Writers asking other Writers for work

[Guest larissahoit]

I recently had a Fiverr seller ask me to write for them. Not just any Fiverr seller another writer. Their gigs are all about writing. In addition, they asked me to provide a very specific writing sample (essentially edit my work so I can see if I like your writing style) before purchasing a gig. Maybe they had a deadline that they just couldn’t meet but now I’m concerned about another Fiverr writer passing my work of as theirs and probably paying me a fraction of the price that they are charging. Admittedly their work product left something to be desired; which is probably the real reason they asked for help. What they were willing to pay, the amount of work, and the turn around time made me decline the job. As a newer seller on Fiverr turning down any work is pretty hard but it just felt off. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if so should I be concerned??

[Guest hammi2010]

Some people will buy gigs almost exactly like there’s just to leave a bad review and make you look bad. I always try to look at the positive side of things, but even that would make me nervous. The only thing I could recommend is ask them why they would need something that they offer themselves and if you feel like they gave a truthful answer, decide from there.



If someone does buy your work and gives you a bad review for good quality, CS can remove it if you prove your point. You just really need to trust your own gut in these situations and everything will be okay.

[sara1984]

Many people will use your work and pass it off as their own on here, it’s a fact of life. We offer our services so cheaply, anyone with connections can make a profit. Whether it’s web designers buying content from you and selling it on as a web development package, marketing experts buying reviews and selling them on for more, or those outsourcing to you from elsewhere, it happens all the time.



I’ve written many articles for people, on topics they’re very detailed about, only to receive a message after the job’s complete saying, "thanks, my client loved the work."



You set the amount you get paid, as long as you get paid that’s all that counts. Oh, and as long as nobody plagiarises your work of course. If you want, you can probably write a disclaimer saying you want credit for every piece of work, but you’ll find it hard to succeed on here if you do so.

[sara1984]

Another example: take your data entry gig. I have clients who would pay $5 for an hour’s data entry. You charge $5 for three hours. I could make $10 profit with the click of two buttons. I won’t… 🙂 but it’s that easy.



Set a rate you’re happy to work for, then don’t worry about the outsourcing. It can be a good source of regular work.

[Guest larissahoit]

Thanks for the thoughts/feedback. As a new seller, I am charging less to build up my reputation and then I’ll slowly increase the price. Or at least that’s the goal. This seller wanted me to create a “user guide” based on 150 pages for $35. Totally not worth it and what had already been written was pretty bad so I had no idea what the heck was going on in the document. 😃

[tallong]

If buyers are using the scurrilous tactics that @hammi2010 suggests, that’s horrid and I encourage you to fight back.



On the other hand, @sara1984 is quite right about people outsourcing their work to you. In the real world it’s called ‘subcontracting’. Now don’t misunderstand me, I don’t think that taking someone else’s work in its entirety and passing it off as your own is morally sound and I wouldn’t do that; for one thing I’ve got too much pride and for another I’m better than most at what I do and I think that if my customers are paying for my work, they deserve to get my work. However, if it’s a component of something else, or support services, that’s different and I might well avail myself of someone else’s assistance. An example might be research, such as gathering facts and figures for an article I was writing. I may know that prices for XYZ have been increasing steadily and so I’m going to say that in the article, but I get someone else to search through auction results for the past year.



I would have no issues outsourcing work to a fiverr seller, but I would feel a moral obligation to let the person know that I was subcontracting. Nobody likes feeling used or taken advantage of.



Still, not everybody feels they have to explain that, and not everyone has my compunctions. Again, I agree with Sara: set a price you’re content with and never mind what’s happening to the work after you’ve done it. If I sell an antique at auction to a top end dealer who puts it up in her smart shop on the high street for twice what she paid for it, it’s not my business and no skin off my nose. If she’s got those kinds of clients, good luck to her!