Fiverr Enterprise is a major glow-up for the platform’s Pro sellers, apparently offering an eye-catching 0% commission rate, flexible, direct payment, and access to major clients. So why isn’t anyone talking about it?
Or rather, people are talking about it, but they’re still too angry with Fiverr’s recent destruction of seller levels and ratings (and, if you were wondering how that turned out, nothing significantly changed on March 14th: we must assume the new system is now in place to stay).
There’s also has small launch issue: even the people invited (or the “talents” in Enterprise lingo) don’t really know what Fiverr Enterprise is:
Now, that’s a shame, because there’s a lot to like here if Fiverr has pulled it off. So, I’ve spent some time reading through the documentation (link at bottom of article) and pulling out the most important information sellers need to know now.
The first thing you need to know is that there’s not a whole lot of information – much of this is shrouded in mystery! Outside of an email, there’s not much information out there specifically for sellers, reminiscent of the increasingly quiet Freelancers Trainerr Program.
One other thing to note is that this is not the first launch of Enterprise. But it does seem to be a launch that integrates selected sellers more completely into the platform. At the time of writing, it appears that all Pro sellers are in this catalog, though this cannot be verified.
But let’s see what we can find, shall we?
Fiverr Enterprise Benefits for Sellers
Fiverr has been under a lot of criticism lately, with many mocking the platform’s assurances of “listening”. What jumps out about Enterprise is that a lot of the “listening” to common complaints has been implemented:
- Fiverr Enterprise offers sellers 0% commission, matching Upwork’s enterprise offer
- Sellers can negotiate payment terms directly with clients, including hourly, fixed, or custom
- Fiverr offers multiple payment methods including direct bank transfer
- Fiverr clients are responsible for covering any transaction fees related to payment
- Fiverr covers the foreign exchange fee for major currencies
- Enterprise is the natural home for the freelance platform’s biggest clients, which include names like Microsoft and Netflix
- Fiverr is focusing on long-term projects rather than one-off gigs
That’s right: no commissions, direct transfer to your bank, no exchange fees for major currencies, and hourly. Enterprise has taken a lot of Fiverr’s platforms most inflexible features and replaced them with something that’s a lot more accommodating.
UPDATE: At least, that’s what Fiverr’s Enterprise documentation says. I reached out to Fiverr two weeks ago to confirm this and have yet to hear back – and staff are staying quiet on the Fiverr Forum, too. However, their launch email does say there are no fees associated.
How Fiverr Enterprise Works for Sellers
Hidden deep in one of the few information pages available is this talent app demo, which still features the old Stoke Talent branding (more on that shortly):
Fiverr Enterprise is a Separate Platform
Despite its name, you won’t find Fiverr Enterprise on the Fiverr platform – it’s a separate platform. It is also not possible to access Fiverr Enterprise as a freelancer unless you have been invited by a business using the platform.
Why is it a separate platform? In 2021, Fiverr acquired Stoke Talent for $95 million. Stoke Talent was essentially what Fiverr Enterprise is today: a platform that provides businesses with freelance management tools for onboarding, budget tracking, payment, and workforce compliance when working with freelancers and contractors.
How Fiverr Enterprise Work for Sellers
The first step for any seller (at this time) is to check for this email from Fiverr with the subject line More clients, this way:
Sellers can also apply, though a form does not appear to be available at the moment. Sellers who recieved this email will not need to do anything else at this moment. In future, sellers will need to set up their own profile. Fiverr notes that the focus isn’t on gigs, but the talents behind the services.
Fiverr Enterprise Clients Search for Freelancers
Here’s where things get a little more interesting.
Clients can opt to search through the talent catalog and reach out directly or, for an undisclosed fee, Fiverr will take client requirements and find the best matches in the marketplace. They’ll then send clients a shortlist of potential hires. Clients can still browse the listings if they want to, but Enterprise marks the beginning of a much more pro-active matchmaking service (it is not known how much of a part Fiverr Neo plays in this matchmaking.
Negotiation is a Key Part of Enterprise
Unlike the regular Fiverr platform, there’s no “click, buy, done” mentality on the new platform. Negotiation is a required step to discuss payment terms and conditions as well as he project scope. There’s no fixed gig pricing here: everything is à la carte.
Project Work Comes with Increased Flexibility
Work and communications can be done through the platform, or they can be carried out more traditionally through email, IM, Zoom or other preferred communication methods. Fiverr still discourages doing this (primarily so it can more easily manage dispute resolution), but the option is there.
All projects on Fiverr Enterprise use milestones, which can be engaged with an hourly or fixed price. These milestones also come with timeframes that can be hourly or weekly. When each is complete, freelancers can request payment. This request will need to be approved by the hiring manager.
How Freelancers Get Payment on Fiverr Enterprise
The big thrill here isn’t so much the project work and access to potentially premium clients: it’s the 0% commissions and a smorgasbord of payment options:
- Wire transfer direct to bank account
- Direct deposit/ACH direct to bank account
- Check
- eCheck/local bank transfer direct to bank account
- PayPal
- Payoneer
On top of this, payment supports up to 80 currencies. For the following major currencies, Fiverr Enterprise clients will pay any foreign exchange fees:
- USD
- EUR
- GBP
- INR
- ILS
- CAD
- NZD
It is not clear if AUD is missing from this list due to a launch oversight or is excluded.
Where Next for Fiverr?
Fiverr Enterprise marks a new direction for Fiverr, and one that confirms what I’ve been hinting at for a while: that Fiverr is slowly, but surely splitting its platform into two. The budget marketplace for everyone – and the premium marketplace for the elite.
It remains to be seen if the company can pull this off. So far, r/Fiverr, the largest Fiverr-related Reddit community, isn’t talking about it, and neither is the main Fiverr Forum outside of a few isolated, highly critical pockets.
This may be in part due to the the simple fact that Fiverr’s own email didn’t highlight the 0% commissions, or it may be disillusion with the recent ratings and levels fiasco. One thing that stands out is that even the Pros invited to the platform don’t understand how it works, and the exclusivity messaging has fallen flat.
With all that said, I’m intrigued at the possibilities and looking forward to getting my first invite. When I do, I’ll be sharing more inside details of how the platform actually works and looks.
In the meantime, what do you think?
More information: Fiverr Enterprise Help Center: Information for Talents
