I recently purchased a razor and 2 different brands of blades from an Etsy seller. I reviewed the items separately, giving the razor and one brand of blades 5 stars. The other brand of blades I gave 4 stars explaining that I found them pretty good though not my favorite (or words to that effect.) I made it a point to say that the seller delivered the blades as advertised in a timely manner. So I was surprised when I was contacted by the seller asking why the 4 stars instead of 5 and was there something wrong with the order. When I reiterated the review information mentioned above he went on to say yes he understands that but he doesn't make the blades. Obviously that's true. But notwithstanding the fact that a 4 star rating is still quite good, am I only supposed to rate the seller experience and not take the product into consideration at all with the star ratings? I'm wondering if anyone has had a similar experience.
Etsy seller pressing for 5 stars.
- Thread starter den fly
- Start date
Blades are so subjective, and smaller sellers rely on solid reputations, so I sympathise with them. You are rating the seller, not the product: were they in the condition advertised? If they seller is a maker, then yes you are rating the product, otherwise they can really only be judged on what is within their control.
My understanding is that the rating is for the seller, and issues with the product itself are in the review.
Having said that, I won't be coerced into a rating the seller wants.
I'm the type that would decrease the number of stars I gave because of the pressure from the seller.
Having said that, I won't be coerced into a rating the seller wants.
I'm the type that would decrease the number of stars I gave because of the pressure from the seller.
Lots of service agents and sellers are pushing for top star reviews. I do get it with customer support/hotline worker reviews, I always make sure to give them five star ratings when they did well or at least ok. Their reviews decide on their pay and their job may depend on it, as stupid as this concept may be. I'll support them unless they were rude or ignorant.
As to the seller and you rating the company and more specifically the product itself, I feel you did it exactly as it's supposed to be.
I'd likely just ignore his request and would not buy from him again, at some point he'll understand.
As to the seller and you rating the company and more specifically the product itself, I feel you did it exactly as it's supposed to be.
I'd likely just ignore his request and would not buy from him again, at some point he'll understand.
In this case I would see the Etsy rating as how your experience with the seller was. If the seller was a craftsman making the product then it makes sense to rate the product. In this case I don't think you should give stars based on how you like that particular brand of blades. I think you should give the stars based on if the seller delivered what he said he would deliver and how well that transaction went.
- Thread starter
- #6
OK. So now I understand that the star rating is for the seller and you can describe your satisfaction with the product in the review description. Too bad the seller didn't simply explain that in a friendlier, matter of fact way. I wouldn't say he was overtly rude. But the tone of his message was definitely pushy and defensive. I can't say for sure that I'll never buy anything from this seller again. But there's a good chance that I won't as the experience left a bad taste in my mouth.
Don't be to hard on the seller. When reviews are a reflection of the individual, they tend to be taken very personally. In a way, he was trying to protect his personal reputation as a seller from being unfairly tarnished. It's hard to be warm and fuzzy when that's the issue. If they didn't cuss you out they did better than many. Trust me. I have a lot of friends that run businesses as owner operators and after 10, 15, 20, some even 40 years, they take any inkling of criticism, even if deserved, like it's a declaration of war.
The five star thing has gotten so stupid that it's meaningless.
To some sellers, 5 stars now means "adequate", and 4 stars means below average.
If a guy you buy from takes your money, drops something in the mail a couple of days later, and you receive it - that ain't 5 star service. It's "adequate" and it's expected.
Now if the guy messages you with progress until you receive it, or if he adds in a bonus, that's 5 stars.
If someone complains about "only" getting 4 stars for the routine actions he takes as a seller, he's either ignorant or egotistic.
If someone gets mad that they did routine service and got more than 2.5 stars, then they shouldn't be dealing with customers.
To some sellers, 5 stars now means "adequate", and 4 stars means below average.
If a guy you buy from takes your money, drops something in the mail a couple of days later, and you receive it - that ain't 5 star service. It's "adequate" and it's expected.
Now if the guy messages you with progress until you receive it, or if he adds in a bonus, that's 5 stars.
If someone complains about "only" getting 4 stars for the routine actions he takes as a seller, he's either ignorant or egotistic.
If someone gets mad that they did routine service and got more than 2.5 stars, then they shouldn't be dealing with customers.
There is another perspective that you may want to consider. We are better off with vendors that care about their rating, than vendors who are disinterested. The vendor who care about customer perceptions, will strive to offer better service.
These ratings can affect new sellers much more so than established sellers. If the seller does everything I expect and the product arrives as expected, I generally will give them 5 stars. I do that to help their business with the hope that it stays around. If something goes wrong with the transaction but it it is beyond the sellers control, I will not rate them. If they offer poor customer service or are somehow dishonest, I will give them a poor rating.
Also, many of the vendors on ETSY are artisans; they tend to be a little sensitive.
These ratings can affect new sellers much more so than established sellers. If the seller does everything I expect and the product arrives as expected, I generally will give them 5 stars. I do that to help their business with the hope that it stays around. If something goes wrong with the transaction but it it is beyond the sellers control, I will not rate them. If they offer poor customer service or are somehow dishonest, I will give them a poor rating.
Also, many of the vendors on ETSY are artisans; they tend to be a little sensitive.
When many customers won't even consider buying from any seller with less than a 99% positive rating giving them and 80% or a 50% can be ruinous. Were I work only any rating below a 9/10 or 10/10 is essentially a zero. I know it doesn't make sense but that's what it is.
In this case, he didn't care about customer perception, he just wanted his 5 stars.
There is no indication that he attempted to offer better service.
- Thread starter
- #12
I agree about the 5 star system being meaningless. Might as well just have a thumbs up and a thumbs down. Apparently that has become the new meaning of 5 vs 4 stars.
We went through this decades ago in the military review system, which was a 1.0 to 4.0 scale.
So many people got 4.0 for just doing their job, that all the 4.0 ratees had to be numerically ranked.
The star system ought to be automatically configured based on answering questions.
Was shipping prompt and as promised.
Were shipping fees as advertised.
Was the item as described by the seller.
Was communication as expected.
Did the seller do more than you expected.
I realized the uselessness of thr star system shopping on Amazon. I bought several highly rated products that were very flawed. For me, what works better is just looking through the negative reviews to check for patterns.
Not sure how much I trust Amazon reviews good or bad. Especially for certain things that may have variations depending on what’s being made that day. For instance if the company that makes the Dum Dum lollipops made bags of just their “mystery” flavor there probably would be more than a few negative reviews saying that they don’t taste the same. That’s because the “mystery” flavor is just where the ends of two flavors meet. Another that particularly stands out in my mind are some negative reviews for a particular brand of bacon grease. Some people were complaining that it had a maple flavor to it. Which is understandable but makes me wonder if they realize that there’s flavered bacon as well as plain
if it is a 3rd party seller, the rating is next to useless. many oversees sellers offer you a gift in exchange for a 5 star rating. I.e.: you buy a cable for your phone, and if you give the 5*, you'll get a holder too. If they see a product gets bad reviews, they just discontinue it and/or "the seller" and sell it under a different name and entity. amazon marketplace for you...
A pass/fail on these more concrete measures makes more sense than a purely subjective scale where one customer thinks 4 stars is a pretty good rating and another thinks it's terrible.
At a certain workplace, supervisors ranked employees in multiple categories from 1-4, with 3 being "meets expectations" and 4 being "exceeds expectations." To me, if someone is exceeding expectations in multiple categories, that means the supervisors are setting expectations too low. If it happens year after year, why are you still underestimating that employee? The ideal outcome is setting the highest achievable expectations and having the employee meet them. In other words, a hard-earned 3. But the people who get 4s get raises, so that's the factor driving scores.
I would respond as such.
Dear Sir or Madam,
At this juncture we gave 2 options.
You can except my 4 start rating and positive review and respond to this message with a heartfelt apology for trying to pressure me into a fifth start .
The alternative is I can give my honest account of your strong arm tactics every chance I can among wet shaving enthusiasts platforms.
Have a lovely Day.
FYI,
Never let a Bully see you blink. Hit first and hit hard, they always tuck their tails.
Dear Sir or Madam,
At this juncture we gave 2 options.
You can except my 4 start rating and positive review and respond to this message with a heartfelt apology for trying to pressure me into a fifth start .
The alternative is I can give my honest account of your strong arm tactics every chance I can among wet shaving enthusiasts platforms.
Have a lovely Day.
FYI,
Never let a Bully see you blink. Hit first and hit hard, they always tuck their tails.
Rating inflation is a real thing - in my view, 2.5 / 5 should be "average", but Uber/Amazon/Yelp etc incentivize their drivers/vendors with systems where anything less than 5 stars might as well be Zero. If you give a seller a 4/5 rating, in your view that's "above average but not quite perfect", but in the view of the algorithm you're saying they did a bad job and should be downranked.
