Message response rate

[SuOwen]

My recent response rate has dropped from 100% to 50%! I have replied to say thanks, whatever and then the customer has replied with a thanks etc. Do we just have to keep going back and forth with the thanks to retain the 100%? This is just stupid! I even replied to a bloke who asked me to take nude portraits, I’m not even a photographer. Seems very unfair and almost impossible to achieve star seller status as the goal post keeps moving! 
Etsy don’t take into account people’s personal issues and why they might have the convenience of an Etsy shop in the first place, like us chronic pain sufferers. With the best will in the world it’s just not always possible to reply within 24/48 hours. 
We are not Amazon! 

[ChristmasIsLove]

@SuOwen Read the rules on your Star Seller dashboard. Only new initial messages require a reply or to be marked as spam. You can download a spreadsheet to see what message(s) you did not reply to or mark.

I see your shop is on vacation. Did you set up a vacation message response? If not, that might be the reason you're not replying in a timely manner.

[SVGRox]

The CSV report will show if its an error on the part of the shop or the AI bot at Etys- Bots are only as good as the human behind them

[CatsWhiskersCurios]

"With the best will in the world it’s just not always possible to reply within 24/48 hours."

With all due respect, it is perfectly possible.  If you aren't going to be available, set the auto-response.  The messages badge is one over which we, as sellers, have total control. 

As suggested, download the CSV to see which one(s) you missed.  It only counts the first message received in a thread, not ongoing messages. 

[CraftyCornishMaids]

you have to reply to each new message THREAD once, they are highlited in blue, so you don't miss them, you don't have to keep replying to the same thread, once is enough

also, if you get someone asking to take nude photos, you can mark it as spam, you don't have to reply, if you mark as spam.

if yoy download the message csv's, you will see which ones etsy thinks you've missed

[BagmakerSupply · Accepted solution]

@SuOwen: "Do we just have to keep going back and forth with the thanks to retain the 100%?" The Star Seller metric is that only the FIRST message of EVERY NEW INCOMING thread must be replied to (or marked as spam) within 24 hours. Etsy is now putting a blue text warning / advisory (blue banner on desktop, and a blue dot on mobile) on those messages they consider to be a "new message" but should semantically be called a "new thread".