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Is Fiverr legit or a scam? Selling on Fiverr sounds like a great side hustle idea and buying on Fiverr looks like you can make massive savings compared to other places.
Can a website such as Fiverr really be legit or is it just a scam?
To save you from worrying, I will tell you below how I fared on Fiverr as both a buyer and a seller. Find out whether Fiverr is worth your while or whether you should stay clear of it.
🪧 Should you sign up through my affiliate links, I may receive a commission at no cost to you.
Is Fiverr Legit or a Scam?
Fiverr is a legit site and not a scam. However, just because the website is legit, does not mean that every seller and buyer is.
Fiverr has good seller and buyer protection but you still need to be careful when placing an order or offering a service.
What Is Fiverr?
Fiverr is an online marketplace for freelance services. This means that as a freelancer, you can offer your services at Fiverr. As a buyer, you can buy customised services.
The website started in 2010 and got its name because originally, you could only buy or sell for $5.
Luckily, these times have changed and you can now price your service at whichever amount you want or, as a buyer, choose between budget-friendly or more expensive prices.
On Trustpilot, the majority of people were happy with Fiverr, giving it an average rating of 3.9 out of 5.0. Overall, 68% of users rated Fiverr as great or excellent.
On the other hand, 29% gave it a score of poor or bad.
What Is Trustpilot?
Overall, there are over 150 million reviews on Trustpilot. You can generally get a good understanding of the legitimacy and customer-friendliness of a company.
Fiverr Review for Buyers
As a buyer, you can buy services from freelancers. Search for the service you need and choose from the listings.
I spent so much money that I have been invited to Fiverr Select, Fiverr’s program for especially loyal buyers.
After you choose a gig, payment is due immediately. However, the seller will not see any of it until the job is completed. Instead, Fiverr keeps your money, plus an added fee of 20%.
This means no seller can take your money and run. You have to approve their delivery for them to get paid.
Can You Find Reliable Services on Fiverr?
Almost anyone can start selling on Fiverr. Additionally, there is heavy competition, meaning that prices are low with people from low-income countries having an advantage.
Therefore, it is easy to think that Fiverr is a marketplace for people who sell poor-quality services and hide somewhere overseas.
However, this is not the case. While it may be true that you may find the odd shady business doer there, the majority of sellers are reputable.
This is because every customer can leave a review. And a seller without good reviews quickly loses to the competition. As a consequence, sellers have to deliver good service.
Fake Reviews on Fiverr
Although Fiverr is legit and scamming outright is impossible, some sellers still find ways. It is not uncommon for sellers to buy reviews.
This means they will pay someone to give them a five-star rating. Additionally, people will showcase a fake portfolio which is nothing like their real service.
It happened to me a few times when I bought from a seller where the delivery ended up being much lower quality than the advertised samples.
In every case, I complained to the seller and they fixed the issue for me.
Buyers have a lot of power on Fiverr because they have to approve the delivery before the seller can get paid. Therefore, do never let yourself be fobbed off with a low-quality delivery.
You can demand a revision if you are getting a rubbish delivery, even if your initial order did not include any revisions.
Fiverr Pro
Fiverr offers another avenue to find avoid scams and find high-quality freelancers with Fiverr Pro. Surprisingly, to join the Fiver Pro programme, you do not need good reviews or high sales.
Instead, Fiverr has its own application forms. Fiverr will ask applicants about their:
- Professional background
- Higher education
- A portfolio of previous work or examples of notable projects from outside of Fiverr
- Verification of identity
After rigorous checking, Fiverr only accepts 1% of their applicants for their Pro program.
Seller Levels
Seller levels are another way to find legit sellers on Fiverr. The level of a seller depends on how many jobs they have completed and how well their services were received:
- New Seller: The standard level for new sellers
- Level One Seller: A seller who has been on Fiverr for at least 60 days and completed at least 10 gigs with a high level of satisfaction
- Level Two Seller: A seller who has been on Fiverr for 120 days and has delivered 50 highly-rated and on-time orders will reach this level.
- Top-rated Seller: A seller who has been on Fiverr for at least 180 days, and has delivered over 100 orders (earning at least $20,000) with high ratings
Pros and Cons of Buying on Fiverr
Buying on Fiverr is great if you have a quick job that needs doing. There are many sellers on Fiverr so you have a great choice and prices are low.
If you need a service regularly, Fiverr is great for testing different people and then establishing a long-term business relationship with the seller you like.
As a buyer, you can rest assured that you will not be scammed and your work will be of high quality. As a seller, you can charge higher rates and may get more gigs out of Fiverr.
You also gain access to a dedicated support program.
On the other hand, the disadvantage would be that you may get low-quality work. As there are so many sellers on Fiverr, it can take a while until someone is good.
Furthermore, no work can be bought immediately. Sellers all have different turnaround times and you are bound to these.
3 Tips for Buyers to Avoid Scammers
Being scammed outright on Fiverr is difficult due to their buyer protection but you can still fall victim to shady sellers who try to game the system.
Here are some tips that help you stay clear of them.
1. Never Pay Anyone Outside of Fiverr
Some sellers might ask you to pay them via PayPal or other means. This is against Fiverr’s terms and indicates that they are scammers.
If you pay someone directly, you may avoid Fiverr’s fees but you also lose its protection.
In the worst case, you will pay someone and never see them again.
2. Complain If You Receive Poor Service
As mentioned above, sellers pay people to review and advertise fake portfolios. If the service you receive is not what you expected based on the seller’s descriptions, ratings, and samples, never approve the gig.
Instead, ask the seller to revise their order, and if you are still unhappy, contact Fiverr support.
3. Rate Sellers Honestly
If a seller did not live up to your expectations, be sure to leave a review stating this. You do not have to give a seller five stars if they do not deserve it.
Additionally, Fiverr will also ask you privately how useful you found the service.
Being honest helps other buyers avoid poor sellers and raises the quality of the services delivered.
Fiverr For Sellers Review
Fiverr is a legit marketplace for sellers. You can offer several gigs depending on what service you offer. You then create a listing for each gig and wait for buyers to find you.
It is a great work-from-home opportunity.
Freelances can make an extra £200 per week or more using Fiverr as their main platform.
How to Start Selling on Fiverr
As a seller, you can choose between many services to sell on Fiverr or even sell multiple services. Categories include:
- Graphics and design
- Digital marketing
- Writing and translation
- Video and animation
- Music and audio
- Programming and tech
- Business
- Lifestyle
- Industries
Starting your new side hustle as a seller on Fiverr is easy, and you can freelance without experience. Sign up for free, click on sales and create a new gig.
Offering your service on Fiverr is free, but Fiverr will take 20% of your earnings as their fee. Plus, there is a fee of 2%-3% for withdrawals from Fiverr.
Fiverr is also great to offer handwriting jobs. If you want to make money from watching ads, you can also offer your services as a subtitle writer.
Seller Protection
The seller protection on Fiverr indeed appears to be lacking. Fiverr does offer protection from fraud chargebacks but it is a long-winded process.
A chargeback means that the customers requested their money back via their bank and the money will first be deducted from your bank account. In case of fraud, you then have to claim it back and an investigation will start.
I never had any issues with selling on Fiverr but the protection for buyers is arguably better than that for sellers.
Pros and Cons of Selling on Fiverr
Selling on Fiverr means you can establish a side hustle and gain an extra income source. Furthermore, you can network and build relationships with clients that may last beyond the website.
Therefore, Fiverr is a great place for people new to the business who want to get exposure as they will get access to buyers on Fiverr for free.
On the downside, the fees of Fiverr are not negligible. This is especially true given the high competition on Fiverr.
People living in countries with lower wages can afford to sell for less than those from the US or Western Europe.
3 Tips for Sellers to Stay Clear of Scams
1. Do Not Deal Outside of Fiverr
This tip is the same for buyers and sellers. If a buyer asks you to deal outside of Fiverr, you should not agree. Firstly, this is for your protection, and secondly, Fiverr may close your account if they find out.
2. Be Honest and Clear in Your Gig Description
Describe your services and skills clearly so you do not give buyers the wrong impression or reasons to complain. If you deliver a service as described in your gig description, the seller cannot complain; if they do, you can remind them of your listing.
3. Do Not Be Afraid to Cancel Orders
If someone orders something you do not want to or cannot do, you can cancel the order. You can also do this if the order looks suspicious.
Cancelling an order will lower your completion rate, but this is better than underdelivering and getting a bad review or getting involved with something dangerous.
Free Guides on Fiverr
There are a wealth of guides available on Fiverr that are often overlooked. These may interest you if you want to know how professionals work or how to get started so you can set up your business on Fiverr.
All guides are free and kept in blog-post style. For anyone serious about gaining proficiency in any of the fields Fiverr covers, you will still have to do additional research and/or take a course, but the guides are a great starting point.
Is Fiverr Legit or a Scam? Summary
Fiverr is an online marketplace for freelancers. Is Fiverr legit? As you can see from its Trustpilot reviews, Fiverr is legit and not a scam.
However, this does not mean Fiverr is perfect as it appears to have room for improvement in regard to seller protection.
Nonetheless, Fiverr is a great place to start your freelancing career or to buy a customised service. Because there are so many sellers and buyers, it is easy to find a customer or a specific service you need.
You can find more information in Fiverr’s terms of service.
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