Star Seller Rating

[CandyRays]

Hi, I just wondered if anyone else has had a technical bug issue where customer messages have been received as duplicate messages at the exact same time and then when you respond to the message there is still another duplicate of the same message that appears unanswered? due to this bug I have been stripped of my seller star rating for the last 2 months as this one duplicate message stripped my score down to 90%.  Is there anything that can be done about this?

[JackisJustVintage]

You have to reply to all messages, or mark them as spam. This is how it has always worked. Etsy's bots cannot tell if the message is a duplicate. You can try marking the duplicate one as spam, and it may up your percentage. Just remember if it comes into your messages, it needs to have action taken within 24 hours.

[DesertChains]

Unfortunately, a duplicate message is still a new message.

For Star Seller, 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 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.

[NancyQstudio · Accepted solution]

Yes, other sellers have had this issue periodically. As shared above, mark the second message as spam.  

[CandyRays]

Thank you for all the responses and advice, unfortunately the buggy duplicate message wasn't spotted as unanswered until well over 24 hours had passed so I have to accept that I have been penalised for the system duplicate message error.

[TonsOfPaper · Accepted solution]

Hello there,

Since all incoming message threads count towards your Response rate, we'd recommend replying to duplicate message threads with a response along the lines of "I'm responding to all questions in the original message thread." This will help to keep correspondence in a single thread. Just be sure to respond to each thread within 24 hours so that they count positively towards your score. Sellers are re-evaluated on the 1st of every month, so even if you did not obtain the Star Seller badge previously, your shop will have opportunities in the coming months.
 

We know that multiple or duplicate message threads can be challenging to manage. To help with this, in June 2022, we introduced a new-and-improved Messages experience that will start to combine messages from the same buyer into a single thread. You can learn more about that and some other exciting changes here.

Star Seller is designed to encourage and reward sellers who consistently meet buyer expectations. Sellers will not be penalized for low scores, but we expect sellers to uphold the customer service expectations in our Service Level Standards.

Thank you very much!