Star Seller-message response

[CoulorMePrints]

Hello,

Just a suggestion for the star seller criteria. Please be considerate on the rating of the message response. If the buyer send two or more messages with the same thought or same issue , I hope if seller replies on just one message, (anyway the question is more or less the same with the other messages but constructed in different ways), it would be okay. What happened to mine is the rating went to 89% from 100% because I only responded to one question on a buyer who messages me twice but with same issue, I thought it would be a redundant to answer  both messages with the same question. I answered the other message after 24 hrs. anyway because I received messages from Etsy about not answering that issue when in fact I already did on her other message and she was already refunded. And going back to 100% is just so hard. After that, another buyer sent a message and my rating just went up by 1% when I responded her and when I failed to answer 1 message the rating went down by 11%. I mean, just not fair. I'd appreciate it if this can be considered. Thank you.

[BlackCatTheory]

The rules are ... respond to EVERY message or mark it as spam. Etsy doesn't read the messages of 7.5 million sellers.

[NanaLetha]

It’s an automated program. No one is reading the messages. Reply to all or mark as spam.

[ChillwolfArt]

Sorry this happened to you, but Etsy won't take this into consideration.  We must answer Messages fr. anyone who is not us (the are the Initiator) of the Message.  It could even be another Seller, having a friendly conversation (still counts; the Initiated the Message).

I know it seems redundant.  But you could answer or Mark it as Spam (personally I would only Mark a "true" Spam Message as Spam (i.e. "Hey, buy my gemstones at 25% off."  Just making something up).  Or you could say "Thanks anyway".  I did mark one Message as Spam last Fall (it was not from another Seller that I could see; something about a group, not an Invite to join a Team).

But that's how it works so you know in future.  Think of the "Initiator" of the Message (the person who started it).  When it's not you, you must answer or Mark as Spam.
I was in a Message w/someone who left another Message in a different string.  I answered the first one then said, "Heading on over to your other Message."

Etsy is in the process of "bundling" Messages to make it easier for Sellers.  But from what some have said, they've latched onto old Orders (not recent ones).  So I don't know if Etsy is finished tweaking this process or not.

Hope this helps and sorry you got nailed for it.
__________________

ETA: (I've said the following before.  I've typed "initiator" and I swear each and every time I misspell it; have to go back and edit, lol. Dam-, that's annoying)

[DesertChains]

You are asking for an ethical judgment from a bit of programming code, an interpretation of meaning from a mathematical algorithm.

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.

[TonsOfPaper · Accepted solution]

Hello there,

We heard your feedback about how hard it can be to stay on top of all the messages you receive on Etsy. Last June 30, we introduced a new-and-improved Messages experience that will start to combine messages from the same buyer into a single thread. To earn your Star Seller badge, you’ll still need to respond to initial messages from buyers within 24 hours—but you’ll see fewer message threads from the same buyers. Not only will this change make it easier to qualify for Star Seller, we also think it will make managing your Messages much more streamlined. You can learn more about this and some other exciting changes here.

We’ve also heard your feedback about the message response rate criteria adding extra stress to managing your messages. We’re exploring tools that would give you more flexibility to decide when to respond to messages. Remember that you can always turn on an auto-reply to ensure your customers receive a response to their initial message.

Thanks!

[ZhennelandTreasures]

And, so...what if you receive a mesage that you had sent to another shop in the long- gone glory days of beautiful treasuries to let them know you had featured their artwork in a creative showing of 16 items from 16 fabulous Etsy shops and then as their second messags they thanked you for your interest in their shop previously and to let you know they have renewed their engagement  with their art, Etsy, and have a fresh website? Of course, I responded courteously & encouragingly and would not mark it as spam. But since their first message to me was a copy of a message I sent to them years ago, how on Earth would i reply to myself....and if I do not, will I get dinged for it? 

[HtoHdesign · Accepted solution]

Hey There,

In June, we introduced a new-and-improved Messages experience that will start to combine messages from the same member into a single thread. To earn your Star Seller badge, you’ll still need to respond to initial messages from buyers within 24 hours—but you’ll see fewer message threads from the same buyers. You can learn more about this and some other exciting changes here.

For the message response rating, you'll need to reply to all new messages initiated by other members (Buyer or Seller). This includes duplicate messages, blank messages, or messages sent in error. You can consider setting up an auto-reply to make sure all messages will have a reply. You can read more about it here.

Thanks!