If you’ve never heard of Fiverr before, you might want to check it out. It’s an easy to use Web 2.0 site where you can sell any type of service — even products, for $5 bucks. Although it’s not much, it’s still a great source of side income you can add to your business. Those who have heard of Fiverr commonly use it to hire people for jobs like designing and writing, though most overlook the idea of actually selling on Fiverr.

I love the whole business model. Who ever created it, is a genius. The idea’s been around for a while, but Fiverr’s got a unique twist to it.

Another thing I love about it is that you can create as many “gigs” as you’d like, or in other words post as many services as you want.
The site works like this:

1. Start posting a new “gig” where you offer to do something for $5
2. Your Gig will be displayed to those who search for it
3. The prospect can then order your service. When they do, they will make payment to Fiverr.com and keep it in escrow until you’ve fulfilled the service.
4. You deliver the service.
5. You get paid. Fiverr keeps $1 and you keep the rest. Payments are made through Paypal.

Presto. It’s as easy as that.

Now, the downsides of using Fiverr is that you can’t really “upsell” your customers. However, you can cross-sell by setting up other related gigs and pointing your customer to your other gigs. Fiverr Terms of Service states that “You may not offer or accept payments using any method other than placing an order through Fiverr.com. Gigs should be ordered using the ‘Order Now’ button.”
Another downside of using Fiverr is that you’re restricted to pricing your services to only $5. Besides, the site’s called Fiverr, so you can’t really do much about that.

The big question is, “Does Fiverr really work? Can I really make money with Fiverr?”.

To keep it simple, you definitely will be able to sell your service(s) on Fiverr, but I wouldn’t rely on it as your main source of income. You can leverage on this site because it gets high traffic.
I put it to the test myself to see if this thing really works, so I opened up a brand new account and posted a new gig selling a service. I can’t disclose what service I’m offering, but I’ll give you a list of services you could provide in this post.
I setup this account about three days ago, and the results:

In less than 3 days, I generated $32.00 in pure profit!

Now, to some, this might be chump change. You’ll see that I made my first sale on the first day I created my account. In fact, it only took a few hours for the first sale to roll in. In total, I did 8 sales. Gross revenue generated in 3 days – $40.00. Total profit – $32.00. That pretty much paid for a delicious lunch :). And this is only from one gig. Remember, with Fiverr, you can create as many gigs as you’d like.

So, on average, it’s doing about $10 a day. Using this data, in 30 days, I would generate a nice $300 /month income. Of course, it’s too early to tell how in-demand my service really is, so it’s only a rough prediction.

At this moment, you might be thinking…

“But What Can I Sell?” I hear you saying

The best way is to start with your interest and hobbies. What are you good at? What are you passionate about? It’s a lot easier doing something you love doing, anyway.

Getting started is a piece of cake. First, you’ll need to sign up for a free account. You then create your gig.

I mentioned a lot of times in this post that it’s really easy to use. I’m not hyping it up here. It really is easy. It can be addictive, too!

Here’s a list of services you could offer and which I’ve seen to be popular on Fiverr.com:

• Writing services – articles, press releases, blog posts, preparing a wedding speech and so on.
• Design/Graphics services – creating banners, headers, ecovers, drawing, etc.
• Research – market, data, surveying, etc
• Traffic generation services – holding up a sign advertising someone’s website, get more Facebook fans and Twitter followers, SEO, and more
• Video services – recording a tutorial, demo, etc.
• Audio services – voice overs, musical, etc.
• Preparing food menus and workout routines
• Providing tips and advice – dating, self-improvement, business, etc.

Now, you’re not just restricted to services, you could also provide things that are ready-made, like:

• How to guides and reports
• Templates – writing, graphics, etc
• Compilations/rolodex/index/lists

It would be easier providing something that’s already made, since you don’t have to start from scratch.

The topics are endless. You could provide pretty much any service. They even have a section called ‘Silly Stuff’.

If you’re short on ideas, check out the “Request Gigs” section on the side of the site. These are gigs posted by members who are requesting for specific services.

My Tips on Creating Your Gig

Creating a gig is one thing, but creating an effective gig that converts is another. Here are my top tips to help you sell your gigs better:

• Use good copy. Your title is the most crucial part. It acts as a headline for your gig, so it needs to grab attention so people will click on your gig to find out more. You’re restricted to just 450 characters in the description, so it’s wise to emphasize the benefits of your service, not the features. That’s sales 101. You don’t want to brag on about how good you are, instead think what’s in it for them?
• With Fiverr, you’ll need to upload a picture that’s relevant to your gig. They say that a picture’s worth a thousand words. So if you were selling, for instance, “make up tips”, you’d surely want to use a picture of someone with make up that’s done professionally.
• Keep in contact with your customers and deliver your service as promised. When creating your gig, you can specify how many days to deliver or complete the service. If you exceed the due date, then the customer will have the option to cancel their order which means you lose a sale.

The Verdict?

I say, without doubt, give it a try! It really can’t hurt. It’s free and dead simple to use.

This is a service which anyone can start. It doesn’t matter where you’re from, how old you are, and whether you’re male or female; anyone can start using it.

This site’s still quite new and hasn’t reached it’s peak. I’d highly recommend you start using it today to get the most out of it. Just start posting your gigs right now, and who knows, you might make a few sales in just a few hours time from now.

So that concludes this special blog post.

I’d like to hear from you and if you do get on the boat and try this out, let me know how it goes! Just post a comment in the comments box below…