Star Seller Stat, message return stat includes message from a seller I bought from

[DesignGeekSelective]

Hi There,   I am a seller who bought from another etsy seller recently. That seller ([This content has been removed by Moderation. We ask that you please review Section 1, Item 1 of our Community Policies prior to posting.]) sent me a thank you offer note after the items arrived and I gave him a good rating. I did not reply to him since I am the customer. This unanswered message lowered my star seller stats.  FYI

[hopeandjoystudios]

Yep. That is how it says it works,  Reply to every first message or spam it or you get a ding.

[NanaLetha]

@DesignGeekSelective  - correct. that's way it works.

[anythinggoeshere]

Mark it as spam and your score will go back up.  We have to answer every message or mark it as spam.  This information is on you Star seller dashboard.

[audreytherese]

Etsy's system doesn't know the difference. A message is a message. FYI

[OneEyeCatStudio]

"That seller ([This content has been removed by Moderation. We ask that you please review Section 1, Item 1 of our Community Policies prior to posting.]) sent me a thank you offer note after the items arrived ..."

Sellers are not supposed to do that, in the first place.
There is a legal option to have Etsy do it, and doing it that way won't screw up a buyer's SS stats.

I wish Etsy would do more to stop spamming by other sellers. After we buy from a shop, and also the shop owners who scan other shop's reviews and then spam the reviewers.

They 'say' it isn't allowed, but there don't seem to be any consequences.

[audreytherese]

I was rereading Etsy's rules on it, thinking there shouldn't be contact unless a specific question about an order, or something along those lines (spamming). No, Etsy actually straight up tells sellers they should reach out and thank people when they make a purchase, and reach out again once it ships, and also it specifically tells them they should message once more to ask for or thank them for a review. 

This is copied & pasted from the handbook (and everything in the do list contradicts #2 in the don't list):

Do communicate: 

• To thank the customer for their purchase. It is also a good idea to provide them with an estimated ship date and an invitation to contact you with any questions via convo or email.
• After item ships. Take the extra step to let your customer know you have shipped their item, the method of shipping you used (and a tracking number if you have one). You can suggest that they Convo or email you if there are any problems. This can prevent future issues or confusion.
• To answer Convos in a timely manner. Simply answering your Convos may not only help you make sales, but it will reassure your shoppers and buyers that you are around and focused on their business. Always acknowledge their questions and try your best to provide them with specific answers and potential solutions.
• When buyer's Paypal and Etsy address differ. A message to clarify which address they would like the item shipped to can prevent potential issues later on.
• To estimate a date for a custom item. If you know the order is going to take several weeks, let your buyer know up front and keep them posted throughout the order process to assure them that things are running smoothly. If you are going to miss the deadline, be sure to communicate this to your buyer as soon as possible.
• To solicit feedback and respond after feedback is received. Let your buyers know how much you appreciate their purchases and leave nice feedback. It is also good to send a friendly thank you after you receive feedback. Just remember to keep it quick, simple, and free of any promotional speak (spam).

Don't communicate:

• When you are angry. When writing in anger or frustration, it is difficult to remain objective or create a solution to the problem. The other person will likely pick up on your tone, which usually exacerbates the problem. Instead, take a deep breath and step away from the computer, and come back to the message with a fresh perspective. Remember: Your goal is to come up with a solution that works for both of you.
• Too much. Sending too many Convos, emails, promotions or reminders might be perceived as a nuisance to your buyer. Be careful to strike a balance when sending messages.
• To demand feedback. Take care when asking for feedback.  Remember that leaving feedback on Etsy for a transaction is optional. If you do ask for feedback, be friendly and polite.

[anythinggoeshere]

@audreytherese  Reading that was a big surprise to me.  I had no idea Etsy was encouraging all that messaging.

[audreytherese]

Me either. Can't decide if I'm more shocked or appalled. 

[SmudgePlant]

@audreytherese  You can't separate them. I was taught you always have to be "shocked and appalled."

[OneEyeCatStudio]

" Take the extra step to let your customer know you have shipped their item, the method of shipping you used (and a tracking number if you have one). You can suggest that they Convo or email you if there are any problems. This can prevent future issues or confusion."

Hah!
Those must be left over from when we did all of that ourselves.
Before Etsy sent the buyers shipping notices and Ding Dongs and review reminders and all.

I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't contradicted somewhere, but those look like the valid rules to me.

[WitticismsRus]

@audreytherese 

Wow that handbook excerpt sounds a bit out of date. Was there a date on that article? Etsy is horrible at updating help center articles and I suspect the same applies to the handbook. It sounds years out of date since they have added tools and automated systems that do much of that for us. 

[OneEyeCatStudio]

Like this ....

Messages may not be used for the following activities:

1. Sending unsolicited advertising or promotions, requests for donations, or spam

https://www.etsy.com/legal/sellers/?campaign_label=everybody&utm_source=adhoc&utm_campaign=2020_09_1...

[audreytherese]

No date that I could find, but feel free to take a look (I just unlinked it so they didn't delete it)! And please, please please let me know if anyone does find contradictory information anywhere, as that's really what I was looking for to direct people that over-communicate to. I surely wasn't directing them to this... 

https://www.etsy.com/au/seller-handbook/article/dos-and-donts-of-communicating-with/26590492608 

[ThePurplePuppy]

@OneEyeCatStudio  @audreytherese 

@ etal  That was in the Seller Handbook back in 2008 when I opened my first shop--so it goes back at LEAST that far! 

Was just thinking--about the only way things could get worse around here is if Elon Musk bought Etsy!

[BagmakerSupply · Accepted solution]

@DesignGeekSelective: How is Etsy supposed to know the nature of a message? Do you want some bot reading every one of your messages and guessing if it is a buyer or seller message? How many threads would there be in this forum that "some bot incorrectly classified my message"? Etsy has been very clear and consistent about messages / convos from the very beginning of the Star Seller program. The Star Seller metric is that the FIRST message of a NEW thread must be replied to within 24 hours. It does not matter who sent it, the subject matter, if it is a duplicate or blank or anything else. If it is SPAM then it should be marked as such. Those have always been the rules.

Subsequent messages from the same account (a buyer may have multiple accounts) are supposed to be combined into a single thread. Etsy is now putting a blue text warning / advisory on those messages they consider to be a "new message" but should semantically be called a "new thread".

Help Requests always start a new thread.

If you are creating a custom listing based on a new thread, you still need to reply to the message.

Cancellation requests in a new thread must be replied to in the actual message - replies using the cancellation form do not count as a response.

At least for the time being, it appears that marking an unanswered message as SPAM (even after the 24 hour deadline has passed) will cause your reply percentage to change in a day or two if the original message was within the current star seller period. Note that subsequent messages from that account may go directly to the SPAM folder.

[nineteen27]

yes in order to receive the star seller badge you must be a star buyer when it comes to answering messages.

[FabioMcMustache]

Hello!

We ask that you please refrain from sharing any sort of personal/sensitive information (yours or other people's - this includes, and is not limited to: Names, Addresses, Phone Numbers, Email Addresses, Tracking Numbers, Private Messages, etc.). This also includes any verbatim communication between you and your customers, as per Section 1, Item 1 of our Community Policies.

Please be mindful that this is a safety measure for you and everyone else potentially involved in the matter, which is why this is such an important aspect of our Community Policies. 

Thank you!

[EveryVoteEveryVoter]

@audreytherese This whole communication badge issue is so ridiculous!! I send a note to the buyer after I fill every order explaining when the package will go out, how I am shipping (First Class, Priority) and what the packaging will look like. And of course many thanks, etc. Oftentimes I get a note back..."Thanks." So I can't let that hang because that's an unanswered message! So I reply "Thank you." Sometimes these back and forth notes go on and on and it is RIDICULOUS! To the point that it is embarrassing, but despite the fact that I email each and every buyer, and respond to every comment, my rating is going down. I give up. Sorry Etsy. This is a fail.

[OneEyeCatStudio]

@EveryVoteEveryVoter  it is only the first message that has to be answered.

[BagmakerSupply]

@EveryVoteEveryVoter: The Star Seller metric is that the FIRST message of a NEW thread must be replied to (or marked as spam) within 24 hours and that is all that counts for or against Star Seller.

[OneEyeCatStudio]

Oh. Darn. I should have posted in color, shouldn't I.

[ThePurplePuppy]

@EveryVoteEveryVoter 

In those cases I do NOT reply "thank you". I reply "you're welcome. that usually signals the "end" of communications. there is no need to repeat "thank you" endlessly.

[EveryVoteEveryVoter]

Thanks for the thoughts. My score for communication continues to go down somehow regardless. I have not made any purchases on Etsy (so I am not losing score for my communication as a buyer), but have made hundreds of sales in the last few months so I am guessing it's possible I miss the occasional "Thank you for your quick shipping" etc etc. Consider me unconvinced that the score algorithm is as is laid out in their policy. I make more money for Etsy than I do for me from my sales. I am just tired of this BS dance.