Fiverr.com helps build businesses $5 at a time

What would you do for five bucks?

Mail someone a postcard from Las Vegas perhaps? Create some decals or crochet a small toy? Recommend someone else’s Facebook page? Provide some fashion advice or outline tourist tips for your city?

Those are some of the current and often-zany pitches on Fiverr.com, an online marketplace that claims to make available 500,000 services offered by individuals and businesses in 200 countries.

Transactions, or “gigs,” are set at a fixed $5 price, though people can negotiate multiple orders. Business services, such as logo creation, are among the most popular.

Russ Walton, a 41-year-old broadcast professional who lives in Prescott, offers short voiceovers through Fiverr for the $5 fee, payable through PayPal.

He has done voiceovers for business websites, videos for personal YouTube clips and even a few short narrations for broadcast stations. Some are serious commercial messages, while others involve comedy or character voices.

“I do absolutely everything,” Walton said, adding that his order flow through Fiverr varies from roughly five a day to none a week.

At $5 each, “I usually limit each gig to a 15- or 30-second voiceover,” he said.

Walton uses whatever script a client provides and does the work in his home studio, transmitting the final product to customers.

He provides each client with a few different versions but tries to limit his effort to 10 or 15 minutes of total work.

“If you spend too much time on a gig, the danger is that you could wind up working for $1 an hour,” he said.

Fiverr requires registration, but it is free. Transactions must be conducted according to rules set by Fiverr that outline buyer and seller responsibilities.

Potential buyers can post requests for products or services.

Google, Amazon, Craigslist and various other websites offer competing online marketplaces.

One way to think of Fiverr is as a way to try out a service or product on a low-cost basis.

One drawback, Walton said, is that it can “fool some people into thinking $5 is my regular rate and what everyone in my business charges.”

On gigs that require more time and effort, Walton said he had successfully negotiated bigger deals with customers.

He sometimes directs potential clients to his own website, Jackofallpipes.com.

Walton has found Fiverr to be a great place to find potential contacts.

“It’s a fantastic marketing site, especially in this economy where folks can use every dollar they can get,” he said.

“And it provides wonderful exposure.”

Walton said he hadn’t yet bought anything on Fiverr, and he voiced some frustration over the low fee.

“I’m waiting for Fiverr to launch a ‘hundred-er’ site,” he quipped, “so I can charge a little more.”

Reach the reporter at russ.wiles@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8616.

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Tips for Back to School Shopping with Your Smartphone

The back-to-school shopping season is in full swing. That means parents are looking for discounts on school supplies, clothes and more.  Great deals could be waiting in your purse or pocket.

Heading back to school usually means heading to the mall. And with the economy still a little wobbly — parents and teens will be keeping spending in check.

The best discounts and coupons this season probably won’t require clipping, But clicking, scrolling and maybe even some friending on the go.  

“You can probably find your favorite retailers and get some good scoop on what they’re planning for back-to-school this year,” says Ellen Davis of the National Retail Federation.  “You might even be able to find coupons, or other information on other types of promotions.”

A back-to-school survey from the financial consulting firm, Deloitte, found that 61 percent of shoppers with web-enabled smartphones will use them to look up price information and comparison shop.

43 percent will be downloading coupons and discounts.

More than one-third of shoppers plan to tap into Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites.

Most will be looking for deals, others to browse products, and others to read product reviews.

Among the retailers who’ve seized on the trend Aeropostale and its Facebook store,  which also lets users share what’s in their shopping bag with friends.

J-C Penney’s push encourages teens to upload their style photos to the store’s Facebook page for a chance to win prizes.

And for those headed back to campus, Target’s “1,000 likes” promotion runs through August 31st on Facebook.

(Karin Caifa for CNN)

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