Star Seller percentage on Messages- using an auto reply from a purchase I made

[VerasClassicVintage]

The percentage for my Star Seller status is using an auto message I received on a purchase I made from another seller. This does not relate to me as a Seller at all. The message was just a auto-reply from another Seller regarding status of my order. It did not make any sense for me to reply to this message. It was an auto reply and it does not relate to me as a Seller, since it was a purchase I made and not related to my Etsy shop.

Shouldn't this be removed from the calculation of 24 hour responses to Messages? I have a 100% response rate without this one message. With it, my percentage drops below the required 95% for Star Seller.

[NanaLetha]

You must reply to all messages or mark as spam. The automated program can't tell the difference.

[VerasClassicVintage]

Do you have to mark as Spam within 24 hours?

[Former_Member]

It must be forbidden for a real human to help a seller. 

[PamelaCurran]

Yea, I've dealt with Etsy on so many different issues including SS Stats and they, like computers, just give automated responses, never a real human interaction. Consider it a lesson learned. Just respond to msgs. like that with a quick "Thanks".

[Former_Member]

I have been dinged for the same thing! From another seller I bought from and it let me know an automated shipping. 

Or someone says THANK YOU and you have to respond? I have answered questions immediately in the message system and it is NOT counted because system could not count it???  Has to be in same box they have a request to in that newer form ?? ETsy has so many technical issues and they could care less about helping sellers. More of the same!!

[BagmakerSupply · Accepted solution]

@VerasClassicVintage: Probably almost everyone on this forum can sympathize with you but as it says right on your Star Seller page, you need to reply to the FIRST message of every NEW INCOMING THREAD for Star Seller.

It does not matter who sent it, the subject matter, if it is a duplicate or blank or anything else. If it is SPAM then it should be marked as such. Those have always been the rules.

If the unanswered message is not a Help Request, at least for the time being, it appears that marking an unanswered message as SPAM (even after the 24 hour deadline has passed) will cause your reply percentage to change in a day or two if the original message was within the current star seller period. Note that subsequent messages from that account may go directly to the SPAM folder.

[ShimmyBoutique]

@VerasClassicVintage

For this very reason it is a smart idea to keep your seller account separate from your buyer account.

[Former_Member]

No way opening up another account here. Enough with ads to us! I would not use ETsy if I was not selling just for the fact of ridiculous unwanted ads. I wish they would treat customer service the same way they do ads.

[BootifulLabels]

The entire filter system is managed by bots.  They do not read messages, simply confirm the time lapse between receipt and response.  Every new message counts. 

If you don't want your purchases to affect your SS status, you have a couple of options.

1. You can use Auto reply to send a "thank you" or an "I'll get back to you shortly" message. This counts as a response for SS, but needs to be reset every five days.
2. You can create a few snippets with various messages and send quick responses that way in just 3 clicks, Snippets/Select/Send.
3. You can create a new, buyer only Etsy account and keep all your purchases separate from your shop.

[oddnumbers]

Correction. Every new message is supposed to count. I've had messages this week that follow all the criteria but Etsy has not counted them. And after several conversations  have gotten nowhere. It's obviously not a perfect systems quit defending it as if it is. 

[BootifulLabels]

@oddnumbers 

You couldn't be more wrong.  I am not defending anything, in fact I have been one of the strongest opposers of the SS program since its inception.  It is ill-conceived and uses criteria to rate "customer service" which bear little to no relevance to actual customer service standards.  It instantly excludes many, many shops who offer their customers true customer service, rather than charging them exorbitant shipping prices for tracked services which are   unnecessary, and in many cases  not even available in their location.  

My post is informational, not a defence of the program, just offering ways that sellers can avoid the pitfalls of the program and maximise their chances of gaining and retaining the badger IF they want it.  The information will not suit all, but it is offered in the spirit of goodwill and sharing ideas.  

I will thank you not to read into it what is neither intended, nor present.

[HazelsSewingSupplies]

@BootifulLabels 

So sad that you had to defend that.

You can lead some people to the rules but you can't make them read them.

[Former_Member]

Yes agree!!  The same thing happened to my store, after a purchase. When contacting ETsy basically they said too bad!

That is the way we count it. They do everything for a human NOT to help you and the BOTS don't know the difference. Computers instead of humans obviously run this place now.