Why do SPAM messages count for Star Seller Status

[MySouthernBallerina]

I think it's really terrible that I have to reply to unsolicited messages in order to try and achieve a Star Status. I take great effort to reply to customers and potential customers but why do I have to reply to people I am not doing business with and have no have no intention of buying from me?  This is really unfair.  I should not feel obligated to reply to anyone and everyone who feels like sending me a message.  How am I supposed to actually work if all I do is answer messages anyone feels like sending me?  Isn't here some way to note the difference between communications?  Thank you.

[BirdsongEmporium]

@MySouthernBallerina  they only count if you don't mark them as spam. If you mark spam messages as spam, they are removed from the count.

[audreytherese]

"Isn't here some way to note the difference between communications?"

Sure is! You need to mark it as spam. The system is not set up to filter through and make these determinations for you. 

[PiecesOfMePaperCraft]

There's a "Mark as Spam" option at the top of the message. 

[UppNorthCo]

You said they were spam messages.  Why didn't you mark them as spam?  Rhetorical question.

[BirdsongEmporium]

One thing to remember with marking messages as spam is the timing of doing it. Star seller metrics can take a day or two to update. So if a spam message comes in near the end of the month and isn't marked as spam quickly enough, the metrics recorded for the previous month won't change if removal of the spam message was recorded after the end of month metrics were tabulated. So the timing of marking a message as spam can be just as important as timing for responding to messages.

[catfluff]

even just leaving a      ( . ) is  enough of a response why is it so hard to reply or to set up automated?

[CarpetCollectionAU]

Why make an issue out of something which is not an issue?

Etsy clearly states on the Star Seller Information Page in Shop Manager

"Reply to the first message within 24 hours

Just the first message in the thread counts, not the ongoing convo.

Messages that you mark as spam don’t count.

Set up an auto-reply when you’re unavailable. It counts as a reply."

Etsy  has provided the tools to manage "Spam". It is up to Sellers to USE them.

[RamenSandwich]

I prefer Etsy leaving me with this responsibility instead of reading my mail and deciding for me what is spam and what is not.

[TonsOfPaper · Accepted solution]

Hello @MySouthernBallerina,

Please know that 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.

Thank you very much!

[OneEyeCatStudio]

I had a message from someone from whom I had purchased and the spam button didn't work.

[BirdsongEmporium]

Well that is weird @OneEyeCatStudio  I wonder why?

[OneEyeCatStudio]

No idea.
It was a first message from the sender, they were asking for a review. I clicked on the usual "Mark as Spam" spot and nothing happened. Tried it again and gave up and sent a return message.

[BootifulLabels]

Etsy doesn't read your messages (and would you really want them to?) so they don't know that a message is span unless you tell them so.  Mark spam messages as spam and they don't count.

[OneEyeCatStudio]

"Etsy doesn't read your messages (and would you really want them to?) so they don't know that a message is span unless you tell them so."

Actually, Etsy can totally read your messages, whether you want them to or not.

[BootifulLabels]

I didn't say they COULDN'T, just that they DON'T.

There are times when they may need to, but in my experience it is extremely hard to get Etsy to read messages when you really need them to, let alone with no invitation.

[BagmakerSupply]

Besides it would be a bot reading the messages and guessing if they were spam or from a seller or whatever, and there are plenty of threads in this forum about how accurate the bots are.