Star Seller - Problem with Tracking Info

[LizandRoo]

We shipped every item on time and have been a star seller since the very beginning of this program. However, we started selling small fabric swatches which we ship First Class Mail (NO TRACKING). Therefore, we are being penalized for "not providing tracking" for those items. This is a one ounce fabric swatch! It can literally go in an envelop with a stamp, but we do run it through First Class Mail. I have emailed Etsy but did not get a response and see NO way to contact them. This is so disappointing, as we have 100% shipping on time. What to do?

[UniqueGiftOrnaments]

Nothing to do. For the star, everything has to have tracking

[LizandRoo]

What we have done is remove these products. We do not want to lose our star status on shipping. Seems inflexible!

[CappuccinoLace]

https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360039466434-How-to-Deliver-First-Class-Large-Envelopes-Flat...

[DarcyQuilts]

If you are in the US, you can buy a $.60 stamp label through Etsy shipping labels and it will have the tracking needed for star seller.

[SugarTaffySoap]

Hello, you're not being penalized as you put it. The criteria for Star Seller is you must have tracking. You can read more under Q&A in your dashboard Shop Manager.  

[Oldndnshop]

Yes we too have always used tracking, but one time we sent an envelope with no tracking.  Please just get rid of that!  We have shipped 100s of packages with tracking!  And the buyer recieved the envelope and is happy with purchase.  That was in June!  All my other stats are perfect for a 5 star seller!

[Adorabilities]

If you only shipped one envelope without tracking out of hundreds of orders, you will not have fallen below the 95% score, and should still be able to receive the badge.

[DarcyQuilts]

The star seller metrics for October are July/August/September.  Something that happened in  June will no longer have any bearing on your SS status.

[OvertheRainbowUS]

Etsy says :If you need to indicate an exception other than what is listed, you'll see an option to
indicate This order doesn't have tracking below the tracking number field. You can then
add a quick explanation for why you can't add tracking for an order.

BUT THERE IS NO OPTION on my shop to do this, therefore I too am missing star seller status.

Star M.

OvertheRainbowUS

[ArtDollsbyJD]

Is your item under $10.00 then you can have no tracking.  If over $10.00 you need to have tracking.

[SusanBoermanArt]

Hi, I’m glad I found this post. I just sent out something without tracking and now I can’t complete the order. I don’t think I’m a star seller right now either. In the past I’ve been able to choose no tracking. The shipping cost for my order today with tracking would have cost double. 

[ArtDollsbyJD · Accepted solution]

Do you use Etsy labels?  That is the only way you can send an item without tracking (more or less because it is delivery confirmation only) if it fits in a flat or letter.  Etsy labels counts for star seller. 

If you sent without tracking using stamps there is a drop down for sent without tracking in Completed. You may need to change to other.  I don't ship without tracking so I am not sure exactly where it is in Completed.

The information on SSP says that all US packages must be tracked.

[NumaiDesigns]

Exactly, it’s still happening, very unfortunate to restrict access to the Star Seller badge  because of no tracking. 

[SusanBoermanArt]

No I don’t use Etsy labels. I’m small potatoes here and I bring my orders to the post office and send First Class Mail. I sell prints and cards and I always send my cards as non-machinable because sending them with tracking would cost more than the order. I had no idea that orders $10 and over need tracking.

[NumaiDesigns]

I am in the same situation. I could not find anywhere the tab where you can pick “complete without tracking“. I searched and searched, from my iPad, from my laptop, from my desk top, nothing. 

[CappuccinoLace]

@NumaiDesigns  for Star Seller, all orders in US$ require tracking.

The "complete order without tracking" is a box, underneath the tracking box when marking as complete, but does not make any difference for star seller.

[NumaiDesigns]

Thank you, this is very unfortunate of Etsy to have this restriction for orders without tracking. 

[TonsOfPaper · Accepted solution]

Hello @NumaiDesigns,

As of the moment, tracking metrics don’t account for local pickup or delivery. We don't support local pick-up or locally delivered orders, therefore, this would impact your Star Seller tracking & on-time shipping score.

We recognize this is a pain point for sellers who use local pick-up and delivery. While we’re always delighted to hear that our buyers and sellers want to form connections (IRL or otherwise), we don’t currently support local pickup/delivery. That’s not to say you can’t offer local pickup/delivery, it’s just that when you communicate with buyers off-site, without using Etsy tools (Messages, Etsy shipping labels, tracking), it might make it harder, or even impossible, for us to mediate any order issues or disputes.

In the meantime, please know that Etsy understands that Star Seller may not be viable for every shop. Star Seller is not a disciplinary program and sellers will not be penalized for low scores.

On the other hand, prior to posting in a thread in the Forums, we ask that you please check if you are not bumping to an old thread that hasn't seen any activity in a few months (or years, even). If that is the case, and you still would like to share your thoughts and get the conversation going - whether about this or similar topics, we ask that you start your own thread instead of bumping an old one.

Please note that reviving old threads can cause confusion for members reading, so always check the dates of the most recent replies before posting. You can find this information on the top-left corner of each message, just below the member's username and profile picture.

Having said that, we are closing this thread as it is indeed a bit older, and the information contained here may be outdated.