As promised, Etsy is promoting sellers whom it determines are eligible for its brand new Star Seller program. Etsy sent a marketing email on Monday with the subject line, “Meet some Star Sellers.”
The email explained to shoppers what the new term means:
“So, what’s Star Seller? It’s a new way to recognize some of the hardest working business owners on Etsy. These people consistently go above and way, way beyond when it comes to the customer experience, from speedy responses to reliable shipping. Shopping from them will put a smile on your face every time—but don’t take our word for it….”
That was followed by a button labeled “Discover Star Sellers” that took recipients to a landing page featuring “EDITORS’ PICKS” of Star Sellers that reads:
Star Sellers
Meet some of our Star Sellers! From reliable shipping to speedy responses–and tons of glowing reviews—they’re known for providing an excellent customer experience.
In the email, underneath the link to the Etsy website, Etsy featured five sellers with the heading, “See why customers love these stellar sellers” that included a profile picture, a testimonial, two featured items, and a link to their shops.
The Etsy Star Seller program was announced on July 28 and launched this month.
Etsy CEO Josh Silverman told Wall Street analysts he was considering using the Star Seller program to influence sellers’ placement in search results, though the marketplace has not informed sellers of any such plans.
Expect to see Etsy heavily promote Star Sellers during the holiday shopping season, and beyond.
I have found a “Star Seller” with Only TWO Stars on their feedback ( not 5 ).
How does THAT happen ?
Secret Etsy affiliation ?
Glad to be gone…….
So here’s my story….
Just this past month, I purchased three items on Etsy from three different sellers. Two of the sellers never shipped my items and were NOT Star Sellers, however, one of the sellers shipped my product quickly, and was indeed a Star Seller. I now have 2 “cases” on those sellers who took my money but never delivered.
I don’t necessarily agree with “how” Etsy is evaluating their score for “Star Seller”, however, I suspect there are many unprofessional sellers on Etsy that could ultimately cost Etsy their business.
I have the Star Seller badge. Typically, my activity for jewelry is slow this time of year, however, I now have new buyers which I usually don’t see until Nov/Dec.
I have 2 Etsy shops. 1 is a star seller and the older one with over 500 5-star ratings is not. Why? The older shop ships most items via USPS first class mail, these are vintage sewing patterns so no-one expects them to be in new condition. I do not get a lot of customer messages, so without customers contacting me, I have a zero for messages and I get dinged because of it. The other shop is new, since last October. If the post office did not continually trash shipping tubes and triangles, this shop would not be a star seller. Without having to replace destroyed shipments (I should not have to write DO NOT BEND on a heavy shipping tube.) Tried UPS with slightly better results. However, without the destroyed shipments, customers are happy and do not contact me. I guess I need to start making my descriptions less informative. Otherwise, if the shipping companies make the deliveries without damage, I won’t qulify next month.