Not responding to Spam message is hurting my Star Seller Rating

[JohnDGalloCreations]

I was checking my star seller ratings and it said that I had one message I didn't respond to in 24 hours. When I downloaded the list to see what it was, it was NOT a message from a customer, but rather a message from a person wanting me to set up a table at a local craft fair. To me, that is a spam message and I didn't respond to it because I had no desire to do a craft fair. 

I'm a newer seller and wasn't aware I needed to respond to EVERY message even if it is not from a buyer. 

Has anyone else had this issue? and if so, what do you? Do you simply respond to everything? Or is there a way I can appeal this? I am worried I may be getting more spam like this from other local individuals as my area has tons of fall craft shows and things upcoming. 

Thanks,

John

[Adorabilities]

It's spam, right? Mark it as spam.

[JohnDGalloCreations]

I just did. I didn't at the time, and simply ignored it. 

[Adorabilities]

Then you should be good -- it won't count against you in a few days. 

A lot of the star seller things don't make much logical sense -- we just have to follow the instructions if the badge is important to us.

[normasbath]

Yikes! I´ve also had many spàm messages over the years and just don´t respond. so sorry..

[KanimaCo]

You are required to respond to every message to satisfy the messages rating for the Star Seller program. Any messages unnecessary of a response should get marked as spam and won't calculate towards your rating.

You can also set an automated response for all incoming messages in your seller dashboard. It counts as a reply for when you can't immediately respond to them.

Emoji's suffice.

[DesertChains]

“Has anyone else had this issue?”

I have seen this exact forum topic every day for year, usually several times each day. Let me try to clarify so you don’t get caught unaware.

It doesn’t matter whether or not you answered questions or provided information. It doesn't matter if a message doesn't need a response. It doesn’t matter if you’re the seller or the buyer. It doesn't matter if the message you received is a duplicate. The system only determines whether or not you replied to an individual message. If you didn't respond or send a message to your spam folder, you are going to get rated down. That's how it works.

Right or wrong, the program has worked this way for a year! The instructions for meeting this metric are clearly stated and easily accessible. Daily posts in the forums also discuss this exact topic.

Send the missed messages to spam. Your stats will update in a day or two.

[JohnDGalloCreations]

Thanks for the response. I get it now! 

[PurityGems]

Also if you initate a convo from a recent order you get, say to thank them and let them know it will be shipped in a few days... if they say thanks you better respond with you're welcome or that will hurt you too...

Yes you read that correctly, if you message from an order, thier response will be counted as a new message even though its a reply 

Nowadays I just make sure the last thing in any message is a thumbs up or smile emoji... I can't exactly keep thanking them until they stop messaging, that just looks weird LOL 

[CraftyCraftsCorners]

@ you can send them thank yous to spam also. 

[dippeldiundscribble]

@PurityGems 

Or stop sending extra thank you messages to buyers in the first place, if you can send such a message with the order confirmation.

Go to Shop-Manager -> Settings -> Info & Appearance -> Message to Buyers -> Add your thank you message -> Save Changes

„We include this message on receipt pages and in the email buyers receive when they purchase from your shop.“

It's also not necessary to tell buyers when the order will ship, as Etsy will display that information if you have processing times set up.

[JohnDGalloCreations]

Got it! Seems like the rule of thumb is: Sellers need to have the last say in the conversation or else! 

Thanks for the tip! 

[bradgoodell · Accepted solution]

No, you don't need to have the last word.  

Since my items are personalized and expensive, I always send a message to confirm the personalization.  

If a buyer replies "Perfect!" that is the end of the conversation. As long as it's in the same conversation thread, Etsy doesn't require me to respond again.  

If a buyer sent it as a new conversation thread, yes, I would need to reply.  But that doesn't happen often. 

[MadewithlovebyNtouka]

Hi, I had exactly the same issue, but is was solved when I marked that message as "Spam". It was then no longer included in the statistics.