Is Fiverr Good or Bad For Freelancers? Here's What You Should Know
Fiverr is a gigantic marketplace that just clocked in $100.7 million in the year 2020. For a lot of clients, it's an open, best-kept secret to get a lot of things done for their business and/or for their projects.
There's no dearth of services starting from as low as $5 and then going up (depending on what Fiverr freelancers charge for their individual gigs).
But for a freelancer...
Is Fiverr good or bad?
I'll be discussing if Fiverr is good or bad for freelancers. It will focus on whether or not you should use the site and all of the things that you need to keep in mind to ensure if Fiverr is a good fit for you as a freelancer. It's important to have a well-rounded perspective before deciding what route to take, and this article is going to give you just that.
Fiverr is Different (Unlike Other Freelance Platforms)
On Fiverr, freelancers put up "gigs" -- productized versions of your service. In a gig, you clearly specify the following:
What do you offer?
What else is included along with the main offer (as a part of the gig)?
By when do you deliver if someone purchases it right now?
Along with the gig itself, you'll also be able to add some extras (that client can pay for). You also have the option of sending out custom offers to clients (based on what they need when they approach you or while you have existing gigs with clients).
Here's how my gig looks like:
Once your gig is reviewed and goes live, clients can place orders (much like you place orders on an eCommerce store).
After that, it's on you to deliver the project.
Fiverr's Buyers Request Section
Clients usually also put up custom requests (can be sorted by categories) -- or you can use search to narrow down on the type of requests clients are asking for -- on Fiverr's "Buyer's request" section.
If you're looking for a specific type of service, Fiverr's "buyers request" section is the place to go. You can find some really unique and interesting tasks in this category. To name just one example, I found someone who will create custom songs about anything! They'll do it for $50 per song including lyrics.
This little part of Fiverr is actually how all other freelance platforms work like: where you find projects, pitch/bid/apply for projects, get projects, and then deliver them.
Is Fiverr Good For Freelancers?
I believe that it takes a special kind of freelancer to succeed on Fiverr. It's certainly not cut out for everyone.
Here are the types of freelancers Fiverr is not good for:
You like to talk with clients first, screen clients out, understand both clients and/or projects before working on projects.
You determine your own pace of working and don't like to be pushed around.
You hate working under pressure.
You believe that your freelance pricing is a lot higher than what you can make from Fiverr.
Watch this video to help answer the question as to whether or not Fiverr is good for freelancers or not:
Pros and Cons of Using Fiverr (2021)
Fiverr, like most other freelance job boards, has its pros and cons. You'd need to think carefully about getting on Fiverr after checking each of these points for a better understanding of whether or not Fiverr is Good or bad for you.
Pros of Fiverr:
Fiverr is a freelance marketplace that offers the fastest way to start freelancing. Fiverr has been around for several years, since 2009 in fact and it continues to be one of the most popular choices among people looking for short-term gigs on freelance marketplaces.
You can easily start on Fiverr and launch your gig in less than a day.
If you can deliver quickly, easily, and efficiently, Fiverr can be a good source of income for freelancers.
Cons of Fiverr:
Fiverr doesn't allow you to screen or vet clients. You have no idea who's going to place the order.
You pay up 20% of every dollar earned on Fiverr, regardless (while other marketplaces have systems in place that help lower this percentage amount based on the amount of billing or the total bill value at certain thresholds)
There's a countdown timer that begins the moment a client places an order. In effect, this puts you under pressure to deliver (this could be good or bad for you, depending on the type of personality you are, your preferences, and the like).
Fiverr support is terrible. If shit hits the fan (which is likely to happen, more often than not), you are really on your own.
What do you think about Fiverr? Are you there yet?