I'm trying, I really am

[joowen926]

So I signed up to fiver last week.

I’m in this for fun, so I submitted a personal project that I’ve been working on as a challange to see what people made of it.

I gave this to four people. Admitadly, I priced the job at $10 - but one person asked for more and I gave it to them, the rest just chased me for the work promising that they could deliver.

It turns out that not a single one of these sellers actually hit the specification that I gave them. Every single entry had a glaring error. So, of these 4 sellers, I probably spent over an hour talking to each one, often answering the same question repeatedly.

I thought all the entries were crap, but as I was only paying $10 to each of them, I felt too guilty asking them to do more so I just paid out. Cheaper for me to just pay the $10 and hire someone else that explain the list of things wrong with the design.

So I’ve put the 4 submissions onto a website and posted a fiver job to review them, rate them all on style, appearance etc and so far I’ve had 10 people bid for the job of reviewing these sites - not one in thier request actually seems to have read my posting.

Everything is just so much effort getting the point accross that I think I might just cut my losses and move on.

Have any buyers had a good experience on fiver?

[frank_d]

Hi there.

So sorry to hear about your experience here on Fiverr.

I am a seller here but I also purchase the occasional gig.

Without knowing what your project is about, do you feel $10 was enough? Or maybe it was overreaching?

When you initially briefed all sellers, did you spot any red flags? Language barrier, failure to understand scope?

[joowen926]

Hi there.

So sorry to hear about your experience here on Fiverr.

I am a seller here but I also purchase the occasional gig.

Without knowing what your project is about, do you feel $10 was enough? Or maybe it was overreaching?

When you initially briefed all sellers, did you spot any red flags? Language barrier, failure to understand scope?

Very astute point Frank. MY question is though, not being an expert in the area - what is reasonable? How can I know unless the person offering to do the work tells me so.

When I had a go at this challange I spent about 4 hours and wrote about 50 lines of CSS. this gave a reasonable solution.

I hoped that someone might be willing to spend an hour on it, and if they did it as a day job, might be able to do a bit more than I could and perhaps could knock something out quickly.

Regarding red flags - yes - that is one of the reasons I gave the job to four people rather than one - because every response to my post had broken english.

One to be fair, told me they wanted double, so I accepted, no problem - but still the output was lacking.

All I want on fiver, is to gain access to people who do something well, if that person exists - they can tell me how long it will take and how much it will cost - I haven’t a clue.

But if I can knock it up in 4 hours, having not written a line of CSS in many years - how can people who call them selves professional not even get the basics right!

[sydneymorgan]

Very astute point Frank. MY question is though, not being an expert in the area - what is reasonable? How can I know unless the person offering to do the work tells me so.

When I had a go at this challange I spent about 4 hours and wrote about 50 lines of CSS. this gave a reasonable solution.

I hoped that someone might be willing to spend an hour on it, and if they did it as a day job, might be able to do a bit more than I could and perhaps could knock something out quickly.

Regarding red flags - yes - that is one of the reasons I gave the job to four people rather than one - because every response to my post had broken english.

One to be fair, told me they wanted double, so I accepted, no problem - but still the output was lacking.

All I want on fiver, is to gain access to people who do something well, if that person exists - they can tell me how long it will take and how much it will cost - I haven’t a clue.

But if I can knock it up in 4 hours, having not written a line of CSS in many years - how can people who call them selves professional not even get the basics right!

It sounds like you’ve been looking for sellers in the Requests section. I personally have given up on posting requests as the only sellers who visit that area are usually new to the site and never seem to read the job requirements.

Instead, I would suggest looking in whatever category applies and maybe narrowing it down to Level 2 and Top Rated sellers if you want good work and an easier process. An experienced seller should be honest with you if your budget is too low. Just send a message to someone (after viewing their portfolio) and tell them you’re unsure what a fair price is.

Get a few quotes and average them out, then you’ll know what you should be paying 🙂

[kayanwriting]

Hi there,

So sorry to hear of you unsatisfactory experiences 😦 As a relatively new seller on Fiverr, I’ll throw in my opinion. The two red flags you should be looking out for are:

1. A seller not asking any questions about a complicated project,
2. The seller not asking the right questions given the subject matter at hand.

This could be a matter of the seller either not understanding what you want (both linguistically and in your vision) OR the seller not caring about what you want. Either way, that isn’t someone you want working on your project.

[frank_d]

Very astute point Frank. MY question is though, not being an expert in the area - what is reasonable? How can I know unless the person offering to do the work tells me so.

When I had a go at this challange I spent about 4 hours and wrote about 50 lines of CSS. this gave a reasonable solution.

I hoped that someone might be willing to spend an hour on it, and if they did it as a day job, might be able to do a bit more than I could and perhaps could knock something out quickly.

Regarding red flags - yes - that is one of the reasons I gave the job to four people rather than one - because every response to my post had broken english.

One to be fair, told me they wanted double, so I accepted, no problem - but still the output was lacking.

All I want on fiver, is to gain access to people who do something well, if that person exists - they can tell me how long it will take and how much it will cost - I haven’t a clue.

But if I can knock it up in 4 hours, having not written a line of CSS in many years - how can people who call them selves professional not even get the basics right!

I agree with @sydneymorgan 100%

If you are looking for pros, steer clear of the BR section.

I am not there, and have no reason to be. So if a buyer is looking for a video expert they won’t be able to connect with one.

So if your project took you 4 hours to complete then by that logic each one of the sellers you picked have a rate of $2 per hour.

I wouldn’t even hire a dog walker thst has that rate as I would seriously doubt the level of service me and my doggo would get.

[miiila]

Very astute point Frank. MY question is though, not being an expert in the area - what is reasonable? How can I know unless the person offering to do the work tells me so.

When I had a go at this challange I spent about 4 hours and wrote about 50 lines of CSS. this gave a reasonable solution.

I hoped that someone might be willing to spend an hour on it, and if they did it as a day job, might be able to do a bit more than I could and perhaps could knock something out quickly.

Regarding red flags - yes - that is one of the reasons I gave the job to four people rather than one - because every response to my post had broken english.

One to be fair, told me they wanted double, so I accepted, no problem - but still the output was lacking.

All I want on fiver, is to gain access to people who do something well, if that person exists - they can tell me how long it will take and how much it will cost - I haven’t a clue.

But if I can knock it up in 4 hours, having not written a line of CSS in many years - how can people who call them selves professional not even get the basics right!

Edited to be more on topic. I ‘identify as a seller’ but I’ve bought quite a few gigs in different categories now and I’ve been happy with all of them, so, yes, all my experiences as a buyer have been good.

[joowen926]

I agree with @sydneymorgan 100%

If you are looking for pros, steer clear of the BR section.

I am not there, and have no reason to be. So if a buyer is looking for a video expert they won’t be able to connect with one.

So if your project took you 4 hours to complete then by that logic each one of the sellers you picked have a rate of $2 per hour.

I wouldn’t even hire a dog walker thst has that rate as I would seriously doubt the level of service me and my doggo would get.

No, you misunderstand. I, just by googling and using w3 schools managed to do something half decent in 4 hours - I was hoping that a pro, would be able to do more in less time.

I also expected to a certain extent- that the currency differences made this a viable proposition, as the average wage of a dev in Bangladesh (to pick a random example) is 50,000BDT, which translates to $600, I actually didn’t think that $10 for a couple of hours work was unreasonable.

I have come to realise that I was expecting too much - but this site is called fiver and they did say they could do the job (and I paid $10 or $20 each)

[damooch916]

I agree with @sydneymorgan 100%

If you are looking for pros, steer clear of the BR section.

I am not there, and have no reason to be. So if a buyer is looking for a video expert they won’t be able to connect with one.

So if your project took you 4 hours to complete then by that logic each one of the sellers you picked have a rate of $2 per hour.

I wouldn’t even hire a dog walker thst has that rate as I would seriously doubt the level of service me and my doggo would get.

I dunno man… I use the BR section to find challenging work quite a lot. I get the idea that most professionals aren’t there due to volume of current sales.

And sure…

I’m positive that what passes for “high quality songwriting and mastered audio” is actually amateurs with presets on their protools knockoff. So to that end - I hear ya. But actual deliverers are out there. I write commercial artist material (top 40 type artist material and theme arrangement) and play music for a living.

I can snag high end gigs from BR and I like the concept of lobbying for projects I’ll be invested in.

I’m sure that it’s a little different in my department though.

[frank_d]

I dunno man… I use the BR section to find challenging work quite a lot. I get the idea that most professionals aren’t there due to volume of current sales.

And sure…

I’m positive that what passes for “high quality songwriting and mastered audio” is actually amateurs with presets on their protools knockoff. So to that end - I hear ya. But actual deliverers are out there. I write commercial artist material (top 40 type artist material and theme arrangement) and play music for a living.

I can snag high end gigs from BR and I like the concept of lobbying for projects I’ll be invested in.

I’m sure that it’s a little different in my department though.

Sure I get that. I did mean that I don’t do that because I already have a goog enough volume of sales on my own BUT I also see that most posts are usually for really cheap projects or “here’s a link to a video I like I need the same one with my logo” (so questionable gigs at best)

A bit off-topic: do you write music?

[Guest offlinehelpers]

No, you misunderstand. I, just by googling and using w3 schools managed to do something half decent in 4 hours - I was hoping that a pro, would be able to do more in less time.

I also expected to a certain extent- that the currency differences made this a viable proposition, as the average wage of a dev in Bangladesh (to pick a random example) is 50,000BDT, which translates to $600, I actually didn’t think that $10 for a couple of hours work was unreasonable.

I have come to realise that I was expecting too much - but this site is called fiver and they did say they could do the job (and I paid $10 or $20 each)

Not all Fiverrers are in parts of the world where $10 ($8 after Fiverr fees, £6.16) could be deemed reasonable for 2 hours of work.

Like you, I’m in the UK - £6.16 for 2 hours of work - 2 medium cups of coffee at Costa, and maybe a muffin?

[catwriter]

@joowen926, have you tried to research the industry rates for that type of work? Sure, prices on Fiverr tend to be lower, but it might give you a starting point, and help you get an idea about a fair compensation for a professional.

[damooch916]

Sure I get that. I did mean that I don’t do that because I already have a goog enough volume of sales on my own BUT I also see that most posts are usually for really cheap projects or “here’s a link to a video I like I need the same one with my logo” (so questionable gigs at best)

A bit off-topic: do you write music?

Yes. I’m a former staff writer and BMI registered songwriter. I write for aspiring and established commercial artists (top forty material of various genres). I also write thematic content, soundtrack material, backing track content… it’s a catch as catch can versatility. Today’s songwriter is a producer, engineer and arranger all in one. I’ve also been a road performer since the age of five and that sort of ensures you learn genre leaping chops and gives me a different ability than today’s “drag and drop” “musician.”

[frank_d]

Yes. I’m a former staff writer and BMI registered songwriter. I write for aspiring and established commercial artists (top forty material of various genres). I also write thematic content, soundtrack material, backing track content… it’s a catch as catch can versatility. Today’s songwriter is a producer, engineer and arranger all in one. I’ve also been a road performer since the age of five and that sort of ensures you learn genre leaping chops and gives me a different ability than today’s “drag and drop” “musician.”

Ok last off-topic: cna you check out my app promo video gigs and pm me if you can do something similar? 😉

(Music wise I mean)

[damooch916]

Ok last off-topic: cna you check out my app promo video gigs and pm me if you can do something similar? 😉

(Music wise I mean)

Sure (with my professional seller voice) I’ll look into it and message you promptly.

[marzia16]

you can try level two sellers and top sellers having 5 stars rating. and if search gigs by writting on the search bar what service you are looking for you will definityly get a lot nice gigs from whom you can choose the better one by chatting with them.