Star Status not calculated properly

[BlackbirdFlyCompany]

I respond to every buyer message and question as I get it.  I should have earned star status and did not b/c of a seller I purchased from kept messaging me to try to get me to purchase more of his rugs.  I stopped responding b/c it became annoying.  Why am I being penalized as a seller from someone who keeps trying to sell me stuff?  This had nothing to do with my store or my message response rate.  Can you please fix this and award me star seller status?  Thank you.  Here is the message in question:  

https://www.etsy.com/messages/1120327157

Mustafa

5/9/2022

12:21:30

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no

[BlackCatTheory]

You must respond or mark as spam ALL messages. Mark it as spam now.

[DesertChains · Accepted solution]

If the messages were spam, you should have marked them as spam. You could also report them to Etsy. Regardless, your rating IS correct.

It doesn’t matter whether or not you answered questions or provided information. It doesn't matter if a message doesn't need a response. It doesn’t matter if you’re the seller or the buyer. It doesn't matter if the message you received is a duplicate. The system only determines whether or not you replied to an individual message. If you didn't respond or send a message to your spam folder, you are going to get rated down. That's how it works.

Right or wrong, the program has worked this way for a year! The instructions for meeting this metric are clearly stated and easily accessible. Daily posts in the forums also discuss this exact topic.

Send the missed messages to spam. Your stats will update in a day or two.

[bradgoodell]

Your Star Seller score was calculated properly per Etsy's policies on Star Seller.  If you mark it as spam now, it will update in about 48 hours.

In the future, any new message you receive simply reply, or if its spam, mark as such.