Regarding response times

[mdgiftart]

I checked my response times by downloading the information and found that 2 of the 3 that said I was late in responding was responded to showing the time was within a few minutes of receiving message. this has made my shop ineligible for the August star seller, which was not my fault as can see by the log. anyway of fixing this error would be appreciated,

Sincerely Michael Strickland

www.etsy.com/shop/mdgiftart  

[NanaLetha]

try going back and mark as spam

[Marmalady]

According to reports in the forums, this does not seem to work anymore

Marking as Spam must also be done within 24 hours for the message not to count for Star Seller

[DesertChains]

Just to make sure, double check the dates.

[ArtDollsbyJD]

Double check first.  

You can contact Etsy but whether or not Etsy will change anything depends on what they see on their end.  Many times they are not changing possible errors. 

[HtoHdesign · Accepted solution]

Hey There!

The message response rate is all messages that other members initiated that you reply to within 24 hours. This includes duplicate messages, blank messages, or messages sent in error. You can read more about Star Seller in our terms: https://www.etsy.com/legal/policy/star-seller-terms-and-conditions/1020908425032

Since all incoming message threads count towards your Response rate, if you received multiple thread messages we'd recommend replying to duplicate message threads with a response along the lines of "I'm responding to all questions in the original message thread." This will help to keep correspondence in a single thread. Just be sure to respond to each thread within 24 hours so that they count positively towards your score. Unwanted messages may be marked as spam.

To get a closer breakdown of your messages that were counted as late, you can download a CSV by going to your Shop Manager dashboard > Star Seller dashboard page > selecting the Message response rate tile > selecting the Export link next to Message breakdown.

Thanks!

[DaysofYoreTreasures]

@HtoHdesign 

You said "all incoming message threads count towards your Response rate"

This is not the same as the announcement from @FidosFlowers yesterday, regarding changes that became effective on June 30:
"messages from the same buyer will be combined into one thread—so you’ll have fewer conversations to keep track of, and can easily track your relationships with buyers."

[HtoHdesign · Accepted solution]

Hey There!

The new change on the message that started on June 30 will combine messages from the same member into a single thread. To earn your Star Seller badge, you’ll still need to respond to initial messages from members within 24 hours—but you’ll see fewer message threads from the same member. 

The only exception to the single-thread rule is when a buyer reaches out via the Help With Order flow, at which point a new thread will be created and clearly labeled as such. You can learn more about these changes here. 

Thanks!

[mdgiftart]

Would be nice to fix the problems of message responses that were incorrect in July and not penalize your sellers for the flaw in the system.  

[TonsOfPaper · Accepted solution]

Hello @mdgiftart,

After carefully checking in here, it appears that the messages that affected your Star Seller were from buyers who sent you duplicated messages. Please know that all incoming message threads count towards your Response rate, so we recommend replying to duplicate message threads with a response along the lines of "I'm responding to all questions in the original message thread." This will help to keep correspondence in a single thread. Just be sure to respond to each thread within 24 hours so that they count positively towards your score.

We understand that multiple or duplicate message threads can be challenging to manage. To help with this, on June 30, 2022, we introduced a new-and-improved Messages experience that will start to combine messages from the same buyer into a single thread. You can learn more about that and some other exciting changes here.

However, please keep in mind that messages sent via Help Request will remain a separate thread. You should still respond to this thread within 24 hours for it to count positively towards your Star Seller. 

Thank you very much!

[SierraCreekStudio]

I am frustrated by this topic as my star seller status has been compromised by what appears as a no responses to a buyer. The fact is that the buyer contacted me via text since they were not monitoring the Etsy thread. I responded immediately and in fact this buyer gave me a recommendationand high rating on my shop. There’s no clear means to communicate this and customer support sent me here because they aren’t able to respond.I have high ratings, I am highly responsive. As we come into holidays where buyers look for star sellers this is penalizing me for something which is a misunderstanding. 
deb Barbour 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SierraCreekStudio

[mdgiftart]

Thanks for getting back to me regarding this but still confused on why  I was penalized for not responding in time . I have always responded to customers before the 24 hr period. 

[TonsOfPaper · Accepted solution]

Hello @mdgiftart,

Looking into your shop, it seems that the messages that affected your Star Seller were from buyers who sent you duplicated messages. Since all incoming message threads count towards your Response rate, we'd recommend replying to duplicate message threads with a response along the lines of "I'm responding to all questions in the original message thread." This will help to keep correspondence in a single thread. Just be sure to respond to each thread within 24 hours so that they count positively towards your score. Sellers are re-evaluated on the 1st of every month, so even though you did not obtain the Star Seller badge, your shop will have opportunities in the coming months.
 

We know that multiple or duplicate message threads can be challenging to manage. To help with this, in June 2022, we introduced a new-and-improved Messages experience that will start to combine messages from the same buyer into a single thread. You can learn more about that and some other exciting changes here.

Thank you very much!