Star Seller Issue: Can't Provide Tracking for $10 Item

[RachelleMiller]

Hey everyone!

I am having a very frustrating issue with the Star Seller program and was directed here by Support as they weren't able to resolve my issue. 

I have 100% in my response time and reviews, but 93% in my shipping because I am missing tracking on several orders. I am missing the tracking because it doesn't make sense to pay for tracked shipping on orders that are $10 (it costs me $16 to send a tracked card to the US). On the Etsy help page, it is saying that I should click on the 'This order doesn't have tracking' button but I don't seem to have this option. Is anyone else having this issue and working around it?

I had previously been a Star Seller for the past 6 months but then something changed in the backend - as I have been doing the same thing the whole time! I wish Etsy support was a bit more helpful

Would love to hear if anyone else is having the same issue.

[AnniebelloPaper]

... because it doesn't make sense to pay for tracked shipping on orders that are $10 ... yep, it doesn't but Etsy wants to increase its bottom line so that's the stupidly low amount they have set. Just do what I (and many other sellers) do. Stop worrying about the tiny purple star that gives you nothing but stress. Run your business the way you want to run it. If you are selling good products and giving your customers great service, that makes you a 'star' no matter what Etsy says. 

I just leave the tracking number box empty when I ship without tracking. I do not use Etsy labels. Even if you click the 'does not require tracking' button, you will still be dinged for not having tracking on those $10+ orders anyway.

[RachelleMiller]

Thanks for the feedback! It's disappointing that they don't have a better system to address these issues. If they are going to create a rating/hierarchy system, they need to make it fair for all!

[RachelleMiller]

$10 USD is equal to $6.70 AUD

[CappuccinoLace]

@RachelleMiller 

AU$10 is US$6.70

US$10 is actually AU$ 14.93.

AU$ have always been higher than US$

[RachelleMiller]

My point is that my cards are $10 AUD - so that would equal $6.70 USD which is nowhere near $10 USD that they mention needs tracking

[CappuccinoLace]

@RachelleMiller  Ah! I understand now.

[cindylouwho2]

Interesting - the Help page says the Australian orders under $15 AU don't require tracking: https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/4403058372503-How-to-Become-a-Star-Seller

Not sure why Support would tell you to come here when this is clearly their problem...

[RachelleMiller]

It's definitely their issue and it seems as though they had no better place to send me.  I guess it's likely a bug that hasn't been addressed?

[JDTotesnDolls]

@cindylouwho2  unfortunately Support has been sending many to the forums with questions we cannot answer.  It's become a mini problem.

[cindylouwho2]

@JDTotesnDolls why pay Support to do their jobs when you can have unpaid sellers do it? This is Etsy's whole strategy now - get someone else to do the work. 

[JDTotesnDolls]

@cindylouwho2   I don't know.  I guess they are reading the page in Help that refers to the forums.  It's been frustrating for the op and anyone responding because many times we can't help.

I suspect these individuals in call/support  are not fully trained in how Etsy works (like so many call centers for other businesses) and they are just unable to do what is needed.  More training?  Probably.  However there are a few who do seem to know how Etsy works according to some sellers.  I always hope sellers get ones that can truly help.

[AAANativeArts]

Is $15AU the same as $10USD?

[CappuccinoLace]

Yes.

[CappuccinoLace]

On the Etsy help page, it is saying that I should click on the 'This order doesn't have tracking' button but I don't seem to have this option.

This option only exists for US sellers, as it's part of the US Streamlined Shipping program, and not for Star seller.

Etsy has updated the star seller article, to make it clear that when they "orders with a value over XXXX" they mean item price before discounts, not including shipping or tax.

This means if the item was 15.00+ originally, and a sale or discount brings it below your SS threshold for tracking, Etsy still requires it to have tracking.

[RachelleMiller]

Yes, this is my issue, my items are $10 (not $15) and still creating issues. It seems as though not being in the US, the system is clearly not supporting international users.

[SugarTaffySoap]

@RachelleMiller  here is a direct quote from a community specialist in the forums:

"As a seller from Australia, you'll need to add a valid tracking number if the value of the item purchased is AUD$15 and above, for it to count positively towards your Star Seller. More information can be found at this link. "

There's other threads on this in the forums if you do a search.

Hope this helps. 

[RachelleMiller]

Thanks for the reply! I saw this but I guess my issue is that my products are $10 and still not being accepted for 'no tracking'

[JDTotesnDolls]

"We know that buyers in different countries have different expectations about what makes a great shipping experience. For sellers in certain countries outside of the US, only orders that are the equivalent of $10 USD and above will need to have tracking or a shipping label purchased on Etsy for Star Seller eligibility. For orders under $10, they should be marked as complete by the ship-by date. We also understand things can happen that are outside your control, which is why your on-time shipping & tracking won’t be impacted by carrier delays."

So from that page on under Star seller in the Shop Manager section, I read that to mean if the item is under a certain amount as indicated in teh program it will not count as part of the star seller.  Whether or not I am reading this corectly is one thing but the other may be that Etsy is not employing what is said above for items under a certain amount.

[RachelleMiller]

Thanks for the reply! That sounds different from the other explanation elsewhere on the site. Most places are saying $15. Ugg! 

I guess the most frustrating thing for me is that I qualified as  a Star Seller for 6 months before all this happened and I haven't changed the way I do anything - Etsy changed!

[cindylouwho2]

@RachelleMiller @JDTotesnDolls The Help page clearly states that orders under $15 AU do not need tracking for Star Seller requirements. Buying a label from Etsy is also fine.

The exchange rates fluctuate quite a bit so it would make no sense to make it exactly $10 USD, as there could be days when shipping an hour earlier could give you a different rate. 

The OP needs to go back to Support and tell them to read their own literature, or escalate to someone who can. 

[RachelleMiller]

I am selling the item for $10 AUD which would be much less in USD ($6.70USD). And I had no issues qualifying for Star Seller until this period (qualified for the past 6 months!). I was trying to ask them what had changed and they danced around the issue and had no resolution.

[HtoHdesign]

Hi there!

Please note that the shipping score will be based on the default shop currency. So if you change the shop currency, an order is based on the shop currency setup on the order date. For example, shop currency just changes Sept 18 for AUD from USD, orders placed before Sept 18 or the time it was changed the system will recognize order currency for USD.

Thanks!

[RachelleMiller]

Yes, this makes sense. But my cards are $9.95 and don't meet the $15 criteria listed on the website.

[CappuccinoLace]

Are you listing in US$?

It doesn't look like it, so I'm not sure why @HtoHdesign  has mentioned shop currency.

All orders listed in US$ require tracking.