Thursday, January 26, 2012

Markets in Everything: Hire People for $5

Fiverr.com -- The online marketplace for people to share things they're willing to do for $5. Examples include:

I will write anything on my feet in high heels for $5 and send you three photos.

I will edit your document for correct American English grammar for $5.


15 Comments:

At 1/26/2012 2:00 PM, Blogger Jon Murphy said...

$5 for a proof-reader? What a deal!

 
At 1/26/2012 2:21 PM, Blogger netbacker said...

Americans' race to the bottom.
Very soon we Americans will be forced to compete to work in Foxconn like environment here in the USA for less than $5 an hour and live in dorms like these.
http://static.arstechnica.com/04-13-2010/china_dorm_ars.jpg

Only then will the Free Market Capitalists be satisfied while they live in their huge mansions and look for more profits.

 
At 1/26/2012 2:35 PM, Blogger Jon Murphy said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

 
At 1/26/2012 2:45 PM, Blogger Buddy R Pacifico said...

$5 dollar proof reader; why would I nerd that?

 
At 1/26/2012 3:18 PM, Blogger Jon Murphy said...

"Americans' race to the bottom."

I think you have a fundamental misunderstanding of what is going on here.

This is a list of what people are willing to do for $5. This means that they value that $5 greater than or equal to the amount of work they'll need for the topic. How is that possibly a race to the bottom? That's competition! That's innovation! That's how economics work! That's entrepreneurship, not your central plan.

 
At 1/26/2012 3:42 PM, Blogger netbacker said...

Jon you said "This is a list of what people are willing to do for $5. This means that they value that $5 greater than or equal to the amount of work they'll need for the topic."

That's what I am saying too, the condition in the US now is such that people are being forced to offer their services for such low price in order to survive. While the top tier "entrepreneurs" don't want any cuts in their profits and will look to drive down prices even further to maximize profits.

 
At 1/26/2012 3:54 PM, Blogger juandos said...

"Only then will the Free Market Capitalists be satisfied while they live in their huge mansions and look for more profit"...

Well what's stopping you slickmaniac opening a business and hiring people and paying them the big bucks & bennies?

You can put an ad up on Monster or Craigslist saying you have 'foxconn free' working conditions...

 
At 1/26/2012 4:03 PM, Blogger Jon Murphy said...

That's what I am saying too, the condition in the US now is such that people are being forced to offer their services for such low price in order to survive. While the top tier "entrepreneurs" don't want any cuts in their profits and will look to drive down prices even further to maximize profits.

Lol! Thanks. I needed that. It's been a rough day at work and nothing like a little laughter to brighten one's day.

But seriously, what's your objection here?

 
At 1/26/2012 4:14 PM, Blogger morganovich said...

"the condition in the US now is such that people are being forced to offer their services for such low price in order to survive"

wow, talk about paranoid fantasies and hyperbole.

you act as though this website is some sort of labor house in a debtors prison.

it looks to me like a bunch of college students grabbing some easy beer money for things they can do on their own schedule.

you act like it's undermining american business. please, tell us how a girl writing "happy birthday stockmaniac" on her foot is doing that.

this is just innovation for minor tasks.

further, you clearly do not understand how specialization works and why trade creates benefits and low prices increase well being.

let's take the proofreader as an example.

if i can get him to spend time proofing somehting for $5, then that's more time i have to do other things. if i can create more than $5 in value during that period, everyone wins. that's specialization for you. that is why we specialize and trade - sop we can do the things we have comparative advantage at.

if i can get it proofed for $5 instead of $15, well, i have an extra $10. i can spend it on other things. i am better off. low prices benefit consumers. what, should i want to pay $25? oh yeah, let's avoid efficiency and competition.

i'd love to have the foundation of my house poured with teaspoons and pay a guy to open and close my garage door instead of getting an electric opener.

you are espousing some pretty absurd dogma here.

so a college student being able to monetize his time and a customer being able to save money is bad thing?

by your logic, all competition would be bad. ah how you must long for the days of the guild system and control over prices and service. ah what heady days those were when people could only afford one or two sets of clothes and books were far too expensive for even the middle class.

 
At 1/26/2012 4:23 PM, Blogger morganovich said...

also:

what makes you think these are low wages?

if a proofreader can proof your doc in 10 minutes, then his effective rate is $30/hr for work he can do when he wants, where he wants.

seems like decent wage. hardly oliver twist stuff.

$5 to take 3 digital pictures after writing a message? what's that, 2 minutes of work? 3 if yo include getting it erased afterward? that's $100/hr, quite a tidy wage.

 
At 1/26/2012 4:54 PM, Blogger Marko said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

 
At 1/27/2012 11:39 AM, Blogger Jon Murphy said...

what makes you think these are low wages?

They're low wages because he thinks they're low wages. Therefore, they must be low wages for everyone and anyone who accepts these wages are slaves to some faceless evil corporation.

That's how collectivism works. One thought and anyone who disagrees with this one thought is not part of the collective and therefore evil.

 
At 1/27/2012 11:41 AM, Blogger OBloodyHell said...

Stockmaniac2008 said...

Nothing of any actual value.

Well, I suppose it might serve as a textbook example of what happens when you do 1000 extra strong hits of high-grade ecstasy in 100 days, but that's a different subject, and somewhat off-topic in an economics blog.

 
At 1/27/2012 2:21 PM, Blogger juandos said...

"Well, I suppose it might serve as a textbook example of what happens when you do 1000 extra strong hits of high-grade ecstasy in 100 days"...

Oh damn obh!

ROFLMAO!

Now that's funny...

 
At 1/30/2012 11:15 AM, Blogger rob said...

I thought that dorm looked pretty good "Some day we'll be forced" like gun to head do it or die forced or just I am to good to do this type forced?

 

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