Etsy Star Seller Badge: The Key to Stand out from Etsy Sellers

Etsy is one of the leading e-commerce platforms for shopping for handmade, vintage, and craft supplies worldwide. According to current statistics, it offers profitable opportunities to sellers with approximately 90 million active buyers. However, it is not easy to compete with over 5 million Etsy sellers. 

Looking at the preferences of Etsy shoppers, it is deduced that they are more interested in stores that have proven to provide outstanding customer service. This is where we come across the perfect game-changer badge: Etsy Star Seller. 

In this guide, we will dive deep into how to get bestseller on Etsy. Let’s discover the ladders of acquiring a star seller badge.

Grab the Attention of Buyers on Etsy

Once you start your shop on Etsy, you will want to stand out from the crowd. 

Although there are many ways to put a spotlight on standing out, such as advertising, promotions, gifts, SEO, logo design and product photography, it is the fantastic customer service that buyers pay attention to the most. 

According to the analysis made by Etsy:

• Consumers are more likely to visit back and shop from you when you ship your orders on time than if you ship late. 
• Sellers who respond to buyer messages within 24 hours are four times more likely to make a sale than sellers with a more extended reaction time. 
• Shoppers that leave a 5-star rating are more potential to purchase from you again than buyers leaving lower ratings. 

What is an Etsy Star Seller?

Identifying that buyers are in search of proven stellar customer service, Etsy announced a new badge in 2021: Star Seller.

Etsy Star Seller badge provides recognition for sellers who have stood out through achieving and maintaining a specific standard of customer care. It's not necessary to apply to earn this badge. 

If you're able to meet the criteria and meet the requirements, you'll be automatically enrolled in Star Seller advantages the following month, once you've been approved.

So, what are the criteria for being qualified as a Star Seller, also known as Etsy best seller badge by sellers?

How to Become a Star Seller?

To be considered Star Sellers, sellers must: 

1. Have an Etsy account that is in good order and  
2. Meet all of the minimal Star Seller customer services standards (see below for details 👇).

5 Must-Have Standards to Join Etsy Star Seller Program

Here are the 5 areas that are considered by Etsy in order to determine whether each shop deserves a star seller badge or not:

• Message response rate
• On-time shipping & tracking
• 5-star ratings
• Minimum Order Level
• Minimum Sales Volume Level

1. Message Response Rate

The rate of response to messages is determined by dividing the initial messages you've replied to within 24 hours of receiving them by the total number of messages that you've received throughout the review period.

“Initial message” means the first message that buyers send in a single conversation.

Bear in mind that these messages are not included when calculating the response rate:

• Messages you initiate,
• Messages other than the first messages in each conversation,
• Messages from Etsy,
• If you do not get any messages during the review period. 

🚨For example, you received 2257 messages for the assessment period. You responded to 2099 of all within 24 hours. Here is how the formula works:

(2099/2257)*100=93%. 

The result is your message response rate.

⚠️Your message response rate must be over 95% to meet Etsy Star Seller standards.

Thus, the seller in the example should decrease the number of unanswered messages number within 24 hours.

💡 Tips for Increasing Message Response Rate

• Try to Sell on Etsy mobile application to send messages on the go.
• You can set up an Auto-Reply feature on your Seller Dashboard.
• Sellers can also use Saved Reply options to answer messages rapidly.
• If you get any spam or non-shop messages, you can simply mark them as spam and they will not be considered while calculating your rate.

2. On-time Shipping & Tracking

The On-time shipping & tracking section displays a percentage of how many orders were shipped on time. As you see, there are two-part to be learned for this section: on-time dispatching and tracking.

On-time shipping means that orders were shipped according to the processing times you declared in your listing description. 

Orders of a specific value will need to have tracking or a shipping label bought on Etsy. The requirement values vary depending on the currency. 

• GBP: £10 and above
• EUR: €10 and above
• CAD: $15 and above
• AUD: $15 and above
• All other currencies (inclusive of USD): Tracking or a shipping label purchased on Etsy required for all orders

To sum up, you must provide tracking according to the minimum orders above and deliver the orders to the customer in processing time. 

Your orders that meet these conditions are divided into all your orders and the result is found.

🚨For example, you have 14358 orders in total. But you also have 19 order breakdowns. They consist of: 16 orders shipped late, 2 orders missing tracking, and 1 order missing processing time. 

So, you have 14339 successful shipped orders. Here is how the formula works:

(14339/14358)*100=100%.

⚠️Your shipping that is over 95% of your orders on time with tracking can lead you to acquire an Etsy Star Seller badge.

As you can see, if you have a considerable number of orders, you can tolerate order breakdowns. Hence, beginners should pay superior attention to this issue.

💡 Tips & Tricks for Increasing On-time Shipping & Tracking Rate

• Double-check your processing time before setting up.
• If you are selling digital downloaded items on Etsy, they would not be considered.
• If you have low sales, purchase your labels on Etsy.
• Carrier or post office delays are not considered.
• Try to cancel an Etsy order if you will not meet the buyer's requirements because canceled orders are not included.

3. 5-Star Ratings

The percentage of 5-star ratings will be determined by dividing the number of reviews with 5 stars each by the number of reviews that you've received over the review time. 

Other reviews (like ones with 4 stars) are not taken into account. 

In other words, Etsy does not calculate the overall average of your feedback. They are only looking at the proportion of reviews with 5 stars.

🚨For example you have 3881 reviews on your Etsy store that your shoppers left. 

The distribution of ratings is as follows: 3764 of all are 5-star, 78 of all are 4-stars and 39 of them are 3-stars. There is no 1 and 2 stars review. Here is how the formula works:

(3764/3881)*100=97%

⚠️Your 5-stars Ratings rate must be above 95% to gain the Etsy Star Seller badge.

💡 Tips & Tricks for Increasing 5-Stars Ratings Rate

• Answering fast and indicating that you are willing to address the issue may lead a customer to edit their review if they leave lower than 5-stars.
• Analyze your competitors, read their reviews, and focus on creating quality products.
• Include a thank you card, gift, or promotions in order to encourage customers to leave 5-stars reviews.
• Consider adding discount coupons to packages to make buyers satisfied.
• Improve your Etsy reviews by using EtsyHunt Follow-up Reminder. 

Here are some benefits of using Follow-up Reminder:

• You can extend the number of positive reviews in the store by accurately selecting orders 
• Reviews analysis enables you to notice the impact of current campaigns and various review copies on retention rates.
• It offers a tremendous opportunity to cope with the latest inadequate reviews through bad review tracking
• You can export bulk order emails for marketing users to generate Email Lists.

4. Minimum Order Level

This requirement is about the number of orders you have completed within a Star Seller review period.

🚨For example you have just opened your Etsy store and completed 2 orders so far. 

⚠️ You must successfully complete at least 10 orders within a review period. 

Therefore, if you are a newbie on Etsy or have some trouble receiving orders then you should seek ways to have a good conversion rate on Etsy.

💡 Orders that are canceled will not be evaluated when it comes to the Etsy Star Seller badge. 

5. Minimum Sales Volume Level

Needless to say, you must sell items and earn money in order to gain the Star Seller badge. Etsy counts sales you made within the latest review period. 

Keep in mind that shipping or any additional taxes are excluded when determining the best seller badge for your Etsy store.

🚨 For example you just sold 1 item for $22. Besides, your 2 orders are pending and you canceled 1 order. Totally, you have only 1 successful sale out of 4.

⚠️In order to overcome this barrier, your minimum sales volumes, which vary according to currency, should be as follows:

• USD: $300
• GBP: £200
• EUR: €250
• CAD: $350
• AUD: $350
• All other currencies: $300 USD

💡 Pro Tip: Since the shipping fee and taxes are excluded for Star Seller evaluation, you can offer "Free Shipping" by adding the shipping fee to the sales price. 

Thus, you can both attract the attention of shoppers and exceed the minimum sales volume level in a shorter time.

Learn more about free shipping: How To Get Free Shipping On Etsy?

How often will Etsy shops be reviewed for Star Seller?

Etsy sellers are evaluated on the first day of each month automatically  (This day is called “Assessment Date”). 

If a seller fulfills the customer service requirements and other qualifications for the three (3) months (This period is called the “Review Period”) prior to the Assessment Date, then the Etsy seller deserves to become a Star Seller. 

🚨 For example, if the Assessment Date is on August 1, 2022, then a seller’s performance from May 1, 2022, through July 31, 2022, is measured.

⚠️Bear in mind that, after being rewarded as Star Seller If the seller does not meet the must-have standards during the 3 months immediately prior to the Assessment date, Etsy removes the Star Seller badge on the first day of the next month.

Where Can Etsy Sellers track Star Seller Badge Status?

1. Log in to Etsy.com and navigate to Shop Manager.
2. Choose the Star Seller tab. 
3. You can track your status for five areas related to providing an exceptional customer experience.

Where can I find Etsy Star Sellers?

1. Go to the EtsyHunt Shop Analyzer
2. Select some filtering options like country, category, sales volume, reviews number, etc (if needed) 
3. Tick the Star Seller label

Does becoming a Star Seller impact search ranking?

Star Seller Badge does not directly contribute to the placement of Etsy search results. However, Etsy highlights some Star Sellers to buyers and this makes it straightforward for shoppers to connect with Etsy's best sellers.

Furthermore, Etsy announced in the annual report that Star Sellers yield more heightened repeat purchase rates than those who have yet to accomplish the badge.

Can Etsy remove Star Seller badge at any time except Assessment Date?

✔️Yes, Etsy may revoke the Star Seller badge at any time, including before the next Assessment Date, if the seller fails to satisfy qualification criteria or disobeys any of Etsy’s House Rules.

Can Etsy Seller display the Star Seller badge on their package?

❌No, they should not display the Star Seller badge or demonstrate that they are a “Star Seller”, including in packaging materials, messages, notes, or other communications to consumers or potential shoppers.

What does Bestseller mean on Etsy?

Bestseller refers to Etsy shops that fulfilled the stellar customer service criteria and other qualification standards and consequently rewarded as Star Seller badge by Etsy.

Termination 

Etsy customers value sellers who deliver outstanding customer service and are driving their purchasing preferences towards these stores. The Etsy Star Seller badge, without any doubt, is the best proof that you offer quality products and services.

In this article, we have covered the conditions for obtaining the Star Seller badge, significant tips, and tricks, and the advantages of this badge. Moreover, we answered frequently asked questions. 

The Star Seller badge is a vital step you need to take to boost your sales and grow your business on Etsy.