No protection for seller from cheater buyers?

[eclectictllc]

Threads like this, the changes in the rating system, other things here — gives me pause.

I take a big hit in the base cost of the work I do on Fiverr. People here won’t pay what people off Fiverr will pay. Then Fiverr gets their 20% even of the tip. I was rationalizing that I wouldn’t get this work otherwise, so between paying for escrow services and for being in the market place (cost of customer acquisition) it was OK to take the 20% ding (not also counting the at least 50% ding I’m taking on the price of the job in the first place…).

But if Fiverr is only providing escrow on the surface, and I get no seller protections — then it’s just a holding place for money where they get to earn interest and I have to wait (sometimes months! because some jobs take over 30 days to complete) for my money, where local clients pay at least 50% up front for larger jobs and I get the money at the start of the order, the remainder upon completion. And I get 100%, perhaps minus PayPal’s fees of 2.9%+$0.30/transaction.

Things to consider… it might be cheaper in the long run to advertise my direct business and if I need escrow, hire my own separately.