Star seller badge removed

[MagnoliaHillWreath]

I have been a star seller since the beginning of the star seller program. My badge was removed this month for not responding to a generic message from another seller that I had purchased a personal product from. I have responded to all messages from my customers in a timely manner since the beginning of the star seller program. How does not responding to a message about a product I purchased rather than sold have anything to do with my star seller status? Advice please

[NanaLetha]

The criteria for star seller is very clear. You must respond to all messages or mark as spam. It's an automated program.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

you have to reply to every new message thread, once.

they are marked in BLUE, so you can't miss them,

Etsy doesn't read all the messages to see if they are a seller, who may become a buyer

[BubbleGumDivas]

Set up automatic reply. Set the reply  up for 5 days at a time. This works for me. I renew the same reply every few days. “ Thanks for messaging me, I will get back to you ASAP..”  An ETSY customer service rep, told me to do this a few months ago, I have not lost my seller badge sense. 

[Lionfishvintage]

@BubbleGumDivas 

Yes! I also do the auto reply.

Great workaround.

[audreytherese]

How does Etsy know the difference? Unless you have a separate account for buying, all your messages are in the same spot and follow the same set of rules. If you wish to participate and be eligible for the program, it's wise to read the rules, as it's all clearly spelled out. 

[WitticismsRus]

@MagnoliaHillWreath 

Etsy is pretty clear about how the message response rate is calculated in help center here https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/4403058372503-How-to-Become-a-Star-Seller?segment=selling

There is a highlighted bit under message response rate info that says "The Message response rate only applies to the first message in a thread. Initial messages from both buyers and sellers on Etsy are counted towards the Message response rate. "

That means ALL messages. It also means each individual message thread so if someone sends you 5 different messages with 5 questions instead of putting them in the same message chain you need to respond to all 5 of them. The system is completely automated and doesn't know if the message is from a buyer or another seller. It just sees a message and calculated the response time. That's just how it works.

The info is also right there on the Star Seller page in shop manager. Just go to shop manager > star seller. Once there scroll toward the bottom until you find "Questions? We've got answers." Then click messages. The very first question there says

"What messages count toward the message response rate?

Your message response rate is based on just the first message in a conversation, not ongoing conversations. This means you just need to respond to the first message within 24 hours. This applies to messages both from buyer and seller accounts. Messages from Etsy staff do not count toward your response rate, and neither do messages that you mark as spam. You can also now find a breakdown of your message response rate score by downloading a CSV."

You can try marking the message as spam now and it should be removed from the calculation in a few days.

If the star is important to you then it may be a good idea to read or review all the info Etsy provides about the star seller program.

Bottom line...you have to either reply or mark as spam.

[HazelsSewingSupplies]

It's hard to believe we are still hearing this after 1-1/2 years.  Doesn't anyone read the information put on the Dashboard?

[LAKEandFELLart]

@HazelsSewingSupplies I know its like Groundhog Day 

[OneEyeCatStudio]

The part that I can't understand is ..........  if people know the forum is here, and obviously they do if they come here with their issues, then why do they not read the forum to avoid issues?

[thePaperFramer]

And yet another seller that hasn't read the policies or looked this up in this forum. This is the 7 zillionth thread on this exact same issue. You have to reply to all first messages. Like it or not, this is what you have to do to keep from getting dinged for your Star Seller. Every body does this once. Hopefully to learn from this and not do it again.

[PsychoCreators]

That's funny being that this is the 7 zillionth response to the OP stating the same thing. Doesn't anyone read the prior responses? lol

[audreytherese]

*7th

Wayyyyyyyy less responses to this than there are posts about it. Not really comparable. 

[Former_Member]

This is the 7 zillionth thread on this exact same issue.

And this is the 7 zillionth time you've posted the same exact reply.

[thePaperFramer]

@Former_Member 

This is the 7 zillionth thread on this exact same issue.

And this is the 7 zillionth time you've posted the same exact reply.

Yup. My goal is to never have to post this again. But if wishes were fishes..................

Until then...............

[BagmakerSupply]

@MagnoliaHillWreath: "How does not responding to a message about a product I purchased rather than sold have anything to do with my star seller status?"  Nothing. But neither does using auto-reply or only having to answer the first message and being able to ignore all others. But how is Etsy supposed to know the nature of a message? Do you want a bot reading every one of your messages and guessing if it is a seller or buyer message? How many threads would there be in this forum that "some bot incorrectly classified my message"?

[SugarTaffySoap]

@MagnoliaHillWreath Here is your answer.

Many have done the same thing you did (not respond). Here is what Etsy Staff says: 

"The Message response rate counts initial messages from all Etsy members, both buyers, and other sellers. This is because fellow sellers could be potential buyers for your shop. If it's not a spam message it requires a response within 24 hours. If it is a spam message you can mark it as such and it won't count towards your score."

Here's what a Community Specialist has posted in several threads regarding Star Seller:

"We suggest using the Forums' Search function prior to posting (just be careful to not bump an old thread that hasn't seen any activity in the last months/years), as questions regarding the Star Seller Program have been extensively covered by our fellow members since its launch, as well as our official Star Seller Guide, which contains in-depth answers to some of the more common questions regarding Message Response Rate, Shipping, Local Pick-Up, Digital Orders, and other topics. You can check it out here:etsy.com/starseller. "

[DragonflyDreams1]

While it is true that at the beginning of every month there are people in the forum upset they lost star seller due to a message from a seller, that doesn't mean we have to be rude. Some people are here for the first time. Some people cannot navigate the forums well. Some people don't know how to search through all the Etsy help topics, etc.

@MagnoliaHillWreath It is my opinion that if I seller messaged you for no significant reason (you entered an invalid address and they needed it corrected, there was a delay with shipment they needed you to approve etc.) then you should mark the message as spam. Etsy sends out purchase confirmations, shipment notifications, etc. There is no reason for a seller to message you unless it is required to complete the sale. A "thank you" or "check out this or that in my shop" etc are ALL spam in my opinion. If you mark that message as spam it will not have an impact on you for the next two months. It is too late for December, but it will make sure it is not an issue for January or February star seller status. While a thank you message may be nice, we all know it is a "hey- remember me - come buy from me again message."

[Arcalliq]

1, SS programme rules have been on the dashboard since day one. No much need to search.

2, If the purple blob is really so important for somebody I would expect them to know the rules by heart by now

3, nobody is rude here. But there is certainly a lot of frustration.  And trust me, you'd be frustrated too if you had to answer the same question trillion of times EVERY single month for almost year and a half now.

[BagmakerSupply]

@DragonflyDreams1: Yes, Etsy sends out a confirmation but that does not mean the seller is aware of the order. That Thank You from the seller is reassurance that they have at least seen our order. (Read all the threads where the seller says they did not know they had orders because they did not get the eMail confirmation or the app did not ka-ching so orders shipped days late.) Add to that the latest issues of Etsy sending bizarre delivery dates (i. e. https://community.etsy.com/t5/Technical-Issues/Delivery-Date-estimates-absurdly-wrong/m-p/140521105#...) and people cancelling orders because of the infamous "the item you purchased is sold out" eMails.  The few seconds it takes as the buyer to say 'Thank you for the update' in response to the seller's confirmation that our order has been received and will ship is well worth it to us.

[CBGWorkshop]

I ceased my "thanks for the order" messages to avoid this situation on behalf of any of my customers who may be sellers