Is it still possible to work for yourself and establish a business via Fiverr? Even after they collect 20% of your fee and after they charge the customer a surcharge?
Since my last blog post Fiverr has changed considerably. Fiverr has introduced a new leveling system. Even if you have a 5-star positive rating and few order cancellations you now need to earn at least $400 in a certain amount of time to achieve Level 1.
My account has been demoted from a Level 2 seller to Level 1 and let me tell you I can certainly tell the difference. It has been an outrage among many seasoned and professional sellers although Fiverr has been trying to cover this up. I have worked on over 600 projects, maintained a level two status, and maintained a 5-star rating and reviews for over three years. And not one of my reviews is fake. I worked hard for each and every one. Under their new tyranny in order to stay above, you must work constantly with no vacations no breaks because if you are not producing you could be demoted. Seemingly sellers are being forced to work on whatever projects come to be able to level up or maintain their current status. It seems more like working for Fiverr than working for yourself.
For me, my work is creative in which I perform all of it. I do not take shorts cuts and work in excellence. The quality of projects and customers makes a very big difference me. I do not believe quality is Fiverrs’ main goal. Their sellers have voiced many times that buyers are constantly placing orders even when the description states please contact first and sellers are penalized for canceling the orders if it does not work out with the buyer. But this has fallen on deaf ears. One thing for sure it is a great time for buyers to stack up on very cheap services because of the imposition Fiverr has decided to put their sellers in. So enough of my opinion here are the new changes for Fiverr.
The following are the new requirement you need to achieve to become a Level 1 seller.
Before you were required to complete at least 60 days as an active Seller on Fiverr. With the new rules, you now must complete at least 2 months of Fiverr to reach Level 1 status.
*You must now complete at least 10 individual order
*Earn $400 or more
*Maintain a 4.8-star rating over the period of 60 days
*90% Response rating over the 60 days
*Do not receive TOS warning over the period of 30 days
I will tell you this in favor of your gig Fiverr has not perfected their updates. They are quick to demote you but their updates are not consistent or ….
It is believed that now with these new standards to achieve Level 1 status this will provide a more professional platform of sellers because now it is a little more difficult to achieve Level 1 status.
I can see this being helpful. There have been many sellers perpetrating the look of a professional but not providing a professional service or results.
These are supposed to be the benefits for the Level 1 seller
- Before you we only allowed 7 active gigs, now you have 10
- 4 Gig Extras ($5, $10, $20, $40)
- Send Custom Offers, up to $5,000
- Earning clearance: 14 days
Now, this really makes me upset because I have achieved this many times over and yet this company still demoted my account.
Becoming a Level 2 Seller on Fiverr Requirements
*Complete 120 days or more as an active Seller on Fiverr
*Complete 50 or more orders.
*Earn $2,000+
*Maintain a 4.8 star rating over a period of 60 days
*90% Response rate, Order completion and On-time Delivery over the course of 60 days
*Avoiding receiving warnings over the 30 day period
These are supposed the be the Benefits of Fiverr Level 2
- 20 Active Gigs
- 5 Gig Extras ($5 to $50)
- 15 Gig Multiples
- You can Send Custom Offers up to $10,000
- Eligibility to be featured in promotional listings
- Eligibility for Customer Success program
- Earning clearance: 14 days
Now the following are the requirements for the Top Seller which they were never going to give me. Based on Fiverr TOS they do not want you contacting them with your grievances about their system or what they can make better. Many times Fiverr’s system would not work properly for deliveries and communicating with buyers. Although they claim to have known this they were very receptive to it being brought to their attention of how it may have affected the seller.
Top Seller is the highest level available on the Fiverr platform, to achieve these you need to complete the given requirements below.
*Complete at least 180 days as an active Seller on Fiverr
*Complete at least 100 orders.
*Earn at least $20,000
*Maintain a 4.8 star rating over the course of 60 days
*90% Response rate, Order completion and On-time Delivery over the course of 60 days
*You need to Avoiding receiving warnings over the course of 30 days
Now after all of this you can lose your status as I did.
This is what makes it feel like you are working for Fiverr rather than for yourself?
Now people having any Level in Fiverr can lose their Level if they fail to accomplish the following requirements, the next evaluation is on the 15th of February, I believe, and people who will not be able to complete these requirements will be demoted to lower level.
Let’s suppose you are on Level 2 and your order completion rate is below 90% till 15th of February your level will be demoted to Level 1. So check your account status by going to Analytics on your Fiverr tab.
Many sellers have been leaving because they no longer feel they are working for themselves. This seems to work well for newbies or those passing themselves off as professional but for the real professionals this is not the best deal.
I am a true professional. I have jingles and songs being heard all over the world. I have worked for companies such as Disney, Warner Bros, Universal, Inters cope records and many in between. I am a professional which I am sure Fiverr will never hand pick me as they have not all this time because just like I am writing this blog I send them my grievances when they are not performing their service correctly. They take notice.
This is the best time for buyers because sellers are put in the position where they cannot have much preference for the projects they take on. You have to be working constantly if you want your listing to show up on the first or second page of the listing. Sadly, this does not determine whether a seller is professional or not and I believe that most of the buyers that are attracted to Fiverr could care less. Many are looking for cheap, not professional. Hiring a pro cost more. I think if you have a service you provide where it is automatic and you do not have to do the creative work yourself then maybe Fiverr is for you.
