🤩Popular Top Rated Sellers! What are your thoughts on these comments about becoming TRS?

[vickieito]

After running into two different threads about the becoming TRS, I thought I should reach out to the popular TRS that I know!

For those of you who don't I exist, I'm Vickie and I'm following you (no, I'm not paparazzi, I just like your content). 😊

@newsmike, @vickiespencer, @misscrystal, @shayaan499, @visualstudios, @damooch916, @frank_d, @raselkhondokar, @zeus777, @miiila, @williambryan392, @yannisenglish, @callyofficial, & @vovkaslovesnyy

I've seen several ideas floating around the forum about the hidden factors of becoming TRS, since it is a manual process, and wanted to see what your thoughts are on some of the ones I found:

From @chrispydesigns's new user introduction post today,  he stated that:

Quote

I am slated for review of Top Rated Seller status and have been doing some research about what that means to me and how I can reach my goal. Engaging in fiverr forums was one of the metrics considered during the evaluation process of determining a sellers status of top rated. 

From @asifhassanantue's post last month (based on conversations with his Success Manager):

Quote

The team that handpick sellers to be a TRS is very choosy about selecting seller for TRS. Firstly we have to fulfil all the requirements for TRS then there are some important sector they look into such as professionalism of the seller which communicating, zero tolerance in grammatical mistakes on gig & descriptions, gig price should be minimum $10, gig image have to be professional & clearly communicated, there should not be same service gig twice. 

So based on your experiences, do you think any of the following had any bearing in your TRS promotion?

• Forum activity
• Gig price
• Type of gig(s) offered
• Seller/gig professionalism
• The performance/number of other sellers in your category

If not, what do you think did?

[crownmediaa]

My thoughts :

• Forum activity ❌
• Gig price ❌
• Type of gig(s) offered ❌
• Seller/gig professionalism ✔️
• The performance/number of other sellers in your category❌
• Timely delivery ✔️
• Value for money delivery ✔️
• High rated reviews ✔️

[visualstudios]

I don't think Forum Activity is a factor, and if it is I doubt it's a big one.

Gig Price is probably also not a big factor... directly. I had prices well above $10 to start with, so I don't have a term of comparison, but I've seen TRS's with low prices, so I'm assuming it's not decisive. What higher prices do, however, is weed out bad clients - and that can improve your chances of having less cancelations, better reviews, better portfolio, etc., so in that sense I would say higher gig prices will contribute to your chances.

Type of gig offered and number of sellers in your category are kind of the same thing, in a way. If you're offering something that a ton of people are also offering, and none of them are TRS... maybe that's a sign that Fiverr is not looking for that. Conversely, if you're offering something that is also being offered by a huge number of TRS's, that can decrease the likelihood of you getting selected, as I assume there is some sort of cap (% wise) of TRS per category, so as not to devalue the badge.

Gig and profile presentation (this includes your picture, tagline, bio, gig images and videos, gig copy, etc.) is one of the biggest factors imo. Another is portfolio, social proof (big brands, great reviews). If you look like a TRS to begin with, you'll be more likely to get it.

None of this is based on concrete evidence, I have no data, it's all conjecture and deduction, but sounds pretty logical to me and aligns with my experience.

Edited June 5, 2022 by visualstudios

[williambryan392]

Obviously all of these are just my thoughts / opinions but...

On 6/5/2022 at 7:43 AM, vickieito said:

Forum activity

I think this is complete and utter nonsense. The forum has zero connection to TRS eligibility. Perhaps, maybe just maybe, fiverr checks out your social media / linkedin / forum use to check you're not saying anything grossly offensive, but again I don't think they do.

On 6/5/2022 at 7:43 AM, vickieito said:

Gig price

Generally speaking the higher the better. BUT, I've seen very low priced gigs from TRS, and very high priced gigs so I don't think it matters directly, however, I also believe they want to have a good range of different price points from each seller level within the 'pyramid'. What's the pyramid you ask, see the below comment.

Also, it's about the average selling price, and seeing that move in the right direction, this shows you're making more and more over time, and therefore more and more for fiverr.

On 6/5/2022 at 7:43 AM, vickieito said:

Type of gig(s) offered

I don't think it matters, so long as there aren't duplicates and they aren't unethical or against ToS, and they fit the pyramid.

On 6/5/2022 at 7:43 AM, vickieito said:

Seller/gig professionalism

Yes, absolutely this has an impact. Your response rate. Your messages. Your gig descriptions. Your gig images. The quality of the gig delivery. Consistency over time. 

On 6/5/2022 at 7:43 AM, vickieito said:

The performance/number of other sellers in your category

Yes, I believe so. It's all relative.

 

Overall I believe it's rather like a pyramid.

What's the pyramid? Well for example it's 10 TRS, 200 Level 2, 1000 Level 1 and 5000 New seller for each category / gig / offering.

Fiverr won't want to have an over (or under) saturated TRS layer.

They want to have enough sellers at each level, at each price point and offering each type of gig to hopefully provide an ideal match whoever the buyer is.

Happy to be disagreed with.... 

[callyofficial]

I would guess...

• Forum activity - I'd say unlikely, but I do believe the more you give, the more you receive, and of course being helpful to others is its own reward.  

• Gig price - unlikely.

• Type of gig(s) offered  - I don't think this would be a major factor, but could be taken into consideration, especially if you have a unique gig or USP.

• Seller/gig professionalism - definitely. I think this would be high on the list of deciding factors.

• The performance/number of other sellers in your category - while I don't think this would make a big difference, I would guess that there will only be a certain number of TRS's for each category, so I'm sure this would be taken into consideration.

To add to this I would say the biggest factor would likely be the buyer feedback that is privately given to Fiverr.

[melanielm]

I'm not on the list, but I have been a TRS for a while now. I do agree with many comments others made, but wanted to add a few details from my perspective. I became a TRS when my basic gig package was at the lower-mid range of sellers who did not charge five dollars anymore. Of course, I have no way of knowing if I would have become one earlier if my price was higher. One thing that could be a factor is the percentage of repeat customers a person gets. It could be an indicator of quality and professionalism.

[miiila]

On 6/5/2022 at 7:59 AM, crownmediaa said:

My thoughts :

• Forum activity ❌
• Gig price ❌
• Type of gig(s) offered ❌
• Seller/gig professionalism ✔️
• The performance/number of other sellers in your category❌
• Timely delivery ✔️
• Value for money delivery ✔️
• High rated reviews ✔️

I think this is a good idea, so I'll follow @crownmediaa's format (I've also used this format in a topic I once posted to end all the "Can I have multiple accounts? Can I log into more than one device with my account?" etc. questions. Naturally, it didn't work, though, even if the format was genius ;))

My take:

•  Forum activity ❌ (Won't hurt, but won't be a decisive factor. There are TRSs who never post on the forum, right? So.)
• Gig price ❌✔️ (If an ssm recently told someone the minimum price must be $10, it certainly makes sense to take that seriously, but it might depend on what you sell in your $5 Gig. I don't think they will not give you the badge if everything else is great, just because you have a $5 entry Gig that offers a little something and might onboard new buyers who'd else be too timid to buy.)
• Type of gig(s) offered✔️
• Seller/gig professionalism ✔️
• The performance/number of other sellers in your category ✔️
• Timely delivery ✔️
• Value for money delivery ❔ (not sure; they can only evaluate this if they can judge the quality of the deliveries, so it depends on whether they have people who (can) do that, and it would be a staff-/time-intensive thing, unless they have something else to go by for that criterion if it does exist, for example, the private reviews, where customers may write things like "too expensive for the price", or "satisfied with value for money")
• High rated reviews ✔️ (it's called "Top Rated Seller"!)

On 6/5/2022 at 7:43 AM, vickieito said:

From @asifhassanantue's post last month (based on conversations with his Success Manager):

Quote

The team that handpick sellers to be a TRS is very choosy about selecting seller for TRS. 

Glad to read that! 😇 Maybe it also sums up things nicely - they are very choosy in all regards, as they have to be, because if everyone is a TRS, no one is. 

Some things I miss on that "hidden factors" list, albeit it's hardly hidden, as Fiverr info and forum readers should be able to attest:

• standing out
• excellent customer service
• relevancy/currentness/"in the editorial focus"ness
• onboarding skills
• returning/regular customers

____________________

PS

I only shared my top secrets with you because you used the 🤩 emoji, and tagged me as one among other "Popular Top Rated Sellers", I was never the popular kid. I also only endeavoured to become a TRS because back when I joined, they called them "The Fiverr Rock Stars" on the requirements' info page, and I immediately recognized my only chance of becoming a rock star in this life. 😉 Let me add "Rock Star material" to the hidden factors list 😉 

PPS

Those "😉" things indicate that I'm joking, perhaps, but in any case, that you shouldn't take me any more seriously than I do. 

Edited June 5, 2022 by miiila

[newsmike]

I agree that forum participation is not a consideration, except that I would suspect that if someone is a member that a quick review of their warnings and content would be in order. If someone were to be a candidate yet their posts were all:

Why does Fiverr steal 20% of our money?

Give me tricks to make quick sales.

Customer service sucks.

How can I pay outside Fiverr, or send my personal info to someone. 

That would be enough to take a pass.  Plus I would look at their interactions with CS.  I know many argue with CS and go full metal Karen on them, I would bet they have a list of their least favorites.

Otherwise, basic published requirements, private reviews, and, I would hope they are giving preference to those using "seller plus" and "promoted gigs" as well. You know, those investing in their own success, both monetarily and through behavior, public and behind the scenes. 

Edited June 5, 2022 by newsmike

[visualstudios]

1 hour ago, newsmike said:

Why does Fiverr steal 20% of our money?

 

1 hour ago, newsmike said:

Customer service sucks.

There are ways to say things... I think I've made it clear by now that:

I don't think a fixed commission is very fair on very large orders

I disagree with the service fees on top of the commission (double dipping)

I disagree with taking commission on tips (I don't buy the "people would sell for cheap and get paid via tips instead" loophole, that would be a very dumb business move, since sellers would have no guarantee the buyers would follow through, and there are ways to stop that, like capping tips to a % of order value),

I'm very critical of CS performance, from robotic replies that have nothing to do with the ticket to blatantly false information given.

I think as long as you can argue your points well, it's actually useful to have discussions about the way the platform works or should work, and that shouldn't be used against you. It's actually doing a service to the platform, imo. 

Edited June 5, 2022 by visualstudios

[newsmike]

8 minutes ago, visualstudios said:

I think as long as you can argue your points well, it's actually useful to have discussions about the way the platform works or should work, and that shouldn't be used against you.

Agree, if you note, my examples were of those who do not make them well. It's all in the approach.

[yannisenglish]

Everyone has pretty much covered my thoughts. What I will add is my personal experience.

I have been selling on Fiverr since 2017 and have over 600 orders completed.

My main driver is my games blog writing gig. Apart from a couple of instances, I have only ever received 5-star reviews with 72% of my orders rated.

Since the introduction of the repeat buyer feature, I have not lost the badge on my profile (I believe this is largely because I am a niche writer with genuine expertise in my area).

According to my success manager, my "secret" feedback has only been positive.

Apart from the obvious measures (ie. rated orders), what I attribute my selection to the TRS ranks is a combination of the following:

- My communication and delivery stats. To my recollection, I have only had one or two late deliveries. I do my best to deliver on time and when I can't, I request an extension (contrary to popular belief, I have never seen this affect my sales). I also focus on my communication being polite, to the point, fast and appropriately detailed.

- My gig text. During regular periods, I audit my gig descriptions, package offerings and other gig text elements and fine tune anything that may not be clear or relevant. I have also done my best to take full advantage of my FAQ section to ensure potential buyers know exactly what they are getting.

- My responses to order ratings. I view my feedback section the same way a YouTuber sees their comment section. I reply to at least the first order each buyer rates thanking them. I can't say for certain if this counts but I believe it shows prospective buyers that you are present and still interactive even after an order is completed. Also, on the few occasions I had low ratings, I kept it neutral, stating facts without accusing or "fighting back" and always offering to make right what I did wrong.

- My order Average Selling Price (ASP). Again, this is major speculation on my part but I feel when Fiverr sees you are selling at higher prices, you are likely doing something right. My ASP has only ever gone up and have accomplished this without ever upselling in an unwarranted way.

I also can't dodge the fact that my writing gig is focused on a niche in which I have actual expertise. The generalist writer segment is highly competitive, making it super hard for new writers to break through. I think it's also reasonable to believe that Fiverr would rather promote niche experts as they have a higher likelihood of getting repeat orders.

Edit: Forgot to note that I work on Fiverr part-time so I am living proof that you do not have to break your neck working full-time on this platform to make TRS 🙂

Edited June 5, 2022 by yannisenglish

[vickiespencer]

On 6/5/2022 at 7:43 AM, vickieito said:

based on your experiences, do you think any of the following had any bearing in your TRS promotion?

• Forum activity
• Gig price
• Type of gig(s) offered
• Seller/gig professionalism
• The performance/number of other sellers in your category

 

• Forum activity: 🤔 Maybe maybe not. I have always been active on the Fiverr Forum, but I also know there are TRS sellers that I have never noticed being part of since I began in 2017. 

 

• Gig price: I agree here. My fees were mid-level or higher when I became a TRS. One of the first things my SPM said to me was, "of course, Fiverr expects you to increase your prices over time." Therefore, I think the team that chooses the TRSs looks at the seller's potential earning ability. 

 

• Type of gig(s) offered: Yes, I think this is a contributing factor. We all know that sellers and their gigs oversaturate some categories, and it is more unlikely that sellers will earn the TRS status in these areas. 

 

• Seller/gig professionalism: Yes! For sure. I think this is number one for Fiverr. They want sellers who can provide an excellent buying experience for Fiverr's consumers. The first thing my SPM said to me when congratulating me on my shiny new TRS badge was, "You are knocking it out of the park with your buyers."   

 

• The performance/number of other sellers in your category: I think the TRS sellers already present in a category provide Fiverr with a benchmark to evaluate prospective Fiverr TRSs. Plus, as I already said, some categories are over-saturated, so sellers in those categories have more competition. 

[smashradio]

6 hours ago, vickieito said:

After running into two different threads about the becoming TRS, I thought I should reach out to the popular TRS that I know!

For those of you who don't I exist, I'm Vickie and I'm following you (no, I'm not paparazzi, I just like your content). 😊

@newsmike, @vickiespencer, @misscrystal, @shayaan499, @visualstudios, @damooch916, @frank_d, @raselkhondokar, @zeus777, @miiila, @williambryan392, @yannisenglish, @callyofficial, & @vovkaslovesnyy

I've seen several ideas floating around the forum about the hidden factors of becoming TRS, since it is a manual process, and wanted to see what your thoughts are on some of the ones I found:

From @chrispydesigns's new user introduction post today,  he stated that:

From @asifhassanantue's post last month (based on conversations with his Success Manager):

So based on your experiences, do you think any of the following had any bearing in your TRS promotion?

• Forum activity
• Gig price
• Type of gig(s) offered
• Seller/gig professionalism
• The performance/number of other sellers in your category

If not, what do you think did?

I'm hurt that I'm not mentioned as one of the popular TRS you know! 

(Or maybe I'm not popular enough. Maybe I should be nicer to people.) 😂

Jokes aside, here's my two cents on the claims: 

Forum participation: 

I'm going against the flock on this one. As I understand it, it's not a must. However, one of the things they look at is community leadership. I assume that involves being active in the community, helping other sellers, or doing something that benefits the community as a whole. It could be having Youtube channel about Fiverr, being active on the forum, or something else, or nothing at all. If you're successful enough and meet the requirements, I don't think they care about that bit. 

Gig price: 

I've seen TRS sellers with 5 dollar gigs. So that's not true. But I also heard from my SM that having higher priced gigs can increase your chances, since overall earnings can go up. Fiverr also prefers higher priced gigs these days, since it obviously earns Fiverr more money to sell a 300 dollar gig compared to a 30 dollar gig. 

Professionalism in communication: 

Yes, yes and yes. If you're friendly, polite and professional at all times, this will increase your chances of a promotion (and happy buyers, who will in turn, increase your chances of a promotion). 

Zero tolerance for grammatical mistakes: 

I've seen TRS sellers with a few mistakes here and there. I don't think it's a zero tolerance. But overall gig quality is obviously a huge factor in determining if someone gets promoted. Good grammar is part of that, and is always important. 

Gig image: 

Same as above. 

Not same service twice: 

I was also told this by someone at Fiverr. Even so, as long as the gigs are different enough, you should be ok. I have multiple voice over gigs, but they are tailored to different types of projects. 

 

[smashradio]

Just to add to this: I think the main factor (outside of the regular, known ones, like your stats, reviews, and buyer satisfaction rate) is how much value you bring to Fiverr. Selling five dollar gigs probably won't make you stand out as a monetary resource that Fiverr can tap. And that's what we are: a resource for Fiverr to earn profit from. That's not negative, in my view, and I want Fiverr to find the best ways to push more value out of us. It helps me improve as a seller and freelancer (and it makes Fiverr earn more, making me, as a shareholder, happy). 

If you offer great quality at the right price point, I'm convinced it will increase your chances. 

[damooch916]

Let me start by thanking you for recognizing my enormous popularity.

Will I ever be “spotted in public, top key word” popular? Only time will tell. But I am outrageously popular here.

You don’t have to feel obligated to name us, the popular people, at the risk of hurting someone’s feelings. I think the fan letters, secret meetings and awards are enough.

I’m sure that you’re seeking consultation specifically due to my hilarious threads and seemingly bottomless bag of referential witticisms. For this, I applaud you. You, dear post master, see my satires for what they really are … precise exposés on the tier systems governing our freelance experience. Come now! You don’t have to suggest that I’m this forum’s Oscar Wilde like other anonymous, yet totally real, people may have mentioned. 
 

 Regardless of what you may have heard, I’m totally approachable. Despite my muscles and my great American jawline and that look on my face that says, “don’t speak to me you crumb,” I’m actually a man of the people.

Shocking, I know. But strip away my abnormal ability to turn a tank top into “high art,” and I’m just a normal person. I’m just your average, highly radiant sort, sitting at the local cafe with a collection of essays by Christopher Hitchens and a Jordan Peterson book, displayed visibly enough to make you think, “wow - what a balanced world view that handsome man must have.”

Aww. You’re too kind. It’s all here in this book I’m pretending to write: The Musician Delusion.

Redundant title, yeah. 

I see that the scoundrels are at it again. Guarding their pieces of the pie and knowingly leading people off the scent of fiverrian success.

Fiverr forum? TRS? Obviously.

Look, if it’s one thing that I know, it’s this:

Your success on fiverr can be measured equally to your success on the fiverr forum.

In fact, I’ve seen more than one YouTube video claiming that the forum is the only metric used to determine your TRS eligibility.

Clearly this is correct. I mean… you certainly don’t think there’s a team of people evaluating the validity of blogging, right? Or some department that specializes in determining the credibility of a drummer? Do you even know how professional musicians call a drummer?

We order a pizza.

That old joke would be antiquated and lame, if only it were so true.

What I’m saying is, no one really knows the true extent of someone’s abilities. Not really. I’ve been told that in todays world of “openness” and “tolerance” - it’s rather unkind to judge people on the basis of their actions. Who am I to tabulate your ability based on such extinct notions as your ability? That would be cruel. People shouldn’t have to be good at something in order to feel like they’re good at something.

Fiverr knows this. That’s exactly why they only select TRS members based on forum participation.

Which, is fine. Just last week some new seller from Canada was awarded TRS after having completed an astounding 600 thread comments, all saying “good content!” He’d only been on fiverr for a month and had only one gig: “I will Keep you in Mind for $5”

Brilliant. Let people succeed, I always say.

Besides, who are we to understand the complex systems that differentiate the successful from the “others?” Why should we even know? Knowing things is arrogant. And if it’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s some arrogant person, totally unaware of themself, going on and on without even realizing that they sound crazy.

Thats why you never see pictures of me with my songwriting awards. Or my many, many glamorous watches. I even had a team of artists paint “Think of the Little People” on a dedicated wall of my summer home. It’s adorable. All their little people homes are aligned at the bottom and some barely visible rag-girls with their cute tin “hand-out” cups.
 

Knowing yourself. That’s what it’s about. 

[visualstudios]

28 minutes ago, damooch916 said:

But strip away my abnormal ability to turn a tank top into “high art,” and I’m just a normal person. I’m just your average, highly radiant sort, sitting at the local cafe with a collection of essays by Christopher Hitchens and a Jordan Peterson book, displayed visibly enough to make you think, “wow - what a balanced world view that handsome man must have.”

Omfg, this is too good lmao. Actually, this is so good I think we should start an inspirational youtube channel. You write the scripts, I edit the videos, and maybe mike for the voice over - and we split the revenue. Not even joking, it could do pretty well.

Edited June 5, 2022 by visualstudios

[smashradio]

34 minutes ago, damooch916 said:

People shouldn’t have to be good at something in order to feel like they’re good at something.

This sentence perfectly encapsulates everything wrong with my generation. 

  

34 minutes ago, damooch916 said:

Shocking, I know. But strip away my abnormal ability to turn a tank top into “high art,” and I’m just a normal person. I’m just your average, highly radiant sort, sitting at the local cafe with a collection of essays by Christopher Hitchens and a Jordan Peterson book, displayed visibly enough to make you think, “wow - what a balanced world view that handsome man must have.”

  

11 minutes ago, visualstudios said:

Omfg, this is too good lmao. Actually, this is so good I think we should start an inspirational youtube channel. You write the scripts, I edit the videos, and maybe mike for the voice over - and we split the revenue. Not even joking, it could do pretty well.

Guys. You have to do this. I need this. 

Edited June 5, 2022 by smashradio

[newsmike]

42 minutes ago, visualstudios said:

maybe mike for the voice over

I'm in. 

[smashradio]

12 minutes ago, newsmike said:

I'm in. 

You need to read this part as if you were recording a manly commercial for a pickup truck specifically designed for lumberjacks: 

"Despite my muscles and my great American jawline and that look on my face that says, “don’t speak to me you crumb,” I’m actually a man of the people."

 

[visualstudios]

28 minutes ago, newsmike said:

I'm in. 

Awesome! @damooch916, what do you say?

[damooch916]

6 minutes ago, smashradio said:

You need to read this part as if you were recording a manly commercial

It’s actually framed like a Ricky Gervais bit, if he were writing for The Rock. 

 

16 minutes ago, visualstudios said:

what do you say?

Of course. Who am I to turn down skewering the modern and the youthful? Especially since, I seem so hell bent to do it here for free.

Obviously (if I may use my real voice for a second), we’re gonna need to huddle in such a way that allows us to kick around some ideas. Get super pin pointed about the target and the look. I’m fairly certain I know what you’re after … that ten minute reel that stuffs a Tony Robbins speech over stock footage. Only, our guy is unknowingly inappropriate (or rather, that’s our cover for saying things that actually should be said).

Thats a wide scope that we can zero in on and will probably need more than a couple group meetings to design the character in such a way, that it can be a streamlined process. Something like: we’ll decide that weeks topic - and we would know the characters take on it, just from the topic alone. Things like “listen to this if you want to reach your full potential,” or “the only video you’ll ever need to find your soulmate.”

Am I in the ballpark? 

[visualstudios]

13 minutes ago, damooch916 said:

Am I in the ballpark? 

Not only are you in the ballpark, you're right in the middle of the game! 

[animie_video]

While going through all the comments, just a thought popped up into my mind regarding the price as a factor to become TRS. What if we have one gig with good price and other one is basic one, offer starting from $10, is it going to matter somehow?

[vickieito]

On 6/6/2022 at 3:33 AM, smashradio said:

I'm hurt that I'm not mentioned as one of the popular TRS you know! 

(Or maybe I'm not popular enough. Maybe I should be nicer to people.) 😂

@smashradio, I'm equally shocked that you were not on the list! I thought you were...and then saw this message. 😔 I'm disappointed in myself. I was trying to include all the TRS I knew and inadvertently left out the one TRS I interact with on a daily basis! I am so sorry! This was an error on my part and has nothing to do with your popularity and awesomeness!!!! 🤩🤩🤩

[smashradio]

5 minutes ago, vickieito said:

@smashradio, I'm equally shocked that you were not on the list! I thought you were...and then saw this message. 😔 I'm disappointed in myself. I was trying to include all the TRS I knew and inadvertently left out the one TRS I interact with on a daily basis! I am so sorry! This was an error on my part and has nothing to do with your popularity and awesomeness!!!! 🤩🤩🤩

Aaaw, that means a lot!  🤩

I forgive you in my awesomenessesesesss. 😄