Star Seller badge removed due to lack of tracking info

[SilkScarvesColorado]

I have had Star Seller badges for several months, and suddenly my badge for October was removed because of a sale made back in July that didn’t have tracking for the shipment.

The reason for not having any tracking was that it was a sale made to a person I knew from my neighborhood, and I met her to give her the ordered item personally. 

I have marked that order as Delivered, and the lady gave a Review for the scarf. So I really do not understand how  the lack of tracking might actually be an issue for taking off my badge. It simply is so not fair! How can we mark similar sales correctly so this does not happen again? There should be a way exceptions to be marked as such.

I have been an Etsy seller since March 2010, and have always been absolutely strict and diligent through the years with messages and timely shipping - not because of any Star Seller badges, but because that’s the right way to treat my customers. 

It seems like Etsy have been following some absurd requirements far too blindly, and actually do not really care about the loyal sellers that have been part of it for many years, and helped make Etsy a reputable marketplace for arts and crafts. 

I am extremely frustrated.

Tanya Athannassova
Silk Scarves Colorado

[MaynardMillinery · Accepted solution]

All orders must be shipped with tracking or with Etsy labels, Etsy does not make exceptions for hand delivery, it says so in the TOUs of the SSB. 

The bots that score the SSB can't see that the buyer had left a review, only that it doesn't have tracking attached to it.

Also, you can't mark something "delivered" on Etsy, you can mark it "dispatched" but with no tracking, there's no proof you ever sent it. 

[CraftyCornishMaids]

We get a certificate of postage from the post office, from Royal mail, it is proof we posted it, and etsy used to accept it as proof we posted, if a case was open.
it has the post office location, the date, time, and address we sent to, and a unique ID number , along with other info.

Royal mail accept it, and refund if it is lost/damaged etc, so we are covered

but etsy don't accept it for star seller

which is really daft

[SmilingBlueDog · Accepted solution]

I understand, try not to let it upset you. I've been selling on Etsy since 2008 and always reply as quickly as I can (usually within a couple hours) and ship promptly too. I have 100% for timely replies, 5 star average, but 80% for shipping because I can't print Etsy labels for Canadian orders, unless they're Xpresspost, which costs more than my charms. So I'm resigned to the fact that  I'll never be considered a "star seller" unless I stop shipping within Canada (using a stamp  = most economical), which I don't intend to do. Fortunately my customer's reviews are more rewarding to me than any stars from Etsy. 

[3DPrintCustomz]

This is exactly the same way I look at this situation. I own a 3D Printing Company, sometimes customers are ordering digital designs, sometimes they are paying up front for design work parts, sometimes they order and ask me to hold the item so they can order more pieces - all which will never qualify me for Star Seller. I have 2/3 of the Stars (not the shipping), and never will. I do not believe this is a fair metric for all business categories.

[SugarTaffySoap]

@SilkScarvesColorado ---  Hello, Tanya, you posted in Technical Issues, but it's not one. Adding tracking to all physical orders is one of the criteria for Star Seller if you’re in the US. If you mark an order as complete without adding tracking, it does not meet the requirement for Star Seller.  

You may want to go to your Shop Manager>Star Seller>Shipping, scroll down to read more about US shipping. 

Also, there's extensive threads here in the forums about Star Seller that you can search if you want  to learn more about Star Seller. 

Good luck with your business.

[SilkScarvesColorado]

Thank you all for your comments!