Message Response Rate

[ClickerKing]

Has anyone else had issues with getting dinged for not responding to an automated message from another seller after purchasing an item from them? Is there a way to have this lack of response removed from the Star Seller calculations?

[NanaLetha]

Either reply or mark as spam 

[PinkBirdCottage]

We have to reply to every message or mark as spam. You can still mark as spam and it will right itself if it hasn't been overly long. Etsy simply isn't going to give the manpower to decipher each message to determine if it needed a response. Most of us have learned this the hard way. 

[FallenAngelBrass]

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@ClickerKing wrote:

Has anyone else had issues with getting dinged for not responding to an automated message from another seller...?

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Everyone gets dinged for not responding unless you mark the message as spam. 

[OmAgainVintage]

I was dinged for not answering a message that I never even received.  

I even lost my Star Seller status because of it.

[GlassyFields]

@OmAgainVintage 

"dinged for not answering a message that you never even received" ...

If that's really true then it is a bug ... but before you go to Etsy ...

go to your star seller CVS and see what message they dinged you for ... move it to the spam folder

I've been shocked when I see that I haven't responded to a message ... but when I look hard, I've missed it. It's typically something like a 'thank you' from a buyer.

If that happens, mark it as spam and the stats will factor that in the next time they update.

[BootifulLabels]

Yep, it has always worked this way, since day 1.

If you don't want your purchases to affect your SS status, you have a couple of options.

1. You can use Auto reply to send a "thank you" or an "I'll get back to you shortly" message. This counts as a response for SS, but needs to be reset every five days.
2. You can create a few snippets with various messages and send quick responses that way in just 3 clicks, Snippets/Select/Send.
3. You can create a new, buyer only Etsy account and keep all your purchases separate from your shop.

Number 3 is the easiest option, once your buyer account is set up it requires no ongoing maintenance and you never have to worry about messages from sellers interfering with your SS rating.

[BagmakerSupply · Accepted solution]

@ClickerKing: "... for not responding to an automated message ..." There is no official or authorized way for anyone to send "automated" messages on Etsy. Almost everyone on this forum can sympathize with you but a quick search would show you innumerable threads about your exact issue. 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.

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.

[GlassyFields]

@BagmakerSupply 

great description - 

regarding the hack ... I totally agree with the importance of responding to messages in a timely manner but there are so many flaws with Star Seller that I don't mind using a loophole from time to time.

A big flaw, is that only the first message counts - and I understand why Etsy made that change. I get lots of messages every day, most are continuations of existing threads, some from repeat buyers after months or even years looking for something new. So even though I'm responding to lots of messages, only a fraction are factored into my star seller stats.

Star seller is attempting to measure customer service but can't possibly account for all the scenarios. So I treat it as using what I can to play Etsy's Star Seller game.

[OmAgainVintage]

@GlassyFields 

Thank you.

I did contact Etsy but never received a response.  

It might have been that a customer contacted me via Help Request to tell me that she never leaves reviews but wanted me to know how much she loved her purchase.  I did answer the email immediately.

[BagmakerSupply]

@OmAgainVintage: "I did answer the email immediately." eMails do not count for Star Seller just Etsy Messages (nee Convos).

"It might have been that a customer contacted me ..." As suggested, you need to look at the applicable CSV file available on your Star Seller page. When you look at the file remember that that the dates / times are in UTC (not your time zone), only the first message of a new incoming thread is included (all that counts for Star Seller), and usually a new incoming thread is not included until after the 24 hour reply window has passed regardless of when you replied. Star Seller stats (and the CSV file) seem to be updated only once per day so there may be an additional day's delay. There is also a link to the actual message thread so you can verify if the data is correct or not.