What are the tips for buying on Fiverr? (I am buyer+seller)

[doc_eliza]

I have experience in buying on Fiverr. So what I always look for is
relevant experience (do they actually make/do what you need)
how do they communicate (personal emails vs standard reply)
how is their response time to my requests
are they willing to have a video call before the project
what is their experience with working on weekends or with tight deadlines
what can they do besides this project. I always look for long term collaborations (this saves a lot of time).
hire the best or try for only $5
let me know if you have more questions.

[fonthaunt]

Your tip about video calls can get buyer or seller accounts banned. Fiverr are not allowed to give outside contact info which includes anything except the Fiverr message system. Sometimes you can get written permission from Fiverr for a gig that requires s***e which is why you see it listed for some sellers.

For a buyer to expect this of a random seller is going to rule out a lot of sellers. Putting a request for outside info in the inbox can red flag the message and users here have been banned for it. Please take care to read the ToS.

See also: http://forum.fiverr.com/discussion/please-dont-ask-for-sharing-personal-information/#post-648306

[eoinfinnegan]

I strongly disagree with the last one.
“Hire the best or try for only $5”,
is like saying,
“I want a Mercedes and I will pay you the price of a pushbike”.
This just cannot happen, unless the Mercedes is stolen! (Or in Fiverr’s case, perhaps you are getting plagiarized material)

When I see a buyer request for $5 or saying things like “The cheapest option will be taken”, I simply will not apply and I am sure many other sellers would be similar. I am not suggesting that I am “the best” but I know I deliver high quality work. It depends on what the gig is of course but I have absolutely no reservation in saying that I will never be the cheapest option for my services. Whether I deliver VALUE (which is very different from being cheap) is for my clients to decide but if you are looking only for the cheapest option, go to someone else.

[emmaki]

Could have meant a test gig, but given the high quality of some of the other tips (such as the video call) these tips aren’t really Worth much.

Take the experience of working on evenings and weekends–unless you project is so close to the bone that those urgent deadlines are in, it’s not something that should come up at all. Urgent deadlines = extra fast delivery = more than $5. Or the response rates: if that’s important, hire someone local, not in Timbuktu. Standard v personal? A good writer can make a standard look personal, and in all honesty, if you’re asking the same questions thousands of others do, you shouldn’t really be expecting an in-depth pre-work analysis. This is Fiverr, not your local agency. One of the reasons it’s cheaper here is simply that some corners are being cut–this is one of them.

Experience? Check reviews, prices and samples and see if the it aligns with you, and order a small test gig to see if it works well.

If I had a buyer message me with all the above, I’d just send them a message saying I was too busy to work with them. Too much hassle and general cluelessness to handle. I can just feel that despite all this heavy-handed “research”, there would also be the inevitable “what is your cost and timeframe, please?” tagged on the end.

No, no, and thrice no! Any potential buyers reading this, see exactly what all the responses from sellers are saying and proceed to follow this advice with extreme caution. You want all the bells and whistles, go to your agency with those big, fat stacks of cash which will buy you all the flattery and pandering in the world.

[misscrystal]

For a $5 sale a seller is going to do a video call beforehand to try to make the sale?
😃
No need for video calls for a project aside from it being against the rules.

[fonthaunt]

Don’t forget, doctors who are also stock photo models have more free time and make less money than most level 1’s on Fiverr, so maybe the perspective was different. Wait…

[eoinfinnegan]

😃