The Start of Something Big: Meet Fiverr Pro

[silberma1976]

I’m going through some of these profiles and it’s interesting to see that some of the existing sellers have 2 almost identical gigs with different prices. Their old gig costs $5 and new PRO gig has the price tag $150. (The only difference is 100 words vs 300 words).

It’s even confusing for some of the PROs. Not sure what buyers will think of this.

Looks like they are trying to take advantage of the pro label to make money. I think the marketplace will sort the pricing out like it did with packages.

[silberma1976]

This seems like it is a good idea for some, but for others like me, it makes me kind of anxious. I understand that low scale buyers(New Sellers, Level 1, 2, etc.) are still going to be able to make money, but it seems like maybe adding this feature to Fiverr will help the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

I’m hoping that sales aren’t pulled away from younger buyers(like me) just because younger buyers don’t have a way to verify that they are a “Professional” even though some of us, who may just not be old enough to provide certain certificates and accomplishments, can possibly be more advanced than other sellers(I am definitely not saying I am, I’m not even close!!)

I took a look at the survey just to see if I had any chance to being a Pro seller, and it turns out, with the copious links to social media that I would have had to provide that proved my professionalism, I’m going to have to wait until I’m out of college(like 8 more years, I’m just now going to be a Freshman in High School). I wish that there was a way they could pick the sellers on their own like they pick TRS so then they are able to pick the best of the best regardless of how “Professional” you are.

I’m not trying to say anything that makes it seem like I can be one of these sellers, because I personally do not believe that I am qualified enough, but I wish that there was a more useful and foolproof selection of sellers instead of what is currently in place.

Also, I took a look at some of the other Pro Seller’s gigs, and the services seem VERY expensive. It may just be my inexpertise in various commercial or professional situations, but thousands of dollars for a whiteboard animation that others offer very similar if not identical services at just a few hundred or less seems kind of outrageous.

Most of the people on this thread are saying that other sellers should raise their prices a little bit to fit in with other buyer’s prices, which I would totally do, but with the services that I offer, it’s a lot of other sellers who just need a quick and inexpensive script written. So, if I raise my prices, my earnings will likely suffer greatly seeing as to how a majority of my sales are repeat buyers who need cheap scripts written so they, too, can make a profit.

This was kind of a little bit of a rant within this thread, and I actually don’t know if this fits it all too well, I tried to get my point across but my main point was drowned in the other ideas that popped into my mind that I just had to write down.

Well said. I think this will help long established sellers who may do this full time and do well do even better.

My experience here tells me though, that as you grow your profile, pro, trs, or level 1, and you get the reviews and build a portfolio to share, you can set your prices at what you are worth and do well.

I started at level one and worked my ars off to get where I am and do what I do. And I could not aptly explain what I do in the application for pro because it seems set up to find people with large followings, certificates, and who are truly doing this for a living at a high level.

[silberma1976]

One more thought. This will be interesting to see if it helps Fiverr land big companies, or if people come to see the pros, see the prices, and go to the non pro’s for the same thing for less.

I think some people who become pro may just decide to offer the same service for more because of the label. My two cents.

[silberma1976]

We chose how to price our gigs.

The reason why they may be similarly tiered, is becuase we were finally able to price according to market’s standards.

Clearly you have a pro Gig. How did you get picked? What was it like to set up? Do share.

[silberma1976]

they have a vague description like “they’ll be closer to the action” and more proactive.

something to that extent.

I think they will offer something like VIP support for both buyers and sellers.

But the whole mentality of the PRO feature is that the seller is vetted and gets a sort of “guarantee” from Fiverr that for that particular gig, the buyer just makes the purchase and has peace of mind.

and vice versa: prices are high enough, that buyers that approach sellers actually mean business.

this is brand new territory for them (fiverr staff) as it is for us.

so we will soon find out.

Good point about this building trust and being new to all.

[jonbaas]

One more thought. This will be interesting to see if it helps Fiverr land big companies, or if people come to see the pros, see the prices, and go to the non pro’s for the same thing for less.

I think some people who become pro may just decide to offer the same service for more because of the label. My two cents.

I think some people who become pro may just decide to offer the same service for more because of the label. My two cents.

Possibly. Or, it could bolster the regular sellers who are appealing to Fiverr’s original market, and come here looking for affordable value. If you have two gigs, both offering the same service, but one costs $1000, and the other costs $25, savvy buyers are probably going to pay more attention to the $25 gig.

If Fiverr is hoping to capitalize on a “professional” high-cost market, they have a LONG way to go in order to change the current affordability culture that has made them who they are. I’m not sure this Fiverr Pro thing is going to transition the site culture as easily as they hope.

I build brands for a living. The name, “Fiverr”, doesn’t really capture that $1000 market feel. But it does scream affordability.

Fiverr has an upill battle ahead of them. It will be interesting to see how they pursue this transition.

[silberma1976]

I think some people who become pro may just decide to offer the same service for more because of the label. My two cents.

Possibly. Or, it could bolster the regular sellers who are appealing to Fiverr’s original market, and come here looking for affordable value. If you have two gigs, both offering the same service, but one costs $1000, and the other costs $25, savvy buyers are probably going to pay more attention to the $25 gig.

If Fiverr is hoping to capitalize on a “professional” high-cost market, they have a LONG way to go in order to change the current affordability culture that has made them who they are. I’m not sure this Fiverr Pro thing is going to transition the site culture as easily as they hope.

I build brands for a living. The name, “Fiverr”, doesn’t really capture that $1000 market feel. But it does scream affordability.

Fiverr has an upill battle ahead of them. It will be interesting to see how they pursue this transition.

I agree with you that they have a long way to go. I think they saw an opportunity to appeal to larger companies with higher marketing budgets while getting freelancers who work offline for much more to come on the platform as well as pullover sellers and buyers from other platforms like upwork where you can charge way more. It makes business sense. The implementation and how it will affect the Fiverr brand and market are yet to be seen. It is hard to to be a nimble and flexible company as you grow they way Fiverr has, especially in an ever changing marketplace.

One reason I am glad I do not rely on this for my full time salary: too unpredictable.

[ssj1236]

Everything about this is extremely biased.

[smashradio]

I see so many problems with this. The more I think about it, the more I come to the conclusion that Fiverr is attempting to change the very foundation the site was built upon; affordable, simple service.

I love the way Fiverr has built upon this with more advanced pricing, levels, and the opportunity to work on larger projects via Fiverr. It has really made so many talents shine! But now Fiverr is facing a different problem; it’s trying to be two things at once!

It wants to be the same, cheap marketplace full of micro-services done by freelancers, and at the same time, it’s trying to be an agency. In graphics, writing, you name it - Fiverr is trying to grab some market shares from the large agencies that work at a completely different level than us. Big clients, big money.

Now the idea of a freelance marketplace for professionals is not a bad one. Fiverr could definitely grab a chunk of the market with its Pro service. But Fiverr can’t be BOTH a cheap marketplace for freelancers and buyers to communicate micro-services, and an agency for the big buffs - all in the same place.

Let me explain why I feel this is going to be a problem:

• The buyers who come to Fiverr today, expect to be met with several micro-services done by freelancers. The price is expected to be accordingly: micro. Of course, many sellers will provide better service at higher rates, but the core idea is that it’s cheap to shop for services on Fiverr. This will confuse the buyers. This has been pointed out by others in this thread as well.

• Combining the regular sellers with the Pro sellers will unbalance the dynamic of the site. A 1000 dollar voice-over next to a 5 dollar voice-over. I mean, the two don’t belong in the same marketplace.
  You don’t go to Wallmart when you want a shiny new Armani suit. You don’t go to the tailor when you want a generic t-shirt.

1. Quality control. Fiverr claims that manual vetting of the sellers will make sure the Gig is professional. But when a seller can simply become a pro by having a big set of social profiles with many followers and a 10k USD price tag on the same service they provide for 20 USD on their normal Gig - what is the purpose, and how will it be a proven fact that this is the fantastic pro quality promised? I mean… An explainer video for 10.000 USD? Not even pro agencies charge that much.

• Un-focused. We’re ending up with a bunch of “normal sellers” mixed up with "Pro sellers. This just might push many of the talented people who didn’t get to be a pro, out of the marketplace. It should not be combined, both for the buyer, seller, and Fiverr sake.

It’s a distinctly different concept, and it’s not what Fiverr was built upon.

[ssj1236]

Seriously, isn’t this basically for those people that have a large following on social media? Who thought of this? This is literally horrible.

[ssj1236]

WOW, just noticed the kinda gigs that are pro…amazing simply amazing Fiverr. You did it, you managed to outdo Pepsi.

[silberma1976]

I looked at the pro gigs in my writing cat. Wow! These are top tier pro’s who have written for big time companies that are well known the world over: cnn, forbes, etc. The packages they offer are sick. $250 for 4 blog post a month of 400 words. And that is the basic one. I mean, I make more than that with one client allone who gets two a week. I can not compete with that experience and presentation of the Gig. It is unreal. This is a game changer for sure. I am personally very anxious about how this will affect my sales.

Will people come to FIverr, see a Gig that has a writer with such experience, such a concise gig, which I am sure Fiverr helped him set up as he is new, and want to work with someone less premium?

And the search results are flooded with all Pro gigs. It is as if that if what they want people to choose, or big money clients anyway. Imagine how this will boost Fiverr’s revenues. So many sides to this launch that it could be a doctoral thesis.

[Guest offlinehelpers]

I looked at the pro gigs in my writing cat. Wow! These are top tier pro’s who have written for big time companies that are well known the world over: cnn, forbes, etc. The packages they offer are sick. $250 for 4 blog post a month of 400 words. And that is the basic one. I mean, I make more than that with one client allone who gets two a week. I can not compete with that experience and presentation of the Gig. It is unreal. This is a game changer for sure. I am personally very anxious about how this will affect my sales.

Will people come to FIverr, see a Gig that has a writer with such experience, such a concise gig, which I am sure Fiverr helped him set up as he is new, and want to work with someone less premium?

And the search results are flooded with all Pro gigs. It is as if that if what they want people to choose, or big money clients anyway. Imagine how this will boost Fiverr’s revenues. So many sides to this launch that it could be a doctoral thesis.

And they’re getting to link to sites outside Fiverr in their gig descriptions - don’t they know they’re not supposed to do that? 😉

[ssj1236]

This is amazing. Well done Fiverr well done!!!

[ssj1236]

So, I don’t have a Pro gig and don’t see that I will have one any time soon.

My initial reaction was WTH but I am starting to think about how I can make this work to my advantage.

I suggest that everyone looks around at the Pro gigs, looks at their own gigs and makes changes that they see fit. Start asking for the prices that you are worth rather than the price you think you can ask for because there may be some possibilities there for you. Like everything else that Fiverr does, we can sit and complain about it or work with it, take advantage where we can and ultimately gain from it.

Personally, I am quite excited about the direction Fiverr is heading and I believe that even the mess of the past few months that many have experienced will be ironed out for the better.

PS. I am also looking forward to seeing the Ranting Pot posts from the new Pro sellers who have just been asked to “do a free sample”, “do this one cheap and I will have lots of work for you”, “please sir, you can order from me?” etc etc etc

Loving the optimism but there’s no way this is going to work out for anyone. The entire approach with this “BIG THING” is to get people that have a large following bring their followers to Fiverr and buy extremely expensive services.

If Fiverr was the only Freelance site that would have worked but why would anyone bother to buy something from these “PRO” sellers that have nothing to prove their skills. I’ve seen their gigs and honestly compared to the other more established sellers on the platform they don’t even come close.

From what I can tell, the entire criteria is their online presence and overpriced gigs. ON TOP OF ALL THAT THE ALGORITHM IS STILL A MESS!

What about sellers like me that target their audience and relies on groups to get orders from Social Media? The majority of my sales were from social media this and last month. Does that count for anything? Does the time I spent grinding for all my damn reviews mean nothing? I don’t complain often but this is truly frustrating.

[smashradio]

Loving the optimism but there’s no way this is going to work out for anyone. The entire approach with this “BIG THING” is to get people that have a large following bring their followers to Fiverr and buy extremely expensive services.

If Fiverr was the only Freelance site that would have worked but why would anyone bother to buy something from these “PRO” sellers that have nothing to prove their skills. I’ve seen their gigs and honestly compared to the other more established sellers on the platform they don’t even come close.

From what I can tell, the entire criteria is their online presence and overpriced gigs. ON TOP OF ALL THAT THE ALGORITHM IS STILL A MESS!

What about sellers like me that target their audience and relies on groups to get orders from Social Media? The majority of my sales were from social media this and last month. Does that count for anything? Does the time I spent grinding for all my damn reviews mean nothing? I don’t complain often but this is truly frustrating.

The more I think about it, the less optimistic I get…

[topaz_muse]

So… they scouted here and elsewhere for participants in the trial version of PRO? Wouldn’t that send an awkward if not uneasy message to buyers? I mentioned this somewhere on the forum before, but there is another site that I participate on that specializes in a little bit of everything and launched a new addition to the site whose blueprint is similar to fiverr’s; i.e. offer a service for purchasing by buyers.

There, they sent invites to high performing sellers from categories within their platform to participate. This is probably jumping the gauntlet a bit but isn’t using two different sources for candidates to sign up for PRO be it live or trial a fish slap to the face? There are sellers here that have worked their derrière off to get to where they are and from the looks not many were contacted to participate in the trial launch.

What if a buyer stumbles across this post and reads the contents here in? When the idea of vetting sellers was mentioned/suggested I’m sure this is not what many had in mind. Vetting a seller entails rewarding those who have worked hard to get to where they are at.

This translates into contacting said sellers first and foremost before venturing elsewhere to test something platform related. Though a better way to launch a PRO feature would be to offer it as a level increase to long standing sellers. From TRS to PRO; that would have been better and possibly made more sense since it is straight forward.

Apologies for hijacking your news post.

[silberma1976]

So… they scouted here and elsewhere for participants in the trial version of PRO? Wouldn’t that send an awkward if not uneasy message to buyers? I mentioned this somewhere on the forum before, but there is another site that I participate on that specializes in a little bit of everything and launched a new addition to the site whose blueprint is similar to fiverr’s; i.e. offer a service for purchasing by buyers.

There, they sent invites to high performing sellers from categories within their platform to participate. This is probably jumping the gauntlet a bit but isn’t using two different sources for candidates to sign up for PRO be it live or trial a fish slap to the face? There are sellers here that have worked their derrière off to get to where they are and from the looks not many were contacted to participate in the trial launch.

What if a buyer stumbles across this post and reads the contents here in? When the idea of vetting sellers was mentioned/suggested I’m sure this is not what many had in mind. Vetting a seller entails rewarding those who have worked hard to get to where they are at.

This translates into contacting said sellers first and foremost before venturing elsewhere to test something platform related. Though a better way to launch a PRO feature would be to offer it as a level increase to long standing sellers. From TRS to PRO; that would have been better and possibly made more sense since it is straight forward.

Apologies for hijacking your news post.

I saw one TRS in my catagory offering 1 500 word blog post for $200. She post in the forum a lot, so am hoping she will chime in. That is crazy. Maybe some equate money to quality. $200 for 1 500 word post. Come on man.

[silberma1976]

And another seller who is level 1 with a 4.8 star rating offering $100 for 500 words of copy. Will be really interesting to see where this pro thing goes. Wow. I am just blown away by this. SMH.

[silberma1976]

My last post on this for the night. But, I do see one guy who has amazing credentials and is worth what he is asking. Would he have come to Fiverr of not for being PRO? NO!!! Others have said it in this thread. High tier seller with tons of followers means more buyers to FIverr. Smart for business. See how it shakes for the non pro fiverr doers out there.

[jonbaas]

Like I said… this should be two different consumer markets. One market containing the current affordable services, for Fiverr’s original consumer market of micro-tasks and low-cost value. It’s already well-branded as “Fiverr”. People understand the site purpose. They understand what they’ll find here. The other market could be this Fiverr Pro thing, targeting the deep-pocket clients.

Mixing both markets together in the same search results, and the same category listings, while still touting Pro as something separate and special WILL dilute Fiverr as a whole. It WILL confuse both consumer markets crammed together in one marketplace, and it’s going to hurt the established standard sellers who played by the rules, and worked hard to be successful on the value-affordable scale.

The more I explore this Fiverr Pro thing, the more I see this mixing of markets as a recipe for disaster. I think the concept needs more planning and testing.

[ssj1236]

Like I said… this should be two different consumer markets. One market containing the current affordable services, for Fiverr’s original consumer market of micro-tasks and low-cost value. It’s already well-branded as “Fiverr”. People understand the site purpose. They understand what they’ll find here. The other market could be this Fiverr Pro thing, targeting the deep-pocket clients.

Mixing both markets together in the same search results, and the same category listings, while still touting Pro as something separate and special WILL dilute Fiverr as a whole. It WILL confuse both consumer markets crammed together in one marketplace, and it’s going to hurt the established standard sellers who played by the rules, and worked hard to be successful on the value-affordable scale.

The more I explore this Fiverr Pro thing, the more I see this mixing of markets as a recipe for disaster. I think the concept needs more planning and testing.

This is exactly what’s frustrating me the most! the worst part is that half of the first page is dedicated to “PRO” sellers!

[ssj1236]

I’m making a PRO standard Gig myself to test the waters and see how it goes.

[smashradio]

Like I said… this should be two different consumer markets. One market containing the current affordable services, for Fiverr’s original consumer market of micro-tasks and low-cost value. It’s already well-branded as “Fiverr”. People understand the site purpose. They understand what they’ll find here. The other market could be this Fiverr Pro thing, targeting the deep-pocket clients.

Mixing both markets together in the same search results, and the same category listings, while still touting Pro as something separate and special WILL dilute Fiverr as a whole. It WILL confuse both consumer markets crammed together in one marketplace, and it’s going to hurt the established standard sellers who played by the rules, and worked hard to be successful on the value-affordable scale.

The more I explore this Fiverr Pro thing, the more I see this mixing of markets as a recipe for disaster. I think the concept needs more planning and testing.

My feeling exactly, as I laid out in the post above… It feels like a poorly planned and rushed release. I don’t think they accounted for the fact that so many sellers have worked so hard to get where they are today, just to be slapped down by this, and that, on top of the algorithm problems. They should have planned it better, and maybe talked to the community BEFORE implementing any of this, to see if the community of sellers and buyers had any thoughts…

[jonbaas]

My feeling exactly, as I laid out in the post above… It feels like a poorly planned and rushed release. I don’t think they accounted for the fact that so many sellers have worked so hard to get where they are today, just to be slapped down by this, and that, on top of the algorithm problems. They should have planned it better, and maybe talked to the community BEFORE implementing any of this, to see if the community of sellers and buyers had any thoughts…

It feels like a poorly planned and rushed release.

Exactly. I love Fiverr, I really do. But almost every new thing they release is sudden. It is tested live on the site (and inevitably broken and not functioning as intended, because it wasn’t tested before release – see the current algorithm debacle, which Fiverr themselves have actually agreed is a complete mess). And it just seems to be put out there as a “wouldn’t this be cool” concept, rather than a fully operational site upgrade.

Fiverr, I love you guys, but you keep pushing new features, either before they are ready, or without having tested and considered all angles. I realize you have more behind-the-scenes discussions in the HQ office than we know, but there are more efficient ways to go about these kinds of updates.

And more effective ways of letting the rest of us know that they’re coming.