Star Seller ERROR!!!!

[KirakiraDanceJewels]

I received 3 separate messages from a purchaser (believe she has multiple accounts) about an item and then an error she made when purchasing the item.  I responded to her message in the main email thread, but as there were multiple, and I only responded to one but covered the issue in detail and made the sale. However, since I didn't respond to her in all 3 email threads/accounts, it looks like I didn't respond to 2 messages within 24 hours. Therefore, my star seller for MESSAGE RETURN RATE was miscalculated and I did not get star seller. I am really upset at this and Etsy says they can't do anything about it!! I provided excellent customer service and I am getting punished from an error.  

[UniqueGiftOrnaments]

The star seller explains you had to answer every new message, or put into spam

[CatsWhiskersCurios]

You have to respond once to every message or mark it as spam. The information is clearly set out in shop manager and has been for a year. 

[NanaLetha]

It was not miscalculated - you did not reply to all messages or mark as spam.

[BagmakerSupply]

There are innumerable threads about this. Fair or not, Etsy has been very clear about this from day one - the initial message from every thread MUST be replied to. If you have not already done so, you might want to read https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/4403058372503-How-to-Become-a-Star-Seller?segment=selling

[TickleYourWitch]

First I’ve heard of this happening. Must be another Etsy glitch. 

[HazelsSewingSupplies]

I actually laughed-out-loud when I read this.

[DesertChains]

I just smacked my head and groaned.

So many people assume Etsy is at fault when they haven’t been paying attention. Etsy can rightfully be blamed for many problems and glitches, but this isn’t one of them.

[PiecesOfMePaperCraft]

It’s the 2nd day of the month and the tech issues forum is ablaze with star seller complaints. I stopped scrolling when I hit page 10. Etsy should create a separate forum for star seller issues. 

[vintageNCtreasures · Accepted solution]

Star seller has worked this way for over a year now.  It's not a glitch/error.

It states on your shop manager page under "Star seller" this:

"Reply to the first message within 24 hours"

"Just the first message in the thread counts, not the ongoing convo.

Messages that you mark as spam don’t count.

Set up an auto-reply when you’re unavailable. It counts as a reply."

This means Every. Single. New. Message.
It states this on the help pages for rules on star seller requirements.

[KirakiraDanceJewels]

Hi! Thanks you so much for your response.  I appreciate your professionalism and kindness to help me with this issue.  Unfortunately some people weren't so kind and I feel bad for them.  Hopefully things turn around for them and they can learn to be kind in a world where we should learn to teach and lift others up instead of trying to put them down while hiding behind a computer.  

[HazelsSewingSupplies]

I really didn't see any posts where anyone was unkind to you.  You are blaming your "error" for you losing the SSB and seem to think that Etsy is punishing you (for YOUR error) and that people are being unkind to you for pointing out the rules which should have been read a year ago when this program started.  I don't see anyone putting you down - there's just so many ways that the rules can be told to a seller that apparently doesn't read the shop manager page, emails or the forum.

The notices that Etsy publishes on the Scoreboard daily are there for our benefit.  So are the emails they send to us.  If sellers choose to not read these messages, they shouldn't blame Etsy for "punishing" them.

Every 1st of the month the forum is flooded with sellers who lost their SSB because they failed to answer messages that "didn't need an answer" although the rules specifically state that the first message of a thread must be answered within 24 hours.

Frankly, we get a little tired of reading the complaints from sellers blaming everyone but themselves for losing the SSB.

Out of the 5 metrics included in this program, answering messages timely is the only one over which we have control so we should be able to handle that one thing.  

Nobody is hiding behind a computer in this thread.  Everyone explained to you nicely that you were in the wrong and if you can't accept that, well, that's on you.

Read everything that Etsy puts out there - 100% chance that it is going to apply to your shop in one way or another.

[hbhill]

@HazelsSewingSupplies I imagine Etsy staff dreads the first of the month and the 1000's of emails they get about the Star Seller Program and Etsy's rating errors. Also, their time spent dealing with SS messages delays helping a seller with an actual issue. 

@KirakiraDanceJewels Sorry you have felt some sellers were unprofessional and unkind. I did not read this in any of the responses. Having read and seen many of these same posts it is amazing that sellers are not aware of how the program works when there has been information on the Dashboard for months. Hopefully, after you mark the two messages as spam your rating will update in a day or two.   

[ChristmasIsLove]

That's not an error, as has been previously explained in 1000s of forum posts since the program began.

[HazelsSewingSupplies]

I think you are mistaken - it has to be in millions by now.

[NancyQstudio]

I'm sorry this happened.  Etsy's algorithm is not able to read nor determine what message belongs where.  It will help to mark any message which is repetitive as spam.  

[thePaperFramer]

NOT AN ERROR.

What everyone else said. Each and every message must be responded to.

This is the 7 zillionth thread about this. It happens to everyone..................once.

At least it should only happen once. Learn from this and move on..............................

And read/search the forums when you have an issue.

[LittleFairyLab]

im in the same situation - I had someone messaging me from 2 accounts because they were having issues with accessing their account- I feel frustrated I didn't go in and mark the message as spam - but if i do then it disappears - and while the messages may have not required a response the information was important for the orders - I think its unreasonable they can't do something about it-  if they are going to offer the star seller badge for excellent customer service-  where is my excellent customer service from etsy ? its disappointing

[TheVintagePineapple]

@LittleFairyLab Marking a message as spam doesn't make it disappear.   It goes into your spam folder and will only disappear if you delete it permanently from that folder.  You can still read it when it's in the spam folder.

What may happen is that if that buyer messages you again through that message, it will go to the spam folder instead of your inbox.

[HazelsSewingSupplies]

Why didn't you just acknowledge it?  There's nothing unreasonable about rules and the need to follow them.

What would you have them do about it?  The rules state that every 1st message has to be answered.

If you get a message and you don't reply to it in one way or another, you aren't giving excellent customer service.

[hbhill]

@LittleFairyLab If the information in a message is important to the order, I will cut and paste this information on the order in the private note box. That way all the information is on the order and I don't have to follow multiple messages. 

[TonsOfPaper · Accepted solution]

Hello there,

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 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.

Thank you very much!

[hopeandjoystudios]

If you mark those extra messages as spam even now they should come off your shop total in a couple days. You won't get a retroactive star but you won't have to fight them for 2 more months. @KirakiraDanceJewels