons of Fiverr for buyers and sellers
Conclusion...Fiverr review
Fiverr is an incredible marketplace for all types of digital marketing services.
It is a helpful tool for business owners to outsource marketing tasks to experts in the field while you focus on tasks you can comfortably execute.
It is a place to find low-cost freelancers you can't possibly get anywhere else in the world.
For sellers, Fiverr offer the opportunity to bring your service and skills to the front of business and individuals looking for it.
If you have digital marketing services or skills others might need to grow their business, Fiverr gives you the platform to trade your talents for money.
For buyers, Fiverr is a helpful platform that allows you to use the strength of others to build your dream business.
