Some Fiverr sellers
outsource work, or part of work, to other Fiverr sellers, and it's
perfectly fine, as long as you're honest about it, and as long as you
treat other sellers with respect.
For example, you make
videos, but you don't do voice overs, nor do you write scripts. If
the buyer doesn't provide you with the voice over or script, it makes
perfect sense to outsource these tasks to sellers who do it (and
charge the buyer extra for it, of course).
Or, you do a certain thing,
but you got too many orders to deliver in too little time, and you
can't make it on your own. As long as you're not lying to your buyer,
it's fine to outsource some of the work to other sellers.
However, whatever the reason
for outsourcing, it should be done with respect, and respect doesn't
mean just saying 'please' and 'thank you'; respect means much more.
A new buyer may get the
benefit of the doubt if he offers $5 for work that costs $50. Maybe
he still doesn't know how to read the gig description. But someone
who's selling on Fiverr? Sellers must create one or more gigs of
their own in order to sell, so they know exactly how to read the gig
description. They know where the prices and the delivery times are
located, so trying to get something for $5 when the seller's price is
clearly $10, or trying to get it in one day when the seller's
delivery time is five days, and refusing to pay for the extra fast
delivery, leads to three possible conclusions:
- Seller A (the one who wants to outsource work to Seller B) didn't bother to read the gig description, which is disrespectful;
- Seller A did read the description, but is trying to pretend that he didn't, which is both disrespectful and dishonest;
- Seller A did read the description, but is trying to manipulate Seller B into lowering his prices and speeding up the delivery time just for Seller A, which is disrespectful, dishonest, and makes Seller A a person that nobody would want to work with.
Is it always that bad? Not
necessarily. In some cultures, haggling and trying to lower the price
is the norm, so it could be a matter of cultural differences. The
trouble is, in other cultures, haggling is seen as an act of a
dishonest cheapskate, and those who do that are often portrayed in
jokes in rather unfavorable light; they're certainly not seen as
professionals, or as someone people would want to work with.
So what happens if you want
to outsource work to another seller, you really like their samples
and their reviews, but you need it faster or at a lower price? Does
it hurt to ask, or should you just find someone else?
You may ask, but be honest
about it. Acknowledge that you have read the description and that you
know what the regular prices and delivery times are, explain your
situation, and ask if the seller is willing to help you. They might
accept – and if they do, thank them for it, and try NOT to ask them
for another favor in the future, unless they offer it themselves;
instead, if you decide to work with them again, pay their full
prices, and pay for that extra fast delivery if you need it, too.
And if they don't accept?
Respect their decision, thank them for their time, and don't try to
manipulate them to change their mind. Try to find someone offering
what you need at the price you can afford – and if you can't find
anyone on a site like Fiverr, you might have to offer more, because
in that case, it's not others asking for too much, it's you offering
way too little.
