Today I was awarded Top Seller status on Fiverr. I don’t particularly know what to make of this. But it’s almost exactly a year since I posted anything to this blog, so it seems like a good time for an update!
My Fiverr Story
I decided to set up a Fiverr account in July 2020, primarily to give me something to do during the pandemic times. But it wasn’t until the end of August that I figured it all out and made my first sale. So my Top Seller status comes almost exactly two years later.
I wouldn’t say the Top Seller badge is a vitally important thing for me to achieve, as Fiverr is only responsible for around 20% of my income. But nevertheless, it felt good seeing the message this morning.
How to Achieve Top Seller Status
There are certain benchmarks you need to hit and maintain in order to achieve Top Seller status on Fiverr. These include prompt customer response rates, a minimum average rating of 4.7 on your gigs, plus total sales figures of $20,000. But we don’t really understand exactly how freelancers can attain this status.
Fiverr’s level system starts out pretty straightforward. All newbies are assigned “New Seller” status, which is automatically upgraded to “Level 1” and “Level 2” when achievements are accomplished. However, there is no automatic leap from Level 2 to Top Seller. It involves some kind of mysterious input from the Fiverr team that nobody has yet figured out.
We do know that buyers receive a private survey a few days after an order has been completed. Of course, it’s possible to leave a public review for freelancers and clients usually do. But this hidden feedback seems much more likely to be honest, as it’s withheld from the seller. And these reviews almost certainly play a big role in the selection of Fiverr Top Seller freelancers.
What Top Seller Means For Me
To be perfectly honest, I don’t really know what achieving the Top Seller ranking means for my Fiverr account. I guess time will tell. My understanding is that I can now create more gigs and have access to increasingly complex add-ons. In truth, these features are useless to me.
What could be helpful is that I now “only” have to wait a week for my gig earnings to clear. And apparently, I gain access to priority customer support. Given how notoriously dreadful Fiverr support is, I won’t be holding out much hope with that one.
I think I’ll use this newly acquired Fiverr status to apply for Fiverr Pro. That almost certainly would be useful to me, as you gain access to exclusive clients and can charge much more for your Fiverr gigs. I don’t know if being a Top Seller has any effect on the likelihood of a successful Pro application or not. As a betting man, I’d say it probably doesn’t. But it certainly can’t hinder my chances.
What’s the Point of This Post, Dominic?
Well, shameless self-promotion aside, it’d be nice if I could help someone new to the world of freelancing understand a little more about the Fiverr Top Seller ranking. It’s taken me almost exactly two years to acquire it. But it’s not stopped me from having a fantastic 18 months in my new life as a digital nomad.
I see a lot of new freelancers in various groups on the internet who pin all their hopes on Fiverr. I’d advise them not to do that. As I mentioned, a little over 20% of my 2022 earnings have come from this particular platform. I’ve actually had a lot more joy through my Upwork profile than Fiverr. Not to mention the clients acquired privately through LinkedIn and other social networks, where you don’t need to pay commissions on your work.
Take Your Time
I’d also advise new freelancers that it’s not a race. I’m not going to divulge figures here, obviously. But I am now earning more money than I ever did in a 9-5, and I had a pretty decent career in the gambling industry before taking the digital nomad route.
When I quit my last job, my targets were quite humble. It was never about the money for me, but acquiring freedom and reducing stress. Because ultimately, life is too short to be slaving away for people who don’t care about you and don’t respect you. But I quickly realised that I could do pretty well and my numbers have gone from strength to strength.
Consistency is the key. Keep grinding away. There will be downs as well as ups and I certainly don’t think I’ve cracked it just yet. But since I shifted to full-time freelancing, I’ve managed to maintain this growth pattern whilst living my life to the fullest.
Digital Nomad
For instance, I spent the whole of June and July travelling through Panama, El Salvador and Mexico, before heading to the beautiful island of Aruba, home to one of my oldest friends. But this wasn’t a vacation, it’s my life now. I have the flexibility to work from the beach. Or take a random day off to visit Chichén Itzá, for instance, which I had always wanted to do.
I could never have done any of this if it weren’t for the freedom afforded to me by platforms like Fiverr.
At the end of the week, I’ll be off to Kigali, Zanzibar and Cairo to tick a few more things off my bucket list. Later in the year I’ll be attending eight matches in the opening week of the FIFA World Cup. I’m sure that’ll upset a few people, given the controversy around the event. But I’ve never been to a World Cup before and the tournament’s going to go ahead anyway. So I figure I might as well.
And speaking of football, my newfound freedom has allowed me to watch Sheffield United disappoint me in the flesh an awful lot more than in recent years. Something that’s very important to me, for some reason.
I don’t think I’ll ever shut up about how great the digital nomad life is and I’d encourage everyone to look into it. It’s much easier to achieve than ever before. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. Because if I can achieve Fiverr Top Seller status, anyone can!