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
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.
I have read it before, I will see if I can locate the history, but it was clear, star seller = better rating.
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
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.
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.
I have always responded to buyers messages immediately. This month I made a number of purchases from other sellers and have had several conversations with them. It looks like I am being dinged for not answering them immediately.
There should be a way to distinguish the difference.
unless etsy hires huge numbers of people to read the messages, to find out if they are contacting you about an item you bought, or now they have seen your shop, they want to ask a question about buying from you, then the way to do it, is just check if it has been replied to in 24 hours. (not immediately)
etsy says ..... "This applies to messages both from buyer and seller accounts."
@Vintageartshome: "There should be a way to distinguish the difference." Perhaps, but what if the Message sender is both a seller to and a buyer from you?
Do you want some bot reading every one of your messages and guessing? How many threads would there be in this forum that "some bot incorrectly classified my message"?
I just posted an auto message. saying we're out of the shop but will reply as soon as we get back. !6 years on Etsy and a star seller from the time it started. I tried to tell the Bot but that's pretty useless. I would really like to talk to a real person and it says you can do that, but how??
etsy's stem is clear,
there is no point talking to anyone,
you didn't follow the rules, that have been there since day 1
and you were dinged for it
there is no point talking to a person, they will read to you from the scripts, which tell you the same thing you already know now
I had the exact same scenario last month! And now this morning I looked at my star seller ratings for this month and it is showing my message response is DOWN to 90%! I’ve had exactly TWO messages so far this month BOTH of which were answered literally in less than ONE HOUR of initial receipt! So explain to me how my rating dropped from 91% to 90%???
download the csv, and you will see how the numbers add up
Where can I find the CSV in my shop? Thanks!
@KirstinsCorner sellers dashboard - customer service stats - choose period - choose which criteria - then choose which stats to download
I don’t pay any attention to it. I follow all of the best practices for running a shop. I can’t control if someone gives 3 stars and really likes something. And I don’t sweat it. Just carry on. Never noticed it makes any difference in sales.