Many people are extremely aware of how the internet changed the world. Services like E-Bay quickly displayed their ability to entrepreneurs to show and sell their goods. It quickly became a staging ground for business after business, as it allowed numerous industries to reach markets that they otherwise could never have even found. This is all common knowledge; what is less understood has been what E-bay didn't cover.

The on-line auctioning model was made for the purposes of selling goods already in hand; custom made wares and professional services were more difficult to sell. The feedback and arbitration systems were at odds with such things, and left the artist in question at the mercy of the person who commissioned the work. Few tools were in place to protect the artist’s from fraudulent claims, so it became a losing proposition. There were few ways for talented people to use their skills to the fullest potential, but plenty of talented people

Then along came fiverr in 2009. The whole service was based around the idea of letting skilled people find a way to monetize their talents and hobbies in a mutually positive way. The cost? It was the same as their name; five dollars. While someone could charge more if they chose, this baseline price helped establish what they were about and how they operated very effectively. After the “gig” was performed, fiverr took 20% of what the patron paid for the service. More often than not, this resulted in four dollars for the contractor and a dollar for fiverr.

Individually, this may not seem like much but it added up quick. Fiverr's founders are pretty closed lip on the number of gigs processed each day, but what is known is that there are over a million services offered on the site at any given time. That's a lot of dollar bills.

In less than five years time, the company has shown that it's a savvy service that wants to see its clients succeed. Early in 2012, they put in a level system that allowed it's most dedicated and industrious users to do more within the site. People who progress through that system gain the ability to differentiate their gigs with better options and services.

The types of things you can find and purchase on fiverr are more varied than one could imagine. Travel advice, jewelry, clay sculptures, jingles, logos, translations services, sound editing, proof reading, custom YouTube messages, advertising, education, and web security are just a few of the many things one has the chance to put at their disposal. It combines the joy of knowledge and creation with the thrill of flea market shopping; who knows what treasure you are going to find that you never even knew existed?

Fiverr is a contracting site, made to provide a diverse set of tasks at a reasonable price point. That description, while accurate, really doesn't do the service justice. This is a website where people start creating the first pages of their portfolios. For some, it's a fun job that has become their primary source of income. Still others come to fiverr only to shop at a bazaar of infinite possibilities.

Regardless of your reasons for coming, the answer to how exactly does fiverr work, becomes quite evident; through the dedication of talented people with brilliant ideas.