Star seller message data is wrong

[TurtleCreekCreation]

I bought a shirt from another shop on Etsy.  Somehow this has effected my star seller badge for my own shop.  I definitely responded to the sellers messages on time.  This should have nothing to do with star sellers.  I've qualified almost every month this year.  I will add that sometimes replying to some messages I get from my shop is redundant, most of the time people get annoyed with too much back and forth.  

[VintageRescueSquad]

Download the CSV of your response times and you can see which messages. Since its inception, the rules have been clear. You have to answer all new incoming messages (even if it was for you as a buyer). You can try marking it as spam and it may drop off the metric.

[CatsWhiskersCurios · Accepted solution]

From the star seller dashboard in your shop manager:

"What messages count towards 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."

[BagmakerSupply]

@TurtleCreekCreation: Probably almost everyone on this forum can sympathize with you but as it says right on your Star Seller page, 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.

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.

[mommawhazelsquilts]

@TurtleCreekCreation 

"I will add that sometimes replying to some messages I get from my shop is redundant, most of the time people get annoyed with too much back and forth."

Etsy wants us to be polite - if someone "thank you", say "you're welcome" or send an emoji.  Or send it to spam and risk future messages going to spam, which sometimes costs a sale.

The rules are clear.  That first message has to be replied to.  If there's a blue bar on that message, it needs to be answered.

[BagmakerSupply]

@TurtleCreekCreation: The explanation by @mommawhazelsquilts stated it very well. I still think that a large part of the "problem" is the vague and inconsistent wording that Etsy tends to use - the Star Seller metric is NOT all new messages but only the first message of all new incoming threads.

[LovesVintage43]

If anyone sends you a message, you have to respond.

You do not have to keep replying to a thread once you have said what you need to say, it's only that initial message that you have to ensure you reply to. 

If it is spam, mark it as spam and this will not affect your Star Seller Badge. 

You can set up an auto reply for shop out of hours or for up to 5 days with a message, this will ensure you do not miss any messages at all.