Star Seller

[VintageSnippets]

I lost my star seller status for last December because I didn't reply to one message from someone I know who was using my Etsy messages like email.  Someone on the Forums told me to mark her messages as spam and I did.  I did not get my star seller status back in January and I think this is ridiculous that one unanswered spam message should keep me from getting it.  What is wrong with Etsy that one unanswered message from someone who was continually messaging me (and I was continually answering)  should make that much of a difference? 

Also, when an Etsy shop sends me a thank you message, must I reply?  Then when the same shop sends a coupon, must I reply again?  Then when the same shop sends me a notice of a sale, must I reply again?  I am afraid not to reply, and it takes up my time having to reply constantly.  But God help us if we don't reply.

Is the star seller status worth all the jumping hoops?  I run my shop honestly and am always on time with shipping.  I have great reviews.  And yet I am not a star seller for two months because of one message.  Really???

[NanaLetha]

The rules are you must reply to all messages or mark as spam.

[hopeandjoystudios]

All FIRST messages.  Once you reply you don't need to keep replying/ have the last word..unless they start a new thread.

[VintageSnippets]

Maybe Etsy has too many rules.

[hopeandjoystudios]

You can check and see which message sunk you. It should not be a spam message unless you marked it spam after 24 hours. You can tell sellers to stop contacting you. Yes if they do and it is a new message you need to reply or mark it spam within 24 hours.

If you get a lot of those you might send a message with the order that says "Do not message my shop unless there's a problem with my order ". It would be easier to set up a buyer account or only buy as a guest though. No message trail back to your shop. If you don't tell people to stop it will continue.  They think it is good customer service and don't know people see it as an annoyance. If someone sunk my SS with messages I don't think I would buy from them again  unless I  really liked their stuff and couldn't get it elsewhere.  They can send those messages on a packing slip or in the "your item has shipped " auto message.  I can read tracking.  Unless it is falsely stuck in pre transit I can see it has shipped and I got the it has shipped message.  Don't need to be messaged in my shop.

[VintageSnippets]

Thank you!  I did tell the person to quit using my Etsy messages as email. She knows my email, she texts me, and she calls me, so there was no excuse for her to message me through Etsy. Her response was-- she told me she deleted the Etsy app.  So Etsy lost a potential customer over this.

[LAKEandFELLart]

Each message marked blue needs a reply ( this first message. )

Up to you how you manage your messages however Etsy do give us tools to help

you can use snippets , if it doesn't warrant a real answer a brief thanks will suffuse 

you can send to spam 

you can activate your out of office reply 

Use or don't use these tools but managing your messaging is your responsibility not Etsys

[VintageSnippets]

Yes, it should be my responsibility to manage my messages, and that's what I did.  I ignored one.  So it really isn't my responsibility to manage them.  It's my responsibility to jump through Etsy's hoops.  That's all.

[audreytherese]

"Also, when an Etsy shop sends me a thank you message, must I reply?" 

Yes. Etsy does not make distinctions between types of messages. They don't know that it's a thank you for making a purchase. It could be the seller looked at your profile, realized you had a shop, and is asking a question about one of your items. 

"Then when the same shop sends a coupon, must I reply again?  Then when the same shop sends me a notice of a sale, must I reply again?"

Depends. Only the first message in a string needs a response. Etsy is supposed to be combining all the messages from the same people into one string (unless it's a help request, which stands on its own), so you don't have to respond to them every time after the initial one. These are highlighted in your messages in blue (I think) to show you that they require a response. 

As for marking a message spam later on, it may have been too late to 'fix' the message response. Sometimes that works retroactively, but I don't know what the cutoff is, and if it crossed over months when the metrics were calculated it is probably too late. 

"Is the star seller status worth all the jumping hoops?"

Only you can decide that for yourself. I don't think it is, I haven't seen a noticeable difference when having it, and certainly not some huge difference that would justify all the stress people go through worrying about it. 

[VintageSnippets]

Thank you for answering my questions.   I don't know of another selling platform that "labels" its sellers. They are probably just happy to have good sellers. 

As to my question about the thank you, the coupon, and the sale notification--those messages came on three different days from the same shop,  so I don't think they are "combined".  I think they all need a response.

[VINTAGEbytheMAGPIE]

I'm going to be very blunt here

you have 3 options 

Ignore Star seller so dont bother with the measuring metric 

If you are interested in taking part in the Star seller programme , then ensure you know how the system works and adhere to Etsys measuring metrics and use the tools or dont to help manage your messages 

Or if it really is something that you dont agree with then consider other platforms to sell on 

Its up to you .

[VintageSnippets]

And I'll be just as blunt.  Thank you for nothing.

[SugarTaffySoap]

@VintageSnippets aside from what all the sellers here have reiterated to you, there's also auto reply you can set up. It's temporary and weekly. 

[VintageSnippets]

I know.  Thank you.