Star Seller message mistakes

[KConradArtStudio]

I have a 50% response rate because I got a note from a seller about an order I made from their shop. It didn't require a reply. I had no idea it would go through my seller account.

When I wrote to Etsy support as follows

"Hi! I was checking my Star Seller progress, and I notice that I'm showing a 50% response rate. But I only have two messages, and one of the message is from another seller who was writing me about an order that I made--that is, they were just letting me know that they would be shipping soon; it wasn't about my shop." 

I was told ",Etsy Support can’t make changes to your Star Seller data or manually award Star Seller badges. While I’m not seeing any technical issues with your score, if you still think your Star Seller score was calculated incorrectly, I encourage you to let us know in the Technical Issues forum."

So here I am.  Why are sellers effectively being punished for being buyers?  Why can't Etsy invest in some programming that distinguishes between a message sent from an order and one sent to a shop? Why can't support staff make changes?

Since I don't get many messages, it will take over 3 months to even be eligible for Star Seller now.

[NanaLetha]

https://community.etsy.com/t5/Technical-Issues/Message-response-inaccurate-and-unfair/m-p/139600814#...

[Adorabilities · Accepted solution]

This is probably the most common mistake sellers make in regards to the Star Seller program. You must respond to every single new message, no matter who it's from or what it's about. Or you could mark them as spam.

On a general note, it's interesting that the support staff suggest reporting these issues in the forum (where the OP will not be helped by Etsy,) but they don't advise checking the forum for other posts about the same issue. There are posts about this several times a day by different sellers.

[FallenAngelBrass]

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@KConradArtStudio wrote:

Why can't Etsy invest in some programming that distinguishes between a message sent from an order and one sent to a shop? Why can't support staff make changes?

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This would involve a human at EtsyCorp reading all of my messages.  No thank you. 

Many sellers have separate buying accounts and do not make personal purchases from their own shop accounts.  Keeping buying and selling separate solves a multitude of issues. 

[BagmakerSupply]

@FallenAngelBrass  :  Even worse would be a bot reading all the messages and making decisions. Given all the anecdotal evidence in this forum about how well Etsy bots are programmed do you not shudder at the thought?

[KConradArtStudio]

Exactly.

[MarioTreasureChest]

It’s not a mistake, read the program, now, just put that message in the spam folder, the next day message will no longer count

[WitticismsRus]

@KConradArtStudio 

Etsy is pretty clear about how the message response rate is calculated in help center here https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/4403058372503-How-to-Become-a-Star-Seller?segment=selling

There is a highlighted bit under message response rate info that says "The Message response rate only applies to the first message in a thread. Initial messages from both buyers and sellers on Etsy are counted towards the Message response rate. "

That means ALL messages. It also means each individual message thread so if someone sends you 5 different messages with 5 questions instead of putting them in the same message chain you need to respond to all 5 of them. The system is completely automated and doesn't know if the message is from a buyer or another seller. It just sees a message and calculated the response time. That's just how it works.

The info is also right there on the Star Seller page in shop manager. Just go to shop manager > star seller. Once there scroll toward the bottom until you find "Questions? We've got answers." Then click messages. The very first question there says

"What messages count toward 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. You can also now find a breakdown of your message response rate score by downloading a CSV."

You can try marking the message as spam now and it should be removed from the calculation in a few days.

If the star is important to you then it may be a good idea to read or review all the info Etsy provides about the star seller program.

Bottom line...you have to either reply or mark as spam.

[KConradArtStudio]

I think I should add that I think any program that can have a negative impact on one's business and eventually on one's ranking in searches (which they've implied is coming) should have an appeal process that allows for individual cases, maybe with a guaranteed appeal for the first "offense," etc . My main point here is that there is a disconnect between the intent, which is that we respond to our customers, with the implementation, which requires us to clean up the parts of the system that don't do what they are intended to do. How is an auto-responder a sign of my customer service? How is my responding to someone I bought something from a sign of my customer service? How is marking a legit but irrelevant message as spam a sign of my customer service? Why can't an Etsy service rep, with my permission, look at my messages and see that this wasn't a customer message and make a change? We have to change our behavior to ensure that we aren't punished by software. That's not right, especially when we didn't actually ask for the program.

I have another shop where I am a Star Seller, but I'm not happy about the program or the implementation. It prioritizes high-volume sellers (because any mistakes--postal, messaging,etc--get drowned out by the volume), which is NOT what this platform was built on. The new changes (eg lower seller fees for those who drive sales from other platforms, etc) and others coming down the pipe (that seem likely based on the surveys I've taken, where every proposed change has privileged high-volume sellers) are treating the base of this platform--small home businesses and craftspeople-- like crap. 

[CraftyCornishMaids]

etsy says respond to each new message thread

they highlight it in blue

Etsy says only mark spam as spam.

It's very straight forwards and simple,

if you want the badge, just do it

there is no way, I want to pay for customer service reps to read all your messages, to see if they were from a customer or not.

I'm with the bots on this one,

[CatsWhiskersCurios]

I agree with @CraftyCornishMaids - if the star is important to you, follow the rules. The messaging and shipping stars are completely within our control as sellers, so if you want the star, fulfil the criteria that have been clear and spelled out from the start a year ago. 

There’s nothing for Etsy to look at and fix here. The rules are clear.

[BootifulLabels]

Not achieving Star Seller has NO negative affect on your shop, many of us have never had the badge and probably never will  because the criteria are impossible for many to meet, even though we offer excellent customer service to our buyers.  If and when Etsy introduces real incentives for meeting the badge requirements, it may be a different story, but as it stands it means NOTHING.

[MockingbirdFlorals]

Amen - and my customers know I'm responsive. Asking me to set up a buyers account and a sellers account is absolutely ridiculous. Invest in the technology to support your sellers. The minute they start hitting my ranking in searches as a result of this mess they have created is the day I close my shop. I spend good money on adversing and we all know it is just a huge joke. Come on....someone step up to compete with these chuckle heads

[KConradArtStudio]

"One of the search ranking factors on Etsy is the ‘listing quality score’. It looks at your listing’s conversion rate: how shoppers view, click and purchase your product."
https://www.growingyourcraft.com/blog/etsy-star-seller-implications-concerns

This is my concern. I appreciate that there are guidelines for Star Seller and I've read them. My other shop with my daughter has had Star Seller status since the start, and we only missed a month because we didn't make the $ minimum due to vacation.  I did not, however, realize that messages from people I bought from would come to the same mailbox. That seems quite odd, and something that Etsy could fix. That's all I'm saying.

I would just like to add that those of you who don't think it's important are missing the slow creep of policies that aren't in the best interests of small shops. I don't know if you take the surveys, but I recommend that you think carefully about whether the changes they've made and that they're proposing will benefit the small homegrown craftspeople and shops who made this site what it is today, or primarily large-volume resellers and others.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

if you want them in a different mailbox, set up a separate account you only buy from,

people you bought from, could be come your buyers, no-ones that, and the only way etsy would know, would be actually reading each message

[BagmakerSupply]

@KConradArtStudio: The mailbox that a message from a seller goes to is determined by which account you use to purchase. "I did not, however, realize that messages from people I bought from would come to the same mailbox. That seems quite odd, and something that Etsy could fix." Do you really want some Etsy bot reading all of your messages and guessing about its contents? You can fix it yourself by using a separate buyer account or by purchasing as a guest. 

[KConradArtStudio]

I really don't care if a bot reads my messages. Bots read your messages all the time. Since Etsy can separate my purchase history from my shop history, it should be possible to do the same for messages, especially if they are about an order, that's all. 

[CraftyCornishMaids]

purchase history is separated from selling history, 

e-mail messages, are separated from contact messages, and from messages via "purchase and reviews"

but they don't read them to find out if the customer was asking about a past purchase, or if they were asking about the possibility of a future purchase

they really don't

[BabaAndRio]

Happened to me too!

[TonsOfPaper · Accepted solution]

Hello there,

Please know that the Message response rate counts initial messages from all Etsy members, both buyers, and other sellers. This is because fellow sellers could be potential buyers for your shop. If it's not a spam message it requires a response within 24 hours. If it is a spam message you can mark it as such and it won't count towards your score.

Thank you very much!