Is this against the rules for buyers to do?

[catecholamine]

I got the strangest message from someone. They asked if they bought a meal plan from me, if they were allowed to turn around and resell it. Of course, I said no, they are for personal use only. I have no idea why anyone would think I would allow them to resell my work that I spent hours on and be my competition…selling MY work.
I’m new to fiverr and have only sold I think 5 meals plans (have one in my queue right now) but they’ve taken tons of work due to the detail - some 5+ hrs/each with shopping lists AND I’m selling them at a very low price right now to get reviews (and so far, everyone says mine are the best keto meal plans on fiverr) so I can get my gig established. Now I’m worried someone will resell my work!

If someone does that, can they be banned from fiverr? Is that against the rules? Because that’s what this guy messaged me asking to do. I never thought that someone might resell my work on fiverr (or anywhere else), but now I’m worried. At least he asked. But if he orders a meal plan, would I be justified for refusing the sale? And would it affect my ratings for doing so? Thanks!

[misscrystal]

When you sell something on fiverr, the terms of service say that you also are selling the copyright to it. This means they can do as they please with what they get from you.
I think you can post a notifiication in your gig that the copyright stays with you and they cannot resell it.

[catecholamine]

When you sell something on fiverr, the terms of service say that you also are selling the copyright to it. This means they can do as they please with what they get from you.

I think you can post a notifiication in your gig that the copyright stays with you and they cannot resell it.

Thank you so much. I just did this.

I spend so much time on these for so little money, I would be SUPER MAD if someone started reselling my product.

[silberma1976]

Thank you so much. I just did this.

I spend so much time on these for so little money, I would be SUPER MAD if someone started reselling my product.

@catecholamine I am not sure if you have an extra in your area where you can sell the rights to ruse like logo designers can. You can not control what someone does with your meal plan though. It is frustrating.

---

Charles

[catecholamine]

@catecholamine I am not sure if you have an extra in your area where you can sell the rights to ruse like logo designers can. You can not control what someone does with your meal plan though. It is frustrating.

---

Charles

There’s no extra like that available in the section for meal plans.

I spend soooo much time on these. I’m talking 5+ hours per meal plan on some of them (since they’re customized), for just $15 (so $12 after fiver gets their cut) for 21 meals. I’m going to raise prices once I get more reviews, but it would be horrible if someone bought some of my plans then set up shop and started selling them on fiverr for cheaper than my prices.

I put so much work and effort into making a superior product that even just the thought infuriates me!

There really should be some sort of rule against someone reselling your work unless someone gives you explicit permission, especially to compete with you on fiverr - with your own work!

[eoinfinnegan]

There’s no extra like that available in the section for meal plans.

I spend soooo much time on these. I’m talking 5+ hours per meal plan on some of them (since they’re customized), for just $15 (so $12 after fiver gets their cut) for 21 meals. I’m going to raise prices once I get more reviews, but it would be horrible if someone bought some of my plans then set up shop and started selling them on fiverr for cheaper than my prices.

I put so much work and effort into making a superior product that even just the thought infuriates me!

There really should be some sort of rule against someone reselling your work unless someone gives you explicit permission, especially to compete with you on fiverr - with your own work!

Resellers can be great recurring buyers. My best and most regular client is a translation agency who get a huge amount more than I do for my work. However, they are polite, respectful, tip regularly, do not cause problems and are a total pleasure to work for. Every time I have put my prices up they have not complained, they understand the value they have been getting and I understand that they have costs beyond me.

Most resellers will be reselling away from Fiverr to clients who most likely will not come to Fiverr.

Forget about how much they will make from your work and focus on yourself, your price and service. When you get to level 2, put your prices up to reflect the work involved. Highlight the custom aspect of your gig.

[lisabaarns]

I’m with a few others here. Resellers can be your best friend if you find a way to have a large set of them.

In my category (Voice Over) over half of my daily work is resellers. You might consider a “commercial license” that is extra money, and if you could get a couple dozen people buying regularly for you, that can become a great business.

Some of them do charge more for my services, or they charge their clients double (or more) for my voicing.

For me, they are easy. They know what to order, they know what to expect.

Figure out a way to take advantage of those buyers. You probably can’t reach all the people who could use your services yourself, and if someone else can reach a large group, that can move you to a higher level too.

Win-win when done right. (Don’t under price yourself over time, or none of this is worth it.)

[catecholamine]

I’m with a few others here. Resellers can be your best friend if you find a way to have a large set of them.

In my category (Voice Over) over half of my daily work is resellers. You might consider a “commercial license” that is extra money, and if you could get a couple dozen people buying regularly for you, that can become a great business.

Some of them do charge more for my services, or they charge their clients double (or more) for my voicing.

For me, they are easy. They know what to order, they know what to expect.

Figure out a way to take advantage of those buyers. You probably can’t reach all the people who could use your services yourself, and if someone else can reach a large group, that can move you to a higher level too.

Win-win when done right. (Don’t under price yourself over time, or none of this is worth it.)

I just don’t know if that’s feasible for me - for my product. It’s high quality keto meal plans. Keto is pretty restrictive in it’s own, and a lot of recipes found on the web for low carb things can be mediocre or even downright disgusting. So I have to test these recipes. There isn’t an unlimited amount of good, low carb recipes - if someone were to order, say, 6 21-meal meal plans, there’s going to be some overlap of recipes, some of the same ones used. Because there’s a huge amount of ingredients that can’t be used on keto plans. So my recipe list (especially since I only use high quality recipes for interesting foods) is quite finite.

I could see reselling being okay for voice work or translating - you can always make more and no two be the same. But that’s not so with my meal plans. It might be more feasible if I was making regular (non-keto) weight loss meal plans because there’s much less restriction and the good recipes are everywhere, but I’m not doing that.

I’m basically limited to meat, dairy (and only SOME dairy items), eggs, green veggies, tomatoes, and a few other veggies like turnips. No sugar, no grains, no starches or starchy/sweet vegetables, almost no fruit (only some berries), etc.

[catecholamine]

I don’t know. I’m new to fiverr. Sometimes I wonder if I care too much about my product. Several of my customers who bought from other sellers said mine is handsdown the best on fiverr for keto. But I put so much work into it. I make sure the macros are right - that there’s enough protein for them, that the day is under the carb limit, that the calories (and fat) for the day match up to their height/weight/gender for maximum weight loss (ie a 5’2" 150lb woman would be on a much lower calorie plan than a 6’4" 300lb man), etc. I want it to be perfect for them. But I’m charging so little for the amount of work. It seems like the meal plan market is just saturated right now with a lot of low quality sellers so no one sees me. So I’m afraid if I raise the price, I’ll get no work.

I have no idea what I should do.

[lisabaarns]

I don’t know. I’m new to fiverr. Sometimes I wonder if I care too much about my product. Several of my customers who bought from other sellers said mine is handsdown the best on fiverr for keto. But I put so much work into it. I make sure the macros are right - that there’s enough protein for them, that the day is under the carb limit, that the calories (and fat) for the day match up to their height/weight/gender for maximum weight loss (ie a 5’2" 150lb woman would be on a much lower calorie plan than a 6’4" 300lb man), etc. I want it to be perfect for them. But I’m charging so little for the amount of work. It seems like the meal plan market is just saturated right now with a lot of low quality sellers so no one sees me. So I’m afraid if I raise the price, I’ll get no work.

I have no idea what I should do.

That’s easy. If your product really has more value than you’re charging, you need to charge more.

That said, you may have to pay some dues and get enough others to buy and review. You may have the best product, but I won’t buy until I know it’s worth what you are charging.

Being cheap is just one attribute people shop for, but you have to find a way to let them know you are worth them investing more, so you’re not doing 10 hours of work and charging for 2.

[catecholamine]

That’s easy. If your product really has more value than you’re charging, you need to charge more.

That said, you may have to pay some dues and get enough others to buy and review. You may have the best product, but I won’t buy until I know it’s worth what you are charging.

Being cheap is just one attribute people shop for, but you have to find a way to let them know you are worth them investing more, so you’re not doing 10 hours of work and charging for 2.

Thanks. Yeah, that’s why I set it so low to begin with - so I could get reviews to get started. I’m just floundering as to at what point is it feasible to raise my price? Is there a certain number of reviews?

And I’m wondering how I let people know that my product is high quality, that it’s worth the extra. I posted pdfs with samples of meal plans I’ve done (not including the recipes, just the days with the meals planned for them), some pictures of foods I’ve made.

It’s really hard with such a short character limit on the description to say everything I want to say. It feels like I’m drowning in a fiverr ocean here and I’m totally lost!

[fonthaunt]

There’s no extra like that available in the section for meal plans.

I spend soooo much time on these. I’m talking 5+ hours per meal plan on some of them (since they’re customized), for just $15 (so $12 after fiver gets their cut) for 21 meals. I’m going to raise prices once I get more reviews, but it would be horrible if someone bought some of my plans then set up shop and started selling them on fiverr for cheaper than my prices.

I put so much work and effort into making a superior product that even just the thought infuriates me!

There really should be some sort of rule against someone reselling your work unless someone gives you explicit permission, especially to compete with you on fiverr - with your own work!

The Terms of Service is fairly clear on it, so it’s good to read through it before you put a lot of work into something. If you don’t put in a caveat of some kind, the user owns what they buy. That actually makes sense on Fiverr since it was designed for businesses to buy from freelancers. Reselling and outsourcing is common.

If you do add in a commercial or resale license fee, or just say no resales, you are responsible for your own enforcement as a business owner. If someone uses your material online, that’s fairly plausible since you can file a takedown notice against them. Theoretically you could even go against them legally, but that could get expensive. I think that’s another reason Fiverr gives the rights to the buyer without a caveat. With the size of the staff at Fiverr, there is no way they could go into legal battles on behalf of every base $5 sale.

[catecholamine]

The Terms of Service is fairly clear on it, so it’s good to read through it before you put a lot of work into something. If you don’t put in a caveat of some kind, the user owns what they buy. That actually makes sense on Fiverr since it was designed for businesses to buy from freelancers. Reselling and outsourcing is common.

If you do add in a commercial or resale license fee, or just say no resales, you are responsible for your own enforcement as a business owner. If someone uses your material online, that’s fairly plausible since you can file a takedown notice against them. Theoretically you could even go against them legally, but that could get expensive. I think that’s another reason Fiverr gives the rights to the buyer without a caveat. With the size of the staff at Fiverr, there is no way they could go into legal battles on behalf of every base $5 sale.

That makes sense. Thank you. I added to my description that my meal plans are for personal use only, and that by purchasing my meal plans, you agree not to share or resell them.

Hopefully that is sufficient.

It would be different if I had unlimited good quality keto-compliant recipes, but there are certainly a finite amount since so many ingredients cannot be used. I refuse to put crap like “burger patty with cheese and side of canned green beans” on my meal plan like some people. It may be keto, but it’s also boring and not special at all. So as far as unique, good tasting, keto-compliant, healthy recipes…there is certainly a finite amount, so I don’t think selling to resellers would be a good idea for me.

[fonthaunt]

That makes sense. Thank you. I added to my description that my meal plans are for personal use only, and that by purchasing my meal plans, you agree not to share or resell them.

Hopefully that is sufficient.

It would be different if I had unlimited good quality keto-compliant recipes, but there are certainly a finite amount since so many ingredients cannot be used. I refuse to put crap like “burger patty with cheese and side of canned green beans” on my meal plan like some people. It may be keto, but it’s also boring and not special at all. So as far as unique, good tasting, keto-compliant, healthy recipes…there is certainly a finite amount, so I don’t think selling to resellers would be a good idea for me.

You might consider re-thinking the way you sell until you’ve gained the reputation to raise prices. Perhaps you can make small meal plans or sell some sort of trial version meal plans. You’d have to think about your niche, so I’m just being random.

If you could find something of value to sell at low prices without feeling like you are giving away the farm, you can earn levels and a lot of reviews and then make packages for full meal plans. At a high enough price for your best package, resellers might not approach you since they wouldn’t make enough money on it.

[lisabaarns]

That makes sense. Thank you. I added to my description that my meal plans are for personal use only, and that by purchasing my meal plans, you agree not to share or resell them.

Hopefully that is sufficient.

It would be different if I had unlimited good quality keto-compliant recipes, but there are certainly a finite amount since so many ingredients cannot be used. I refuse to put crap like “burger patty with cheese and side of canned green beans” on my meal plan like some people. It may be keto, but it’s also boring and not special at all. So as far as unique, good tasting, keto-compliant, healthy recipes…there is certainly a finite amount, so I don’t think selling to resellers would be a good idea for me.

Fonthaunt is right. Finding a way to have smaller meal plans, or 3 days or something at a lower price is the right thing. Even a single day plan for $5, a week for $15, and a month for $45 (you pick your prices and how many days, just an example.)

I have a “commercial license” gig extra and it surprises me how many people buy it.

I also have it as part of my “Standard” package (and I charge more for that package).

You want to find a way to do something similar.

[catecholamine]

Fonthaunt is right. Finding a way to have smaller meal plans, or 3 days or something at a lower price is the right thing. Even a single day plan for $5, a week for $15, and a month for $45 (you pick your prices and how many days, just an example.)

I have a “commercial license” gig extra and it surprises me how many people buy it.

I also have it as part of my “Standard” package (and I charge more for that package).

You want to find a way to do something similar.

Thank you to both of you, this is very helpful. Right now I have 3 plans - 7-day dinner only plan ($5), 7-day breakfast and dinner plan ($10), and 7-day breakfast/lunch/dinner ($15). The b/d and b/l/d plans are customized plans and the b/l/d is what most people have bought. All include shopping lists, which are time consuming to make. I should probably make that an add on service for 7 day meal plans.

I only have the 1 gig up, but I will put up some small 1 day breakfast/lunch/dinner plans and some 3 day plan gigs.

I also get a surprising amount of messages asking for advice and instruction on how to do a keto diet. Some of them wanted really in depth advice, and I even spent probably about an hour explaining to someone a lot of things, like what carb cycling was (and why I discourage it), the science behind keto and what ketosis actually means, and even the difference between complete and incomplete proteins and the amino acids they’re made of. And I did it for free, and she didn’t buy a meal plan because I told her vegan was not compatible with keto unless she was willing to use vegan protein shakes, because the majority of protein in a vegan diet comes from non-keto source, and the particular missing amino acids she’d need to complete those incomplete proteins that she’d get from keto foods are mostly found in starchy foods and grains (which are not keto-compatible), and incomplete proteins are not usable unless it has all the amino acids. And she wanted to limit soy, the only real lower carb source of complete protein for vegans,

Anyway, I’m wondering if I should make some sort of gig for explaining the ketogenic diet to people and and answering their questions. But I’m not sure how I’d quantify that to say “you get X” and I deliver just that.

This is probably something I should make a thread about in a different forum category, though.

I really appreciate all the advice. Fiverr is not as intuitive as you might think.

[lisabaarns]

Thank you to both of you, this is very helpful. Right now I have 3 plans - 7-day dinner only plan ($5), 7-day breakfast and dinner plan ($10), and 7-day breakfast/lunch/dinner ($15). The b/d and b/l/d plans are customized plans and the b/l/d is what most people have bought. All include shopping lists, which are time consuming to make. I should probably make that an add on service for 7 day meal plans.

I only have the 1 gig up, but I will put up some small 1 day breakfast/lunch/dinner plans and some 3 day plan gigs.

I also get a surprising amount of messages asking for advice and instruction on how to do a keto diet. Some of them wanted really in depth advice, and I even spent probably about an hour explaining to someone a lot of things, like what carb cycling was (and why I discourage it), the science behind keto and what ketosis actually means, and even the difference between complete and incomplete proteins and the amino acids they’re made of. And I did it for free, and she didn’t buy a meal plan because I told her vegan was not compatible with keto unless she was willing to use vegan protein shakes, because the majority of protein in a vegan diet comes from non-keto source, and the particular missing amino acids she’d need to complete those incomplete proteins that she’d get from keto foods are mostly found in starchy foods and grains (which are not keto-compatible), and incomplete proteins are not usable unless it has all the amino acids. And she wanted to limit soy, the only real lower carb source of complete protein for vegans,

Anyway, I’m wondering if I should make some sort of gig for explaining the ketogenic diet to people and and answering their questions. But I’m not sure how I’d quantify that to say “you get X” and I deliver just that.

This is probably something I should make a thread about in a different forum category, though.

I really appreciate all the advice. Fiverr is not as intuitive as you might think.

In the early stages you may have to experiment with some different gigs, or find a package system that works for you and your clients.

If the value is there, people will pay more so your top end package could be $50 or $75 IF you provide enough value for the clients.

Also note: In marketing most people will select your “Standard” or middle package. (Given 3 choices, most will choice the middle one if they are not sure.) Spread out the prices a little wider and that is a win for most sellers.

Experiment and test for a few weeks, then tweak and do it again.

[catwriter]

Thank you to both of you, this is very helpful. Right now I have 3 plans - 7-day dinner only plan ($5), 7-day breakfast and dinner plan ($10), and 7-day breakfast/lunch/dinner ($15). The b/d and b/l/d plans are customized plans and the b/l/d is what most people have bought. All include shopping lists, which are time consuming to make. I should probably make that an add on service for 7 day meal plans.

I only have the 1 gig up, but I will put up some small 1 day breakfast/lunch/dinner plans and some 3 day plan gigs.

I also get a surprising amount of messages asking for advice and instruction on how to do a keto diet. Some of them wanted really in depth advice, and I even spent probably about an hour explaining to someone a lot of things, like what carb cycling was (and why I discourage it), the science behind keto and what ketosis actually means, and even the difference between complete and incomplete proteins and the amino acids they’re made of. And I did it for free, and she didn’t buy a meal plan because I told her vegan was not compatible with keto unless she was willing to use vegan protein shakes, because the majority of protein in a vegan diet comes from non-keto source, and the particular missing amino acids she’d need to complete those incomplete proteins that she’d get from keto foods are mostly found in starchy foods and grains (which are not keto-compatible), and incomplete proteins are not usable unless it has all the amino acids. And she wanted to limit soy, the only real lower carb source of complete protein for vegans,

Anyway, I’m wondering if I should make some sort of gig for explaining the ketogenic diet to people and and answering their questions. But I’m not sure how I’d quantify that to say “you get X” and I deliver just that.

This is probably something I should make a thread about in a different forum category, though.

I really appreciate all the advice. Fiverr is not as intuitive as you might think.

Don’t give free consultations (or, at least, don’t spend a whole hour giving free consultations)! That’s work, too, and people should pay for it.

You can try with a gig like “I will answer one simple question about keto diet for $5”, and charge more for complex explanations. Simple could be something that you can answer in 5 minutes (or with, say, 150 words).

[fivergraphics5]

Don’t give free consultations (or, at least, don’t spend a whole hour giving free consultations)! That’s work, too, and people should pay for it.

You can try with a gig like “I will answer one simple question about keto diet for $5”, and charge more for complex explanations. Simple could be something that you can answer in 5 minutes (or with, say, 150 words).

“I will answer one simple question about keto diet for $5”,

Definitely a good alternative option… 😃

[thepromogirl]

From Fiverr’s Terms of Service (you agreed to upon sign up):

“Buyers are granted all rights for the delivered work, unless otherwise specified by the seller on their Gig page. Note: some Gigs charge additional payments (through Gig Extras) for Commercial Use License. See our “Ownership” and “Commercial Use License” sections below for more information.”

“Ownership and limitations: Unless clearly stated otherwise on the seller’s Gig page/description, when the work is delivered, and subject to payment, the buyer is granted all intellectual property rights, including but not limited to, copyrights for the work delivered from the seller, and the seller waives any and all moral rights therein.”

I’d strongly advise that you change the terms of your Gig is you don’t want you materials resold AND read the Terms of Service before selling any Gigs further to prevent any confusion on your behalf when it comes to how Fiverr operates.

[thepromogirl]

That makes sense. Thank you. I added to my description that my meal plans are for personal use only, and that by purchasing my meal plans, you agree not to share or resell them.

Hopefully that is sufficient.

It would be different if I had unlimited good quality keto-compliant recipes, but there are certainly a finite amount since so many ingredients cannot be used. I refuse to put crap like “burger patty with cheese and side of canned green beans” on my meal plan like some people. It may be keto, but it’s also boring and not special at all. So as far as unique, good tasting, keto-compliant, healthy recipes…there is certainly a finite amount, so I don’t think selling to resellers would be a good idea for me.

personal use only

I’d replace this with “intellectual property rights” and not that all materials purchased is not permitted for commercial use. When it comes to the law, best to use the proper words (not grey area). Hope this helps! 🙂