Star Seller Messages

[MagneticMagicCo]

Hello, I wanted to reach out and see if anything can be done about my star seller status for November due to my messages. I had one message that I didn't respond to under the 24-hour window, however, it was an automated message from another Etsy shop that I purchased something from. It wasn't a message meant for me from a customer or anything to do with my shop and I was unaware that those were included in my star seller status. 

[TheWestcountryWitch]

Sadly no, all first messages, including messages sent to you as a buyer must be responded to within 24 hours. 

[GroundZeroCreations]

You should probably read all the information regarding the Star Seller program. But to avoid that in the future, mark the message as spam and it won't count. Go ahead and mark it now as spam and in a few days it may disappear from the SS stats. You can also set up an auto reply that would prevent missing that response to any future messages. 

[audreytherese]

In your dashboard, at the bottom of the star seller screen where there are "Questions? We've got answers."

What messages count towards 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. 

[mommawhazelsquilts]

"I was unaware that those were included in my star seller status."

This is where reading the rules comes in handy.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

It wasn't an automated message,

that seller deliberately composed the message and sent it to you

You have to reply to all new message threads, or mark them as spam, they are highlighted in BLUE, so you can't miss them 

Etsy won't read the message, to see if the seller is contacting you about your purchase, or if your shop is now on their radar, and they are asking about a possible purchase from you.

Never ignore a new message thread, reply or mark as spam.

You could also set up an account just to buy with, to keep your purchases and those messages, separate from your business.