Response to messages when you buy from another seller

[JinxeyDesigns]

Has anybody else had an issue with it not responding when you buy from an another seller that it affects your Etsy star seller badge? I didn’t respond when I purchased 2 items from different sellers and they sent me an email and I didn’t respond to the email. Those two emails affected my star seller badge.  They were not my customers, I was their customer. It’s just not fair that that is being subtracted from my response time when I respond my customers way within a 24 hour period sometimes within hours please advise

[myclearstamps]

Unfortunately, you must answer all messages, whether they are a customer or you are a customer.  Spam is the only thing you don't have to answer but you must mark it as spam.

[OmasFabricStash]

Why didn’t you respond to the message if you wanted the SS? Etsy has been clear that all first messages must be responded to, or sent to spam, yet you didn’t respond. The rules are clear and this usually comes up at least once a day in the forums. 

[stoneblissdesigns]

I got burned by this too.  Missed Star Seller for 2 months.  Was very frustrating, since the seller's message to me was just about shipping info.  I would think that Etsy could write a program that recognizes  seller to buyer (and fellow seller) messages.  

[HazelsSewingSupplies]

Do you want Etsy reading our messages?  I don't.

They made it easy - "buyer or seller".

[WitticismsRus · Accepted solution]

@JinxeyDesigns 

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]

As others have said, all Messages in which you are not the Initiator, must be responded to or Marked as Spam.  You may receive a Message from another Seller you are friendly with ("How's it going"?).  That still counts; you did not Initiate it.

I've always had the one account for both Selling and Buying.  If a Seller Messages me about an order, I'll respond, "Thank You." So nothing has changed in that respect since the SS Metrics. If someone Messages, "Buy my gems 10% off", into Spam it goes.

Hope this helps you.

[HouseofWhisperingFir]

This issue has been addressed so many times since the Star Seller Program was first initiated.  ALL first messages must be addressed.

Apply, lather, rinse, repeat........................

[georgiabsoaps]

Since it's such a common issue it would make sense for Etsy to take the feedback under advisement and actually fix the issue so countless people don't continue to be affected by it. It makes no sense to penalize someone's business standing for their purchases, especially since they already have it coded so they can see if the message is related to your purchases rather than sales. 

[BootifulLabels]

@georgiabsoaps  wrote:

Since it's such a common issue it would make sense for Etsy to take the feedback under advisement and actually fix the issue 

But it is not an issue for Etsy.  The rules clearly state that all new messages from both buyers and sellers require a response within 24 hrs.  Simple.

If you want the badge, you play by the rules, whether you agree with them or not.

[bradgoodell]

There is a Speed Limit sign on the highway.  Some people won't see the sign.  Some people see it and still speed.  Both kinds of people will get tickets.

The answer isn't to take down the sign.  

The answer is to pay attention to signs.  

[BagmakerSupply]

@JinxeyDesigns: "Has anybody else had an issue with it not responding when you buy from an another seller that it affects your Etsy star seller badge?"  Probably almost everyone on this forum can sympathize with you but a quick search would show you innumerable threads about your exact issue. As it says right on your Star Seller page, you need to reply to the FIRST message of EVERY NEW INCOMING THREAD. 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. Those have always been the rules.

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

[FeltOnTheFly]

This is a really good reason to make a practice of checking into the forums on a regular basis - like, maybe, a couple of times a week.  Even if you just read the titles of the threads, you'll get a sense of what's happening on the site.  From there, you can decide if you should look further into any particular topic to see if there's something you should know.  

[CryzalisDesigns]

Being forced into doing more online regarding my craft due to covid a couple of years back, I have learnt more from this forum, their members & moderators than from Etsy, their advice and assistance has been invaluable more often than not and still learning. 

Made many mistakes along the way and no doubt will make more but learn from them.

[SeasideRoseCreations]

There is no "fair" on Etsy.