Is Fiverr Legit? (I’ll Share My Experience)

There are many bad reviews of Fiverr, saying that it’s riddled with worthless gigs. These reviews might have you asking, “Is Fiverr legit?”

We can’t deny that there are unprofessional gigs on Fiverr, but that’s only because of buyers with a cheap $5 mindset. 

(I mean, I, too, was around when gigs on Fiverr were only $5. I paid a young lady to hold a sign with the name of my previous blog. I’ll find it before we’re done here…)

fiverr - is it legit - fiverr's homepage with an AI dog

If you’re interested in using Fiverr, I can tell you that Fiverr is a great place to get projects done.

But before you use Fiverr or any platform, you should keep in mind a couple of things to protect yourself from scammers.

Let’s get to it! 


Is Fiverr Legit? 

Short Answer: Yes. Fiverr is a trustworthy freelancing platform for buyers and sellers.

The only reason why Fiverr gets a bad rap is because of bad actors.

Fiverr is essentially the middleman between the buyer and the seller and processes transactions.

Fiverr is the marketplace. 

It’s natural that a platform like this has scammers, but you can take precautions to avoid them.

Many people have been successful on Fiverr since it launched in 2010.

It currently has 3.4 million active buyers and 830,000 sellers across 160 countries all over the globe. 

Knowing these statistics, you can rest assured that Fiverr is legitimate.

Fiverr is now a huge company – just check out a few of their press releases.

Ok, so what are my thoughts on Fiverr? 

(and if you’re ready to find high quality freelancers, use the button below)

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My Review of Fiverr 

I have used Fiverr for multiple projects, including simple logo design, SEO, video creation, ebooks, and more.

I used Fiverr 10+ years ago when gigs were only $5 (I just spent another 10 minutes looking for the lady holding my sign!)

This is well before Fiverr became a publicly-traded company.

So is Fiverr legit?

You better believe it.

As long as you abide by Fiverr’s Terms of Service and the tips I tell you below, you should be fine. 

How safe is Fiverr? 

Fiverr is very safe as long as the transactions between the buyer and seller are done within the platform.

Fiverr is designed to hold the buyer’s payments and the seller’s work to protect both sides. 

It’s basically an escrow service.

The seller provides the project and then funds are released once approved.

The platform must comply with the highest security standards as a Level 1 PCI-DSS service provider because a lot of money is involved. 

So is Fiverr legit in terms of safety?

Yep.


Is your personal data safe on Fiverr? 

All your personal details that you submit to Fiverr are secure and encrypted.

You can rest assured that all your information is protected according to the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the most airtight privacy and security law in the world. 

Because Fiverr complies with this law, you’re allowed to access and delete all your personal information of your own choosing.

Fiverr can’t use your data or give it to anyone else.

So yes, your personal data is secure with Fiverr, and you don’t have to worry about fraud or theft. 

Fiverr sub affiliate programs


Can you get scammed on Fiverr? 

Like with everything else on the internet, you can only get scammed if you give scammers the chance to do so.

Fiverr is not exempt from people who want to take advantage of others. 

But don’t fret! I’m going to give you the best tips to avoid scams and boost your security on Fiverr.

Read on. 

Scammed On Fiverr

Tips To Avoid Getting Scammed On Fiverr

The primary reason buyers and sellers get scammed on Fiverr is that they don’t pay attention to red flags.

There are those who prey on the gullible, so don’t let yourself fall into this group.

Here are some tips to help you avoid those pesky scammers, identify red flags, and expose dishonest buyers and sellers. 


Tips For Buyers 

1. Don’t deal outside Fiverr under any circumstances. 

Some shady sellers will ask you to deal outside of the platform to avoid paying Fiverr’s commission.

It’s clearly stated on Fiverr’s guidelines that the company does not safeguard any payments outside of the platform. 

I highly suggest that you never deal outside of the platform, especially if you’re working with a seller you’ve never worked with before.

If anyone asks you to deal outside of Fiverr, it’s most likely a scam, so consider it a red flag. 

2. Review orders within three days of delivery. 

If you’re not vigilant about responding to a seller’s messages after placing an order, the seller might try to trick you by delivering your order without actually finishing it. 

After three days, your order will be automatically marked complete and the seller can receive the payment.

Fortunately, Fiverr gives buyers a grace period of 13 days after the order has been marked as completed.

During this period, Fiverr customer support can cancel the order for you. 

Of course, you’ll have to contact customer service, which will be a hassle.

To avoid this, review your orders within three days of delivery.

During this period, your payment is still secured by Fiverr.

So is Fiverr legit?

Yep, just make sure you’re on your game.

3. Be thorough about finding a seller. 

To get your money’s worth, make sure you check out a seller thoroughly.

Look at their reviews and how they present themselves in their profiles.

I also wouldn’t touch worthless gigs with a 10-foot pole. 

I know that no one can organically deliver unlimited website traffic or YouTube views.

If it seems too good to be true, it is.

Try out Fiverr

Here are some general tips that I have when hiring VAs. It’s not Fiverr-specific (as I also like other platforms like Upwork), but the tips transfer.


Tips For Sellers 

1. Don’t deal outside of Fiverr under any circumstances. 

Like I said above, for buyers, sellers should also never deal outside of the platform.

It’s dangerous for buyers to do so because they might lose money.

It’s even more dangerous for sellers because they run the risk of losing their accounts. 

Sellers have to build up their profiles with good reviews and gigs to rank up.

You wouldn’t want all that hard work to go to waste.

If you’re a freelancer on Fiverr, never make transactions off the platform.

2. Be transparent and honest with your gigs. 

As a seller, be honest about the services that you’re offering.

Describe your skills in detail and optimize your profile for ideal clients.

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Can Fiverr orders get canceled? 

Yes, you can cancel orders on Fiverr as a buyer or seller within Fiverr’s cancellation policy.

For example, you can cancel an order because the service delivered wasn’t as described.

You can also cancel an order if a client is demanding more work beyond your service description. 

The easiest way to cancel an order is to have both the buyer and seller approve it.

Both have to visit the resolution center from the order page and submit a request for order cancellation. 

If one of the two parties doesn’t agree to cancel, the one who wants to do so will have to contact Fiverr’s customer support team and give them a valid reason.

If the request is reasonable, the team will review the situation and manually cancel the order.

I want to stress that Fiverr gives higher priority to the buyer, so keep that in mind. 

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Types of Gigs You Should Avoid On Fiverr 

Types of Gigs You Should Avoid On Fiverr

1. Off-page SEO 

You’re probably familiar with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and that its two most critical factors are on-page and off-page SEO. 

You can get high-quality On-page SEO content on Fiverr, no problem.

Skilled folks offer keyword research and technical SEO services for excellent prices. 

If you see sellers offering off-page SEO, that’s a red flag.

Trust me; these “services” will hurt your website ranking in the long run.

The backlinks that will be delivered to you will possibly be spammy, which Google can detect easily. 

2. Traffic and YouTube Views 

The only way you can drive long-lasting, legitimate traffic to your site is by regularly putting out high-quality content.

Many people get impatient and use Fiverr services to buy fake traffic.

This kind of traffic doesn’t really do anything. 

These tools send bot traffic to your site or channel, meaning no actual people are viewing your content. 

If you see a seller claiming that they can generate real traffic for you really fast, that’s a scam. 

So is Fiverr legit?

For sure.

But sketchy jobs are not.

Don’t do them or ask for them.

3. Shoutouts and Promotions 

You might see some of these gigs advertising that they have millions of followers.

But if you check out their accounts, their posts get minimal likes and comments. 

It’s unlikely for you to find someone on Fiverr with real engagement on their account willing to promote you.

Think about it.

Why would a famous influencer be on Fiverr asking for money in exchange for shoutouts?

There you have it; these are the services that you should avoid on Fiverr.


Are all Fiverr reviews genuine? 

Only buyers and sellers involved in projects can leave reviews on Fiverr, so most of them are real.

However, there can be some fake positive reviews on new seller accounts. 

How did they get these reviews so early on?

They may order it from someone or create accounts as a buyer for the sole purpose of leaving 5-star reviews.

Seeing some 5-star reviews could gain others’ trust. 

So how do you weed out the bad sellers from the honest ones? Read on to find out. 


How To Find Legitimate Honest Sellers On Fiverr

How To Find Legitimate Honest Sellers On Fiverr

Of course, you only want to work with honest sellers, so how do you find them?

Here are my tips: 

  • Always read their reviews. Look at what past buyers say about their work. I recommend not hiring sellers with less than four stars. 
  • Be thorough about reading the gig description and offer projects within the seller’s skillset. Don’t expect them to go above and beyond the services that they offer. 
  • Read the FAQ section if some parts of the gig descriptions need clarification. 

Before you make your way to a seller’s description and FAQ sections, always see what other buyers are saying first. 

Before you order projects, I recommend that you contact the seller.

This is the time to negotiate and explain what exactly you need to get done and how they can deliver the best service possible. 

Lastly, check the seller’s joining date and see if it matches up with their reviews.

If it’s a new account and they have tons of rave reviews, look a bit closer. 

How can you tell fake reviews from real ones? 

Let’s say a seller joined Fiverr in May 2021, but they have more than 50 reviews from the same month, then it’s highly likely that those reviews are fake. 

A good rating on Fiverr takes some time to build. It may take months, even years.

Over time, a seller can earn level one, two, or a top-rated badge based on their excellent performance.

Sellers would have to provide customer satisfaction and deliver high-quality work to maintain their strong ratings.

If a seller is highly rated, then you can relax and assume that their services are legit. 

Before wrapping up, here’s some related reading: Here’s an article on How to make an Extra $1,000 a month


Final Thoughts 

Fiverr has been generating a lot of buzz since it was first launched in 2010.

The platform is not immune to negative reviews.

There’s some scamming on Fiverr, and some freelancers complain about the commission they have to pay the platform. 

Despite this, Fiverr remains to be an excellent source for buyers and sellers alike.

Buyers can buy quality content at affordable prices, and sellers can earn a steady income through freelancing. 

Fiverr is definitely a viable source of income if you exert enough effort. 

If you follow all the tips I laid out above, you’ll have no trouble finding great freelancers to work with on Fiverr.

I hope you found this guide useful, and I wish you luck on the wonderful freelancing platform that is Fiverr.

Ready to give Fiverr a go? Click below…

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Ok, me hit some questions folks might have.

Fiverr FAQ

Can you get scammed on Fiverr?

Definitely. Just like any other platform. Read the listing closely. You can also see a seller’s feedback to feel comfortable buying from them.

Are Fiverr reviews real?

Good question. They are, but just like on platforms like Amazon, sellers may try to trick the system. So when it doubt, look at the reviews very closely.

What are some Fiverr buyer tips?

Sort your results by the seller feedback. You can easily find trusted sellers in this way.

Is Fiverr real or fake?

I think we’ve covered this one. Fiverr is as real as it gets and has been around since 2010!

Disclosure: This article might contain affiliate links to the resources I refer to. It's at no cost to you, and it's how we pay the bills. Get more info here.

Brooks Conkle Banner Image
Brooks Conkle

Brooks is an entrepreneur, father, husband, & follower of the golden rule. He has over 15 years of experience as an entrepreneur after graduating with a Finance degree from Auburn University. Addicted to starting new business projects, he believes in creating multiple income streams and a life of flexibility. Business should work around your life, not the other way around. He creates content on his website, sharing his projects to help other hustlers in marketing, personal finance, and online business.