How about sellers have to show what it costs?

[itsyourthing]

I’m getting bored with all the forum posts from sellers who say they don’t actually sell anything for $5 because their gigs are so special/involved/complicated/fancy that they couldn’t possibly produce anything for $5.



I am tired of buyers claiming bait & switch (rightly or wrongly).



I am tired of sellers whining that buyers don’t read and/or pre-order contact.



I am tired of buyers whining that it’s impossible to buy anything for $5.



Regardless of the frequently ignored Fiverr rule that ALL SELLERS MUST OFFER A BASE GIG AT $5, and that the gig delivered MUST be reflected in the gig title, how about working around some of the above mentioned nonsense and make it MANDATORY that all gig samples state how much they actually cost. Sellers will have to post the cost on their portfolio samples, e.g., that elaborate video that actually costs $175 but is displayed in a portfolio for a gig titled “I will make an amazing professional video for $5”. It could be a requirement the same as “exclusively on Fiverr”.



In addition, each delivered order could be labeled with its actual cost as well. The system knows how much it cost, there’s no reason why it can’t be displayed along with the deliverable itself, in the portfolio.



I know this isn’t a perfect solution. No matter how many times a seller makes a ‘widget’ there can be variables from order to order that may affect time or effort on a specific order, so there will still be occasional disputes: “Why will my video cost $20 more than so-and-so’s!?!?” “Because you haven’t provided the same materials as the other buyer.” “Blah, Blah, Blah.” However, it would certainly cut down on the “bait & switch” activities on both sides. Sellers won’t be able to lure buyers with the ‘sales-assumption-tactic’ that they they will get “amazing” & “professional” (or even complete) for $5, and buyers won’t be able to say they were totally blind-sided by an price that is substantially higher than advertised.



This isn’t about and ideal outcome in every situation, it’s about transparency, damage control (that saves everyone time and money, including Fiverr), and enabling the ever-expanding pricing structure to function without altering the fundamental premise that Fiverr is a marketplace for cheap, quick work.

[Guest ricksper]

I just added this to my most popular(?) Gig.



"DISCLAIMER: Many of the images in my Portfolio are enhanced and edited versions of clients’ original images. The originals were not created by myself. Some of them have incurred charges above the $5 basic Gig price."



Maybe I will add it to all of them soon.

[sincere18]

Reply to @ricksper: I think that is a good solution. the other issue about putting how much something costs is that it’s going to be subjective no matter what. When a seller starts off they usually do way more for less, and as time goes by they realize more about their time and if they get good ratings then they can start charging more extras. so if the system did it automatically like you are suggesting it would actually be bad for you because you would be stuck at a price point or still have protfolio samples that are not reflective of your current charges which would be off-putting to a buyer in the same way it is now with no prices. .

[itsyourthing]

Reply to @sincere18:

sincere18 said: so if the system did it automatically like you are suggesting it would actually be bad for you because you would be stuck at a price point or still have protfolio samples that are not reflective of your current charges

That is a very valid point. But explaining that costs have risen over time - as happens with everything - would be easier to explain (and cause less chafing) than buyers making the reasonable assumption that they will get whatever is in the gig title for $5 in every instance.

Buyers would at least know in advance that the prices are variable and it would likely encourage them to contact before ordering to get an accurate quote.

[itsyourthing]

Reply to @ricksper: That’s a good idea @ricksper.