Some sellers hire other sellers. Is it ethical?

[lastay]

I don’t see anyone being deprived of anything

So, why is the first buyer giving you a huge amount where he could his work done by a newer seller with low price? What the buyer supposed to get from you with a good price? Why is he not going to hire a seller with a low price for the same job? Is he spending a big amount only for getting his job done?

Here I meant that a buyer is hiring a seller, not a middleman. It’s my own opinion.

Thanks for your nice diagnosis.

What the buyer gets is a piece of work that is well vetted. Just because you outsource does not mean the work is handed in to the client just like that, the work is still double checked and goes through a rigorous process before going to the client.

[mariokluser]

Stupid discussion. Outsourcing is just a big part of the world economy.
A buyer who wants for example produce a digital product will hire different sellers for the different aspects.
And there are also sellers who then on their part outsource parts of their work.
Whether or not some of the work ends up on the desk of a new seller is irrelevant. The new seller should be grateful for the given opportunity. Het gets work to do he wouldn’t have in the first place. If a buyer doesn’t come to him/her directly, it just reflects that he didn’t do enough to get the buyers attention in order to avoid the middle man.

Does anybody really think that a software engineer who developed a big part of a software product, what then is marketed by big companies like Adobe, Microsoft etc. is sitting crying behind his desk because he should be the rich guy and not the Gate’s en Musk’s of this work.

Personally I wouldn’t outsource anything on this platform and this topic actually shows why. I don’t want to collaborate with people who don’t grasp very basic principals.
There is just too much whining and complaining. But I guess people are so comfortable when they put themselves in the role of a ‘victim’.

[miiila]

I think it’s harsh to call it stupid, ethics are an interesting thing to discuss. Some of us probably are a bit bored because this discussion comes up again and again and because we assume some principles are general knowledge, but we don´t have to take part if we don´t want to.

To me, it´s mostly a matter of whether they (try) to hide it from me or not. I´ve worked with resellers I had no problem working with and I´ve turned down a few I didn´t want to work for.
It should be my decision. That’s just my own small point of view.
I don´t think there are two people who share the exact same ethics.

[derekppc]

I think it’s harsh to call it stupid, ethics are an interesting thing to discuss. Some of us probably are a bit bored because this discussion comes up again and again and because we assume some principles are general knowledge, but we don´t have to take part if we don´t want to.

To me, it´s mostly a matter of whether they (try) to hide it from me or not. I´ve worked with resellers I had no problem working with and I´ve turned down a few I didn´t want to work for.

It should be my decision. That’s just my own small point of view.

I don´t think there are two people who share the exact same ethics.

It’s not harsh at all, outsourcing has nothing to do with ethics.

[xtivity]

I don’t have any problem working for a reseller so far I get paid my price. The point I tend to turn it down is when they try to be pushy or offer very low amount. I have cases where resellers offer low amount and add ‘I will give you a very good review’ to the offer, of which I just say NO because of the review they offer with it.
It’s choice by the way, and really, that’s business.

[miiila]

It’s not harsh at all, outsourcing has nothing to do with ethics.

That´s your opinion, both of that. My opinion is that OP can well have a different opinion and I think if it’s okay for Mario to tell OP that this discussion is stupid, it´s okay for me to tell OP not everyone thinks this discussion should be called stupid. I usually enjoy and like (to read) Mario’s posts. This one as well, actually, I just disagree with calling the discussion stupid, and not because it has or not has anything to do with ethics.

[derekppc]

That´s your opinion, both of that. My opinion is that OP can well have a different opinion and I think if it’s okay for Mario to tell OP that this discussion is stupid, it´s okay for me to tell OP not everyone thinks this discussion should be called stupid. I usually enjoy and like (to read) Mario’s posts. This one as well, actually, I just disagree with calling the discussion stupid, and not because it has or not has anything to do with ethics.

As a business owner, if I hired an employee to do work for me is that unethical?

A freelancer who has run out of resources, but decides he wants to continue to expand and outsources to individuals like himself he finds to be reputable and trustworthy is somehow unethical?

Again, nothing to do with ethics.

[mariokluser]

I think it’s harsh to call it stupid, ethics are an interesting thing to discuss. Some of us probably are a bit bored because this discussion comes up again and again and because we assume some principles are general knowledge, but we don´t have to take part if we don´t want to.

To me, it´s mostly a matter of whether they (try) to hide it from me or not. I´ve worked with resellers I had no problem working with and I´ve turned down a few I didn´t want to work for.

It should be my decision. That’s just my own small point of view.

I don´t think there are two people who share the exact same ethics.

Where I agree with you is the point that it should be clear that it’s a case of arbitrage.

At least within the use of the platform.

If one gets hired in order to deliver the part of a product, like for example an e-book, it should be pretty obvious that the entire product will be sold elsewhere.

[mariokluser]

As a business owner, if I hired an employee to do work for me is that unethical?

A freelancer who has run out of resources, but decides he wants to continue to expand and outsources to individuals like himself he finds to be reputable and trustworthy is somehow unethical?

Again, nothing to do with ethics.

This is what I’m saying in a nutshell and seen the sentiment on this platform, what I still think is stupid, I would refrain from looking for collaborators here.

[cyaxrex]

To be honest, I want to say no. This is not ethical.

I have outsourced work to other Fiverr sellers in the past. I have also always had a few other Fiverr sellers who order regularly.

Sadly, this year has seen a bit of an explosion in Fiverr sellers who don’t just outsource work. In short, they treat you like garbage in the process.

Lately I’ve had:

• Fiverr sellers suddenly arriving out of nowhere and ordering several individual projects for 1-day delivery. (The kind of work reasonable people discuss prior to ordering.)
• Fiverr sellers suddenly deciding that I now work solely for them and sending me literally all their work until I am forced to pause gigs and hike prices to stop orders flying in. - Really, who does that?
• Fiverr sellers who have zero competency in any discipline, creating several high-priced gigs and outsourcing work to me before changing their mind when they find someone cheaper, being obnoxiously rude, and leaving 1-star reviews even after revisions

In short, yes, outsourcing is a fact of life in every industry. However, (and I have heard from other sellers having similar problems) this year has seen a bit of a hike in Fiverr sellers who can ONLY outsource. - This and sellers who know what it is like to sell on Fiverr from a logistical point of view, but have no problem slamming you with work as soon as they decide you are a fit for what they want.

None of that’s ethical. It’s more like opportunistic exploitation.

[uxreview]

To be honest, I want to say no. This is not ethical.

I have outsourced work to other Fiverr sellers in the past. I have also always had a few other Fiverr sellers who order regularly.

Sadly, this year has seen a bit of an explosion in Fiverr sellers who don’t just outsource work. In short, they treat you like garbage in the process.

Lately I’ve had:

• Fiverr sellers suddenly arriving out of nowhere and ordering several individual projects for 1-day delivery. (The kind of work reasonable people discuss prior to ordering.)
• Fiverr sellers suddenly deciding that I now work solely for them and sending me literally all their work until I am forced to pause gigs and hike prices to stop orders flying in. - Really, who does that?
• Fiverr sellers who have zero competency in any discipline, creating several high-priced gigs and outsourcing work to me before changing their mind when they find someone cheaper, being obnoxiously rude, and leaving 1-star reviews even after revisions

In short, yes, outsourcing is a fact of life in every industry. However, (and I have heard from other sellers having similar problems) this year has seen a bit of a hike in Fiverr sellers who can ONLY outsource. - This and sellers who know what it is like to sell on Fiverr from a logistical point of view, but have no problem slamming you with work as soon as they decide you are a fit for what they want.

None of that’s ethical. It’s more like opportunistic exploitation.

If you’re dealing with a difficult buyer then they would be difficult no matter who gets the final product. I doubt they would be nicer if they ordered your service for themselves.

That’s why I don’t see why a few sh***y buyers should make me question the ethics of reselling.

And OP’s main concern is the amount of orders he’s not getting because he doesn’t know how to market. That’s not about ethics.

[cyaxrex]

If you’re dealing with a difficult buyer then they would be difficult no matter who gets the final product. I doubt they would be nicer if they ordered your service for themselves.

That’s why I don’t see why a few sh***y buyers should make me question the ethics of reselling.

And OP’s main concern is the amount of orders he’s not getting because he doesn’t know how to market. That’s not about ethics.

If you’re dealing with a difficult buyer then they would be difficult no matter who gets the final product. I doubt they would be nicer if they ordered your service for themselves.

That’s why I don’t see why a few sh***y buyers should make me question the ethics of reselling.

And OP’s main concern is the amount of orders he’s not getting because he doesn’t know how to market. That’s not about ethics.

To be fair, there is a big difference between someone reselling a service and someone who doesn’t speak a word of fluent English setting up shop as something like a content writer on Fiverr.

The majority of my regular clients are resellers to a certain extent. I personally simply don’t think it ethical for someone to look at Fiverr, identify a few high selling gigs, copy these, double the price, start offering these same services on Fiverr, and then start deluging the original seller with orders.

At least not without prior discussion and especially if a reseller if offering something like content writing can’t even pass on their end clients brief without shredding a dictionary in the process.