Utahns make extra money $5 at a time

Utahns make extra money $5 at a time


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SALT LAKE CITY — Looking for a little extra cash? A website allows people to earn a quick $5 by offering their expertise to others. The sky is the limit on what's available at Fiverr.com.

One of the more unusual offerings: a man said for $5 he will put eggs in both shoes and walk around for 10 minutes. But then there are professional jobs, called gigs, that you'd never expect to find for just $5, anything from nutrition advice to custom songs to puppet shows and beyond.

Jennifer Hunter meticulously proofreads and edits all sorts of documents. From school papers to web and blog content to magazine articles and books. All of it is from people who bought her services from Fiverr.

"I get a lot from China, from Eastern Europe, a lot of non-native English speakers," she explained.

Hunter's full-time job is being a stay-at-home mom. She accepts up to 15 gigs a week from Fiverr users. She said there are other benefits besides extra income.


It's just quick money. Keeps my skill level up, and I get to meet new people. It's fun.

–Zachary Johanson


"It keeps me busy, keeps my mind working and active. I'm an English major, so I get to use my skills, put my college degree to use," she said.

Fiverr's popularity depends on professional gigs that could take an amateur hours to figure out but that an expert can turn in mere minutes. Examples include designing a professional looking book cover, creating advanced formulas for a spreadsheet program, or editing a photo in Photoshop.

In the hands of an expert, these tasks can earn the sellers some quick cash.

For five bucks, Zachary Johanson will stand in front of the Utah state capitol and hold up your sign. So far, he's had one buyer -- KSL. He's confident his sign-holding gig will take off, but his 11 other gigs on Fiverr also keep him busy.

"I do logo design, banner production, web design, voice overs, stuff like that," he said.

Expenses
  • No extra cost for a buyer using Fiverr.com
  • The seller pays $1 of the $5 he or she earns back to the website
  • Some sellers charge more for gigs with expedited delivery or other such requests

He sells two to three gigs a day on Fiverr, he said. His most popular one right now is creating video testimonials.

"I've had people from Sweden, from France, from Canada, from all over the world hire me," he said.

Johanson said a gig could take anywhere from minutes to a couple of hours to complete. Even if it sometimes takes longer than he'd like, he said Fiverr is well worth the time he puts into it.

"Oh, definitely," he said. "It's just quick money. Keeps my skill level up, and I get to meet new people. Very nice. It's fun."

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Bill Gephardt

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