Star Seller miscalculations

[PathosStudioUK]

We are absolutely devastated to see that our Star Seller status is still revoked due to Etsy’s miscalculation of our on-time tracking and dispatch rate, which we reported 4th September.

Customer service stats is now showing as many as ’35 orders dispatched late’, even though we are not dispatching any of our orders late. The percentage of on-time dispatch and tracking still remains at 93%, when the correct figure is 96%.

We have consistently asked for assurances that we would not lose Star Seller status, and our shop would not have its visibility or exposure restricted, but such requests still remain unanswered. We have noticed our US sales have plummeted in the last few days which has had a devastating effect on our business, as US sales typically account for around 50% of our revenue.

We have worked tirelessly to ensure that we meet Etsy’s Star Seller standards, and have even sacrificed profit on our lower priced products in order to do this. Since being penalised, we have been under considerable distress with no reassurances from Etsy.

To this day, we still have no way of corresponding with Etsy support, with no responses coming through Etsy chat for the past month, and nobody responding to our e-mails or cases opened via the Etsy support page.

Please could Etsy look into this as soon as possible and reinstate our Star Seller status?

[CraftyCornishMaids]

go to customer service stats

cilck Previous review period (default is current)

above - on time shipping and tracking, you can download the 2 csv's into a zip file

look at the one for on time shipping and tracking - you will see if it is an ontime issue, tracking issue, or postcode issue

....

93% does not affect your customer service visibility

just the blue badge

[PathosStudioUK]

Hello

Yes, I've already taken a look at the CSVs and this confirms that it's an ontime issue. Etsy is mistakenly marking numerous orders as dispatched late.

The incorrect figure of 93% means that we are no longer eligible for Star Seller status, which has an impact on business (we've already seen a huge loss to our US sales). Buyers have the option to view shops only with Star Seller status, and we are now not included in this filter. There is also a likelihood that Etsy favours shops with Star Seller status, and we have not had reassurance of otherwise.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

from etsy info on star seller

Does a Star Seller badge affect my search ranking?

Star Seller badges do not directly impact your search ranking. 

[BagmakerSupply]

@PathosStudioUK: This may or may not apply to you, but in the past some shops have technically shipped on time but marked the order as completed (shipped) after the scheduled ship by date so to Etsy was considered as 'late'.

[PathosStudioUK]

That info isn't very informative. It only references the Star Seller badge, and whether it has a direct impact. Etsy favours different listings and shops using various factors, and if a shop is being flagged as shipping multiple orders late, it is highly unlikely that the shop would rank as well as a similar shop with an immaculate record. The Star Seller badge is no doubt attractive to buyers who have the option to filter out shops who do not have it.

While I appreciate your help, this post is intended for Etsy's technical team to respond to, as it's regarding a technical issue that needs fixing, as well as having our Star Seller status reinstated.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

there are a huge number of factors that affect ranking in search,

shipping on time is only one,

being at 93% instead of 96% isn't much, in the whole calculation, and does NOT affect the customer service stats

etsy mods sometimes come here, saying they have logged a call with support, and close the thread, but you could do that yourself

[studio3ten]

I am in the same boat. my response time is 100, shipping on time and 5 out of 5 for reviews. and they removed my star seller badge - the one missing is communication but I always respond and have my auto set up - literally - MAKES NO SENSE

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@studio3ten 

go to 

customer services stats

click on "PREVIOUS review period (default is current)

above - ontime shipping and tracking - you can download message and shipping history

it downloads a zip file with both csv's - you can then see which one/s etsy thinks you missed

[SuchAndFive]

I've been a Star seller for the last 4 months and all my stats for the previous period are still above the minimum requirements, but I've noticed my Star Seller badge has also disappeared this month.

I downloaded the CSV files and they show 100% shipped on time and 100% message responses were on time. My average review for that period is 4.9.

I think something has gone wrong with Etsy this month since they released this new algorithm/customer service stats.

I raised it with Etsy Support Yesterday and they agreed that I should still have my badge, and have escalated the issue to the correct dept.

[PathosStudioUK]

CraftyCornishMaids, your comment is irrelevant and doesn't offer any insight for my issue. I am well aware that different factors affect ranking in search. As you mention yourself, shipping on time is one. It has so far come down to 93% and continues to fall. I haven't mentioned anything about customer service stats, only that my on-time dispatch and tracking stats are false, and I have lost Star Seller status as a result.

I apologise if I didn't make it clear, but my post was intended for Etsy's technical team to respond. I have done this under Etsy's instruction on the help center:

"Etsy Support can’t make changes to your Star Seller data or manually award Star Seller badges. If you think your Star Seller score was calculated incorrectly, you can let us know in the Technical Issues forum"

I have already sent 15 e-mails to Etsy in the last month, and nobody is responding in chat. I have an e-mail from Etsy confirming that there is a technical issue that is causing a percentage of my orders to not be counted as dispatched on time, even though 100% of my orders are.

The simple fact is that there is a technical issue that is causing my shop to be penalised, and I simply want it rectified.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@PathosStudioUK 

if you send more than 1 e-mail ticket,

etsy closes the old one, and puts the new one at the bottom of the pile

stop opening new ones

reply to the latest that you still need help, and it gradually rises, but etsy has said they will do nothing to change star seller. so don't expect them to go against their rules

"Etsy Support can’t make changes to your Star Seller data or manually award Star Seller badges. If you think your Star Seller score was calculated incorrectly, you can let us know in the Technical Issues forum"

you can let them know here, but they won't do anything about it

Etsy support does NOT come here, sometimes  the mods do, and close it down, but they will only open a ticket, like you do, so it makes no difference

......

losing star seller does not affect search placement

failing customer service stats does.

93% is not enough for star seller, but it passes the customer service threshold

...

you should look elsewhere for the problem, but if you don't want to, that's down to you

....

all that is information,

shoot the messenger if you want,

I am out

[ArtDollsbyJD]

@PathosStudioUK   Etsy will not respond here. Oh sometimes they might say something but generally this is a peer to peer forum.

In checking the CSV, did you compare to your processing time frame?  If any shipments were even a tad over the processing time frame, even if they have tracking, Etsy considers them late.  If you are not using Etsy labels but another service then you have to mark the item complete and with tracking on the day you ship.  It appears you have a short processing time frame so getting items posted and tracked within that processing time frame is important.  Posting on the last day of processing can become problematic if the post service does not complete their end of the job in a timely manner.

In chat, when they don't have more to give they tell sellers to come here.  Wish they didn't because this is peer to peer and we cannot solve any issues.  We may offer insights but we have no power to change anything.

Did you follow up on the email to ask them for more specifics.  I have a feeling that when they don't have an answer, their reply is there is a technical issue.  Many sellers get that response and have the same issue months later.  You may need to ask Etsy specifically what you can do to avoid this issue.  It could be as simple as extending processing time frame just a little and then shipping in the early part of that time frame.  If you are using a service not recognized by Aftership that can be another reason for the problem.   

[AnitasUniqueCards]

@PathosStudioUK  we are sellers here the same as you, so sadly Etsy won't see your post or resolve it 

[Adorabilities]

If you are not here to resolve the issue I'm posting about, do not post.

(No one here can resolve the issue.)

[PathosStudioUK]

Then no-one here should be posting?

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@PathosStudioUK Forum discussion is for fellow Community Members to share their experience, knowledge and expertise with each other. In most cases someone will be able to identify an issue / resolution due to their own experience selling here for many years.

Etsy Customer Support is a Third Party, outsourced business with limited access to resources and even more limited training. Basically, they read from the Help Center / House Rules information, which is exactly what every one of us can access.

You are correct that Etsy does advise to "post in the technical issues board on Fotums", but this is not because First Level Support or the Trust and Safety / Finance / Engineering Team will come here to resolve any individual Seller's issue. But, if the same issue is reported repeatedly, or a Thrread goes "viral" Community Specialists often step in and refer "higher up".

But, generally, the idea of referring Sellers to Forums is to allow other Community Members to resolve / explain where possible.

In my experience explanations / resolutions are faster and more accurate when coming from Forum Community Members rather than Etsy Customer Support.

"Then no-one here should be posting"

This is an incredibly dismissive and illinformed statement.

The exact opposite is the case. People post with what they "think" may assist. If what they post does not suit your narrative or expectations, then just accept the contribution for what it is, a genuine attempt to assist, and move on.

[ArtDollsbyJD]

@PathosStudioUK   "You claim that Etsy support doesn't come here, but Etsy says otherwise. If Etsy instructs me to post here to let them know of my technical issue, then I'm obviously going to try alongside everything else I have done for the last month."

That is Etsy chat who are not Etsy employees.  They are a service hired by Etsy.  Years ago when the forums was first created the owner of Etsy got tired of answering the same question over and over so he created the forums.  And yes if you can't find the answer in Help, sellers are directed to the forums.  But that was long ago and we don't have the ability to change issues other tham maybe offer some clarity from out experience.  5 years ago, Etsy tech did come to the Tech side of the forums and did a lot of troublshooting.  I remember them.  But that ended.  Etsy tech people don't come to the tech side of the forums to troubleshoot or answer questions any longer.  The mods are here and they are great and sometimes they refer issues to Etsy support but they don't see every thread.

Crafty and I plus others have the right to post here because the forums is peer to peer/  Please understand there are no tech people coming here to answer or troublshoot.  

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@PathosStudioUK The Shipping on Time with Tracking CSV Data is in UTC time. This can be many hours aheas of or behind a Shop's Local time. It seems that you have a short "Processing" Timerame as if I order this Listing today, I am being adcised I can expect to receive it between 10 Oct and 21 Oct. Even if you used a Courier, I find if difficult to believe a parcel could travel from UK to Aistralia in 5 days, given there is a weekend in that time. It may well be the fact that a 1-2 day Processing Timerame may, given you are in UK, may result in you shipping within your own local time but missing UTC by as little as an hour?

I am not saying this is the answer, but I do know that the UTC / Local time difference does affect some CSV data for some Sellers, depending on location.

[PathosStudioUK]

Thank you for a useful response. If the CSV data is being calculated in the wrong timezone then this would explain why a percentage of my orders are bringing my stats down. The CSV data should be calculated according to my set timezone (and the same as it's calculated on my order dashboard) and not according to a foreign timezone such as UTC. I'm sure Etsy would be aware of such an issue though, it's just a matter of how soon they'll resolve it.

In regards to shipping to Australia, it takes as little as 4 days to export shipments from the UK.

[CarpetCollectionAU]

"In regards to shipping to Australia, it takes as little as 4 days to export shipments from the UK"

I completely understand that some deliveries can be very quick, depending on service used and many other factors.

I was just saying that this timeframe indicated to me that you had a very short Processing Timeframe and a short Processing Timeframe may take your Ships By date out of the UTC timeframe.

[BootifulLabels]

The CSV data should be calculated according to my set timezone (and the same as it's calculated on my order dashboard) and not according to a foreign timezone such as UTC. I'm sure Etsy would be aware of such an issue though, it's just a matter of how soon they'll resolve it.

Don't hold your breath waiting for Etsy to "resolve" your issue.  In their eyes there is nothing to resolve.  They operate in their own time zone and will not make allowances for our individual timing.  The entire Star Seller Program is fully automated.  The  bots are only programmed to look for certain criteria and calculate based on those criteria.  No-one looks past those criteria, and there  really is no-one to appeal to.  Etsy support staff do not frequent the forums.  They rely on the generosity of established and experienced sellers to share their wisdom with others.  On rare occasions a forum moderator may forward a post to a tech support agent for  further assistance, but by and large the people responding are simply sellers like yourself, sharing their learned wisdom.  Throwing it back in their faces and repeating yourself over and over or insisting their solutions are incorrect will not help you.  You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.  Nor can you you stop it bucking if it doesn't like the smell of the water.

I really wish Etsy would stop directing users to the forums just to get rid of them.  It gives people (especially newbies) false expectations.  

BTW, I am in Australia and I can tell you there is no way shipping from UK to AU will arrive in 5 days, the fastest I have ever received a UK parcel is two weeks, longer if it attracts the attention of customs.

I hope you find the answer you want, but you won't get it here by being dismissive and downright rude to your fellow sellers.

[PathosStudioUK]

JDTotesnDolls No, not Etsy chat. It's Etsy's support centre that implies one should post in the this forum to reach Etsy's technical support. They state this very clearly. That is why I'm posting here. I'm only following Etsy's instruction (having spent the last month going down every other avenue)

[PathosStudioUK]

CarpetCollectionAU

Yes, I have a 1 day processing time. I've had this processing time for years and the issue only began last month.

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@PathosStudioUK Then set Processing to 1-3 days to give yourself "wriggle room". Sometines, even an hour difference between Local Time and UTC can cause the issue with SSP CSV data reporting.

Etsy uses UTC as this is a universally applicable timestamp commonly used when a marketplace has to compare data from many different Countries.

Etsy actually uses 3 different "Timestamps", depending on the data being recorded. Some is in Etsy Time (Brooklyn NY), some is in a Shop's Local Time and some is in UTC.