Messages from new customers are going into Spam

[#1]

Just an FYI that as of yesterday, messages from new customers, including responses to messages from sellers in active conversations, are getting sent to Spam.

Check your spam folders for missed messages.

[InfiniTokens]

Yes this has been happening to me too!! I found out I had several non-SPAM messages in SPAM (some potential buyers asking a question but hadn't ordered yet) that were overdue- won't that count against me for my seller rating? 

I would much rather get spam messages to delete manually than to have potential customers and existing customers unanswered!

[JMOldeVintage]

Some have reported that replying to the message from the spam box - don't move the message to the regular inbox - did not ding their star rating. Though I believe this was done in the 24 hour window. However they may have been the exception to the rule.

Others have reported being dinged if moved from spam to the inbox & then a reply sent after the 24 hour time frame. 

Many have posted that even if they marked messages not spam then replied, the next response from the sender/buyer went to the spam box.

[VintageClockRevival · Accepted solution]

I do most of my messaging on the app and there is no way to check spam on the app. I did not know this was happening until I turned on my laptop. 

I was hoping that there was a seller/customer support number I could call. We are Etsy Customers too. Its impossible to get support. 

It makes me angry that we do everything to the level of perfection and we punished for Etsy's technical deficiencies.   

[MyLittleWorkbench]

Happening to me too. I missed 5 in the past 11 days. Not nice.

[Jewels2at]

I wonder why something as important as messages from buyers...Etsy would use bots.

[BlackSheepDyeworks]

@Jewels2at, I can think of 2 reasons:

- it's cheaper than using humans to address a problem, and Etsy is cheap

- Etsy doesn't see the importance of buyer messages the same way we do, only that they need to address the spam message issue (and this bot-driven band-aid is their unfortunate choice)

[VintageClockRevival]

Its incredible that they want us to be high touch and engaged with our customers but they dont proved adequate tools.   

[ImpossibleMothToo]

Trust me I'm as frustrated as everyone else having to check my spam folder on 2 shops every day, but there are millions of messages every day on Etsy, how else are they going to weed out Spam than automating?

Absolutely though the bots need more training to identify legitimate messages in the sea of Spam and I wish they had done that before letting it run amok on live messages, but they seem to prefer live testing! Hopefully it will quickly learn which are genuinely spam and we can go back to be frustrated with Etsy for something else.

[TheWhiskeyWorkshopCo]

Response from Etsy:

Thank you so much for reaching out to Etsy Technical Support!
 
My name is Cee and I understand that a response from us might've taken longer than expected. We appreciate your time and we'll make sure to assist you in a timely manner from here on.
 
I appreciate you providing us more information regarding the issue you're experiencing with messages automatically being moved to spam. I understand how important this is to you and wanted to let you know that we're still here to help.
 
Upon checking on the information you provided, it sounds like you’re experiencing an issue that our engineering team is looking into. I’ve added all of the details from this ticket to their investigation so they have more information to work with.
 
Thank you so much for reporting this, it lets us know how widespread the issue is and helps our teams prioritize fixes.
 
In the meantime, if you have any other concern feel free to reach out to us via a new ticket!

I lost star seller 24 hours after I responded to the messages that went to spam.  I've been a star seller every month since they started the program. 

[VintageClockRevival]

Here is a portion of my Auto Response from Etsy......

"If Etsy has marked a message as spam that you subsequently move out of the folder, that will not impact your Star Seller eligibility".

However, No adjustments have been made to my STAR account. 

[BelViaggioDesigns]

I just found 8 messages in my spam box from customers that I was already conversing with.  So frustrating.  I've been on here since 2010 and never had so many problems with messages going into the spam box.

[FiftyStreetsVintage]

I have now lost star seller for April as well due to messages in spam and replies to them considered as late.  Very frustrating since I've had star seller since opening last year and my shop has been in good standing, now through no fault of my own my response rate is down and I'm no longer a star seller.  Very disappointing. 

[VintageClockRevival]

I will be losing mine for May. I only get about 10 new customer messages a month.

I already have two late message responses. Today, I'm at an 82% and will not be able to catch up. 

I typically resound to Etsy messages on the app. You can NOT view spam on the app. Now I'm having to interrupt my day and check for spam twice a day, on my laptop. I dont want to keep potential customers waiting. 

[GlancesBackVintage]

Add me to the list now, I have been checking on a regular basis- today I had a customer email in spam

[LammidgeDesigns]

its crazy - I have been on to Etsy over several days and it is still happening - I have many copies of the message above. Etsy really dont care I feel - so long as they get their fees . .

Most of my work is custom and needs me to work together with the customer over messaging. - I've even had ongoing conversations go into spam -  - most customers are nice when I tell them what is happening but how do I know if they are all getting my messages ? ..  or are some going into their spam ?

Just typical of the lack of support for sellers on Etsy  . . they really dont seem to care!!

[JMOldeVintage · Accepted solution]

This was posted by an Etsy rep. in a different thread on the topic -

"Thank you for reporting this! We’re dedicated to keeping your accounts and the Etsy marketplace safe and secure. 

We’ve been making improvements to help you better identify authentic messages from Etsy. Recently, we’ve worked to reduce the noise in your Inbox by automatically moving potentially suspicious messages to your Spam folder (which you can only check on desktop right now). 

As a result of this, some of your messages may have been moved to the Spam folder in error. We’re working to improve the accuracy of these measures and we apologize for the confusion and inconvenience this may have caused. 

We’ve also heard your questions and concerns about how this might impact your Star Seller eligibility, which we wanted to clarify. Messages marked as spam by Etsy will not impact your Star Seller eligibility. If Etsy has marked a message as spam that you subsequently move out of the folder, we’ve ensured that also will not impact your Star Seller eligibility."

ETA - FWIW this is the thread the Etsy post appeared in -

https://community.etsy.com/t5/Technical-Issues/Non-spam-ends-up-directly-in-Spam-folder/td-p/1451063...

[SpiritStoleworks]

I just found two messages in my SPAM that were sent to spam in the middle of the conversation - each one was sent there after requesting custom embroidery on their item. Messages in SPAM can't be reviewed on the app, and they don't send you an alert they are there.

In both my cases, the messages were over a week old! I suspect I have lost both sales. Even if I haven't lost the sales, I can see the buyer leaving taking off a star on the final review due to my "lack of or slow communication"

Frustrating. I would much rather Etsy trust us to be wise enough to recognize what is authentic and what is not than to have some algorithm decide for us and cause us to lose sales! My business is not large enough to be able to sustain several lost sales like this...

[ImogensImagination]

I've just found 3 messages from a potential buyer in my spam folder... dated 28th March, 30th March and 9th April.

I instantly replied VERY apologetically, and hoping to redeem myself with a free rush order upgrade - however I'm certain I have lost that sale.

Bizarrely, I also found another message that I had replied to on 1st April - it certainly wasn't in spam when I replied!!!

Why would either my response or the customer's acknowledgement of my reply send it there?

I knew I had missed ONE message from a seller about a purchase which affected my Star Seller last month - I mistakenly though messages relating to my own purchases didn't count.

But now I'm wondering if these impacted my score too - not that I would be able to speak to any to find out nor resolve it.

No words - just URGH!

[ImpossibleMoth]

Can anyone confirm if this has stopped happening as I don't really get enough messages to know for sure?

When it first started I did get a couple of customer messages going to spam, but everything since then has been fine. I don't want to miss a message, but I also don't want to keep checking if it has resolved.

[ImogensImagination]

So it appears those messages that went to spam have now resulted in me loosing Star Seller for June.

I was relieved that my badge was re-instated for May, but its annoying to have it removed again due to this known glitch.

[Marysbricabrac]

Interesting as I lost my badge too but thought it had been resolved when we were reinstated for May. My CVS says I missed a message back in March but when I check messages and help requests there is no person or date for that month.

[JMOldeVintage]

The good news is that if the messages were received in March, the July star seller uses stats from April, May & June. These messages will no longer affect the star seller stats for July.

The bad news is that if the messages were received in April, the July star seller uses stats from April, May & June. These messages will continue to affect the shop's stats for the July star. 

@Marysbricabrac  - Can't remember the exact date, but Etsy did empty many shop's spam message folders. There was no warning they were going to do this. So if you 'missed' a message in March, even though you may have replied but kept it in spam, it's possible that the message is no longer there. 

[ImogensImagination]

@JMOldeVintage - The mis-labelled spam messages in question were dated 28th March, 30th March and 9th April.

I checked my CSV for the previous period and these are the only messages that I'm being dinged for.

Of course, they fit into that awkward "grace" period at the end of the month AND into April.

Grr.

Will I attempt to contact "support" to complain? I don't know.

Is it worth the time/effort/frustration trying to communicate with them it will take? Probably not! :o/

[ImogensImagination]

Deleted as replied in wrong place!