Is it common for people to hire private investigators for $30/hour from websites like Fiverr or Upwork?

What types of cases do they typically handle?

I don't know how common it is, but it is not wise. It’s not that we fear competition—far from it. The work advertised for the PI industry is usually website development or content writing.

We guess they are asked to handle mundane matters that do not require a license, knowledge of evidentiary requirements, field surveillance, access to real proprietary databases, court-ready documents and compliance with ethical and legal issues.

They may try to perform background checks, social media investigations, skip tracing, or phone number lookups. Are they using the Internet and charging you for what you can do yourself and get for free?

My recommendation is to try a PI in your area. For a few dollars, maybe $20.00 more per hour, you may find the quality of service and work product far superior.