Spam dropped returned message score on Star Seller

[Lukiedukie]

I'm hoping Etsy sees this. Seller sent a "thanks" msg and it counted as an unanswered msg. It's been placed in the spam folder. I also have new, responded messages, yet my score has remained the same for 2 weeks.

Its next to impossible to contact support or get a response.

Etsy, please review and correct.

[NanaLetha]

The Etsy help desk will not assist with anything to do with Star Seller.

[FallenAngelBrass]

Here's a reply from admin about this, but it's not very clear and no follow up to a clarifying question.

Shocking. 

At least they dropped into the forum after sending hordes of unhappy sellers here. 

[cutebutton]

@FallenAngelBrass 

that sounds like they are clearly saying that marking a message as spam will not  change your score retroactively.

With that said, even though it sounds clear it may or may not be 100% accurate because it's etsy LOL.

I think in the past it has worked (I don't know from experience though) but maybe etsy was having so many messages marked as spam that weren't actually spam that now they have changed it?  Who knows.

[FallenAngelBrass]

@cutebutton 

So it sounds like Etsy has closed the spam loophole?

[bradgoodell]

@FallenAngelBrass If that has happened, that would be unfortunate for those who still haven't realized how Star Seller works.  

All messages need a response or sent to spam within 24 hours.

Period.

[cutebutton]

@FallenAngelBrass 

from what that person said that is what it sounds like.

The spam function isn't meant to be used in the way it is being used now so I wouldn't be shocked that etsy wanted to put an end to that.

Plus if etsy has a program that they expect a person to follow there shouldn't be a loophole where someone can "mess up" and fix it by manipulating the system.  

I'm not saying that the way the program works is without it's flaws (it's flawed LOL) but if etsy has said answer EVERY new message or mark it as spam within 24 hours then in order to get the badge this is what you would and should have to do. 

[ArtDollsbyJD]

It sounds like the usual Etsy speech.

Frankly I have always thought that a message had to be spammed within the 24 hours. 

So I never thought the advice to spam an old message would work.    

[WitticismsRus · Accepted solution]

This bit in the admin reply

"Marking unwanted messages at later date will not retroactively change the score from the previous evaluation."

To me that reads more like if you didn't get the star due to not replying within 24 hours and then mark it as spam at a later date it won't give you the star retroactively. It reads like it's about the actual star from "previous evaluation" or the prior review period. 

Example - say I missed replying on time to a message on the 25th and it dropped my reply rating down below the minimum. I wasn't awarded the star on the 1st.  I then mark it as spam on say the 5th of the next month. It won't retroactively give me the star that would have been awarded on the 1st. It will adjust the rating but won't award a star after the 1st. 

I think that's what that admin statement meant. 

If that makes any sense.

[cutebutton]

@WitticismsRus 

Yeah maybe.  

if you catch it before the rating period is over then maybe it works but if you already didn’t earn the star you can’t earn it back.

[michellepatterns]

In my experience, sending it to spam after the 24-hours has passed doesn't work.  It needs to be done within the first 24-hours.

Etsy isn't going to do anything but remind you how star seller works so I wouldn't bother trying to get in touch with them.  

The best you can do is work on getting your score to the minimum for next month so you can keep/get the badge.  

[ArtDollsbyJD]

I have always thought that a message had to be answered or spammed within 24 hours.  I know some were saying it could be spammed later but I never thought that was true.

Now Etsy is saying that new messages have to be spammed within 24 hours for it to count.

Etsy's pretty firm about not changing things when problems arise with the program. 

[OneEyeCatStudio]

" I know some were saying it could be spammed later but I never thought that was true."

Whether you thought it or not, it was true. Like others, I experienced it. We're all not just "saying it".

[ChillwolfArt]

@Lukiedukie  You've received a lot of good advice from fellow Sellers.  That being said, would it have been so difficult to answer the Seller with "Thank You", "Thanks", etc.  Does it not take a lot less time than posting to Twitter, Facebook, Insta, TicTock (I'm only using those as examples).
Each to their own, but I do not consider a Seller's Thank You for your Order Message as "Spam".  (I know some don't like it.  We're not going to please everyone.  It's the same as the Threads, "Do you write a Thank You Card").. 
I consider a Message, "Hey buy my items 10% off" as Spam.  Or  "Fav my Shop and I'll Fav yours, Dude" (which BTW I received on the smaller site I was on before I came to Etsy (I kind of laughed at the dude part), but it was on a pop up which blocked my listings I was in the middle of working on, which wasn't so funny.  (Needless to say, they didn't get Faved).

I always thought as JD said, that a Message had to be Marked within 24 hours for it to count.

[maggiemaybecrafty]

Apparently they do, or at least did not, have to be marked spam within 24 hours. I spammed a ding I got well after 24 hours and it still fixed my stars, which really surprised me. That has been a while so maybe Etsy has changed it now.

[OneEyeCatStudio]

It still just amazes me that more sellers don't actually read the forum.

So many issues would have been avoided if they had just spent 5 minutes a day reading about what's going on on the site.

[TonsOfPaper · Accepted solution]

Hello there,

The Message response rate counts initial messages from all Etsy members, both buyers, and other sellers. This is because fellow sellers could be potential buyers for your shop. If it's not a spam message it requires a response within 24 hours. If it is a spam message you can mark it as such and it won't count towards your score for the current evaluation period. It will take up to 24 hours for this to be reflected in the Response rate score. 

Sellers are being re-evaluated on the 1st of every month, so marking unwanted messages at later date(after the evaluation) will not retroactively change the score from the previous review period. 

Thank you very much!

[MaraeMakes]

I'm having this exact same problem right now, it's ridiculous that Etsy doesn't want to help the people literally running this place with THEIR products 

[SugarTaffySoap]

@MaraeMakes you may want to read the replies below to find the solution to your problem.

[TonsOfPaper · Accepted solution]

Hello @MaraeMakes,

Please know that messages that are marked as spam will be removed from (or "not count towards") the Response rate score for the current evaluation period. The score will be adjusted the following day. It will take up to 24 hours for this to be reflected in the Response rate score.

Additionally, we suggest using the Forums' Search function prior to posting (just be careful to not bump an old thread that hasn't seen any activity in the last months/years), as questions regarding the Star Seller Program have been extensively covered by our fellow members since its launch, as well as our official Star Seller Guide, which contains in-depth answers to some of the more common questions regarding Message Response Rate, Shipping, Local Pick-Up, Digital Orders, and other topics. You can check it out here: etsy.com/starseller.

Having said that, and since this thread does not pertain to a technical issue, it will be closed to prevent it from going off-topic.

Thank you!