Lost star selling status when I WAS THE BUYER and did not respond timely to the seller.

[CollegeFirstAidKit]

So I have maintained a STAR seller status for some time. But last month, I lost my badge when a seller reached out to me about my personal order and I waited a day or two to respond. I contacted ETSY and they said that even when I am the buyer, I still have to respond timely to the seller. And my messaging response times as a buyer affect my seller stats. Has anyone else experienced this? Does this seem unreasonable to anyone else but me?

Thanks for the input.

Beth, The college Student First Aid Kit

[WitticismsRus · Accepted solution]

@CollegeFirstAidKit 

Etsy is pretty clear about how the message response rate is calculated in help center here https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/4403058372503-How-to-Become-a-Star-Seller?segment=selling

There is a highlighted bit under message response rate info that says "The Message response rate only applies to the first message in a thread. Initial messages from both buyers and sellers on Etsy are counted towards the Message response rate. "

That means ALL messages. It also means each individual message thread so if someone sends you 5 different messages with 5 questions instead of putting them in the same message chain you need to respond to all 5 of them.

The system is completely automated and doesn't know if the message is from a buyer or another seller. It isn't reading every message and making a decision if it's from a seller or a customer or what it's about. It's a computer program that calculates data. It just sees a message and calculated the response time. That's just how it works.

The info is also right there on the Star Seller page in shop manager. Just go to shop manager > star seller. Once there scroll toward the bottom until you find "Questions? We've got answers." Then click messages. The very first question there says

"What messages count toward the message response rate?    Your message response rate is based on just the first message in a conversation, not ongoing conversations. This means you just need to respond to the first message within 24 hours. This applies to messages both from buyer and seller accounts. Messages from Etsy staff do not count toward your response rate, and neither do messages that you mark as spam...."

If the star is important to you then it may be a good idea to read or review all the info Etsy provides about the star seller program.

Bottom line...you have to either reply or mark as spam.

It takes just a few seconds to send a simple 'Thank you'. Or you can set up an auto reply every 5 days. Etsy provides tools for sellers to use , it's up to us to use them.

[VintageRescueSquad]

Yes, it's been that way since the inception of star seller. The rules are clearly spelled out: you have to respond to every new message, whether you are the seller or buyer. Etsy doesn't read every email to determine its contents.

Many people got surprised by this, but if you read the rules, it's clear. Etsy has stated that they will not manually adjust star seller metrics.

[CollegeFirstAidKit]

Thanks. Yes, I feel like ETSY should make this a little bit more clear for us newer sellers.

But thanks for the clarification.

Beth

[CollegeFirstAidKit · Accepted solution]

I called last month and the ETSY support did not offer me any suggestion about marking it as spam. It was an automated thank-you for your purchase. I wish i had known to mark it as SPAM ASAP. Live and learn.

thanks,

Beth

[PlatypusDream]

Yes, that's how Star Seller works.

ALL messages must be responded to.

https://www.etsy.com/starseller

"Responding to messages quickly helps create a great experience for shoppers. To qualify for Star Seller, you need to respond to the first message on a thread within 24 hours."

"Your message response rate is based on just the first message in a conversation, not ongoing conversations. This means you just need to respond to the first message within 24 hours. This applies to messages both from buyer and seller accounts. Messages from Etsy staff do not count toward your response rate, and neither do messages that you mark as spam. You can also now find a breakdown of your message response rate score by downloading a CSV."

[PlatypusDream]

I should have looked at the shop before replying!!!

https://www.etsy.com/ca/legal/prohibited#Q1

"Our policy also applies to medical drugs, medical devices, and any other item that claims to treat, prevent, mitigate, cure, or diagnose a disease or medical condition. Possible legal restrictions aside, these items are not in the spirit of Etsy.

More Details:

The following are examples of items that may not be sold on Etsy:

1. Alcohol.
2. Tobacco products, smokeable products, e-cigarettes, and e-liquid.
3. Drugs and certain herbal substances, including substances used for recreational and medicinal purposes, regardless of their legality. We prohibit depictions of these substances in listing photos, as well as listings for instructions or materials intended to create such items.
4. Drug paraphernalia, including, for example: items with a carburetor; slides and/or items with a slide; bongs and bubblers; vaporisers and their components.
5. Medical drugs and regulated medical devices
6. Items making certain medical claims."

https://www.etsy.com/legal/policy/gift-baskets/239976666926

"Repackaging or creatively curating commercial items for resale as a gift basket or set is not allowed in the Handmade category, unless it is part of a new structure (see below).

You may not group new items you did not make into a basket or set even when based on a theme, idea, or life event.

For example, a care package for new parents, a college student, or somebody experiencing an illness containing any new items you did not make is not allowed, no matter how caringly curated it otherwise is."

[mommawhazelsquilts]

I never reply to a shop's request for help until I LOOK AT THE SHOP!!!

Nowadays, you have to be careful of who you are helping.

[BagmakerSupply · Accepted solution]

@CollegeFirstAidKit: "Has anyone else experienced this?" A quick search of this forum would have shown you innumerable threads about your exact issue. Almost everyone on this forum can sympathize with you but as it says right on your Star Seller page, you need to reply to the FIRST message of EVERY NEW INCOMING THREAD within 24 hours. It does not matter who sent it, the subject matter, if it is a duplicate or blank or anything else. If it is SPAM then it should be marked as such.

While it is a controversial hack, if the unanswered new thread is not a Help Request, at least for the time being, it appears that marking an unanswered message as SPAM (even after the 24 hour deadline has passed) will cause your reply percentage to change in a day or two if the original message was within the current star seller period (but not retroactively). Note that subsequent messages from that account may go directly to the SPAM folder.

[CollegeFirstAidKit]

Thanks for the info. As I am relatively new to ETSY, this small detail slipped my radar.

thanks for the input.

Beth

[PiecesOfMePaperCraft]

It’s been a star seller requirement for 2 years that we need to respond to an initial message within 24 hours or mark it as spam.  

I suggest you read through the seller policies before you continue with your shop, especially the section on reselling. 

[OmasFabricStash]

One way to look at it is your shop got a message so your shop needs to respond. It doesn’t matter if the message is from a buyer, seller, spam, a scam, or your great Aunt Janice saying Hi, you need to either respond or send it to spam. 

[TBQSC]

Auto Response Message ... set it and forget it!  Keeps you active in the Star Seller Program!

[WilliamCBaker]

I'll buck the trend and sympathize with you. Etsy should have programmed the metrics calculator to distinguish between messages from buyers vs. sellers. Every message will have this info in it. All it takes is one line of code to check it.

[GieseDeseiGns]

I really do not want them reading the messages so the way it is, is fine with me, it is the one part of SS that I have control over.

[UniqueGiftOrnaments]

@CollegeFirstAidKit  You really need to rethink your items. Reselling is not allowed, and especially OTC medications.

[TBQSC]

@WilliamCBaker many buyers are also sellers here on Etsy ... that's that's why the problem exists!

[GorgeousprintsCo]

yes this happened to me once, luckily it was still up at 95% . However I also have lost it for the tracking info WHICH I HAD put in correctly, however etsy didnt recognise that particular carrier or carrier number which is anothe rmajor glitch in the star seller system. I have flagged it with them 3 times and they havent done a thing about it. 

[SheWhoPlaysWithGlass]

I would not complain to much, if Etsy checks your shop, you could get shut down for reselling, especially OTC meds

[WilliamCBaker]

mommawhazelsquilts: Does Etsy really enforce rules to protect legitimate sellers from resellers? In my niche, collectible postage stamps, a huge portion of listings are blatantly not vintage and are listed as handmade. Some of these sellers have been on for years with thousands of sales.

I'm cynical enough to think Etsy turns a blind eye because after all, resellers bring in the same (ever-rising) commission cut that legitimate sellers do.

[PlatypusDream]

@WilliamCBaker 

Etsy DOES remove prohibited items rather quickly... when they are reported.

This is more effective when it is a newer shop.

[mommawhazelsquilts]

From the OP: I feel like ETSY should make this a little bit more clear for us newer sellers.

Etsy could not make it any clearer on this point - newer sellers should read the rules before they list items as Etsy is also pretty clear on what cannot be sold on the site.

For example, kits full of assorted Dollar Tree items are not allowed; being medical items doesn't make any difference.  Any kit full of purchased items is strictly against the selling rules of Etsy - especially Medical Items.

I wouldn't worry about the Star Seller as it is surely a mistake for any shop selling not only Medical but Purchased Medical Items from the Dollar Tree in a kit should probably not have it in the first place.

[mommawhazelsquilts]

@WilliamCBaker  Of course Etsy takes down shops like this.  Sadly, not enough of them.