Help Etsy sending letter saying not meeting customer standards ive got 4.8 stars star seller

[SanFilippoLeather]

Info please something is wrong w etsy?

Ive been a seller on here for 15 years 4.8 stars my stats are great ! great shipping great response rate im  looking at all my customer responses none were more than 24hr!

so get this message Not meeting standards search could be lowered WHAT 15YEARS 4.8 RATING mind you this is after they put my shop on vacation mode for 15days to check my ID wich has also been perfect for 15 years. ya think i was maybe locked outta any actions HMMMMMMM.

CMON ETSY I LOVE YA CAN YA HELP!!! SOMETHING IS NOT WORKING FOR THE SELLERS ANYMORE THAT BUILT THIS PLACE

Whats going on Etsy are your bots not reading things right ,

[TheVintagePineapple]

It was most likely because of the low rated reviews you've gotten in the past couple of months.

Are you sure you didn't miss answering a new message or two during that time, too?

[PoochandTabby]

Have a look at your customer service stats page. Star seller is different from the customer service standards. It should tell you exactly where you are with your numbers and where the problem is. If I remember correctly, the minimum to meet the standard is 4.8 for reviews, 80% for shipping and 48 hours for messages. If you fall below any of those minimums, you may get that email/message.

It's got nothing to do with how long you've been on Etsy, it's about meeting the basics that Etsy has now set out. You don't get a pass simply because you've been here a long time. 

[CarpetCollectionAU]

Well, I am a human, not a bot, but even I can see that your Shop is not 4.8. Recent Reviews are a big clue to the notification you have received about your CSSs.

Etsy has, for quite some time now, made it very clear that Star Seller Program is "aspirational", but that Customer Service Standards are "mandatory". Whilst there is no penalty for failure to achieve SSP, Etsy does take Customer Service Standards very seriously and has advised that failure to achieve satisfactory performance results for the "more generous" Customer Service Standards may result in reduced "visibility".

There are many successful Shops which do not achieve SSP, but which do meet the CSS requirements of 80% Messages replied to within 24-48 hours (not 24 hours as in SSP), 80% of Orders shipped on time (no tracking requirement), no more than 4 Reviews have a rating of 3 or lower (not 4.8 Average) and no more than 3 Orders had Cases that Etsy refunded fron Seller account

Posted clearly on the Customer Service Statistics Page is the following

"Review Etsy’s customer service standards

Great customer service helps you build trust with buyers and keep them coming back.

To give shoppers a positive experience, keep your customer service stats at our standards. Consistently not meeting these standards may lower your search visibility on Etsy, and impact your shop or account status.Learn more"

 There have been many people reporting having received similar warnings and it certainly looks like Etsy is simply pointing out that CSSs are not being met and reduced visibility is the consequence. IMO, this is fair and reasonable and any Shop which cannot meet the "generous" CSSs minimums is one which is clearly not providing excellent Customer Service, no matter how long Shop had been selling here.

[BagmakerSupply]

@SanFilippoLeather: Your shop may have a 4.8 review average, but keep in mind that is for a rolling twelve month period. Star Seller and Customer Service Standards only look at the most recent three month period (December, January, and February for the March 1st badges and star). What is your review rating for that period (as shown on your Customer Satisfaction page for current review period) - something closer to 3.44?

Obviously Etsy is not handling the legally required verifications and re-verifications as well as they could be, but if your response or shipping scores were impacted you can get details by looking the applicable CSV files.

[Amaradorn]

Your overall shop rating for the last 12 months is currently 4.45! You also don't currently have the messages badge for star seller (for the last 3 months) so you are short on that too. Check the CSV file to see which messages were not responded to within 24 hrs. Any spam/scam messages should be reported so that they do not affect your score. 

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@SanFilippoLeather 

The customer service standard, is calculated over the last 3 months

the one showing on your shop front now, is for Nov, Dec and Jan

The one showing in "current review period" is for Dec, Jan, and Feb to date.  

It is to reflect your current customer service standard, ie, how you are performing most recently

The customer service standard is "having no more than 4 reviews having a 3* or lower in the period"

Your reviews in the current review period would make you lower than the customer service standard required, you have 5 reviews with 3* or lower.

(the number above, like 4.8, is for the star seller badge, not the metric for the required customer service standard )

....

Also, one of your reviews, for a clip,  says it is not handmade you, and you replied...

This is why we search and research the finest American made hardward for our products

It's listed as handmade by YOU

[SanFilippoLeather]

well we make all the leather by hand but some of the buckles for belts and clips that attach to our handmade leather are sourced! as most sellers do!

seems kinda obvious!

also i have a duplicate review so that alone is hurting my rating! i have let etsy know that one seller cant leave 2 bad reviews for on sale! and because they personally ordered the wrong color!  i told them we would be happy to fix that if they wanted. how can any seller help that!

[CraftyCornishMaids]

That item has no leather,

it's just a metal clip, you have listed it, as handmade by you

it should be listed as sourced by you

The reviewer is correct, you did not handmake it at all.

.....

buyers can leave a review, on each item, not just on each sale

...

for the reviews regarding colour, they don't just mention the colour, but also the quality, and they mention quality first, which your reply doesn't address.

you have not linked the picture of the correct colour to the variation, which you should do,

The pictures both show tan colour, and the picture has to match what they buy

if you have one in oxblood, you need to have a picture of one in oxblood, and link that to the variation, so when they click on oxblood, the picture of an oxblood one is there on front of them, and on the order.
If they are clued up enough on etsy, they can get a refund in full for both items, and get to keep them, and etsy will refund from you

......

I would learn from this, and change your listings

for clips you sell separately, and  do not make by hand, do not list them as handmade, they should be listed as sourced by you

for colour variations, link the picture of the correct colour, to the variation

[SanFilippoLeather]

us yes we did we attached the 2 pieces of metal hand made!

second we actually have the 4 colors listed they ordered a natural belt and a oxblood wallet chain. and are complaining the oxblood wallet chain doesnt match the belt.

Well just so happens we offer a natural wallet chain they did not order that!

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@SanFilippoLeather 

those are  separate pieces of metal clipped together, like putting a charm on a chain, it is not allowed as handmade on etsy

.....

I clicked on the oxblood wallet chain variation, it showed a picture of a natural one,

you have to link a photo of the oxblood wallet chain, to the oxblood variation.

[SanFilippoLeather]

uhh no its been like that for 15 years pretty obvious by the color selections! and we make the metal rings that attach to the clip just as we make our chain mail so yea handmade!

[SanFilippoLeather]

and are ya kidding me been on here 15 years as an actual maker like every product we actually make!  have ya seen the stuff they accept as hand made these days like ! ? hand made where in a factory in chinaLOL

[CraftyCornishMaids]

I am 100% NOT kidding

etsy specifically removed charms on chains, and items like your clips, from the "made by" category in July

They changed the definition, specifically so people don't sell stuff like that, as handmade

[CryzalisMasksUK]

Handmade is when you make the item from start to finish with your own hands. Etsy decided to actually tighten those rules back in July. Those who have not changed their core details to the correct settings is at risk of violating Etsy's creativity standards which will result in listings being removed or the whole shop if they have to many taken down.