Star Seller not awarded

[NickisCottageAttic]

Apparently I have not met the standards for star seller badge this month.  My shop was in holiday mode for 17 days this month and although I have had 11 orders, I accept I may not have reached the order value target but I have 100% for dispatching on time, 5 star reviews and always respond to emails within 24 hrs.  In the past when I have not met the star seller standard, the 5 star review badge and speedy dispatch badges, responding to emails have still been displayed in my shop.  This month they are not showing and I’m not sure why. 

[NanaLetha]

You did not meet the minimum dollar requirement 

[BootifulLabels]

I accept I may not have reached the order value target 

Therein lies your problem.  If you don't meet the minimum number AND value of sales, even if you meet all three badge sections, you won't get the SS badge and any badges you did meet will not show. 

Welcome to my world.  I regular meet all the criteria EXCEPT the $ value, so in 3 years I have only had the badge a grand total of 5 months.  It hasn't made any difference to my sales at all.

[sunmetaljewelry]

I am so disappointed in this new criteria to be a star seller. My items are inexpensive, $5-$15. How can making the minimum $300 be the same for me as it is for a shop who sells items for more? Its so ridiculous. My other stats that counted previously are still the same. Luckily no one who doesn't have a shop on Etsy knows or cares about this so I won't worry about it. I appreciate having a platform like Etsy that makes it easy to have an online presence for my products but I feel like I pay enough in fees that I shouldn't be judged that I'm not good enough to earn the star seller badge by some new arbitrary criteria.

[audreytherese]

This is not a new criterion. The minimums have been part of the SS program since the very beginning. The only thing that ever changed was the quantity was lowered from the initial amount, but the dollar value has always been the same since day one. 

I know it seems unfair to shops that sell lower priced items, but when you break it down it's an average of selling $25/week. 

[BootifulLabels]

It is not a new criteria, it has always been a requirement.  While it does mean a whole sector of shops with either low priced items and/or lower volume of sales are effectively excluded, SS is not a requirement for selling, it is an aspirational program designed to push sellers to higher standards, in otherwords it is a carrot and stick thing.  Once you accept that there is no tangible reward for reaching the lofty expectations of the program, you can just get on with running your shop to meet your customer's needs and disregard the hype.  I know I do.  Meeting all the Star Seller criteria would actually mean disadvantaging my buyers in some cases.  I prefer to do what I always do, on the rare occasions when I have had the badge, it has had absolutely no effect on sales.

[NanaLetha]

@sunmetaljewelry  The criteria is not new. I rarely get star seller because I sell lower priced items.

[sunmetaljewelry]

It isn't? Last time I checked it was just 3 categories - speedy shipping, message replies and reviews. Hehe I must not have checked in a while

[audreytherese]

You were probably making the minimum and didn't realize it, because it doesn't show once you've reached the minimum amounts. 

[sunmetaljewelry]

Thank you for clarifying that. You're right, this has been the slowest my shop has ever been. Ah well, I'm sure it will get better. 

[NickisCottageAttic]

Thank you for clarifying everyone.  I guess I shouldn’t worry too much if it doesn’t affect my sales.  I hadn’t realised until recently that you were judged on the value of sales too.  I have a lot of lower value items so I guess SS is going to be hard to achieve.  I have noticed some shops still have badges for some categories without having achieved SS which has also applied to me in the past.  What a shame it is that you can have great customer service, speedy dispatch times, great communication and 5 star reviews but still not achieve SS.  I guess it’s all about the ‘money’.  Thank you for your responses everyone.

[CavanaughsCloset]

I have the exact same problem.  I only didn't meet the dollar amount of $300, but have all of the other criteria.  I have a message into Etsy, let's see if I get any response.  In the past, I've had the other badges show even when the star seller did not.  I have had the star seller for over 14 months in a row, just hit a slow spell, which partly I attribute to etsy encouraging buyers into buying close to home (can they let buyers make their own decisions?) .  Most of my previous sales were from California, and I am in PA.  Now those sales are few and far between.

[audreytherese]

It's a tiered system.  

You must meet the minimums (quantity and dollar amount), before you are eligible for the individual badges. 

Once you get all the badges, you get the SS. 

But if you don't meet both the minimums first, then you don't get anything. 

[NanaLetha]

@CavanaughsCloset  If you did not meet the $300 minimum, you get no badges.

[ChillwolfArt]

@NickisCottageAttic   @CavanaughsCloset  @sunmetaljewelry Hi, The 5 Sales, $300.00 is something I tend to forget about; the fact that if you don't meet these requirements, none of the other Badges will show *(they tell you the requirements, but I don't believe Etsy specifically states anywhere that if you don't meet the Sales Metrics, none of the other Badges will show. *Someone correct me if wrong).

I opened my Shop for the Season on Aug. 26, in the p.m. I met the Message requirement, Tracking also, and Reviews. But I missed the Sales requirement by approx. $20.00. Also, the first sale was a large one, but counted as 1 Order (instead of 9). So I missed the boat for Star Seller. It's fine with me. The CEO claims the S Seller Metrics are things Buyers care about. But I can assure you, no Buyer cares if a Seller has 5 Orders, $300.00 within the 3 month grading period. My Customers are what matters most, and the Customer Service that I provide to them, not something which is absurdly out of a Seller's control.

[CatsWhiskersCurios]

It is a requirement to meet the sales and orders amounts first. From the details in shop manager:

"How can I become a star seller?

This is the qualification criteria for Star Seller, based on the last three months of your shop data:

• Message response rate:95%+ of first messages in a thread are responded to within 24 hours. This stat is only considered if you receive new messages during the review period.
• On-time dispatch & tracking:95%+ of orders dispatch on time with tracking or with a postage label purchased on Etsy
• Ratings average:Your average rating is 4.8 or higher.
• You must also meet a minimum of 5 orders and 300 USD in sales during the 3-month review period, and you must have been on Etsy’s platform for 90 days since your first sale.

And from the help centre:

"To be eligible to become a Star Seller you need to first meet our minimum customer service standards for case rate, and have certain order and sales criteria.