Star Seller 'response rate' for custom orders

[MorgandMindy]

Hi all, I make dog tags custom ordered. There are several times where I go back and fourth with the buyer to ensure they are happy with the product. Most messages don't need a response from me, things like the buyer forgets to put in a detail so I ask for the details and get making the order. If I don't respond to every single one then my response rate goes down. How can I rectify this issue as I want to become a star Seller and am very active at replying to my customers? 

[BagmakerSupply · Accepted solution]

@MorgandMindy: "If I don't respond to every single one then my response rate goes down." The Star Seller metric is NOT all new messages but only the first message of all new incoming threads so ongoing threads should not affect your Star Seller stats. Have you checked the applicable CSV file available on your Star Seller page to confirm which new Message threads Etsy thinks were unanswered or answered late?

When you look at the file remember that that the dates / times are in UTC (not your time zone), only the first message of a new incoming thread is included (all that counts for Star Seller), and usually a new incoming thread is not included until after the 24 hour reply window has passed regardless of when you replied. Star Seller stats (and the CSV file) seem to be updated only once per day so there may be an additional day's delay. There is also a link to the actual message thread so you can verify if the data is correct or not.

[BootifulLabels · Accepted solution]

If the buyer answers your questions in the same thread each time it will not count against you for Star Seller.  It is only if they create a new thread each time that it counts.

[SVGRox]

If you can't reply to all first contact messages within 24 hours set up an auto reply