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4-years seller tips for newcomers!


xuntes

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Hello there, my name is Rafael, I’m almost completing 4 years at Fiverr, and I have more than 8100 completed orders. I’m a graphic designer and I’ll share some tips based on my experience.

What I’m getting tired to see at forum is: “How to sell?”, “How to get buyers?”, “Why I’m not selling?”, “I’m 3 months at fiverr and no sales”, “Can anyone sell at fiverr?”.

Before starting, you must know one thing: To get some orders without doing any efforts, you MUST BE LUCKY. Creating a gig doesn’t mean you WILL get orders, it means you just CAN get orders.
If you succeed at fiverr, probably your reputation will sell your gig by itself, but it’s a very long path till there.

PS: If you think this post is LONG, you probably will be those guys who ask why have no sales. Learning is never too much.

Here we go (THE BASIC):

  1. Read the Terms of Service: Everyday I see sellers complaining they got their gigs deleted or their accounts closed, for violating ToS. So do this and learn how fiver works. I know it’s boring, but you should start here.

  2. Have a good English: Of course you are not forced to speak english very well (like me), but this site by its own is already in english, and 99% of the costumers I have, speaks english, for example. So if you are not good at all, at least use Google Translator (or something similar), because a good communication, and a good gig description grammar are keys to get some orders. If a buyer contacts a bunch of sellers, you can bet he/she will stick with the one who understand their request better/faster. But always look to improve your grammar.

  3. Have a good gig cover: Doesn’t matter if you are a graphical designer or not, YOU MUST HAVE A GOOD GIG COVER. It doesn’t have to be excellent, it just need to be pleasant to buyers eyes. Why? Because this is the first thing your potential client will see. It also must show how competent you are. You dont need to pollute the gig cover, it just must be pleasant to see, related with the service you are selling. Use only the necessary information (text and figures) to exemplify your service. I already spotted a Logo Design gig with a cover made with Word, also with that red line of misspelled words, for sure this gig will never do a single sale. If you don’t know how to create a gig cover, try contracting a professional, because if you cover looks amateur, your service will look too. Your gig cover is your business face.

  4. Don’t use your face, or any other at your gig cover: Only do this if it’s related with your physical skills/appearance, or if it’s related with the service you are offering. Use the cover to express your gig and your skills professionally.

  5. Do not create a gig you can’t perform well: I see many sellers using fiverr as opportunity to do some extra cash, but many (if not most) offers a service they can’t perform well. If you are starting, just create a gig you can perfectly perform, or in case if you don’t have many reviews, a single negative review can prejudice your profile completely. For example, if you have 4 times 5star review, and you get a 1star review, your average will go from 5 to 4.2, which is a “profile killer”.

  6. Do not ask orders for other sellers: Just don’t! Every seller want more sales, they wont simply send their clients to you. So if they want partnership, they will find you, but don’t expect for this.

  7. Be original: Just be original, show how competent you are. Don’t use some other seller covers or description. Your gig probably WILL get restricted. Beside this, your gig will be just advertising the original one.

  8. Be honest: I believe I don’t need to explain why.

  9. Be gentle: This is a good way to “grab” a client which contact you INOBX (mainly). Also, many times you can’t deliver a perfect project to your buyer eyes, but your kindness may save you from a bad review.

  10. Promote yourself: Don’t think that you will create a gig at fiverr and it will rain orders. You are competing with the best online service sellers in the world. To make it works, this is the most competitive marketplace for this. So go to social medias and promote yourself or people wont simply find you. It may happen but it’s like win the lottery.

  11. Go an extra mile compared to your competitors: For example, if possible, offer samples to show the quality of your work related with what your buyers is looking for. BUT NEVER, I’ll repeat, NEVER provide the final work/files before the order is placed.

  12. BE PROFESSIONAL: You don’t need to be the best skilled and most creative seller at fiverr. You just need to be good and convince the sellers you are good too. You need to be a SALESMAN before everything. But the most important of this isn’t just selling, you need to make your buyer satisfied, so you can establish a long term relationship, and also, you reputation will be shown through their reviews.


BONUS: If you already started to sell and would like to improve your earnings, when someone contacts you INBOX, use this to charge more (if necessary, of course).
In my case, the custom offers I send, normally are 100% more expensive than the orders placed through my gigs, WHY? Because when someone contact me first, I’m able to properly explain why I’m charging such price. Many give up, but the most part of the buyers accept this.
It’s not easy to explain all thin in your 1200 characters gig description. So when a buyer contact you, do everything to make them understand why a higher price may be charged.
Do not cheat your buyers, just be fair with them and the service you offer. If you are flexible, please know that buyers are too.


Fiverr already provide many features to help new and discrete gigs, so please, if you are not selling, the problem isn’t with fiverr or veteran gigs, it’s only about yourself. You won’t succeed by waiting things to happen.

Unfortunately as more features new sellers have, less features for veterans we see. But it’s another subject for another time.

The tips I sent above aren’t universal truth, these are just my suggestions based on all these years I’m at fiverr. So enjoy it as you want.

And remember, If you are not selling, this is not fiverr fault, it’s yours. Great part of buyers don’t want to see YOU DOING YOUR BEST, they want THE BEST!

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I just wanted to let you know that ( and BTW I’ve been here for several years myself)
I have posted something looooong and similar, hoping that it will help others.
(here’s the link if you are interested:
Things to keep in mind when you are a new seller (updated version) )

What happened to me after posting this was spam messages after spam messages, asking me for help, despite the fact that it was CLEARLY written at the bottom NOT to message me. BTW in all cases, those “help me” message sellers had poor looking gigs and clearly did not put in the time and necessary effort into creating them.

Just wanted to give you a heads up because it might happen to you too, but I do hope you don’t get spam messages like me! 😅

I also do hope that some new sellers will read your post and really learn from them. 🙂

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Hello there, my name is Rafael, I’m almost completing 4 years at Fiverr, and I have more than 8100 completed orders. I’m a graphic designer and I’ll share some tips based on my experience.

What I’m getting tired to see at forum is: “How to sell?”, “How to get buyers?”, “Why I’m not selling?”, “I’m 3 months at fiverr and no sales”, “Can anyone sell at fiverr?”.

Before starting, you must know one thing: To get some orders without doing any efforts, you MUST BE LUCKY. Creating a gig doesn’t mean you WILL get orders, it means you just CAN get orders.

If you succeed at fiverr, probably your reputation will sell your gig by itself, but it’s a very long path till there.

PS: If you think this post is LONG, you probably will be those guys who ask why have no sales. Learning is never too much.

Here we go (THE BASIC):

  1. Read the Terms of Service: Everyday I see sellers complaining they got their gigs deleted or their accounts closed, for violating ToS. So do this and learn how fiver works. I know it’s boring, but you should start here.

  2. Have a good English: Of course you are not forced to speak english very well (like me), but this site by its own is already in english, and 99% of the costumers I have, speaks english, for example. So if you are not good at all, at least use Google Translator (or something similar), because a good communication, and a good gig description grammar are keys to get some orders. If a buyer contacts a bunch of sellers, you can bet he/she will stick with the one who understand their request better/faster. But always look to improve your grammar.

  3. Have a good gig cover: Doesn’t matter if you are a graphical designer or not, YOU MUST HAVE A GOOD GIG COVER. It doesn’t have to be excellent, it just need to be pleasant to buyers eyes. Why? Because this is the first thing your potential client will see. It also must show how competent you are. You dont need to pollute the gig cover, it just must be pleasant to see, related with the service you are selling. Use only the necessary information (text and figures) to exemplify your service. I already spotted a Logo Design gig with a cover made with Word, also with that red line of misspelled words, for sure this gig will never do a single sale. If you don’t know how to create a gig cover, try contracting a professional, because if you cover looks amateur, your service will look too. Your gig cover is your business face.

  4. Don’t use your face, or any other at your gig cover: Only do this if it’s related with your physical skills/appearance, or if it’s related with the service you are offering. Use the cover to express your gig and your skills professionally.

  5. Do not create a gig you can’t perform well: I see many sellers using fiverr as opportunity to do some extra cash, but many (if not most) offers a service they can’t perform well. If you are starting, just create a gig you can perfectly perform, or in case if you don’t have many reviews, a single negative review can prejudice your profile completely. For example, if you have 4 times 5star review, and you get a 1star review, your average will go from 5 to 4.2, which is a “profile killer”.

  6. Do not ask orders for other sellers: Just don’t! Every seller want more sales, they wont simply send their clients to you. So if they want partnership, they will find you, but don’t expect for this.

  7. Be original: Just be original, show how competent you are. Don’t use some other seller covers or description. Your gig probably WILL get restricted. Beside this, your gig will be just advertising the original one.

  8. Be honest: I believe I don’t need to explain why.

  9. Be gentle: This is a good way to “grab” a client which contact you INOBX (mainly). Also, many times you can’t deliver a perfect project to your buyer eyes, but your kindness may save you from a bad review.

  10. Promote yourself: Don’t think that you will create a gig at fiverr and it will rain orders. You are competing with the best online service sellers in the world. To make it works, this is the most competitive marketplace for this. So go to social medias and promote yourself or people wont simply find you. It may happen but it’s like win the lottery.

  11. Go an extra mile compared to your competitors: For example, if possible, offer samples to show the quality of your work related with what your buyers is looking for. BUT NEVER, I’ll repeat, NEVER provide the final work/files before the order is placed.

  12. BE PROFESSIONAL: You don’t need to be the best skilled and most creative seller at fiverr. You just need to be good and convince the sellers you are good too. You need to be a SALESMAN before everything. But the most important of this isn’t just selling, you need to make your buyer satisfied, so you can establish a long term relationship, and also, you reputation will be shown through their reviews.


BONUS: If you already started to sell and would like to improve your earnings, when someone contacts you INBOX, use this to charge more (if necessary, of course).

In my case, the custom offers I send, normally are 100% more expensive than the orders placed through my gigs, WHY? Because when someone contact me first, I’m able to properly explain why I’m charging such price. Many give up, but the most part of the buyers accept this.

It’s not easy to explain all thin in your 1200 characters gig description. So when a buyer contact you, do everything to make them understand why a higher price may be charged.

Do not cheat your buyers, just be fair with them and the service you offer. If you are flexible, please know that buyers are too.


Fiverr already provide many features to help new and discrete gigs, so please, if you are not selling, the problem isn’t with fiverr or veteran gigs, it’s only about yourself. You won’t succeed by waiting things to happen.

Unfortunately as more features new sellers have, less features for veterans we see. But it’s another subject for another time.

The tips I sent above aren’t universal truth, these are just my suggestions based on all these years I’m at fiverr. So enjoy it as you want.

And remember, If you are not selling, this is not fiverr fault, it’s yours. Great part of buyers don’t want to see YOU DOING YOUR BEST, they want THE BEST!

Don’t use your face, or any other at your gig cover

I see a lot of TRS sellers do that… So, I am kinda confused :thinking:

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Don’t use your face, or any other at your gig cover

I see a lot of TRS sellers do that… So, I am kinda confused :thinking:

Yeah, I do this - more people have mentioned my beard than my level when contacting me.

What is really interesting though is that I have had approx $10,000 of sales (over 3 years and including one $2,500 sale) from people who actually said" they contacted me because of the dogs - some are dog related services that like dealing with a dog-lover, others just like the picture and some have even said “you look trustworthy because of the dogs”. There are probably even more who didnt mention it but thought it.

A nice image which shows a little about you (in my case, that I love dogs and beards) can be great for a gig image. It does depend on what you do of course - I provide marketing and SEO advice so trust is a big thing and a personal image goes a long way in building trust.

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I just wanted to let you know that ( and BTW I’ve been here for several years myself)

I have posted something looooong and similar, hoping that it will help others.

(here’s the link if you are interested:

Things to keep in mind when you are a new seller (updated version) )

What happened to me after posting this was spam messages after spam messages, asking me for help, despite the fact that it was CLEARLY written at the bottom NOT to message me. BTW in all cases, those “help me” message sellers had poor looking gigs and clearly did not put in the time and necessary effort into creating them.

Just wanted to give you a heads up because it might happen to you too, but I do hope you don’t get spam messages like me! 😅

I also do hope that some new sellers will read your post and really learn from them. 🙂

Honestly, I already receive this almost everyday.

My help is here.

If I receive any spam, all will get blocked.

but if it goes too far, I’ll simply delete this LOL.

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Don’t use your face, or any other at your gig cover

I see a lot of TRS sellers do that… So, I am kinda confused :thinking:

There is a difference using you to promote your gig (as a background model) and use you as the main object of your cover.

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Honestly, I already receive this almost everyday.

My help is here.

If I receive any spam, all will get blocked.

but if it goes too far, I’ll simply delete this LOL.

but if it goes too far, I’ll simply delete this LOL.

You can simply copy/paste the link to this post, and block the person.

that’s what I did! 😉

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Yeah, I do this - more people have mentioned my beard than my level when contacting me.

What is really interesting though is that I have had approx $10,000 of sales (over 3 years and including one $2,500 sale) from people who actually said" they contacted me because of the dogs - some are dog related services that like dealing with a dog-lover, others just like the picture and some have even said “you look trustworthy because of the dogs”. There are probably even more who didnt mention it but thought it.

A nice image which shows a little about you (in my case, that I love dogs and beards) can be great for a gig image. It does depend on what you do of course - I provide marketing and SEO advice so trust is a big thing and a personal image goes a long way in building trust.

You are a very charismatic person @eoinfinnegan , I cant deny this. You are unique.

But I’m not saying it doesn’t work, I’m just saying it’s better to use your cover to express your skills.

My covers aren’t perfect, I confess, but i work this to attract most buyers possible.

A nice image really shows a little about you, but it’s just a little bit of people who can do this. So to a general suggestion, I recommend not doing this.

I’m just a LVL 2 seller, and my cover isn’t the best, but I’m achieving about $20,000/year here at fiverr. I must repeat, what I suggested isn’t an universal truth, it’s just my experience.

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You are a very charismatic person @eoinfinnegan , I cant deny this. You are unique.

But I’m not saying it doesn’t work, I’m just saying it’s better to use your cover to express your skills.

My covers aren’t perfect, I confess, but i work this to attract most buyers possible.

A nice image really shows a little about you, but it’s just a little bit of people who can do this. So to a general suggestion, I recommend not doing this.

I’m just a LVL 2 seller, and my cover isn’t the best, but I’m achieving about $20,000/year here at fiverr. I must repeat, what I suggested isn’t an universal truth, it’s just my experience.

Absolutely - I am not suggesting that everyone do the same as me. For a long time I used the same image for all my gigs and my profile picture. Fiverr then said that all gigs should have unique images, so I got a graphic designer to use my image and add the gig info to them.

I agree that a gig image should show your skills so a graphic designer should definitely have some graphic they created etc. In my case, I am selling my knowledge and expertise (that’s my skills) so it is important that I show I am not some kid with no experience and that I look like a professional - that’s why personal images work for me.

It could also be true that I miss sales from some people because of my image! Cat owners for example 🙂

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Absolutely - I am not suggesting that everyone do the same as me. For a long time I used the same image for all my gigs and my profile picture. Fiverr then said that all gigs should have unique images, so I got a graphic designer to use my image and add the gig info to them.

I agree that a gig image should show your skills so a graphic designer should definitely have some graphic they created etc. In my case, I am selling my knowledge and expertise (that’s my skills) so it is important that I show I am not some kid with no experience and that I look like a professional - that’s why personal images work for me.

It could also be true that I miss sales from some people because of my image! Cat owners for example 🙂

As we say in Brazil. “You don’t change your team when it’s winning”.

Honestly, for me the most important is the reputation your earn during the years, but to start this, you need to have an easy start.

People may not like what I’ll say now, but I see many creepy portraits as gig covers, since it’s not related at all with the service they offers. Also, for a buyer who never known the seller, it’s impossible to say if a picture of an amazing model is really the seller itself.

So repeating, it doesn’t mean using your face in your gig covers will impact negatively your sales, but my experience as business administrator and graphical designer, and also as fiverr seller, says that its better to use your cover to express your skills and show your portfolio.

There is no truth or rule here, just cognitive experience.

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but if it goes too far, I’ll simply delete this LOL.

You can simply copy/paste the link to this post, and block the person.

that’s what I did! 😉

it would be kinda redundant to send the link they used to find me, but it would be hilarious.

I really don’t mind helping others, I just get mad when people comes to ask me to “transfer” my orders to them. like it was possible, or like the buyer would simply accept me transferring them to an unknown seller.

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Absolutely - I am not suggesting that everyone do the same as me. For a long time I used the same image for all my gigs and my profile picture. Fiverr then said that all gigs should have unique images, so I got a graphic designer to use my image and add the gig info to them.

I agree that a gig image should show your skills so a graphic designer should definitely have some graphic they created etc. In my case, I am selling my knowledge and expertise (that’s my skills) so it is important that I show I am not some kid with no experience and that I look like a professional - that’s why personal images work for me.

It could also be true that I miss sales from some people because of my image! Cat owners for example 🙂

Fiverr then said that all gigs should have unique images, so I got a graphic designer to use my imag,e and add the gig info to them.

Oh, no! I have a caricature of myself on each gig albeit with a different outfit. Oh well, I am not going to change it. Next, I may invest in a kimono outfit. But then with my Viking heritage maybe I need a warrior maiden outfit!

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Absolutely - I am not suggesting that everyone do the same as me. For a long time I used the same image for all my gigs and my profile picture. Fiverr then said that all gigs should have unique images, so I got a graphic designer to use my image and add the gig info to them.

I agree that a gig image should show your skills so a graphic designer should definitely have some graphic they created etc. In my case, I am selling my knowledge and expertise (that’s my skills) so it is important that I show I am not some kid with no experience and that I look like a professional - that’s why personal images work for me.

It could also be true that I miss sales from some people because of my image! Cat owners for example 🙂

It could also be true that I miss sales from some people because of my image! Cat owners for example 🙂

In the future, if I got the opportunity to get professional gig covers done, I will tell the graphic designer to include pictures of my cats along with very realistic looking photos of a dog, a parrot, a lion-fish, a rattlesnake (when has it ever failed to instill trustworthiness in people. Right?). Oh… ‘Toothless’ too (for the dragon/dinosaur zealots out there!, don’t wanna mess around with those folk 😆 )

Best strat. to get orders from all types of animal lovers ⬆️ jk

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well, I can’t judge you and your performances. If you use your face as your advertising, and it works, keep doing this.

But I’ll stick with what works better to me.

We do not compete in the same categories, but I work with graphical designs and visual communication. I have more than 8100 completed orders just here at fiverr and it’s working pretty well with me. So what I’m showing is just my personal experience, but it doesn’t mean it works for every single seller.

Using the cover to appeal is good, since it’s relate with your services. It’s the same as trying to place a Pony at your car dealer showcase, while you are trying to sell a Bentley at your background. I know It’s just a gross comparative, but if you want to sell a Bentley, you must show the people a Bentley and how good is to have it. But if you really became that famous propaganda guy, then it’s all different.

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Hello there, my name is Rafael, I’m almost completing 4 years at Fiverr, and I have more than 8100 completed orders. I’m a graphic designer and I’ll share some tips based on my experience.

What I’m getting tired to see at forum is: “How to sell?”, “How to get buyers?”, “Why I’m not selling?”, “I’m 3 months at fiverr and no sales”, “Can anyone sell at fiverr?”.

Before starting, you must know one thing: To get some orders without doing any efforts, you MUST BE LUCKY. Creating a gig doesn’t mean you WILL get orders, it means you just CAN get orders.

If you succeed at fiverr, probably your reputation will sell your gig by itself, but it’s a very long path till there.

PS: If you think this post is LONG, you probably will be those guys who ask why have no sales. Learning is never too much.

Here we go (THE BASIC):

  1. Read the Terms of Service: Everyday I see sellers complaining they got their gigs deleted or their accounts closed, for violating ToS. So do this and learn how fiver works. I know it’s boring, but you should start here.

  2. Have a good English: Of course you are not forced to speak english very well (like me), but this site by its own is already in english, and 99% of the costumers I have, speaks english, for example. So if you are not good at all, at least use Google Translator (or something similar), because a good communication, and a good gig description grammar are keys to get some orders. If a buyer contacts a bunch of sellers, you can bet he/she will stick with the one who understand their request better/faster. But always look to improve your grammar.

  3. Have a good gig cover: Doesn’t matter if you are a graphical designer or not, YOU MUST HAVE A GOOD GIG COVER. It doesn’t have to be excellent, it just need to be pleasant to buyers eyes. Why? Because this is the first thing your potential client will see. It also must show how competent you are. You dont need to pollute the gig cover, it just must be pleasant to see, related with the service you are selling. Use only the necessary information (text and figures) to exemplify your service. I already spotted a Logo Design gig with a cover made with Word, also with that red line of misspelled words, for sure this gig will never do a single sale. If you don’t know how to create a gig cover, try contracting a professional, because if you cover looks amateur, your service will look too. Your gig cover is your business face.

  4. Don’t use your face, or any other at your gig cover: Only do this if it’s related with your physical skills/appearance, or if it’s related with the service you are offering. Use the cover to express your gig and your skills professionally.

  5. Do not create a gig you can’t perform well: I see many sellers using fiverr as opportunity to do some extra cash, but many (if not most) offers a service they can’t perform well. If you are starting, just create a gig you can perfectly perform, or in case if you don’t have many reviews, a single negative review can prejudice your profile completely. For example, if you have 4 times 5star review, and you get a 1star review, your average will go from 5 to 4.2, which is a “profile killer”.

  6. Do not ask orders for other sellers: Just don’t! Every seller want more sales, they wont simply send their clients to you. So if they want partnership, they will find you, but don’t expect for this.

  7. Be original: Just be original, show how competent you are. Don’t use some other seller covers or description. Your gig probably WILL get restricted. Beside this, your gig will be just advertising the original one.

  8. Be honest: I believe I don’t need to explain why.

  9. Be gentle: This is a good way to “grab” a client which contact you INOBX (mainly). Also, many times you can’t deliver a perfect project to your buyer eyes, but your kindness may save you from a bad review.

  10. Promote yourself: Don’t think that you will create a gig at fiverr and it will rain orders. You are competing with the best online service sellers in the world. To make it works, this is the most competitive marketplace for this. So go to social medias and promote yourself or people wont simply find you. It may happen but it’s like win the lottery.

  11. Go an extra mile compared to your competitors: For example, if possible, offer samples to show the quality of your work related with what your buyers is looking for. BUT NEVER, I’ll repeat, NEVER provide the final work/files before the order is placed.

  12. BE PROFESSIONAL: You don’t need to be the best skilled and most creative seller at fiverr. You just need to be good and convince the sellers you are good too. You need to be a SALESMAN before everything. But the most important of this isn’t just selling, you need to make your buyer satisfied, so you can establish a long term relationship, and also, you reputation will be shown through their reviews.


BONUS: If you already started to sell and would like to improve your earnings, when someone contacts you INBOX, use this to charge more (if necessary, of course).

In my case, the custom offers I send, normally are 100% more expensive than the orders placed through my gigs, WHY? Because when someone contact me first, I’m able to properly explain why I’m charging such price. Many give up, but the most part of the buyers accept this.

It’s not easy to explain all thin in your 1200 characters gig description. So when a buyer contact you, do everything to make them understand why a higher price may be charged.

Do not cheat your buyers, just be fair with them and the service you offer. If you are flexible, please know that buyers are too.


Fiverr already provide many features to help new and discrete gigs, so please, if you are not selling, the problem isn’t with fiverr or veteran gigs, it’s only about yourself. You won’t succeed by waiting things to happen.

Unfortunately as more features new sellers have, less features for veterans we see. But it’s another subject for another time.

The tips I sent above aren’t universal truth, these are just my suggestions based on all these years I’m at fiverr. So enjoy it as you want.

And remember, If you are not selling, this is not fiverr fault, it’s yours. Great part of buyers don’t want to see YOU DOING YOUR BEST, they want THE BEST!

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