"Message Not Responded to Within 24 Hours"

[IronHeartWoodworking]

I have an issue where it's saying I have messages that haven't been responded to within 24 hours but I always respond to messages within minutes. There are no messages that I haven't responded to in this way.

[VintageRescueSquad]

Download the csv and you can see which one they are talking about. Perhaps it was from something you purchased? Or perhaps it was a Help Request?

[BagmakerSupply · Accepted solution]

@IronHeartWoodworking: As mentioned, check the applicable CSV file available on your Star Seller page. 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. There is also a link in the file to the actual thread.

Keep in mind that the Star Seller metric is NOT all new messages but only the first message of all new incoming threads.

[IronHeartWoodworking]

It looks like a coupon sent from a seller for something I purchased.

How can that count against me?

[WitticismsRus]

@IronHeartWoodworking 

Because the system is completely automated and doesn't know if the message is from a buyer or another seller. It isn't reading every message and making a decision if it's from a seller or a customer or what it's about. It's a computer program that calculates data. It just sees a message and calculated the response time. That's just how it works. 

Etsy is pretty clear about how the message response rate is calculated in help center here https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/4403058372503-How-to-Become-a-Star-Seller?segment=selling

There is a highlighted bit under message response rate info that says "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. "

That means ALL messages. It also means each individual message thread so if someone sends you 5 different messages with 5 questions instead of putting them in the same message chain you need to respond to all 5 of them. 

The info is also right there on the Star Seller page in shop manager. Just go to shop manager > star seller. Once there scroll toward the bottom until you find "Questions? We've got answers." Then click messages. The very first question there says

"What messages count toward 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..."

Bottom line...you have to either reply or mark as spam. Or you can set up an auto reply every 5 days.

If you mark that message as spam now it should be removed from the calculation in a couple of days.  

[BagmakerSupply]

@IronHeartWoodworking: I wonder if that message is from that Etsy test of sending coupons from a seller's account (even though if the seller did it, it would be spamming and against Etsy's terms of use). 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.

[ZehOriginalArt]

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@BagmakerSupply wrote:

I wonder if that message is from that Etsy test of sending coupons from a seller's account.

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This is what I was thinking. Oh, just great.

@IronHeartWoodworking  Yes, mark the message as spam so it won't count against you.

[TastefulArtisan]

@BagmakerSupply

I've had 3 of those come in this weekend and one last week I think? I deliberately didn't answer and it did nothing to my stats.

Obviously we all see or experience different things due to the constant testing but on my end? No ding to my numbers at all.

If one does not want to take a chance, a simple "Thanks!" as a reply suffices. Or even a smiley™ would be enough to count as a reply.

I do agree though that if we were sending a coupon for every favorite, abandoned cart and completed purchase we'd be slapped right into being muted for spam. Ironic!

[CraftyCornishMaids]

you have to reply to EVERY new message thread, or mark them as spam,

They are highlighted  in BLUE, so you don't miss them.

It doesn't matter who it's from, or what it's about., if it's highlighted with BLUE, do it