Etsy Email System Update

[linencottage]

Good and bad...  The recent changes in the Etsy email system were mostly welcome, I am so glad to see the emails from my customers all linked together, thank you Etsy! 

There is one thing, though.  Most of my business is custom that requires an approval from the customer before I can proceed with their order.  Since the update, the subject line has been removed from email communication to my customer.  I have experienced an extreme slow down in my productivity as a result.  I used to send an email with the subject line; "Your Quilt Label Design Needs Approval" to alert the customer that action was required.  Now, the subject line to the customer reads: "RE: Order #XXXXXX on July 16"  OH MY!  I have already learned that customers don't respond to this email.  In fact, an informal study I did with my sister who is a savvy online shopper, proves the point that I am making.  She ignored the very email I was trying to test!  Online shoppers are immune to the multiple emails they receive every time they place an order.  I have contacted Etsy support and tried to use the new CHAT feature (emphasize TRY). I know they have to reply in a positive manner but, sellers don't like to be patronized-we're not dumb! I believe the subject line is critical to my business and wish to see it returned.  I now spend too much time sending multiple emails to my customers to get their attention and going forward, I am going to use my business email instead.  I would prefer to use the in house email system for many reasons.  What now?

[BagmakerSupply]

@linencottage The subject line has not appeared on the (desktop at least) messages page and in eMail copies of convos for quite some time. The work-around we have been doing is putting the "subject" as the first line of the message so it least shows up on the messages page. There is no point of a subject line if all the messages are lumped together.

Whether the lumping of all messages into a single thread is a good thing depends on your business model - for us it is causing much more work and confusion as we often have multiple separate messages / discussions going on with a single customer and managing which message a reply is to is a mess. For us, at least, replying to every new message was much less work than this solution to the problems with the Star Seller Program.

[linencottage]

Thank you.  I have been with Etsy for almost 10 years.  Until just a few weeks ago, I used the subject line to get my customer's attention.  Yes, it has been there for a long time.  Who knows what little nuances cause us to see things different than someone else, all within the same system!

[ArtDollsbyJD]

In messages, I've never had a subject line that I recall.  Not even from before recent changes and I mean ecent changes of a few years ago.

Are you sending messages or emails to the buyer.  The reply will be in the string under the person's name.  Yeah not helpful of you have a ton of messages.

I can't think of anything to help except if you are sending emails set up a folder in your email account for custom order emails to be sent there.  That may make it easier to find them rather than relying on messages on Etsy. 

Maybe alter the subject line of your email to include a date answer needed and add ASAP.  That may get more views.  Also a change in color may help for it to stand out.   

[DivineCrossings]

This is a pet peeve of mine….e-mails are not Etsy messages and the two terms should not be used interchangeably. It’s confusing.

[FallenAngelBrass]

@DivineCrossings  Agree!

@linencottage , are you talking about Etsy messages?  There are  several topics going on in this thread because Etsy has recently changed the e-mails we receive that pertain to our Etsy messages.  Emails and Etsy messages are two completely different communication mechanisms. 

[linencottage]

My apologies that I’m not sure what you mean.  I am referring to email between my customers and me.

[secondarycreations]

@linencottage So you're talking about emails outside the Etsy messaging system? Emails you would send using your computer's regular email system, unrelated to the buyer's Etsy account?

[linencottage]

Hmmm.  All my customer communications appear in my regular email (Windows Mail or Gmail).  Perhaps we are loosing sight of the theme of this post.  Yes, it is true, they also appear on my Etsy store Messages tab.  My issue is, again, with the internal Etsy mail system.  Call it whatever...

[ChillwolfArt]

Your Thread struck a De Ja Vu with me.  In "Community" Search on Forum,  here is another Thread mentioning the same as you.  If you scroll to the second page you will see someone said it may be due to the new "bundling" of Messages from Etsy.  (The ones on Etsy itself are called "Messages"; they used be called "Convos"; I still see them referred to as that once in a while).

https://community.etsy.com/t5/Technical-Issues/Message-SUBJECT-box-missing/td-p/139079539/page/2

I'm wondering if it's a case of when you do Custom work.  

[linencottage]

I agree with you.  Thank you for the support, I know I'm not crazy (well at least on this topic LOL).  

[Chrysalism]

Not only are my messages not bundled yet (still seeing separate threads, thank goodness!), I also have never seen a subject line when sending Etsy messages. By email do you mean something other than messages sent within Etsy's Message system?

[BagmakerSupply · Accepted solution]

Could part of the eMail / convo (message) confusion be because you can choose to receive eMail copies of your convos?

The eMail copy of a convo always had as a subject line something like "Etsy Conversation with x from y". The subject line from the convo was part of the body of the eMail.

Now, the "subject line" that is embedded in the body of the eMail copy of the convo is the original one from whichever thread Etsy decided to attach messages to.  Talk about confusing the recipient ...

It is as if no one at Etsy bothered to check the downstream effects and consequences of the changes they made.

[linencottage · Accepted solution]

Thank you, too.  I took your suggestion and going forward, I am making the first line of the message "Your Quilt Label Design Needs Approval".  Let's see how that works.

[TonsOfPaper · Accepted solution]

Hello there,

As of the moment, we can add a subject line if we send a direct message to another etsy member. Go to Shop Manager > Messages > click the Compose button. We're noting this feedback and will be sharing it with the team to consider for a future update. Please know we take comments from the community to heart, and we make many changes to the site based on what we hear. 

Thank you very much!

[weekendjewelry1]

EtsyStaff Tons of Paper, if you guys do take comments from the community to heart - here's one very heartfelt vote for NOT lumping all communications from a customer into one long email chain.  I've been dealing with repeat customers for 10+ years and I haven't had any trouble figuring out what message was which.  I absolutely prefer being able to start a NEW conversation with a customer with a new order, or whenever it has felt appropriate to do so. 

Perhaps you could offer each Seller - even better, each Etsy member - the choice. I'll keep my fingers crossed. 

[BagmakerSupply]

@TonsOfPaperWe just tested out the suggestion you made. Yes the subject line appears on the form BUT ...

When looking at the eMail copy of the message, the subject line which is embedded in the body of the eMail is the subject line of the original message in the thread NOT the subject line which we entered on the compose form. Very confusing for the recipient of the eMail.

And we also would vote to receive separate threads rather than have everything lumped together.