Not eligible for Star Seller because of a purchase I made

[ShopRetroLatino]

I made a purchase on Etsy using my Seller's account which was not able to ship to my location, so I received a message from the seller that my order would be cancelled. I understood and didn't feel the need to respond. Turns out this effected Star Seller status, which is very frustrating because I always respond to messages from customers immediately. It doesn't make much sense to me that a message about an item I purchased effects my own Star Seller status

[UniqueGiftOrnaments]

The information clearly states that every new message must be answered or put into spam. Doesn't make a difference if buyer or seller.

[mommawhazelsquilts]

If you have not done so, please read the rules for becoming and maintaining the SSB.

They clearly state that all First messages must be replied to within 24 hours WHETHER from BUYER or SELLER.

It's been this way for almost 3 years now.

You aren't eligible for SSB - not because you made a purchase, but because you failed to follow the basic rules.

I recommend reading or re-reading the rules as there are other pitfalls that you might encounter along the way.

[GroundZeroCreations]

Almost daily we see threads about not responding to messages effecting SS status. It is so easy to see the rules and regulations. Just click the Star Seller link on the left side when you have your dashboard open. Then read everything and click any links for more information. Education is the key to avoiding these issues. 

[Adorabilities]

Losing the star is not due to making a purchase. It's due to not responding to a messgae. 

[PlatypusDream]

https://www.etsy.com/starseller

"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."

[BagmakerSupply]

@ShopRetroLatino: "It doesn't make much sense to me that a message about an item I purchased effects my own Star Seller status " Many of your fellow sellers would agree with you, but as it says right on your Star Seller page and elsewhere, you need to reply to the FIRST message of EVERY NEW INCOMING THREAD within 24 hours. It does not matter who sent it, the subject matter, if it is a duplicate or blank or anything else. If it is SPAM then it should be marked as such.

The Star Seller metric for messages is very simplistic and binary - either you replied to (or marked as SPAM) that first message of a new incoming thread within 24 hours or you did not.

You may want to reread the Star Seller rules so that you are not surprised by something else that does not have a fix like this does.

A controversial workaround : if the unanswered new thread is not a Help Request, at least for the time being, it appears that marking an unanswered new thread as SPAM (even after the 24 hour deadline has passed) will cause your reply percentage to change in a day or two (but not retroactively) if the original message was within the current star seller period. Note that subsequent messages from that account may go directly to the SPAM folder.

[hopeandjoystudios]

Spam it now and it will come off in a couple days. It doesn't give you a star for this month but you won't have to fight it for 2 more months. Reply to future purchase messages with a Thanks or OK or buy as a guest or via a purchasing account to avoid in the future.

[JJewellerySuppliesUK]

Lots  have been stung by the same thing!

The bots don't distinguish between messages, they just see an unanswered one. 

[BootifulLabels]

Simple solution, don't use your shop account to make personal purchases.  Open a separate account for buying only, and keep your purchases separate to your sales.  

If the purchases are related to your shop, eg supplies for making your items, keep those on your shop account and when you get a message related to those purchases a simple "Thank you" will suffice.

[SugarTaffySoap]

@ShopRetroLatino  I don't see you as a Star Seller in your shop. You have no badges for shipping on time or speedy message replies.  But the good news is you'll always have an opportunity to achieve it in the future.