Star seller incorrectly calculated - message response wrong

[WWTreasureTrove]

My star seller progress has been impacted by a message that I wrote to a buyer after completing a transaction.  The conversation was finished, then I picked back up the conversation because the item was returned to me from the courier, so I was letting the customer know this and making arrangement to resend.  This time was stamped and because it was more than 24 hours from our last correspondence (which was complete) it is in my metrics as a fail for star seller for November.  Please can you advise how to amend as it doesn't reflect my message response rate, and in fact I was trying to help the customer!! i.e giving good service, but now I'm being penalised for it.

[FallenAngelBrass]

How many message threads were involved?

[WWTreasureTrove]

10 messages

[vintageNCtreasures]

Etsy will not amend this. They state this on the help page link below.
"Etsy Support can’t make changes to your Star Seller data or manually award Star Seller badges."

Did the buyer start another message thread OR contact you with a help request?

If you replied to that same thread you'd been contacting the buyer from, it shouldn't count against you. 
You don't have to have the last word.

How to Become a Star Seller – Etsy Help

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. 

To help keep track of messages you should prioritize for Star Seller metrics, notification badges are displayed on messages which are: 

• A buyer’s first time contacting you
• A new help with order request

Both of these types of messages need to be responded to in 24 hours to be counted positively toward your Star Seller score.

[WWTreasureTrove]

I think it's my fault, I picked up the message thread, so the seller had written to me enquiring about an item, then their last message was 'thanks' then they bought the item and I sent it, the courier returned it to me, so I wrote to the buyer in that same thread to let them know, so technically replying to the 'thanks' with information about how I would resend, and I think that's where it's counted against me

[FallenAngelBrass]

@WWTreasureTrove 

The star seller bots only need one response within the first 24 hours.  The bots do not look at further responses or who responded last.  How many message threads were involved?  Not number of messages, but message threads. Sounds like there were more than one message thread going on.  

[hopeandjoystudios]

If the "thanks" message was outside the original "string" it was counted as a new message. If you didn't answer that  is the issue. Put that one in spam and it should come off in a couple days. Or take the hit..up to you.

[mommawhazelsquilts]

"My star seller progress has been impacted by a message that I wrote to a buyer after completing a transaction"

Messages that you send do not impact your star seller progress.

[BagmakerSupply · Accepted solution]

@WWTreasureTrove: You need to check the applicable CSV file available on your Star Seller page to confirm which new threads Etsy thinks were not answered within 24 hours. When you look at the file remember that that the dates / times are in UTC (not your time zone), only the first message of a new incoming thread is included (all that counts for Star Seller), and usually a new incoming thread is not included until after the 24 hour reply window has passed regardless of when you replied. Star Seller stats (and the CSV file) seem to be updated only once per day so there may be an additional day's delay. There is also a link to the actual message thread so you can verify if the data is correct or not.

You need to reply to the FIRST message of EVERY NEW INCOMING THREAD within 24 hours. It does not matter who sent it, the subject matter, if it is a duplicate or blank or anything else. If it is SPAM then it should be marked as such. Remember that the Star Seller metric is NOT all new messages but only the first message of all new incoming threads.

A controversial workaround : if the unanswered new thread is not a Help Request, at least for the time being, it appears that marking an unanswered message as SPAM (even after the 24 hour deadline has passed) will cause your reply percentage to change in a day or two if the original message was within the current star seller period (but not retroactively). Note that subsequent messages from that account may go directly to the SPAM folder.

[blisstiques]

I lost my star seller as I replied to a help request within the order itself, not with the help request link. I responded within an hour, as is clearly noted within the order message log, yet etsy will not change the status nor am I given a link to report the inaccuracy. I have received 4 new messages, yet they do not show up in the message log. I hardly ever receive messages, so 1 message really skews the %.

[ArtDollsbyJD]

@blisstiques   The help requeat is not tied into the message system.  So if you receive a message you need to reply to that as well.   

[BagmakerSupply]

@blisstiques: "... etsy will not change the status ..." Unfortunately Etsy has made it clear they will not manually adjust Star Seller stats. While they have been able to change the underlying data in some cases (and then the Star Seller stats auto update) based on what you have written Etsy will consider that there is nothing to change. The Star Seller metric for messages is very simplistic and binary - either you replied to (or marked as SPAM) that first message of a new incoming thread within 24 hours or you did not.

"I have received 4 new messages ..." Keep in mind that the Star Seller metric is NOT all new messages but only the first message of all new incoming threads. Usually a new incoming thread is not included until after the 24 hour reply window has passed regardless of when you replied. Star Seller stats (and the CSV file) seem to be updated only once per day so there may be an additional day's delay.

[blisstiques]

I am very aware of the difference between New messages and those connected to past messages. The 4 messages were NEW. As in, they never contacted me before. 

I responded to the help request. Within an hour or two. I am marked as not responding. Incorrect. I responded.

[mommawhazelsquilts]

@blisstiques   It takes 19 replied to message to offset the 1 not replied to.  Having 4 or 5 new messages will not make much of a showing unless you have a lot of messages.

[BagmakerSupply]

@blisstiques: Are you replying via the app or using a browser? There have been reports that replies through the app don't always get picked up as a timely reply https://community.etsy.com/t5/Technical-Issues/Etsy-App-Message-Response-Issue/m-p/144773640#M831946 and there have also been reports of issues replying through the eMail copy of the Message.

[blisstiques]

Thank you for your help. I responded on my pc, not my phone. I truly responded well within the guidelines, yet the help message is marked as not responded to, even though the excell sheet shows my response to her in a timely manner, just not response to the actual help request, if this makes any sense to you. I am certainly disheartened. Life goes on.

[BagmakerSupply]

@blisstiques: "... shows my response to her in a timely manner, just not response to the actual help request ..." If I understand you correctly, you received Messages in two separate threads but you only replied to one of the threads?

[blisstiques]

This is correct. I simply went to the order when I received a help request, and answered her from there.

[BagmakerSupply]

@blisstiques: Unfortunately Help Requests always start a new thread (probably because they also start the clock ticking on a potential claim against the shop) and a reply on the default thread does not count. Definitely one of those areas where Etsy rules / explanations could be clearer.

[blisstiques]

They sure could be. I had no idea. I thought all was well...