Star Seller status loss

[JoyfulWayCo]

Does anyone else find it a bit frustrating that you can tick all the boxes for star seller status but because I replied to one message just outside of the 24 hour window, my rating dropped to 91%. (I have now set up auto replies).
It seems that the only way I can get my rating up to 95% is if I receive messages (and respond) from potential customers or questions.  It’s tough, as there’s no way I can control this… so I sit and wait for people to message me. Anyone else dealing with this? Thanks 

[LaurelRidgeVintage]

I had friends message me about products to get my stats up since I receive so few messages overall. Good luck!

[DesertChains]

That’s one way to game the system, though it might be viewed unfavorably by Etsy.

[bradgoodell]

You said:  "It seems that the only way I can get my rating up to 95% is if I receive messages (and respond) from potential customers or questions."

I know this may sound rude, but what is your lifestyle that makes it difficult to answer messages in 24 hours?   I'm just curious.  Long work hours?  Little to no access to a cell phone or wifi?  

I've always found answering messages is one of the easiest things to do and maintain Star Seller.  The Etsy app makes it quick and easy to see notifications and snippets make it easy to send quick messages to buyers.  Even if you are away from your computer for long periods of time, checking twice a day takes only a couple of minutes.  

Since you've now set up Auto-Reply, that should help you quite a bit.  Just make sure to check it (and your spam filter) regularly.  Best of luck.

[2di4jewelryoriginals]

@bradgoodell 

It could also be unnecessary messages from sellers if they shop on Etsy. 

I recently bought some supplies and got a message from the seller that they received my order. Which I had to respond to because of star seller. I gave the seller a heads up when I sent my required response. Ugh.

[cutebutton]

@2di4jewelryoriginals 

those are literally the EASIEST messages to respond to.

Those are like freebies in my opinion.  They require zero thought and like maybe 2 seconds of your time.  The response is a simple Thank you.

I never understand why people complain about those.

Easy way to boost your message percentage with the least amount of effort.'

Messages from customers actually take time and thinking to reply to so if you have no problem trying to respond to those why is there an issue with something that is so easy that helps your stats?

[bradgoodell]

@cutebutton I never thought about it that way, but yes.  You can reply with something as short as TY.  

[KanjaniCraft · Accepted solution]

It’s easy to miss a message, or read and intend to respond and be distracted eg by a child. I can imagine hundreds of plausible scenarios that might lead one not to respond in 24h….

(Aside: Honestly some people on these forums seem to make it their life mission to ignore a genuine query or concern and simply seem to want try to tear down or criticise OP personally… Or to offer help along with as much criticism as they can alongside. Y’all know who you are…)

OP: I’m sorry this happened to you. I have experienced the same and it’s quite frustrating to lose star seller over something so minor. I do think the threshold is too high too. Reassuringly losing Star Seller doesn’t seem to make a big difference to sales and sometimes you get it back quite quickly if you end up getting a lot of messages that month. 

[ArtDollsbyJD]

Because as fellow sellers we have all been there.  We all have things going on in our lives and many of us make extra effort to fulfill the requirements Etsy has listed for being not only a seller on Etsy but a star seller.

When I make an error, I own it no matter how it is for me to do so.  It's hard to remain quiet when others want special treatment for any reason.  If I forget to answer or mess up a tracking number as I have done, I own it.  I know that I lose out on star seller. My choice is to acknowledge I made a mistake and then I move on. 

Star seller is not for sales.  It is a demonstration to Etsy that a seller is fulfilling going to the next level on Etsy service level standards.

[JoyfulWayCo]

Thank you so much! Yes, all those reasons.... Despite being megga diligent and perpetually checking my app.... I have to factor in the international time zones AND a busy life outside of Etsy. However, I have now set up auto-replies which will help so much. I will chalk it up to the learning curve of being a fairly new seller. Thank you again!

[BARBUDDII]

I got a message from a seller thanking me for my feedback after leaving a review for a mock-up I purchased. So didn't need replying to & wasn't from a buyer.

I took this up with support but would not budge on "their policy". Can't believe someone can't take a look at it & revise their decision to include this towards my Star Seller status.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@BARBUDDII 

you have to reply to each new message thread

etsy's bots check if you have, or have not

etsy isn't going to hire armies of people, to read millions of messages a day, to see if the person you bought from, was contacting you about your purchase, or now they had seen your shop, whether they were asking about buying something from you.

It's simple - reply to each new message thread.

[BagmakerSupply]

@BARBUDDII: "So didn't need replying to & wasn't from a buyer." Unfortunately Etsy disagrees. Your Star Seller page even specifically states that "This applies to messages both from buyer and seller accounts." under the section 'What messages count towards the message response rate?'.

[BeaconwoodDettman]

I'm in the same boat - I've had Star Seller month after month since it started until...

At the end of November, I missed a message. Like the Led Zep song "Nobody's Fault But Mine" - I remember reading the message but then I promptly forgot all about it. I don't get many messages either, so the stakes are high for every single one. 

So going into December, for the first time, I had 2 badges, but not all 3. It was a relief when I got my first order after losing it, it's probably silly, but I was thinking the bottom would fall out, but it didn't. I also did some searches for items I was listing, and I still found them, often on the first page of results, so that was a relief seeing that I wasn't buried.

How many sales did I lose by not having it in December? I have no idea, I really don't have any way of knowing. 

Either way, all I can do is keep plugging away. I still believe that Star Seller is important and I'm not happy about my mistake, but it happens, and I'm sure it will happen again. Hang in there, we are all imperfect humans. 

[JoyfulWayCo]

Thank you so much! I guess I am not alone. I appreciate the encouragement!

[BootifulLabels]

One message in 20 answered late will satisfy the 95% requirement.  If you have less than 20 messages, missing just one puts you under that requirement. That is how it works and has since the program started over 3 yrs ago.  Auto reply can help, but you need to remember to reset it every 5 days.  It is far less hassle to simply check and respond to messages every day.  I make that the first thing I do each morning and the last thing I do each evening. 

[BellasTreasureTrove]

Auto reply my be a good option for some sellers but don't forget to answer. I message a seller about an item and got a quick "hi" but I never got an answer to my question.

[JoyfulWayCo]

Thank you! Great advice regarding resetting the auto-replies!

[WantableDesigns]

People should stop fretting about Star Seller IMO. It makes zero difference to sales.

[ArtDollsbyJD]

@WantableDesigns   It's not about sales.  Never was.  It's about whether or not a shop is exceeding the basic service level standards Etsy has placed on all shops to sell on Etsy.

[WantableDesigns]

@ArtDollsbyJD 

OP said "How many sales did I lose by not having it in December?"

My comment was in relation to this.

The average customer cares little to none about Star Seller IMO.

[VINTAGEbytheMAGPIE]

Nope  I don't believe this is or should be an issue for any seller here. 

If you cant check your shop or email regularly then there is the auto reply option on messages.

If you want to aim for Star Seller then it is up to you to manage a route to fulfil the requirements.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

you have to reply to each new message thread in 24 hours

it doesn't matter about time zones, 24 hours is 24 hours, in the time zone you are in.

etsy also gives functionality for autoreply

- permanent if you choose working hours/days

- permanent if you are on vacation

and up to 5 days (90 hours) if you want to remain open, and not reply yourself

It's actually a very generous way of providing a solution of avoiding replying in 24 hours

[moonbeamgifts · Accepted solution]

Etsy used to be about running your shop the way you wanted.    Well, as usual, a few people took that a liiiiiiiiittle too literally and ruined it for everyone.     

I used to buy a lot of digital items here but would often have to message sellers for clarification on a policy or outright ask a question that wasn't listed in the description.    The response rate was so low - not even immediately but in general, it wasn't even funny.   I'd say 1 in 3 EVER replied.   
I thought that might be the one positive to come out of the star seller program when it was introduced - so I went back to messaging after it was in play to see if it made a difference.   Ironically, because of the star seller program, Etsy released the ability to set the auto response and it would count.    My response rate was still 1 in 3 for a real reply but every one of those sellers had a star because they used the auto respond feature.    That's exactly when I knew the star seller program was for fluff purposes only.    As a buyer, it changed nothing about sellers' bad behavior and it changed nothing about my behavior as a seller because I already shipped on time, etc.    I simply accepted that there would be a month or quarter when I didn't have the badge for whatever reason and I am good with that.    I want to provide my buyers with good customer service anyway, I don't care if there's a purple star behind my logo.

That's a lengthy way to say - I wouldn't worry about it so much if I were you.    I personally detest the auto response (unless in the path of a storm or some other immediate need to communicate information) but all you can do is your best.    If responding to messages is your downfall, find a routine that works for you.    Maybe every morning at 8 a.m. you have a cup of tea and check for messages.    

[PillowDetails]

For those who have set up auto- reply - don't you only get 4 days max, then you have to do that again?  Or has it changed?  I would think that would be yet another thing that would be easy to forget.

I agree with the others to not stress over the very flawed and unfair SS program.