Star Seller Date Range - Confusing/Misleading

[DarkHeartGoods]

To my huge disappointment, I lost my Star Seller status this month. My message rate dropped to 94%. When I checked the dates for this period it says Dec 1, 2022 - Feb 28, 2023, but upon checking my downloaded message stats I had several messages that were not counted in the data. When I reached out to Etsy support, I was told that the last 2 days of a month may be counted towards the next period, meaning the messages I received/responded to on 2/27 & 2/28 would be included for the next review period. I find this very misleading as that is not what is listed or what is shown in the message data. 

By that logic, Nov 29, 2022 & Nov 30, 2022 should have been included in this last review period (Dec 1, 2022-Feb 28, 2023), being that they are the last 2 days of the previous month but when I asked Etsy support this they said those days were not included.

It's frustrating that the posted dates for the review period are not accurate and it's unclear when or if the previous months last 2 days are count towards the next month. Has anyone else had issues like this? Or lost their Star Seller status but are questioning whether it's accurate?

[CrystalEyesIt]

Same thing happened to me. The last few messages I received were not counted towards my message response rate. The last messages included in the stats csv was from 2/24. 

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@DarkHeartGoods 

have you checked? as I have one from end Nov that is included in the star seller

[DarkHeartGoods]

Like, the messsage from November shows up in your stats from this last review period, Dec 1, 2022-Feb 28, 2023?

[CraftyCornishMaids]

yes, it was 30th Nov

[MichelleArtStudioCo]

Do you mean February 2023?

[DarkHeartGoods]

Yes, I updated my original post. I mean the last review period Dec 1, 2022 - Feb 28, 2023

[IllGoWithYouOrg]

Yes, this happened to me for March and I've had Star Seller every month since it started... no longer. Nowhere in their published policy can I find where it says the last couple days aren't included, only have I been told this over the phone. This is extremely misleading and absolutely ridiculous. How is it our fault if our descriptions are so thorough that we hardly ever receive messages and only happen to get a bunch of messages when we occasionally choose to advertise on social media?

I missed ONE message by a few hours in January because I was at the hospital and couldn't reply, so I'm being penalized for missing one message. It's reprehensible on Etsy's part.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

the "bad" message will be included in a 3 month period

you need 95%,

so it will depend on how many messages you get in a 3 month period, whether that 1 message will make a difference to star seller of not

if you get few messages, it won't really make much difference, as it will hit for 3 months

[BagmakerSupply]

At best, Etsy's date range descriptions are "incomplete" : messages are assigned to the month that the 24 hour reply window closes, the message response is calculated after that (once per day?) so there may be an additional day's delay, and then there is the time zone issue (Star Seller is in UTC not your time zone so what is February 28 to you may be March 1 to Etsy).

[ArtDollsbyJD]

The days do show up but in the last review period.  I have the one from Dec, jan, Feb that contains the last two days of November,  So the days do show up but they don't calculate for the current month.

So the 27, 28 of February will show up but for the January, February,March for April and then again for February March April for May and then still again the last two days will show up for March, April May for June when it shouldn't.

It was explained someplace.  I thought in the articles but maybe explained in a forum posting.

I do remember Etsy saying the last two days are not counted for the following month but the do show up for the calculating for the next few months/

And with that I am about to confuse myself further since my coffee tank is low.  Must refuel.     

[WitticismsRus]

It's in the Help Center article about Star Seller here https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/4403058372503-How-to-Become-a-Star-Seller-?segment=selling

scroll down to message response rate and click to expand-

"Messages sent on the last two days of the 3-month review period may be excluded from the current review period and counted towards the next period instead. This is to allow Sellers a full 24 hours to respond and not be penalized for messages received late on the final day of the review period."

[DarkManorDesign]

I agree! This whole system is BS! I failed to answer a spam message that was MARKED as spam and lost my star seller for that! From what I’m reading in forums a LOT of star sellers lost their star status because of February which tells me there is an issue with their screwed up AI system which apparently is set to allow no room for human error or even if there IS no error. It’s crap and I’m fed up! And sellers use this crappy star seller badge to make their purchasing decisions not knowing just how ridiculous it is to attain it! Thinking it’s a reasonable bar to meet. It’s not! AI is holding us to machine standards!!!