Messages affecting Star Seller Status

[IlluminateCollection]

Good Morning, We are a new Etsy Shop and we are starting to gain some traction. We have met all the requirement for Star Seller however we noticed that our response percent is at 33% due to not responding to 2 out of the 3 messages. we have automatic reply setup. as of the 18th. However the 2 messages that came in before that did not require a response since it was just a thank you message from a purchase that we made on our account. Why would these count against us for not responding to a thank you email from a purchase? if we had responded to the thank you email. Would that require the other seller to responded so that they dont get impacted. which in turn we would have to respond again another thank you. which creates an endless email thread of thank you's. 

Is there a way to remove the 2 messages that lowered our score. If it wasnt for these 2 messages that shouldnt count then we would have earned a Star seller badge. 

Thank you for your time. Looking forward to hearing from you. 

[UniqueGiftOrnaments]

You need to go back and read the Star Seller information. Every NEW message must be answered ot put into spam. Bots can't tell the difference between buyers and sellers.

[IlluminateCollection]

Thank you!

[VintageRescueSquad]

Etsy's rules are clear: respond to ALL initial incoming messages. There is no distinction whether you received them as a seller or as a buyer.

You can try marking them as spam and see if they drop off.

[PlatypusDream]

https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/me/star-seller?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

"What messages count towards 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. You can also now find a breakdown of your message response rate score by downloading a CSV."

[ChillwolfArt]

Sorry you were caught by this. Recently as a Buyer, I had a Thank You Message from a Seller, with details about my Order. I replied, "Thank You", which is what I've always done, even before the S Seller Metrics came out (I use the same account for both buying and selling). That isn't spam as far as I'm concerned.  If I receive a Message, "Check out my Gems, 20% off", into Spam it goes.

Just so you know, you may receive a Message from a Seller whom you are friendly with ("How's it going"? for example). That still counts as requiring a Response or Mark as Spam, since you are not the Initiator of the Message. 

Hope this helps you.

[mommawhazelsquilts]

 "Would that require the other seller to responded so that they dont get impacted. which in turn we would have to respond again another thank you. which creates an endless email thread of thank you's."   NO.

@IlluminateCollection   I would suggest reading the rules again.  Etsy is very clear on this.  You must reply to the 1st message in a thread whether it's from a buyer or a seller.  Also, the rules are clear that it's only the 1st message and that you don't have to go backwards and forth with a messenger.

There are other rules that might impact your standing so I would suggest reading or re-reading the rules.  Answering messages is the only one of the 5 that we can control....thank Goodness! 

[IlluminateCollection]

Thank you all I appreciate all the responses. I will go back and re read the information. As a new seller and with all the information out there it is alot to take in. I am new to this so I appreciate the mature responses and helpful tips. Thank you again and God bless. 

[audreytherese]

"if we had responded to the thank you email. Would that require the other seller to responded so that they dont get impacted. which in turn we would have to respond again another thank you. which creates an endless email thread of thank you's."

No, it's only the first message in the thread that counts, you do not need to always get the last word. Since they started the thread, only that first message needs a response, your first response to them does not start a new thread, so does not count in their metrics.

[LPSStuffShop]

So stupid. As a buyer and seller, why do I need to respond to a seller just letting me know they shipped my item. Star seller status is ridiculous.

[OmasFabricStash]

You don’t need to respond to every new message you get if you don’t want to. The only time it matters is if you want the Star Seller status. 
If you want the SS then you follow the rules. 
You can get a separate account just for buying items then it won’t matter if you respond. 

[LPSStuffShop]

Not going to create a new account just for that. I will just mark them as spam. You're right though - I don't need Star Seller.