got dinged on message response rate due to customer sending 2 at once.

[Steerheaddesign]

I got dinged on my customer message response rate due to a customer sending me two messages around the same time.  One was blank and i didn't respond to it but i did to the other right away. Is there a way to get this adjusted so i can get my 'star seller' rating?

[NanaLetha · Accepted solution]

Yes, go back and mark as spam.

[PiecesOfMePaperCraft]

Mark the blank message as spam.

[InspiredContentCo]

If you mark it as spam will the sender be penalized?

[SugarTaffySoap]

@inspiredcontenco  sender will not get penalized. I look at it this way, it takes 1 second to respond with a thank you, smiley face or some form of communication. Auto reply is a great short term feature when needed. 

[DaysofYoreTreasures]

@Steerheaddesign 
Etsy made a change at the end of June to address exactly this problem. I see an announcement at the top of my Messages page saying

"We've made it easier to stay on top of Messages
Starting June 30, messages from the same buyer will be combined into one thread—so you'll have fewer conversations to keep track of, and can easily track your relationships with buyers."
You might not see the message if you already clicked on the "Got it" button.

Did your buyer send the two messages post June 30 and were they combined into the one thread or not?

[TheCozyHoneycomb]

This is what I’m wondering as well. Hopefully it was before. 

[NoFrogsAllowed]

"Combined into one thread."  What exactly does that mean in plain, non-Etsy Speak terms?  I can think of several possibilities.  Has anyone had experience with this message combining?  

[BagmakerSupply]

@NoFrogsAllowed It means that when you send a message to someone you have communicated with before, your message becomes the last message in a previous (appears to be the last thread if you have multiple) thread.

[Steerheaddesign]

Yes it was before June 30.  Thanks everyone.

[TonsOfPaper · Accepted solution]

Hi there,

We heard your feedback about how hard it can be to stay on top of all the messages you receive on Etsy. In June, we introduced a new-and-improved Messages experience that will start to combine messages from the same buyer into a single thread. To earn your Star Seller badge, you’ll still need to respond to initial messages from buyers within 24 hours—but you’ll see fewer message threads from the same buyers. Not only will this change make it easier to qualify for Star Seller, we also think it will make managing your Messages much more streamlined. You can learn more about this and some other exciting changes here.

We also heard your feedback about the message response rate criteria adding extra stress to managing your messages. We’re exploring tools that would give you more flexibility to decide when to respond to messages. Remember that you can always turn on an auto-reply to ensure your customers receive a response to their initial message.

Thanks!