Star Seller: Incorrect Stats

[ButFirstJoy]

A few days ago, I decided to dig into why I didn't have a Star Seller badge. It said my message response rate was only 83%. I found this odd because I respond to messages within an hour of receiving them.

I downloaded my message history to take a look and saw that I had 6 message, 1 of which I didn't respond to within 24 hours. I clicked the link to view the message and it was a message FROM A SELLER - FROM A PERSONAL PURCHASE I MADE. It WAS NOT from one of my customers and had nothing to do with my shop.

Basically, one my my personal purchase messages wasn't filtered out and is being used AGAINST my Star Seller score. 

This is definitely a technical issue and I cannot get support to understand my exact issue. 

[UniqueGiftOrnaments]

The star seller information clearly states we have to answer EVERY new message, or put them into spam. Bots can't tell the difference between seller and buyer.

[ButFirstJoy]

That's so odd because why wouldn't it show other messages in my download history and only this one, along with all my shop messages?

I guess I will take it as a lesson learned until they find a way to filter the different messages.

Thanks for the feedback!

[WitticismsRus]

@ButFirstJoy 

"Basically, one my my personal purchase messages wasn't filtered out and is being used AGAINST my Star Seller score. "

Umm no messages are "filtered out" by etsy. That's your job not etsys. You have to "filter" your own messages. 

Etsy is pretty clear about how the message response rate is calculated in help center here https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/4403058372503-How-to-Become-a-Star-Seller?segment=selling

There is a highlighted bit under message response rate info that says "The Message response rate only applies to the first message in a thread. Initial messages from both buyers and sellers on Etsy are counted towards the Message response rate. "

That means ALL messages. It also means each individual message thread so if someone sends you 5 different messages with 5 questions instead of putting them in the same message chain you need to respond to all 5 of them. The system is completely automated and doesn't know if the message is from a buyer or another seller. It just sees a message and calculated the response time. That's just how it works.

The info is also right there on the Star Seller page in shop manager. Just go to shop manager > star seller. Once there scroll toward the bottom until you find "Questions? We've got answers." Then click messages. The very first question there says

"What messages count toward the message response rate?

Your message response rate is based on just the first message in a conversation, not ongoing conversations. This means you just need to respond to the first message within 24 hours. This applies to messages both from buyer and seller accounts. Messages from Etsy staff do not count toward your response rate, and neither do messages that you mark as spam. You can also now find a breakdown of your message response rate score by downloading a CSV."

You can try marking the message as spam now and it should be removed from the calculation in a few days.

If the star is important to you then it may be a good idea to read or review all the info Etsy provides about the star seller program.

Bottom line...you have to either reply or mark as spam.

[ButFirstJoy]

Hey thanks for letting me know! It feels a bit silly that we need to respond to the auto messages from other sellers but now I know. Thanks for the feedback!

[bradgoodell · Accepted solution]

What @WitticismsRus said is accurately stated. 

You can mark it as "Spam" today, and in 24-48 hours it will be removed from your count.

In the future, a simple "Thanks" is all that is needed.

[ButFirstJoy]

I did say thank you. I was being genuine. I am truly thankful for the feedback. 

[bradgoodell]

@ButFirstJoy I was talking about when you get a personal message.  Just say thanks, or send it to spam.

I wasn't talking about saying thanks to Witt.  Sorry for the misunderstanding.  

[ButFirstJoy]

Oh thank you so much for clarifying that!

[BlackCatTheory]

until they find a way to filter the different messages.

They never will. Do you think Etsy has the resources to read messages sent to 7.5 million sellers? That's the only way they would know the content and purpose of a message. Mark it as spam.

[ButFirstJoy]

Okay, I appreciate the help. I will mark it as spam and now I know for future reference. 

[DesertChains]

It doesn’t matter whether or not you answered questions or provided information. It doesn't matter if a message doesn't need a response. It doesn’t matter if you’re the seller or the buyer. It doesn't matter if the message you received is a duplicate. The system only determines whether or not you replied to an individual message. If you didn't respond or send a message to your spam folder, you are going to get rated down. That's how it works.

Right or wrong, the program has worked this way for nearly a year! The instructions for meeting this metric are clearly stated and easily accessible. Daily posts in the forums also discuss this exact topic.

Send the missed messages to spam. Your stats will update in a day or two.

[ButFirstJoy]

I appreciatethe feedback.