Messages marked as spam still marked against my Star Seller ranking

[dkuca16gt1hkgrn0]

I have two messages that are preventing me from keeping my Star Seller badge for March, one of which I marked as spam, and the other was a duplicate that was sent by a customer in error. 

It clearly states in all the documentation for Star Seller that messages marked as spam won't be counted against you. But in my case they are. I feel like the duplicate message is an unfair mark against me as well. I responded to the customer in the second thread that she started and provided excellent customer service. But just because I didn't respond to this random other message that was sent by accident now I'm not a Star Seller? What gives?

[Jewels2at]

The one you moved to spam...did it get moved to spam within the 24 hours?

The other message sent twice...both still have to have a 24 hour response.

[audreytherese]

"the other was a duplicate that was sent by a customer in error."

It doesn't matter if it was a duplicate message, the system doesn't know that. All it knows is there were 2 messages and only 1 response. Was one a help request? I'm getting that more and more, someone will send me a message, then immediately send the same message as a help request (or vice versa). I still know that I have to respond to both. 

[CarpetCollectionAU]

The "duplicate" should be replied to or "spammed" to satisfy SSP requirements. That is just how the program works.

When did you "spam" the other Message. Sometimes, the SSP / CSV takes a day or 2 to update. From everything Etsy Community Specialists have confirmed by responses to Forum questions, Messages can be marked as "spam" at any time to remove them from the SSP metric data. They are not, as far as we know, subject to the 24 hour rule, but it would be interesting to see if something has changed. To know if this is we would have to know the date you "spammed" the message.

[dkuca16gt1hkgrn0]

The spam message I did mark as spam upon receiving the message as it was another shop I ordered from thanking me for the order, and was not a customer request or anything of the like. 

I understand that I should have responded to the duplicate customer message (even though that is annoying and nonsensical). I am just frustrated that both of the messages, which do not reflect the quality of my customer service, are being counted against me for Star Seller. Which is the main metric A METRIC that customers use to gauge if a shop has good customer service. 

(since people are so hung up on that wording, there you go folks. It still doesn't change the fact that a message that was marked as spam is being counted against me. Which I why I searched Etsy documentation for help regarding this issue, and their documentation told me to post something here, in the Technical Issues forum. So here I am.)

[audreytherese]

I'm sorry, where have you seen that is the "main metric that customers use to gauge if a shop has good customer service"??? Pretty sure most customers still have no idea it even exists... 

[dkuca16gt1hkgrn0]

The Star Seller badge is right next to your star rating in every listing, so people definitely see it and it can be a deciding factor for some people when considering a purchase. I'm not sure why you would think customers have no idea it exists. 

There's also a better chance of being seen by customers, per Etsy's documentation where they say Star Sellers have "an increased chance of being featured in buyer marketing."

Also customers can now filter their search results to only show listings from Star Sellers. There used to be a filter for bestselling items, but Etsy got rid of that and now it seems like being a Star Seller is of more importance. 

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@dkuca16gt1hkgrn0 As asked previously, on which date did you mark the "spam message" as "spam".?

[dkuca16gt1hkgrn0]

It was marked as spam the day I received the message, which was earlier this month. 

[audreytherese]

I understand you're frustrated, but I guess I just feel that anyone that believes the program is that important would have learned how the program works so they didn't make the mistake of not replying to all messages in the first place. It was a mistake, that you will get past, and I'm willing to bet you won't make that same mistake again!

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@dkuca16gt1hkgrn0 Then that is interesting? Could it be that Etsy is now applying the 24 hour rule to "Spam" as well as all other Messages?

[dkuca16gt1hkgrn0]

Thanks @audreytherese for your passive aggressive response, I will respond accordingly. 

I guess I just feel that anyone that who would take the time to respond to a post in a forum would actually read the contents of that post so they don't make the mistake of responding in a generally rude and unhelpful way.

As I said originally, which is also the subject line of this post, there is a spam message that is being counted against my ranking. Etsy documentation directed me here.

So far as I can tell, the only mistake I have made is listening to the Etsy documentation by coming here and asking for support, when all I have gotten is a bunch of semantics and passive aggressive remarks. 

[dkuca16gt1hkgrn0]

@CarpetCollectionAU - I am unsure, it would be a bit unfortunate for me if that were the case!

[audreytherese]

I tried to actually be helpful. You can see it however you'd like. Having the spam message marked against you is quite possibly a moot point because of the other message you admit to not responding to. 

[BootifulLabels]

@dkuca16gt1hkgrn0 

I have had Star Seller only once in the 18 months or so that it has been in place, and not having it has had no affect on my sales, nor on my visits or views.  

Etsy obviously wants us all to aspire to the badge, so they naturally push the spurious benefits it supposedly carries with it.  They did the same thing with free shipping, until it became obvious that they couldn't possibly include everyone who offered free shipping a place on the first page of searches, just as they can't place everyone who meets the SS criteria in pride of place on features.  

Ironically, the messages metric is the only one that is entirely within the seller's control.  Even  if you think you have been wrongly penalised, Etsy has always made it clear that their decision is final.  Errors can be corrected for the next badge evaluation, but not for the current one.  The March badge evaluation would most likely already be in progress (it happens in the last day or two of the month) so whatever is showing on your stats today is what will determine your eligibility for the March badge.

Advice given in the forums is done so with generosity and a genuine desire to help.  However, some people don't want to be helped, unless the helpers agree 100% with their own view.  Most children learn at a young age that you should take advice with the kindness of spirit in which it is given, it is a pity some forget the lesson later in life.

[dkuca16gt1hkgrn0]

@BootifulLabels  - You’re right, I did learn to respond to advice in the spirit in which it’s given. In this case, the “advice” was given in a rude and condescending spirit, much like your own comment. Believe it or not, most people don’t respond kindly to being talked to that way. 

I came to the forum to ask for assistance and I am open to receiving it. However, I am not open to being scolded like a child or talked down to for asking a basic question. It’s a pity some people think that they can talk that way to whoever they want with no consequences. 

[GieseDeseiGns]

“Which is the main metric customers use to gauge if a shop has good custome service.”Really I would think reviews are, the better metric. It’s what I pay attention to. When stars go to resellers and counterfeitors, not so much  I don’t think many even know about it either. Most buyers come by search so don’t even see the badge in your shop.

[dkuca16gt1hkgrn0]

You don't have to go to a shop to see the badge, the badge appears on all your listings as well. 

And "Star Sellers have an increased chance of being featured in buyer marketing." So regardless of what you or customers think, simply being a Star Seller can increase my chances of being seen and give me more business. Which is why it is important to me, and why I am asking these questions. 

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@dkuca16gt1hkgrn0 Whilst I am still "on the fence" about if and how SSP impacts a Shop's success, I think it presumptious of others to dismiss any other Seller's concerns about the program.

What is important is that, if SSP is important to a Seller and the Seller is working proactively to satisfy all requirements, then the system needs to be not only transparent, but it also needs to be programmed to work accurately.

The "missed" duplicate message is something over which you did have control, so nothing is wrong there.

But the "spammed" message should have been removed from SSP metrics, especially if this was earlier in the Month.

Either the message was not successfully "spammed" or Etsy has changed to program to apply the 24 hour rule to "spam" as well as all other Messages.

[dkuca16gt1hkgrn0]

@CarpetCollectionAU - Thank you for your thoughtful response, I do appreciate it. 

I am unsure if Etsy has changed anything regarding this 24 hr rule. I am currently looking into the auto-reply feature, though I was trying to avoid that as I don't want to come off as impersonal to my customers.

I do genuinely care about customer service, which is why I am disappointed by this spam message being counted against me.

Whether or not the program really does anything behind the scenes to help my shop, I do think that there is some perception customers have associated with seeing the badge next to a listing vs. not seeing the badge. I guess I will just have to try again next month.

[BagmakerSupply]

@dkuca16gt1hkgrn0: Have you looked at the CSV file to confirm which message(s) Etsy thinks you did not answer within 24 hours? If the message you did mark as spam was the first message of a new incoming thread then it should no longer appear in the file.

[dkuca16gt1hkgrn0]

I did look at the CSV, that’s how I originally found those two messages. I am unsure why the one I marked as spam is in the CSV.. It doesn’t show in my inbox either, only in my spam folder. 

[BagmakerSupply]

@dkuca16gt1hkgrn0: Hopefully one of the Etsy moderators will be able to double check your messages and fix the underlying data so that the Star Seller stats auto update (but sadly it will not be retroactive).

[Adorabilities]

Have you contacted support? They won't be able to change anything for the duplicate messages, but the spammed message counting against you shouldn't be happening. 

Yes, the help page will tell you to post about it here, but we're just other sellers. It would be interesting to see what support would say -- is it a glitch, or is the calculation working differently now? 

[dkuca16gt1hkgrn0]

I haven’t contacted support yet, but I will. I have seen Etsy employees respond on these forums before, so I thought that was what would happen here. I too am curious, is this an unlucky glitch or has there been a change? Thank you for your advice.