Etsy Tweaks New Messaging Experience, Provides FAQ Responding to Seller Questions

Earlier this year, Etsy said it is changing its messaging experience for sellers by combining messages from the same buyers into a single thread.

This change was in response to seller feedback claiming it was difficult to stay on top of messages on Etsy. Staying on top of messages is crucial for sellers to keep their Star Seller status.

One of Etsy’s criteria to reward sellers with the Star Seller badge on their listings is if they respond quickly (within 24 hours) to buyer questions. 

The rollout of the new message experience occurred in June, but it appears it wasn’t as smooth as it could have been.

In early June, there were several threads on the Etsy community forums from sellers stating they couldn’t send messages and one that seemed to be a curser jumping issue.

Overall, these are minor technical glitches, and it appears Etsy has fixed them. But still, such issues cause concerns among sellers because of the requirement Etsy places on them to respond quickly.

However, it also appears some sellers had questions about this new system prompting Etsy to release a FAQ about the updated messaging experience, especially as it relates to the Star Seller program.

FAQ on New Etsy Experience

Questions and answers are verbatim as provided by Etsy’s announcement to sellers.

How does this new messaging experience work?

New incoming messages from buyers will be consolidated into an existing thread so that you have the full messaging history with a buyer all in one place, making it easier to keep track of communications.

Please note that Help Request messages will remain distinctly separate threads. 

Additionally, messages prior to June 30, 2022 are not combined—this only applies to messages received after June 30, 2022 and beyond.

Will buyers see messages in one thread as well?

Buyers will also see the same experience in their Inboxes, making communication with sellers like you easier. 

What happens if I send a message to the buyer through the Orders tool and there’s an existing thread between us? 

Your message will be appended to an existing thread between you and the buyer so that you both have full context of your conversation history. 

We will be pre-filling the message with the order link so that both seller and buyer know which order is being discussed.

We recommend reviewing the context in the message history to decide whether you need to clarify which order or listing you are responding to.

How does this new messaging experience relate to Star Seller?

Now you can view all of a buyer’s messages in fewer threads. That means fewer responses are needed from you, putting you that much closer to earning Star Seller, because messages from buyers will not generate a new thread that would have required a 24-hour response. 

We also recently launched notification badges on new threads showing if a message is a buyer’s first time contacting you, or a new help with order request, so you can better keep track of your messages and prioritize them for Star Seller metrics.

Additional Tweak to Messaging Experience

Apparently, many sellers felt the new way Etsy was displaying Sent messages at the top of their inbox was confusing. This has changed, and Etsy is again placing sent messages in the seller’s sent folder.

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