Vent: Fiverr gigs vs local freelancers - I wasted $200 before learning my lesson

I needed a logo and content for my small lawn care business. I hired a Fiverr freelancer for $200 and got a generic clipart design with text that didn't even fit my city name. Then I found a local freelancer here in Albuquerque who charged $250. She asked about my trucks, my service area, my vibe - she even drove by my shop to see my colors. The difference was night and day. Has anyone else found that local freelancers care way more about the details?

3 comments

3 Comments

parker_webb13d ago

Man that's rough but honestly I feel for you. I had almost the exact same thing happen with a web developer on Fiverr for my cleaning business. Paid like $150 for a website and got something that looked like it was from 2005 with my info all jumbled up. The local guy I found charged a bit more but he actually asked to see my van and my supplies before he even started. It's like the Fiverr guys are just trying to survive and you can't really blame them for that but it sucks when you're the one paying for it. The local person has to look you in the eye at the grocery store so they care way more about doing it right. I think sometimes you just gotta pay a little extra for peace of mind even if it hurts the wallet at first.

henryr4513d ago

Hold up I gotta call something out here. You said you paid $200 on Fiverr but then $250 locally. Thats not really a fair comparison because the Fiverr person was probably from someplace like Pakistan or India where $200 is a months salary. Local girl charged you $250 which is super cheap for a real logo and branding package in the US. Most legit designers here charge $500 to $1000 easy. So yeah the Fiverr guy had no reason to care about your trucks because he was trying to crank out 20 logos a day to make a living. Meanwhile your local designer has to actually live in Albuquerque and see your trucks driving around so shes gonna do a better job. You didnt waste money you just learned how the world actually works.

mitchell.thomas13d ago

I'll be honest, I used to roll my eyes at people who said you should always go local for design work. Thought it was just people being snobby or trying to justify paying more. But after reading this and thinking about it, I'm starting to see it different. That part about the Fiverr guy doing 20 logos a day is probably dead on. Like how can anyone put real thought into your brand when they're rushing through that many jobs just to pay rent. And the local designer seeing your trucks around town, that actually matters way more than I gave it credit for. You convinced me that $50 more for someone who actually has to live with their work in the same city is a steal.