Trying to figure out Fiverr!

[m_raiyan_nayeem]

I have been reading a lot nowadays in this forum to figure out the flavor of Fiverr. I have seen post like “Hey, I have completed 100 order in three months”, which really thrills me but at the same time, there are a huge number of posts like “Since three months I haven’t received single buyer request”, now that daunts me.
I am new to this freelancing world so, maybe I am wrong but what I am observing here is that the number of successful freelancers is very small.

What is the reason behind this? Has this industry become overcrowded?

Your precious observation would be highly appreciated.

[fastcopywriter]

The industry isn’t overcrowded, but some gigs are more popular than others, some gigs are more in demand, and some gigs don’t exist yet but could become best sellers once they do.

Think of Fiverr like having a store on a street. Where’s the guarantee that people will come in? There isn’t one, and stores, restaurants, etc, succeed and go out of business everyday.

The good news is that you pay nothing to sell. There’s a freelancer platform that let’s you keep 100%, but charges $1,000 a year. That’s a rotten deal for me, I’d rather pay Fiverr 20% when I make money than pay $1,000 and fail miserably. Online freelancing is hard, and 99.99% of freelancing sites don’t deliver, at least not for me.

Fiverr is the only site that delivers.

[uxreview]

I have been reading a lot nowadays in this forum to figure out the flavor of Fiverr. I have seen post like “Hey, I have completed 100 order in three months”, which really thrills me but at the same time, there are a huge number of posts like “Since three months I haven’t received single buyer request”, now that daunts me.

I am new to this freelancing world so, maybe I am wrong but what I am observing here is that the number of successful freelancers is very small.

What is the reason behind this? Has this industry become overcrowded?

Your precious observation would be highly appreciated.

I am observing here is that the number of successful freelancers is very small.

What is the reason behind this?

There are a number of reasons, but one of them is the fact that Fiverr doesn’t have a subscription model. You can put up basically any gig within TOS and it won’t cost you anything. So this attracts a ton of people that aren’t really taking it seriously nor have the skills.

For example, there are 80K logo design gigs, but if you look at them closely then the % of actually talented designers is very small. It’s so easy for anyone to setup a gig and since there’s no monthly fee there’s nothing to lose. Quite often the logos are just templates from freepik and few other sites so the effort you put in is minimal. However, for the most part buyers are pretty good at figuring this out so those sellers come here to complain about lack of orders.

There are exceptions and from time to time we all have slow periods, but when you see people complaining about not getting orders in months, it’s pretty safe to assume that either they don’t have the skills or they haven’t put much effort into promoting their service. As long as you’re a hard worker you will make some sales. The competition is fierce, but with enough research & time you’ll get some orders.

[m_raiyan_nayeem]

I am observing here is that the number of successful freelancers is very small.

What is the reason behind this?

There are a number of reasons, but one of them is the fact that Fiverr doesn’t have a subscription model. You can put up basically any gig within TOS and it won’t cost you anything. So this attracts a ton of people that aren’t really taking it seriously nor have the skills.

For example, there are 80K logo design gigs, but if you look at them closely then the % of actually talented designers is very small. It’s so easy for anyone to setup a gig and since there’s no monthly fee there’s nothing to lose. Quite often the logos are just templates from freepik and few other sites so the effort you put in is minimal. However, for the most part buyers are pretty good at figuring this out so those sellers come here to complain about lack of orders.

There are exceptions and from time to time we all have slow periods, but when you see people complaining about not getting orders in months, it’s pretty safe to assume that either they don’t have the skills or they haven’t put much effort into promoting their service. As long as you’re a hard worker you will make some sales. The competition is fierce, but with enough research & time you’ll get some orders.

Thanks, I really appreciate your views.

[cubittaudio]

I am observing here is that the number of successful freelancers is very small.

What is the reason behind this?

There are a number of reasons, but one of them is the fact that Fiverr doesn’t have a subscription model. You can put up basically any gig within TOS and it won’t cost you anything. So this attracts a ton of people that aren’t really taking it seriously nor have the skills.

For example, there are 80K logo design gigs, but if you look at them closely then the % of actually talented designers is very small. It’s so easy for anyone to setup a gig and since there’s no monthly fee there’s nothing to lose. Quite often the logos are just templates from freepik and few other sites so the effort you put in is minimal. However, for the most part buyers are pretty good at figuring this out so those sellers come here to complain about lack of orders.

There are exceptions and from time to time we all have slow periods, but when you see people complaining about not getting orders in months, it’s pretty safe to assume that either they don’t have the skills or they haven’t put much effort into promoting their service. As long as you’re a hard worker you will make some sales. The competition is fierce, but with enough research & time you’ll get some orders.

You can put up basically any gig within TOS and it won’t cost you anything. So this attracts a ton of people that aren’t really taking it seriously nor have the skills.

Couldn’t agree more. I feel like every day, you see 10 or 20 posts from people who have clearly been told they just need to make an account on Fiverr, create 7 gigs around pretty much anything they like, and watch the money start rolling in.

[fonthaunt]

I have been reading a lot nowadays in this forum to figure out the flavor of Fiverr. I have seen post like “Hey, I have completed 100 order in three months”, which really thrills me but at the same time, there are a huge number of posts like “Since three months I haven’t received single buyer request”, now that daunts me.

I am new to this freelancing world so, maybe I am wrong but what I am observing here is that the number of successful freelancers is very small.

What is the reason behind this? Has this industry become overcrowded?

Your precious observation would be highly appreciated.

You already have some advantages over the average new seller. You said things like this:

I have been reading a lot nowadays in this forum

Many of the posts you see by other new sellers are written by those who barely skim a few forum posts and then they write a new one that says “I’m so SAD that no one bies from me! Pleez order me! Need monies!” (How is this a strategy? It’s not.)

You said:

figure out the flavor of Fiverr.

Way to go! Just giving this some real thought is critical.

the number of successful freelancers is very small.

So, I agree with other things that have been said and I’ll add some comments. Yes, the number of successful freelancers on Fiverr is small and that actually makes sense. If 100 farmers show up on the roadside selling apples and there aren’t several hundred people who want to buy any basic apple, the number of successful apple sellers will be small. Some apple buyers stick with the first 2-3 farmers that showed up because they liked the product and they keep buying from those farmers. The farmers with the very best quality will be successful as long as they can be found. The farmer who showed up with oranges might be successful since many apple buyers like other kinds of fruit. On Fiverr you’ll see more successes among the first sellers that were here, the best sellers that are here and manage to make themselves stand out in the crowd, and the sellers who come up with a unique idea that also works well for the type of buyers who come to Fiverr.

Has this industry become overcrowded?

There is a lot of competition here, but honestly the worst thing about that is that it makes it tougher for the good sellers to be found. Many sellers here cannot really deliver the product that they promise. Being found can mean coming up with the best title, keywords and tags. Some people have to use outside marketing. Gigs need to be written well and polished. Profile and gig images should be excellent and different. Those things will help you get your first sales even in a sea of other sellers.

With your first buyers, deliver an amazing product at a reasonable (or heavily discounted) price depending on your strategy. If your first strategy doesn’t work, try another one. You don’t have to be the best at what you do, you can improve over time, but you do have to be good at what you do. After you get a level or two, you will probably be able to charge more but you should also keep improving.

New sellers can succeed on Fiverr. I see an average of 10-20 posts a day by people who announce that they are new, though, but most will not consistently do two basic things that are necessary: Most will not put in the long-term effort required to create a real business. Most cannot deliver a great product and won’t polish their skills to make their product better on a daily basis. Even the ones that start out okay seem to get discouraged rapidly and give up, which is just good news for the rest.

[fastcopywriter]

I am observing here is that the number of successful freelancers is very small.

What is the reason behind this?

There are a number of reasons, but one of them is the fact that Fiverr doesn’t have a subscription model. You can put up basically any gig within TOS and it won’t cost you anything. So this attracts a ton of people that aren’t really taking it seriously nor have the skills.

For example, there are 80K logo design gigs, but if you look at them closely then the % of actually talented designers is very small. It’s so easy for anyone to setup a gig and since there’s no monthly fee there’s nothing to lose. Quite often the logos are just templates from freepik and few other sites so the effort you put in is minimal. However, for the most part buyers are pretty good at figuring this out so those sellers come here to complain about lack of orders.

There are exceptions and from time to time we all have slow periods, but when you see people complaining about not getting orders in months, it’s pretty safe to assume that either they don’t have the skills or they haven’t put much effort into promoting their service. As long as you’re a hard worker you will make some sales. The competition is fierce, but with enough research & time you’ll get some orders.

You can put up basically any gig within TOS and it won’t cost you anything. So this attracts a ton of people that aren’t really taking it seriously nor have the skills.

I couldn’t disagree more. The Internet is full of people who pay big money to have a pretty landing page with gorgeous pictures and fantastic copy, only to scam you.

Paying doesn’t mean a person has talent. There are actors who pay photographers $300 to $500 for pretty pictures, then they go to auditions and don’t get hired. There are singers who spend $500 recording one or two tracks, printing CD’s, etc, then they mail them, distribute them, and nobody likes them.

A logo designer with 5 positive reviews has a lot more credibility than some big shot with a fancy website. Anyone can have a fancy website, damn few have the guts to put themselves out there, and be judged publicly.

As a matter of fact, if Fiverr decided to vet every seller, demand only the very best, this website would die. Don’t believe me? Look at all the pro sellers with no reviews. Pro sellers are vetted, and while some succeed, others fail.

[misscrystal]

You can put up basically any gig within TOS and it won’t cost you anything. So this attracts a ton of people that aren’t really taking it seriously nor have the skills.

I couldn’t disagree more. The Internet is full of people who pay big money to have a pretty landing page with gorgeous pictures and fantastic copy, only to scam you.

Paying doesn’t mean a person has talent. There are actors who pay photographers $300 to $500 for pretty pictures, then they go to auditions and don’t get hired. There are singers who spend $500 recording one or two tracks, printing CD’s, etc, then they mail them, distribute them, and nobody likes them.

A logo designer with 5 positive reviews has a lot more credibility than some big shot with a fancy website. Anyone can have a fancy website, damn few have the guts to put themselves out there, and be judged publicly.

As a matter of fact, if Fiverr decided to vet every seller, demand only the very best, this website would die. Don’t believe me? Look at all the pro sellers with no reviews. Pro sellers are vetted, and while some succeed, others fail.

Look at all the pro sellers with no reviews. Pro sellers are vetted, and while some succeed, others fail.

That’s an interesting observation. The ones that fail have high prices but no reviews. The secret to success for any new seller including Pro sellers is having low enough prices for the first year to get some reviews. Just having the Pro label without any reviews doesn’t help much. Some long time fiverr sellers with established reputations do very well when they become Pro sellers.

[uxreview]

You can put up basically any gig within TOS and it won’t cost you anything. So this attracts a ton of people that aren’t really taking it seriously nor have the skills.

I couldn’t disagree more. The Internet is full of people who pay big money to have a pretty landing page with gorgeous pictures and fantastic copy, only to scam you.

Paying doesn’t mean a person has talent. There are actors who pay photographers $300 to $500 for pretty pictures, then they go to auditions and don’t get hired. There are singers who spend $500 recording one or two tracks, printing CD’s, etc, then they mail them, distribute them, and nobody likes them.

A logo designer with 5 positive reviews has a lot more credibility than some big shot with a fancy website. Anyone can have a fancy website, damn few have the guts to put themselves out there, and be judged publicly.

As a matter of fact, if Fiverr decided to vet every seller, demand only the very best, this website would die. Don’t believe me? Look at all the pro sellers with no reviews. Pro sellers are vetted, and while some succeed, others fail.

I couldn’t disagree more.

Which part? The fact that we have thousands of gigs here from people that put minimal effort into their gig and complain about lack of orders?

Because that’s what I was referring to with

You can put up basically any gig within TOS and it won’t cost you anything. So this attracts a ton of people that aren’t really taking it seriously nor have the skills.

As a matter of fact, if Fiverr decided to vet every seller, demand only the very best, this website would die.

I didn’t say anything about vetting.

If you read the first sentence in my post then you’ll see my point.

0 entry fee attracts low quality gigs. Should Fiverr have a monthly fee or not is a different discussion, but it doesn’t change the fact that the less person has to invest their money & time the less effort they put into their freelancing business.

OP asked why there are complaints about lack of order and my response was that it’s because lack of effort.

[fastcopywriter]

Look at all the pro sellers with no reviews. Pro sellers are vetted, and while some succeed, others fail.

That’s an interesting observation. The ones that fail have high prices but no reviews. The secret to success for any new seller including Pro sellers is having low enough prices for the first year to get some reviews. Just having the Pro label without any reviews doesn’t help much. Some long time fiverr sellers with established reputations do very well when they become Pro sellers.

The secret to success for any new seller including Pro sellers is having low enough prices for the first year to get some reviews.

Exactly, people aren’t stupid, you have to prove yourself before you can command high prices.

The fact that we have thousands of gigs here from people that put minimal effort into their gig and complain about lack of orders?

You’re making assumptions about people you don’t know. How do you know they made a minimum effort? Maybe they made a maximum effort and failed miserably. Capitalism doesn’t guarantee equal outcomes for equal effort, success is random, not predictable. When Coca-Cola introduced New Coke in the 70s, they failed miserably, even though they had millions for marketing, advertising, PR, etc.

0 entry fee attracts low quality gigs.

$0 entry fee makes Fiverr accessible to billions of talented people from all over the world, many without the money to waste on fees. Fiverr’s business model is populism, to have the widest appeal possible, to capture the most buyers and sellers.

Moreover, not all sellers here are looking to get money. Some do it as a hobby, some want experience, some are unemployed and want to keep their creative juices flowing. It’s very hard for a creative to give himself an assignment, it’s easier when you get an order and someone says “I need this done this way.”

Sellers here deserve respect, just because someone is charging $5 or $10 doesn’t mean they are no good.

[stefanmdesigns]

You read to much. 😃

I have advice for you. Create your GIG, with your own work, make good description, and wait orders! Maybe you will get 200 orders in 1 month? Maybe yes maybe no. You have nothing to lose if you try. I have 1 month on fiverr and no orders yet, but I don’t want to give up.