Level 2 – The impossible dream

[jd52wtf]

Before I start with my issue I want to say that this site in general is a very positive thing. It has also allowed me to bring my talents to a larger audience of people than I could have on my own.



The level system is based solely on “number of orders in a given timeframe and maintaining a positive rating”.



My issue is simply this: While I have done a few smaller projects that take a few days, the majority of my work has been design/prototyping gigs that take on average 15-20 days to complete and cost between $50-$200. I have been on the site for almost 4 months and have a 99% positive rating. Given the type and quality of service I provide, booking 50 gigs in 2 months would not only put me in a tough spot to meet the obligations but is highly unreasonable given the type of work.



Not sure the current level system was created with this in mind.



Even if I have to stay at a level 1 seller for eternity I will not sacrifice the quality of the work that I do but I cannot help wondering why there is no other pathway to level 2 for sellers who do a fewer quantity of larger, more involved projects.



I would be very interested on hearing other people’s ideas regarding this.



JD52WTF

[jornodmg]

You’ll get there some day, trust me! Just keep on going. The difference costumerwise between lvl 1 and lvl 2 honestly isn’t that big. It just looks nice on your profile ;). Dont worry too much about it!

[jellyfishonline]

I wish you get to become a top seller here. I really adore people who love what they do.

[jd52wtf]

Am I really the only person who wonders about this?

[fonthaunt]

Reply to @jd52wtf: I haven’t really heard of this being an issue before in the terms you describe it. I think most people create at least one or two gigs in the early stages that you can do for $5 in 10-15 minutes. It doesn’t even have to be related to your other gigs.

If you have such a high level of skill in what you do, surely there are a couple of things you could do that would temporarily fit a good model for $5 gigs. After all, since your gigs mostly have to start at $5 for something anyway, why not utilize that. Take a look at buyer requests for a week or two and take note of some common ones you might be able to do, like doing a rough sketch for someone or writing short 500 word blog posts about 3D printing or something else that you do for a hobby.

Really push those gigs for 60 days by answering buyer requests and promoting yourself on social media. You don’t have to sacrifice quality at all. You may have to make it something smaller or lower quantity or just practically give those 50 gigs away by doing an hour or two (or more) of work for your $4 profit just to get to level 2.

The reason for doing it is that you’ll get extra perks, more options, priority customer service and more buyers for your complex gigs once you hit level 2. You really don’t need to ever go beyond level 2 to do well financially, TRS is nice but not at all required. Level 1 is different though and just doesn’t convey what many buyers are looking for. Once you get that level you can even get rid of those simple gigs if you don’t want them. It’s about doing what you love, but also about running a business.

[jd52wtf]

I made lvl 2 and in a lot less time than I thought it was going to take. Who wants some 3D printed stuff from a level 2 seller?

HA!