Message response rate

[pebbleandbirch]

• I have never failed to respond to a customer's question, yet my message response rate has been dropping over the past few months and is now at 95%. Is anyone having the same problem?  I respond to all messages within an hour and I'd hate to lose my seller rating over this glitch or whatever it is that's happening. 

[Natalya1905]

1. Have you checked your Spam folder?
2. If you're a buyer on Etsy, have you replied to all messages from sellers? 

[WitticismsRus]

Have you downloaded the messages csv to see which message it is saying you didn't respond to in time? If not then start there.

[BagmakerSupply]

@pebbleandbirch: Have you checked the applicable CSV file available on your Star Seller page (previous period for July Star) to see which new Message threads Etsy thinks were unanswered or answered late?

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.

Keep in mind that the Star Seller metric is NOT all new messages but only the first message of all new incoming threads.

[SheilaShed]

I missed one message in April and it knocked me down to 83% . It’s hard to believe one missed message did that. This is the first month since I have been selling that I have not gotten the star seller. 

[BagmakerSupply]

@SheilaShed: "It’s hard to believe one missed message did that." It is just plain and simple math - it takes 19 answered on time new threads for every 1 not answered on time new thread to be at 95%.