Help Request Ticket Counting Against Star Seller Score

[BlackrobinBits]

I had an order where they placed the order, and almost instantly requested a refund through the Help Resolution area. I issued the refund very quickly and moved on with my day. I then come to learn that the auto help request message counts towards my Star Seller Score and I am supposed to respond to it. I am a small seller so that counting against my score is going to cost me star seller for next month!

When I contacted Etsy about this, they were not sympathetic to my concerns at all, what was I supposed to do in this situation? Message saying "I have issued the refund?" Why does Etsy auto send the message from help resolution but not auto send one back when the situation has been taken care of?

[ChristmasIsLove · Accepted solution]

Help Requests and messages are separate and need to be responded to separately, in accordance with the Star Seller rules of answering every initial message within 24 hours or marking it as spam.

[audreytherese]

Yes, you should have responded saying 'I have issued the refund'. Or before you issued it, 'I see your request for a refund and I will issue that right now'. 

[PillowDetails]

It's not an "auto" help request.  Yes, I know it's annoying, even though Etsy sends emails to Buyers when we issue refunds.  Same goes for Custom Order requests - just setting one up does not satisfy the SS metric - we also need to reply "Okey-dokey, here you go!"

In the future, look for the blue banner (desktop) or the blue dot (mobile) - for any message that requires a response.

[BlackrobinBits]

Thank you for responding everyone, but I know what I "should have done" now. I see a message saying "Buyer needs your help, Resolution: Refund" and I refund within minutes, to know that I am going to lose my star seller badge for a month now all because I didn't then respond that through the messages section is deeply frustrating, especially with all the work that I have put into my business to earn that.

[audreytherese]

So you're not surprised later, that message will count against you for the next 3 months, not just this month, because that's how long each qualifying period is. 

And based on the items in your shop, you should be more worried about staying open long enough for that to even matter, as every item in your shop is infringing on someone else's intellectual property and not allowed to be sold here (or most places, as it's considered illegal and unlicensed counterfeit goods). 

[BlackrobinBits]

Thank you for the clarification for the 3 months.

Also, thank you for your concern but fan art is perfectly acceptable. There are hundreds of established sellers on here that sell props, t-shirts, art, replicas and so on based on popular media. I am not copying an already made product and trying to pass it off as my own design, or selling counterfeit items, which indeed is illegal.

[ArtDollsbyJD]

@BlackrobinBits   I suggest you read this article  Fan Art and Fair Use: One Truth and Five Myths (etsy.com)

You may want to check with a lawyer to makes sure you won't have any issues.

BTW your shop policies are not EU/UK compliant which may cause issues for you.

[audreytherese]

Well if you're not worried, then I'm not worried. I did shoot a quick email to the Disney tip line just in case they thought differently. They'll let you know, 

[TickleYourWitch]

@BlackrobinBits 

Fan art is fine until you commercialize it. You cannot monetize and sell it legally. Personal use only or you need permission and/or a license. 

Nothing in your shop can be sold here legally. What you see other sellers doing is not a good way to run your business. 

As to the star seller ding, Etsy won't help. Lots of us get dinged once. I'm waiting out a ding for the same issue where I responded in an ongoing message thread and not to the help request. I didn't notice it. One more month to go before my mistake drops off. 

[BlackrobinBits]

I will take a read of that, thank you.

This is just a way to fund a hobby, but should I be found to be in breach of any rules, I will happily take my stuff down. I will shift my focus, I didn't realize how hot of a topic this was on here, I was simply following the examples on the site for the stuff I was making.

[dippeldiundscribble]

....

[ThePurplePuppy]

@BlackrobinBits 

If you think following the "Examples" of what others are doing: Do you drive on the freeway at 100MPH because the guy in front of you does, so it must be OK--or do you get a gun and rob a bank because "HEY" that other guy did it so it must be OK".

That sounds like the teen who tells Mom--"well, everyone else is doing it--why can't I?"

[BlackrobinBits]

I get it, you have all made me feel horrible, you can stop piling on now. Looks like I'm going to be deleting all my stuff and starting over when I get home today.

[moonbeamgifts · Accepted solution]

I've noticed this happens especially if someone messages right after they order, then Etsy must offer them a way to contact the seller about the order which opens the help request and basically generates two different messages.   
I get this a lot if someone is looking for a different size, realizes they bought the wrong size or wants more when the item renews.

What I've started doing is responding to the first message, then copy/pasting that response and replying to the other message.    The buyer typically picks one to respond to (as far as I can tell, it doesn't matter which one they choose) and we continue the rest of the conversation on that thread.     It sucks because they get two messages but it technically is the first incoming message in the correspondence thread so the "rules" state it must be replied to.

[BlackrobinBits]

Thank you for this, and this is pretty much exactly what happened, they were a returning customer so they already had another thread.

I'll take this on the chin and move on.

[TBQSC]

Today is Thursday and I see you still have IP infringing items in your shop!  What happened ... I thought you were going to delete them all and start over?  Did you know all your buyers can file a NAD case and win because you are selling them counterfeit items?  Etsy will instantly refund your buyers straight from your seller account, and the buyers don't even have to return the item to you at all.  In addition, USPS may have a field day with your items too as sending counterfeits through the mail is a federal offense. 3D art is really fun to create, but I do hope you come up with more original designs rather than constantly stealing from the Mouse!  Good luck, I hope things work out for the best for you.

[AAANativeArts · Accepted solution]

It says right on the Star Seller page that you must respond to ALL messages or else mark them as spam. No one at Etsy knows what your message is about. I see this complaint on the forums almost daily.

[mommawhazelsquilts]

There's an old saying (paraphrased) "there's is none so deaf than those who will not listen".

What these seasoned sellers are telling you is correct.  Wait until someone buys that $100 item and you send it to them (paying the shipping yourself) and then they request a refund because it's a counterfeit item.  Etsy will give them their $100 back and tell them to keep the item.

That's the way it can work for people who insist on infringing on other's good names.

As far as the missed message:  There's no reason for Etsy to be sympathetic because you failed to follow their rules.  This message thing is the only thing with the SSB that we have complete control over as sellers.  We can't control the number of sales or revenue, shipping or the reviews that we receive - we can control how we handle our messages.

As a fellow (but much older) North Carolinian, I would suggest reading the rules regarding both things - what we can sell and how to maintain the SSB.