Message from potential buyer disappeared and it was not possible to reply to the message

[PeToDigitalStudio]

Hello, on 2 July I have receive the message from the potential buyer. I wrote the reply almost immediately after receiving the message but when I hit Send I got an error as my reply wouldn't go through. I tried several times but was not able to submit the reply. When I check the messages, I noticed that this message disappeared. I check all the folder (Spam, All, Unread etc.) but the message was not there. I proceeded to contact the Etsy support where I got feedback that the user either deleted the account or opted out not to receive messages from me so for that reason the message disappeared. I wanted to make sure that this message will not be calculated in scope of Star Seller evaluation since it was a technical issue and was not my fault and I had no influence on the issue. I was assured by Etsy support that the message will not be calculated for Star Seller. Today I noticed that it has in fact been calculated in my Star Seller Score so I contacted Etsy Support again. I got feedback that user have closed account and after a few days re-opened their account. When the user re-opened their account the message re-appeared again in my Inbox. I was told to open the issue as technical bug on the forum.

I would appreciate this message to be excluded from my Star Seller Evaluation as it was a technical issue and in no way my fault. 

[RusticBucketsSouth]

That is all you can do.  I responded to a message immediately and it was calculated incorrectly as not responded to.  Oh well, it isn’t my biggest complaint at the moment.

[ChillwolfArt]

Hi, I'm sorry you were directed to report this issue in the Forum as a Technical Problem. We are other Sellers, and can't do anything about the calculations of Star Seller Metrics, sorry. It's possible the Message was from a scammer, something Etsy caught. But Etsy is the only one who can alter SS Calculations. Hope this helps in some way. 

[PeToDigitalStudio]

Hey, thank you for your feedback! Yes, I am also not sure how the Forum can help but the Esty support told me the following: "Please report this to our technical assistance team in the forums. They will be able to check on your account and fix any technical issues.".

I don't personally think that this issue is such a big deal, I can "survive" without Star Seller badge, but I just find it to be unfair. Bugs and technical issues can happen for sure, but in my opinion Esty should reconsider and revise Star Seller evaluation system to make sure these kind of issues do not affect scores.

[SaraBachArt]

Hi, I have had this happen as well and I think it means that the potential buyer was actually a scam that Etsy removed to protect you. Usually the message seems very promising, but then they try to get you to give them your information. So please don’t worry about it even though it may be disappointing. All the best.

[PeToDigitalStudio]

Hi Sara, thank you for your feedback! Yes, I also thought that this might be the case because it was strange that the message disappeared literally within minutes. I also don't think this is such a big deal but it is unfair and an opportunity for Etsy to revise their Star Seller Evaluation system. All the best!

[Adorabilities]

I also had a message yesterday that I was notified about (received an email,) but it's nowhere to be found in my message box -- not even in the spam folder.

[PeToDigitalStudio]

It might be the same issue. I think the best thing we can do is to setup auto-reply.

[Vintorious]

You can check to see if this message is included in your statistics. Go to "Star Seller" in your Shop Manager; click on "Message response rate;" then click the link to "Download message history."

[PeToDigitalStudio]

Hey, yes I did that and then I saw that the message was in fact calculated in the Star Seller score even though Etsy support told me that this would not happen.

[BagmakerSupply]

@PeToDigitalStudio: "... this message to be excluded from my Star Seller Evaluation ..." Have you checked the applicable CSV file available on your Star Seller page to confirm this new Message threads is being included in the stats calculation?

If it is there, there is also a link to the actual message thread so you can verify if the data is correct or not.

"... I got an error as my reply wouldn't go through." What error did you get?

[PeToDigitalStudio]

Hey, I did download and check CSV and then I saw that the message was in fact calculated in the Star Seller score even though Etsy support told me that this would not happen.

The message has re-appeared in my Inbox 3 days after I initially got the message. As I was told, this happened because the user first deleted/closed their account and than re-opened the account. When they re-opened the account, the message re-appeared.

Typical technical bug, it happens. I just think Etsy should revise the way they calculate Star Seller score to make sure these kind of issues don't affect as much the final score.

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@PeToDigitalStudio " the user either deleted the account or opted out not to receive messages from me so for that reason the message disappeared"

Once again, Etsy Support only considered a few of the possibilities and ignored the mosr probable one.

Most probably, other Sellers reported this particular Shop for "spamming" or the Etsy "Spam Bot" detected the same.  These days Etsy is completely removing these "spam" messages and closing the "spam" Shops. That is why you could not reply - because the "Member no longer exists".

[PeToDigitalStudio]

I agree that this might be the issue. I think the best option is to setup auto-reply.

[HANMN]

don’t forget - being a star seller doesn’t matter - just focus on making sales… I’ve never been a star seller and I have had my shop for nearly 3 years w 5 star feedback, excellent response rate and on time shipping…tell me that makes sense. 

[ModKenneth · Accepted solution]

Hello!

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