Avoiding the Fiverr BOOT! #1: "Yes, it CAN happen to you."
I manage several Facebook groups where our members share about their Fiverr successes and their Fiverr failures, their Fiverr joys and their Fiverr sorrows. And occasionally, we get the sad news that one of our members has been thrown out of Fiverr on their ear (you can add an "r" to that if you prefer). It's bad enough when that happens to a relative newcomer to Fiverr, but imagine what it feels like when it happens to a long-time five-star, Fiverr person with a good reputation, has built up a good business, has steady income coming in, and is ranked as a second level or top level seller, with hundreds of positive reviews!
Does it happen? All...the..time!
Let me describe a common scenario. You're cruising along on Fiverr, following whatever
procedures and techniques you normally do. They're either all 100% legitimate as far as you know, or they're things some webinar person somewhere has said you can "get away with and Fiverr won't mind." Out of the blue, one day, you get a warning from Fiverr, your first in a 30 day period. Somehow, you misunderstand what you did wrong and you do it again. Second warning. Then, a customer you communicated with prior to your warnings, complains. Third strike...and here comes the boot. You are SO out of here.
Like a Bolt From the Blue
Be ready for a shock if this happens to you. Not only may you not have expected the size-twelves to connect with your backside, but it is done without mercy. Don't hope they have just temporarily disabled your account and you'll be able to work it out with them. Their three strikes rule is as rigid (and as cold) as a steel girder. Your gig isn't disabled. It isn't in hibernation mode. It is deleted, and utterly, permanently, GONE.
Lots of Creative Ways to Get the Boot
There are tons...nay, megatons, of sneaky tricks people perform in order to try and rig/beat the Fiver system. The webinar course I took when I first investigated working on the platform advocated quite a few of them, assuring its students that Fiverr doesn't really mind...that we're really doing them a favor because the tricks bring in more business...that everybody does it so it's ok, and so on. I was new and naive enough to think some of them must be like...oh, I don't know...driving 4 MPH over the speed limit. Not enough to get pulled over. And yes, I tried some of them. And yes, I got in trouble. I'll leave it there.
What I Concluded
My experience led me to conclude that I was either going to make my way legitimately on Fiverr, or not at all. Not just because I didn't want to get in trouble, but also because it makes me feel a lot better about myself. It's one thing to succeed using questionable tactics and tricks. It's another to work within the system and succeed, based on positivity, creative thinking, merit and fair play.
What I've Learned
I was doing very well on Fiverr when I got myself in trouble. Generally in the six to eight thousand dollars per month range, with one peak month that reached $12,000. After stopping the little hype'y practices that Fiverr got after me for, I'm still doing really well...and I've also been promoted to a "Top Rated Seller." In other words, it turns out I didn't really need that stuff.
I mention my own experience to encourage you not to worry that you'll somehow be missing out if you play by the rules.
Next time, we'll examine the flipside...the reasons to avoid the underhanded tactics. I'll be giving you some examples of the kinds of practices that have burned others. "Tune in," and we'll help you avoid winding up with Fiverr's tread marks on the seat of your pants.
Find out what you can do, LEGITIMATELY, to get ahead on Fiverr. Please hit the Gig Checkup link so we can set up an inexpensive personal consultation and discuss ways to optimize your gig for increased traffic and sales!