Would you recommend Fiverr?

[idostuff4u]

Would any of you sellers recommend Fiverr to a friend or a stranger who may have a skill that they can offer as an online service?

Someone asked me what I do the other day and I told them. They got all excited, but I had to warn them that it may take some time to become established.

Would you encourage someone to start selling here now or not?

[writer99025]

I have never talked about what I do for a living with my relatives. But one of my uncles was really worried about his son - a mediocre doctor who can’t get any patients to visit him (all my relatives are highly educated) - so I suggested trying freelance writing. But I ddn’t mention Fiverr, metioned one of those freelance websites where prices can get very low. I don’t want anyone to find out what I do. I advised him to set a price of $3/$4 per hour at least initially as bids on that site are very low. So what happens? That cousin of mine does not get a single writing work in 6 months because he sets his price at $10/hour because he is a doctor and not a college dropout like me. Now my uncle is angry with me because his son cannot make money online and now talks behind my back to all relatives about me making $1/$2 per day writing articles on the internet and barely scrapping a living. (Not true, I make more than all of them, and am in India’s highest income tax bracket, but I don’t want to reveal that to them.) So, I have decided not to talk to any relatives about what I do or help anyone ever again. Not worth it. Ultimately I get the shaft.

[writer99025]

In India, people distrust those who are in any way different or do something unusual - such as freelancing, making money on the internet. They assume the worst of such people, as I have found it. That’s why I tend to avoid talking about what I do, as much as possible.

[fitrigwrites4u]

Yes, both to buy and sell. I know some of my old friends (they live in different countries who I am still in contact with) who are crazy about shopping on the internet. So I told them to buy from Fiverr. I never told them to buy my gigs though cos I am not even selling it at the moment and they don´t need it and I don´t need them to buy my gigs just so I get reviews (I really don´t care about reviews as I don´t care if I make money or not). I have never recommended them to sell because they either have got a job or they are just housewives like me. But if someday I meet someone who I think should start freelancing, I will tell him/her to check out Fiverr.

[fitrigwrites4u]

I know the feeling, well at least similar in a way. I helped a friend who was in need. I lended her some money and she talked bad about me (slandering me) behind my back as a favor in return just because I asked her to pay me back (when it was the time when she should give me back my money) as she promised to do. lol. Some people are funny. I did not get angry at her. I just don´t wanna meet her anymore. From that on I never lend money to anyone ever again. If I feel like helping others I would rather just give the amount which I consider gone, instead of lending a bigger amount (I just don´t wanna bother with the hassle).

[misscrystal]

I used to tell people about fiverr and how I worked on it but their jaws usually dropped open in amazement, and then some of them wanted me to give them complete details of what to do and how to do it so they too could make money online.

So I realized that if they hadn’t found it for themselves as someone would who was online a lot and familiar with making money on the internet it probably was not something they could to do. Most people can’t imagine being self employed, let alone working on the internet. And even the ones who don’t say anything look at me with a puzzled expression when I say I work online. In short it seems everything I do is incomprehensible to almost everyone.

[emmaki]

You know, I’ve been doing online work for just over a decade now and I have had plenty of people ask me how I do it, how it works (etc). I used to give florid answers but they never did anything.

Not everyone is cut out for freelance work. I’ve heard all the excuses, but at the end of the day, they want the “glam” freelancing lifestyle without any of the numerous pitfalls–and of course, it does take a while to get established. And what if you have no obviously marketable skills, and you’re not particularly well-versed in marketing your softer skills? By which I mean maybe you can’t code, write, paint or do SEO, but you can play guitar and have a talent for teaching it. Or perhaps you’re really good at problem-solving. It’s all about the marketing, but that’s a lot of work when you’re used to turning up at the office and doing whatever the boss wants that particular day.

I’ve never had a salary, but I imagine it must be nice having that secure, set amount of $$$ come in every month/bi-weekly/whatever. I’d rather have an erratic pay packet and freedom to live where I want, charge what I want, and work when I want though. That lure isn’t strong enough for a lot of people, along with the fact that on Day 1 of visiting freelance sites they’re going to see the lowballing going on and assume that’s it.

I’ve told them how to be smart making the transition re: strategies from dealing with it, but again, it boils down to that thing: work. I don’t blame anyone if they don’t want to work evenings on their own freelance business part time after a long day at their IRL job, but sacrifices do need to be made…

Fiverr’s the same, BUT it’s a good place to start up, simply because there’s no goddamn bidding. But nobody likes the whole $5 deal. I didn’t either, and I only joined in 2013 when I realized the actual potential. It took a couple of years to fulfill that potential.

It’s that couple of years that puts everyone off. Their loss, our gain.

[idostuff4u]

@writer99025, I wonder what their response would be if you told them how much you actually make. 🙂

[idostuff4u]

@misscrystal, “the ones who don’t say anything look at me with a puzzled expression”… I get that too 😃

[idostuff4u]

@emmaki, “nobody likes the whole $5 deal”… Even if explain that it could be a lot more than $5, they insist on saying things like “I can’t and wont do anything for just $5”… lol…

Their loss, our gain. 😃

[misscrystal]

Yeh you know that look 😑

[writer99025]

I don’t care what they think…I don’t want anybody’s appreciation…don’t want to make anyone jealous or whatever. I just want to be left alone. I don’t bother anyone and I don’t want anyone to bother me. As simple as that.

[idostuff4u]

Understandable. I feel like that a few months at a time 🙂

[emmaki]

I do understand that! It put me off for years because I could get better bidding elsewhere, but all the same, I did keep hearing about it and figured it was worth throwing up a profile and seeing what happened at least.

From small acorns etc.