Star Seller Has Flaws...

[BarnBoyProducts]

Star Seller leaves out the flexibility for a seller to make a case for exceptions that fall outside of Etsy's 3 relatively basic but ridge categories.  I'll elaborate, in regards to shipping.  I happened to have a customer that lived only a few miles from my house so we agreed to meet and deliver in person.  The shipping would have cost $25 for the thing I was delivering... so because I did not spend that $25 and provide tracking, that wasn't needed, I don't qualify for Star Seller.  

I was told that there was nothing Etsy could do and that Star Seller wouldn't affect my search ranking or sales.  I COMPLETELY disagree with that, from a buyer standpoint when you see that star next to a seller that will at the very least subconsciously give the Star Seller a large advantage over someone without.

My shop personally has perfect scores outside of the missed tracking.  With me only making 50-60 sales a year, having one "missed" delivery makes it very tough to recover.  Especially when during the holiday season is here and my sales are significantly down.

[leinweberstudio]

Star Seller has flaws...

You are so right!

[JJewellerySuppliesUK]

There have been several posts like this.  If you don't ship it, you don't have tracking!  If you want the rewards you have to play the game. 

Maybe one day Etsy will put in an option for Collected or Hand Delivered but that would be open to abuse. 

[timelapse]

@JJewellerySuppliesUK - I doubt they will ever do that, because they want their % of the shipping cost!

[MidnightCreations]

As a buyer, is this how you are making purchasing decisions?  I have made dozens of purchase since star seller, I have not once had this feature weigh into my purchasing decisions.  In general this is something some sellers focus on more then buyers.  

It has also been speculated that lack of store policies negatively affect search and search placement, yet you have not bothered to set these up.  As a buyer, I leave a shop immediately without thoughtful policies in place.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@MidnightCreations 

lack of policies is not speculation,

etsy sates it's part of the ranking in search

1. Customer & Market Experience Score: to determine a shop’s Customer & Market Experience Score, Etsy considers a variety of factors that make up overall shop quality, including user reviews of products, whether or not a shop has completed an about section or its shop policies (e.g. returns), whether or not the shop may be able to fulfil orders in a timely fashion, and whether or not the shop may have violated any Etsy policies.

.....

Star seller in NOT included in ranking though

[MidnightCreations]

Ok, thanks for pointing it out.  That is both good to know and do

Etsy is so multi faceted it is best to do as much as possible to participate fully.  

How sellers don't have policies is absolutely beyond me, yet it is common.

[JustMeToo]

I don't lose a minute's sleep over star seller.  I am in Canada where tracking rates are abominable.  I don't use it so I will probably always have the other two stars, but never that one.  I would rather enjoy higher sales than gouge my customers on inexpensive purchases.  Only two have been "lost" in 15 years which I happily replaced.

[ArtDollsbyJD]

Sure it has flaws. All programs do whether you are dealing with business evaluations, banking, medical. etc.

Etsy has decided on this path and with these rules.  I will trot out the old refrain.  This is Etsy's wheelhouse and they are in charge.  We agree to whatever they decide by opening a shop.

You knew hand delivering would be a ding.  You accepted that.  You cannot fault Etsy for wanting tracking.  As imperfect as tracking can be, it is one of the ways currently to know a seller has shipped an item.  By hand delivering you open yourself up to possibly the buyer claiming they never received and Etsy won't support you in this.  Besides it is also risky to meet people you don't know.  It takes one time for things to go wrong. 

The SSP is one way Etsy communcates what they want to see from sellers.  Since most sellers never pay attention to the service level standards and the ODR met a timely death, Etsy came up with this.   Like it or loathe it, it is what it is.

I made my own peace with it.  It's not the driving factor in my customer service but the program does keep me sharper on the customer service end.  Not in an obsessive way because I know aspects of it are outside my control but as a check to what I want to see in my performance.