Messages

[TheGoodGirlsLibrary]

So i had 100% on my messages but on my personal Etsy account from a purchase i made from another Etsy store sent me a message and i didn’t reply back due to there was no need. And it messed with the star seller score. Why are the two messages linked? And is their a way to fix this 

[UniqueGiftOrnaments]

All messages must be answered or put into spam. Bots can't tell the difference. It clearly states that in the Star Seller info.

[MarjorysMiniatures]

You need to reply to all messages regardless, happens to me, and must wait for the next evaluation to be a star seller. You cannot fixing it.

[WitticismsRus · Accepted solution]

@TheGoodGirlsLibrary 

Etsy is pretty clear about how the message response rate is calculated in help center here https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/4403058372503-How-to-Become-a-Star-Seller?segment=selling

There is a highlighted bit under message response rate info that says "The Message response rate only applies to the first message in a thread. Initial messages from both buyers and sellers on Etsy are counted towards the Message response rate. "

That means ALL messages. It also means each individual message thread so if someone sends you 5 different messages with 5 questions instead of putting them in the same message chain you need to respond to all 5 of them.

The system is completely automated and doesn't know if the message is from a buyer or another seller. It isn't reading every message and making a decision if it's from a seller or a customer or what it's about. It's a computer program that calculates data. It just sees a message and calculated the response time. That's just how it works.

The info is also right there on the Star Seller page in shop manager. Just go to shop manager > star seller. Once there scroll toward the bottom until you find "Questions? We've got answers." Then click messages. The very first question there says

"What messages count toward 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..."

If the star is important to you then it may be a good idea to read or review all the info Etsy provides about the star seller program.

Bottom line...you have to either reply or mark as spam.

It takes just a few seconds to send a simple 'Thank you'. Or you can set up an auto reply every 5 days. Etsy provides tools for sellers to use , it's up to us to use them.

[ChillwolfArt]

I'm sorry you were hit with this, but Etsy won't adjust it.  The SS Metrics require that you respond to all Messages where you are not the Initiator.  Or Mark as Spam. You could just respond, Thank You.  Just so you know; you may receive a Message from a Seller you are friendly with ("How's it going"?)  That still counts, as you did not Initiate the Message.

Hope this helps.

[Amaradorn]

If you use the same Etsy account for buying and selling then you have only one message inbox - therefore ALL first messages, regardless of whether you are the buyer or the seller, must be answered. Etsy can't tell the difference.

To avoid the issue in future you could:

a) open a new account just for buying - you would need to use a separate email address.

b) always answer first messages, even if it's just a quick 'thank you' or 'no, thank you'.

c) mark such messages as SPAM, however bear in mind that this might have a negative effect on the messaging capabilities of the other seller.

[SummerChildDesignCo]

Just had this happen to me, and yes that is what the guidelines state. But that doesn’t make it right. Clearly there should be a divide between the buyer and seller messaging. Also, AWFUL customer service. I can’t wait to move from Etsy to a different platform

[BootifulLabels]

It is your Etsy account.  You have the power to fix this going forward.

If you don't want your purchases to affect your SS status, you have a couple of options.

1. You can use Auto reply to send a "thank you" or an "I'll get back to you shortly" message. This counts as a response for SS, but needs to be reset every five days.
2. You can create a few snippets with various messages and send quick responses that way in just 3 clicks, Snippets/Select/Send.
3. You can create a new, buyer only Etsy account and keep all your purchases separate from your shop.

Number 3 is the easiest option, once your buyer account is set up it requires no ongoing maintenance and you never have to worry about messages from sellers interfering with your SS rating.