Star seller

[amyhooper]

I just want to give some feedback. I strive real hard to be a perfect seller. I think  it is nuts that a local order (no shipping attached) messes with star seller. That is crazy to me. And then you have to wait forever for it to fall off. Right now I do have perfect shipping because my local order fell off, but I did not get the shipping badge. Now I struggle with not perfect messages (they are perfect) only 2 I did not answer was non relevant messages. One was from you guys......not responding to that. The other was an automated thank you from a seller I purchased from. Why would I respond to that?  Every single message that was important I answered within hours.  Literally the system is so hard to achieve because there are kinks that def need to be worked on. It is very deflating as a seller. I was so excited to hit star seller jan 1, to not get it because of dumb reasons. 

Once you get a ding it is impossible to bring up your percentage unless you have 100 sales a month. 

Just my two cents because I'm frustrated. Thank you for listening 

Amy Hooper

[BlushStitchStudio]

mark the messages you don’t want to reply to as spam. otherwise they will count towards star seller. It’s just how it works. There’s no changing it. the system is not designed for local pickup orders. It’s better just to ship them. 

also hoping you know this is other Etsy sellers. Not Etsy support. 

Lots of us share the frustration with star seller, but nothing can be done about it. 

[vintageNCtreasures]

The star seller rules have been extremely clear from the beginning, over 2 years ago about messages and local pickup.

All NEW messages either need to be replied to within 24 hours OR marked as spam.
It doesn't matter who the message is from, a customer, a seller, a friend or a scammer.

As for local pickup, Etsy has NO way of knowing if the buyer got the item or not, there's no way you can prove delivery so yes, it counts against the star seller badge.

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.

What if I offer local pick-up or delivery for my items?

At this time, orders that don't have tracking because they are delivered or picked up in person will be considered shipped without tracking, and will not meet the Star Seller criteria for shipping. 

[JackisJustVintage]

All initial messages need a reply or be marked as spam. You cannot ignore one, because you do not feel it needs a reply if you want the star. Right or wrong, it is just the way it is.

[audreytherese]

Etsy doesn't know what you deem as important and requiring a response. There is either a response or there isn't, it's that simple. If you don't want to respond to sellers you bought from then I recommend opening a second, buyer-only, account that has it's own email address attached to it and is not connected to this account (besides declaring it in your public profile as per the rules). 

As for the one you say 'One was from you guys......not responding to that.' If it's actually from Etsy then it will be in the 'From Etsy' folder (seen on a browser, not in the app). That shouldn't require a response. If it's just an account using the Etsy logo as an avatar, then that's not from Etsy and should be marked as spam. 

[audreytherese]

You really should read all the rules about the SS program if you ever wish to have it. You have major risks in your shop and if you are caught then you can permanently lose the ability to earn the SS badge. 

[TheMugWorld]

It happen to me what can I do to get it back any suggestions. The star seller badge. Need help

[audreytherese]

You should also read the rules. 

You also have many listings that are infringing. Removal of those listings can cause you to lose the ability to ever earn the badge again.

[mommawhazelsquilts · Accepted solution]

@amyhooper  There is no such thing as an automated message from a seller.

I would suggest reading the rules as @audreytherese suggested then you would know the answer to "Why would I respond to that?"

[KitsunePerfumery]

I find it terrible that one message missed but a few hours can destroy your rank. literally just one. get 11 messages, 1 gets missed that is below the value.

I missed one which was just a person updating their shipping address (which is against my policies) at the end of the month at Christmas and pop went my star seller badge I had since they fixed the program the first time.

The whole program is a joke. Recovering from 1 single slight in the program requires 5-10x the work than it should. Take a one start review, it takes 5 - 5 stars to recover from it. Miss 1 message and you have 10 messages, you will need to have 10 more people message you just to get that one missed brought back to 95%. I get like 5 messages a month so that is near impossible to recover from a single miss. Same for shipping. That is only solved by volume.

[BagmakerSupply]

@KitsunePerfumery: Granted that Star Seller is geared toward larger volume sellers, but the math is the math.

As an aside, are you aware that you can be disqualified from Star Seller for not following the rules? You should clarify that the you are actually making the components of some your kits (i.e. Trimming Scissors, Beard Shaper, etc) yourself otherwise Etsy might think that your listings are not truly "Handmade" and also violate https://www.etsy.com/legal/policy/gift-baskets/239976666926

[TROPICALBREEZECANDLE]

It’s not a joke if you follow the rules