Spam message effecting my Star Seller score

[pposterama]

I received a message that was offensive and obviously some sort of cruel joke, so naturally I just ignored it. The problem is that because I ignored it, it is affecting my Star Seller Score which consequently dropped a lot. I just began selling on Etsy a few weeks ago, so I am not receiving too much traffic, sales and messages which is why it is affecting my shop so much. Now I don't know how the algorithm exactly works on this platform but I am assuming having "Star Seller" next to your name definitely helps a lot, but this message has set me back a lot from achieving this. Admittedly, I only have 2 messages (1 legitimate, 1 spam) so my message score has dropped to 50%. so if my math is correct I have to wait for 9 messages to appear to fix this. Maybe I'm tripping over this, but from my point of view getting that Star Seller badge sooner would have helped me gain traction faster. Also there aren't any contact options to be found on this website, so I guess my question is: Who do I ask for help in my situation?  

[TickleYourWitch]

Mark as spam and it will fall off your stats in a couple of days. 

[ChristmasIsLove]

There is much more than just messages that goes into getting the Star Seller badge, and I'm pretty sure you don't currently meet any of the other requirements either. All the details are explained on your Star Seller Dashboard. As for messages, EVERY initial message need to be answered or marked as spam. NO EXCEPTIONS.

[PillowDetails]

Educate yourself on the rules for Star Seller - if it's a concern for you *.  You won't even qualify for 3 months.  You can mark messages as spam retroactively.  All first messages need to be responded to, or marked as spam.  Rules change next month.

* While I have the badge, I knew from the beginning it would be not only unfair to many Sellers who don't even stand a chance, but also meaningless.  Search for something that will turn up shops with huge sales - "tiny necklace" or "bridesmaid robe" are examples.  Search thumbnails don't have the number of sales, just the number of reviews - so someone with thousands of reviews will have scores more in sales.

See who has the Star Seller showing.  Do you think a shop with tens of thousands of sales can stay in business without excellent customer service?  

Now do another search for something like "Harry Potter" or "Mickey Mouse" - see who has badges.  Not calling anyone out, these are just examples.  Now give some thought about how much that purple badge would mean to a Buyer.

[JMOldeVintage]

@pposterama - You mark any spam messages as spam and your star seller score will be changed.

As a fellow Floridian, a Bolts & Bucs fan, I will also suggest you read the following:

https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/article/the-ultimate-guide-to-intellectual/22398703823

If you're already all set with the IP, licensing, etc. then do act on the following:

https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115014372467-How-to-Set-Up-Your-Shop-Policies?segment=sellin...

Selling Internationally - https://www.etsy.com/legal/policy/selling-to-eu-buyers/239965962014?ref=list

Advice on Shop Policies is off topic, but having shop policies is becoming very important if shop owners should ever need to use Etsy's seller protections.