Etsy algorithm glitch with responding to help requests

[TwoOaksTrading]

I just had an issue with the Etsy algorithm. The result impacted my star seller status.

I had an established convo thread with a buyer. The buyer then sent me a help request, which showed as a separate convo. To respond to the help request, I clicked on the link to the order attached to the help request, and from there clicked on the create return label. In order to send the label to the buyer you have to type a message along with the label, which I did. Etsy AUTOMATICALLY attached that message and the return label to the PREVIOUS convo, and NOT  to the help request convo. I did not realize this, and so the help request convo went unanswered, unbeknownst to me. Until I saw my star seller status dropped because of the one "missed" convo. 

Now my message response rate dropped to 93% from 100%. I am a small business, I only average 15 messages in 3 month, so it will be another 3 months before that "missed" convo drops off and I'm back to 100%, and my star seller status is reinstated. 

Even though I provided excellent customer service, and responded and resolved the help request issue within 30 minutes of receiving the help request. So through no fault of my own, because of a glitch in the programming, I lost my star seller status.   

I did an Etsy help chat and she said there's nothing she can do other than pass it on to the developers. Meanwhile, the little guy - me - gets screwed over again. There has to be a way to delete unanswered messages or a way to override the star seller status. I didn't choose to respond to the "wrong" convo - the original thread - Etsy chose for me which convo to respond to with the return label. 

[ChristmasIsLove · Accepted solution]

Help Requests are separate messages and require a direct response. I'm not sure what would happen if you mark it as spam, but it requires one or the other, a response or to be marked as spam. It's not a glitch. It's how the program works. The rules are explained on your Star Seller dashboard. Etsy does not make allowances for the circumstances of an individual seller. Otherwise, there would be no reason for the rules.

[TheVioletGoat]

I'm so sorry that happened. But this isn't actually a glitch. Help requests always need a response. Notes attached to a shipping label, have never counted as a message - even before star seller.

I imagine the reasoning behind this is that customers aren't always familiar with how Etsy works. They may not see/notice the note attached to the shipping label or they may come back to their help request, see no response and think you're ignoring them (not saying that is the case here, just the reasoning behind it). 

Again, I'm really sorry you found this out the hard way but you have a beautiful shop and I'm sure you'll bounce back in no time. 

[InkxCity]

I can't speak from experience of having the star seller badge, but that badge doesn't define your store nor can I believe that it's the single most important thing that is the catalyst for sales to your store or many other stores on Etsy for that matter.

Please don't mistake the verbiage there as anything unpleasant in the response. I'm just saying that the success of your store isn't likely due to a badge.

You've leveled up to where you are because of everything else you've invested into your store way before the star seller badge. If I were you in my personal opinion, keep doing what you're doing.

The main ingredients to your stores success story that got you there are likely the same things that will keep you there and moving along successfully too.

The star seller badge I can imagine is nice but I'm sure you'll get it back again.

Etsy, like any marketplace has it's aspects that can be refined but it's like that no matter where any of us go. Support will make a decision I'm sure in the future on continued refinements to their platform.

All we can do in the meantime is keep doing our thing respectively to grow our individual brands.

Congratulations on your success in the ocean of Etsy sellers. I'm sure there's more continued success to be realized in your future as well.

[RileyBoardLLC]

I had this same issue. I message the seller through the Order's message stream well within the 24 hour window. However I just noticed, that the "help request" is still showing that I have not responded to the customer. That is a glitch.

There is another glitch where the "help request" is not included in the Order's message stream, even though the "help request" message does indicate that it is linked to the order.

Shops should not be penalized when they have responded to the customer through the Order's message thread, instead of the "separate" help request message.

[TonsOfPaper · Accepted solution]

Hello @RileyBoardLLC,

As of the moment, messages sent via order page will be connected to the existing normal message thread. Messages from the same buyer will now be consolidated into fewer threads. However, when a buyer reaches out via the Help With Order request, a new thread will be created which needs a response separately. These types of message threads need to be responded to in 24 hours to be counted positively toward your Star Seller score. New threads will now have notification badges showing if a message is a buyer’s first time contacting you, or a new help with an order request. 

For more information about this, you may check out the Message Response rate section in this Help Article.

Thank you very much!

[ForeverFarmsOregon]

This is a glitch. Just happened to me. Someone just made an erroneous order – their mistake – which elicited *them* to start a Help Response – not my problem nor something I committed to responding to within 24 hours. Going back in their 'engagement' with my shop, they were spammy from the get-go with phishy questions that screamed of a refund-bait. Sure enough.

*Their* mistake is not *my* problem to resolve. *My* commitments are those to which I'm rated against, not the flight or fancy of someone else.

If I deliver something later that what I've promised, of course my rating should be dinged! It makes no sense to hold sellers responsible for replying on a timeline because a buyer didn't know how to complete a simple online purchase?

This is a glitch.