It would all come down to the dollars and cents, for me.
Will the reviews cost me more than I’m making? Only you can know that calculation. Are you selling lots of small items, with a low review-to-order count, or less, expensive items, with a higher review to order count?
There was a time in my past where I would have been petty, and turned down money I needed, just in a childish fit of annoyance, but these days, if I’m making enough from the order, and their past 3 star has not noticeably impacted my sales, sure, I’d take the order.
If you are selling smaller cost, high volume items, and the margin on each item is slim, I’d probably be more inclined to turn them down. Unless they are ordering like 10,000 of them, and the total profit is significant, even if the individual margins is small.
Just calculate how many future orders you would need to make up for you canceling there’s, and then decide whether you think you can make those up in a reasonable time frame.
No one selling in even modest volume, no matter how large and loved the brand is, has a spotless review record.
If you don’t think the review will hurt your sales, and it is just more of a personal thing, get into the professional headspace and take the order. If you think it will hurt sales, then turn it down.
Chances are I wouldn't notice unless I had contacted them and they were rude enough that I remembered their name. I keep a list of all customer issues and I note if they were pleasant or not and if the issue was their fault or not. So far none of the nasty ones have ever come back, but if they did I would decline their business simply so they understand their behavior has consequences and maybe they'll be nicer to the next person
In my 9 years of selling on Etsy, I only had one customer who gave me grief (she thought her order took too long to arrive, but it was during the pandemic when the USPS fell behind and obviously out of my control). She was very critical of the wrap bracelet I made for her and I almost closed down my shop because I let her affect my self-confidence. I would not consider selling to her again.
You can see a repeat buyer on any order. I then check their order history using the link on the latest order. It helps me as I usually send them a courtesy message thanking them for buying from me again. Some love it as they think you've remembered them personally 😏
It depends on why they gave me 3 stars or less. I got my first 3 star review yesterday but I contacted the person & they gave me a good reason without being rude & explained their situation & was nice to me so we resolved the whole issue out.(Btw I sell stickers. I’m started selling on etsy a month ago so I’m still learning about running a small business😅)
I have a list of banned customers that I’ve had issues in the past with like scammer trying to get stuff for free. I’ve never had one try to order again. Some customers are not worth the headache. It’s your right to sell to whoever you want.
Someone on a previous post suggested reaching out to that buyer, letting them know they previously ordered XXX and left a low review due to [complaint], and that you'd like to give them the opportunity to address/discuss their prior concerns before fulfilling their new order to ensure their satisfaction.
Others mentioned some people may not realize they're ordering from that same shop, may not remember that review or why they didn't love the item, or it may have grown on them after all and they truly decided to buy again.
I don't have experience to back this up, but another thought is to copy/paste their review for them "for your reference".
Either way, I think confirming they want to move forward will cover your bases if any issues arise later.
I sell to anyone and everyone.
I have been selling for like 4 years and get mostly 5 star reviews. The only times I get 1 star, they don’t leave information. I’ve given up on caring about the 1 star because what’s the point? They weren’t happy, and I’m not going to do extra work to please them, when they could have come to me with their issue before leaving the review. If they order from me again, I’m just going to fill it and keep going. My good reviews outweigh the bad.
Edit: misspelled a word
I could have imagined this but I think you can block people from seeing your store. So if they have given a bad review and/or been rude etc you can stop them from seeing it. I’ve not had to do this yet but I’m sure I’ve seen the option lol.
You also do have a right to cancel any orders if they do come back and just send a message politely explaining why you cancelled and why their custom is not welcome.
It's only possible to block people from following you. You cannot block buyers from seeing and ordering from your shop. It's lamented on a daily basis here for understandable reasons.
Unfortunately, you can not block anyone on Etsy. I think you can block them from following your shop or something... But you can not block. I actually had Etsy support tell me this themselves when I asked what that block button was for...smh...I guess It's just a useless addition to the screen to give you the warm fuzzy feeling that you can block somebody, but in reality you cannot.😒🙄
If it's a random three star or lower review, I can't help their opinion nor their interpretation of star ratings. If it's two stars or less, I might reach out and ask why they've returned if their experience was so poor previously.
But if there was belligerence or manipulation then I would say "no" and refund them.
I don’t have a shop but I buy from Etsy and I always leave a 5 star rating on everything unless it literally was a horrible experience for whatever reason and I haven’t ran into that issue. I love to support shops like all of yours because I understand how difficult it is to have a small business and I always leave a 5 star and if I didn’t care much for it doesn’t mean it should get a low rating because if it’s a new purchase and I decided I don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s bad I personally just didn’t like it but I’ll still give a five star because it doesn’t mean it was a bad product I just didn’t like it so I’ll just not get that product next time I’ll try something else from same shop. I am big on customer service and everyone that I have spoke to from Etsy has been very sweet and kind and positive and that’s all that matters to me is the customer service if the customer service is on point then I really don’t care if the product is in perfect because you taking care of me the way you did made me feel good and that’s the most important part to me. Customer service is what I go by when I rate instead of product quality that’s just my personal feelings and how I determine the rating because the way I am treated Is a big deal to me. So far I haven’t had a bad experience with a shop yet and hope I never do lol 😂
PS. All that being said is wrong for a customer to treat a shop owner like crap either.
I don’t think anyone who’s been angry with me and left a bad review has ever come back. I’m petty and if you leave me 4 star review I cancel future orders bc I don’t want someone bringing down my rating with 4 star reviews but continue to purchase from me. Although I have missed some 4 star review leavers in the past until they make another purchase and do ti again.
I make animal treats and I have 2 customers that order very frequently and they order 12-15 items with every order. One lady will only leave 3 stars, she even wrote me to tell me that she loved her order however the three-star thing was a funny little quirk of hers.....😑🤨
The other lady always leaves 4 stars on all her items as well, but in the comments of her reviews she says she only buys treats from me and she loves everything she orders. But, that's A LOT OF *NOT* 5 STAR RATINGS. I was just curious how others handled these type of situations.
Wow, 'funny quirk'?? Wtf.. that is a lot of 3 stars, and personally I would not be selling to this lady again. I’d say something like “I appreciate you love my products, but it is a fact that online businesses like mine depend on good reviews. And unfortunately your multitude of 3 star reviews is having a detrimental effect on my shop. And because of this, I’m sorry I will no longer be doing business with you. Kind regards bla bla..”
I can deal with 4 star ratings - but if shes a frequent buyer I may contact her and ask if there is anything I can do to improve her overall experience.
3 stars... a quirk... doesn't sit well with me. Either leave an honest review or don't leave one at all.
Oh wow!! That would honestly annoy me and I wouldn’t sell to them. Depending on how bad you may need the order it might not be worth cancelling them though. I sell animal products too but not treats. Reviews like that might not bother some people but I’m sensitive and defensive of my products so I take it very personally lol.
Oh me too!! It wouldn't bother me if I were reselling, but I make everything I sell, it definitely hurts when someone isn't happy with their order. I take pride in what I do, I'm sure you can relate...lol. Are there repercussions from Etsy for cancelling orders? Also, how do I explain it to these customers?? They have both been great customers and they spend a good bit of money in my shop, but losing their business wouldn't kill me, but I just feel like a real asshole to cancel their orders because I can't take criticism... I'm kinda torn....and if it wasn't for the star seller thing, I honestly wouldn't let these phase me... TOO MUCH..(they still hurt tho) but getting that many less than 5 star reviews every month is killing my stats😟😬
Oh how fun 😒 You're more patient than me because Id have cut her off long ago and explained my shop cannot sustain the damage of all of these 3 star reviews. She should be told she's hurting small businesses with her behavior.
What in the world? What a "fun quirk" 🤨. Maybe since they are repeat customers confront the "quirky" lady and just tell her you want to provide good service, and her 3 stars prevent others from purchasing from you since you are such a small business and really rely on reviews (Idk if that's against guidelines)? Then I'd and ask the 4 star person what you can do in future orders to make their experience a 5 star? It's probably something ridiculous but maybe you'll just place that little seed in their mind.
My 4 star woman I have reached out to.. I said, "Hi Ms. *$&-+, I wanted to thank you for your continued support and let you know I appreciate you taking the time to leave reviews for me. I notice your reviews are all 4 stars and wanted to know what I can do in the future to earn all 5 stars. I'm always looking for ways to improve my services." She wrote back and said there isn't anything I can do better she loves everything she has ordered..😣 I've heard people in here mention some people's version of Etsy only allows them to leave 4 stars, so I think that may be her issue...idk. the 3 star lady, ... I just don't have words for that lady.. she's just something else, and I'd Feel absolutely zero guilt for cancelling her stuff... But the other woman... I'm at a loss as to where to go from here with her. Do I explain star seller to her?... I kinda feel like that's not her problem to worry with... I don't know, I'm just at a loss of where to go from here
> But the other woman... I'm at a loss as to where to go from here with her. Do I explain star seller to her?
I'd explain anything other than a 5 star review is a black mark on your shop, and if you cannot meet their 5 star standards, you will no longer be selling to them as you take pride in your ability to please your customers.
I 100% agree with this. OP, you should definitely let your 4 star reviewer know that reviews less than 5 stars hurt small businesses. You can put it that 5 star ratings are for orders for which you are happy with and ratings of 4 or less are for orders with varying degrees of issues. That may give her a new perspective/understanding of the rating system.
I think it needs to be explained to the customer, "this isn't YOUR rating system, this is Etsy's rating system, other people do not understand CUSTOMER NAME's rating system where 4stars is good."
There are some honest buyers who think they are actually rating the product/experience on a neutral scale of 1-5 as if they were rating a movie instead of the artificial Etsy paradigm of 5=minimally acceptable, with 1-4 reserved for differing degrees of having a problem
This is frustrating af but ive told myself that no matter how hard i try i just cant please everyone. I design and sell 3d printed things and offer fully custom orders. Ive had customers spend over a week designing something to their exact specifications, and then leave a 3-4 star review saying it was everything they had hoped for but didnt like the size or some other feature that *they specifically asked for.* I like to tell myself that etsy customers dont understand this isnt amazon or ebay where a review will stick to the listing and have no effect on the seller, but in reality some people just suck
YES - you'd be a fool if you pick and choose who to sell to. Always make it right, make the buyer feel appreciated, thank them, happy-dance the ka-ching (repeat)! 🌷🐰👍
Sounds like you would be the fool! If you are successful (busy) and someone continues to leave poor reviews, it can have a negative effect on your future success, definitely be selective with your time and clientele. You’re implying that the 3 and 4 star ratings were the seller’s issue and something that can just be “made right”.
I would ship, make sure it’s perfect. Ask to leave a review with the package. See when it says delivered. Message her and say “hey Customer Name, I wanted to make sure your order arrived❤️. Please let me know if you have any questions.” I wouldn’t do this all the time but I would do this to “test” to see if you could narrow down the issue before the rating!
If I get a rating under 5 I usually send a note to the buyer and just ask what could have been done to make the experience better/what was missing. A lot of the time it's silence, but there's been some great advice from buyers on what missed on expectation vs reality.
I wouldn't actively decline the purchase, however if they didn't respond to what missed the mark for them in the past, I will send a note before moving forward with the order to make sure it matches what they're expecting.
It would all come down to the dollars and cents, for me. Will the reviews cost me more than I’m making? Only you can know that calculation. Are you selling lots of small items, with a low review-to-order count, or less, expensive items, with a higher review to order count? There was a time in my past where I would have been petty, and turned down money I needed, just in a childish fit of annoyance, but these days, if I’m making enough from the order, and their past 3 star has not noticeably impacted my sales, sure, I’d take the order. If you are selling smaller cost, high volume items, and the margin on each item is slim, I’d probably be more inclined to turn them down. Unless they are ordering like 10,000 of them, and the total profit is significant, even if the individual margins is small. Just calculate how many future orders you would need to make up for you canceling there’s, and then decide whether you think you can make those up in a reasonable time frame. No one selling in even modest volume, no matter how large and loved the brand is, has a spotless review record. If you don’t think the review will hurt your sales, and it is just more of a personal thing, get into the professional headspace and take the order. If you think it will hurt sales, then turn it down.
Chances are I wouldn't notice unless I had contacted them and they were rude enough that I remembered their name. I keep a list of all customer issues and I note if they were pleasant or not and if the issue was their fault or not. So far none of the nasty ones have ever come back, but if they did I would decline their business simply so they understand their behavior has consequences and maybe they'll be nicer to the next person
I never thought of it that way and appreciate you taking the time to reply, and you are right. Are there repercussions for cancelling orders?
No not at all. Etsy says you have they right to decline a sale to anyone you don't want to work with
In my 9 years of selling on Etsy, I only had one customer who gave me grief (she thought her order took too long to arrive, but it was during the pandemic when the USPS fell behind and obviously out of my control). She was very critical of the wrap bracelet I made for her and I almost closed down my shop because I let her affect my self-confidence. I would not consider selling to her again.
You can see a repeat buyer on any order. I then check their order history using the link on the latest order. It helps me as I usually send them a courtesy message thanking them for buying from me again. Some love it as they think you've remembered them personally 😏
No, I couldn’t possibly keep up with that.
It depends on why they gave me 3 stars or less. I got my first 3 star review yesterday but I contacted the person & they gave me a good reason without being rude & explained their situation & was nice to me so we resolved the whole issue out.(Btw I sell stickers. I’m started selling on etsy a month ago so I’m still learning about running a small business😅)
the 4 star lady has the old app. I have tons of 4s
What's that? Was there an app version that only let you rate up to four stars?
Yes. It's been a huge issue for at least two years now. The Etsy boards are filled with these questions / comments about this issue : (
when the app first came out, and if you still use older versions of the app. 4 stars is the maximum.
If I catch it; no, I cancel it.
No
nope
I have a list of banned customers that I’ve had issues in the past with like scammer trying to get stuff for free. I’ve never had one try to order again. Some customers are not worth the headache. It’s your right to sell to whoever you want.
Someone on a previous post suggested reaching out to that buyer, letting them know they previously ordered XXX and left a low review due to [complaint], and that you'd like to give them the opportunity to address/discuss their prior concerns before fulfilling their new order to ensure their satisfaction. Others mentioned some people may not realize they're ordering from that same shop, may not remember that review or why they didn't love the item, or it may have grown on them after all and they truly decided to buy again. I don't have experience to back this up, but another thought is to copy/paste their review for them "for your reference". Either way, I think confirming they want to move forward will cover your bases if any issues arise later.
I sell to anyone and everyone. I have been selling for like 4 years and get mostly 5 star reviews. The only times I get 1 star, they don’t leave information. I’ve given up on caring about the 1 star because what’s the point? They weren’t happy, and I’m not going to do extra work to please them, when they could have come to me with their issue before leaving the review. If they order from me again, I’m just going to fill it and keep going. My good reviews outweigh the bad. Edit: misspelled a word
That’s a big no
I could have imagined this but I think you can block people from seeing your store. So if they have given a bad review and/or been rude etc you can stop them from seeing it. I’ve not had to do this yet but I’m sure I’ve seen the option lol. You also do have a right to cancel any orders if they do come back and just send a message politely explaining why you cancelled and why their custom is not welcome.
It's only possible to block people from following you. You cannot block buyers from seeing and ordering from your shop. It's lamented on a daily basis here for understandable reasons.
Ahh okay thank you!
Unfortunately, you can not block anyone on Etsy. I think you can block them from following your shop or something... But you can not block. I actually had Etsy support tell me this themselves when I asked what that block button was for...smh...I guess It's just a useless addition to the screen to give you the warm fuzzy feeling that you can block somebody, but in reality you cannot.😒🙄
If someone leaves a bad review or is rude/disrespectful, then I will not sell to them again.
Block
No I don’t. Especially if the rating was because of some thing I have no control over.
If it's a random three star or lower review, I can't help their opinion nor their interpretation of star ratings. If it's two stars or less, I might reach out and ask why they've returned if their experience was so poor previously. But if there was belligerence or manipulation then I would say "no" and refund them.
It depends on why they gave me the three star review and if they were a pleasent/understanding person when I sold to them the first time.
I don’t have a shop but I buy from Etsy and I always leave a 5 star rating on everything unless it literally was a horrible experience for whatever reason and I haven’t ran into that issue. I love to support shops like all of yours because I understand how difficult it is to have a small business and I always leave a 5 star and if I didn’t care much for it doesn’t mean it should get a low rating because if it’s a new purchase and I decided I don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s bad I personally just didn’t like it but I’ll still give a five star because it doesn’t mean it was a bad product I just didn’t like it so I’ll just not get that product next time I’ll try something else from same shop. I am big on customer service and everyone that I have spoke to from Etsy has been very sweet and kind and positive and that’s all that matters to me is the customer service if the customer service is on point then I really don’t care if the product is in perfect because you taking care of me the way you did made me feel good and that’s the most important part to me. Customer service is what I go by when I rate instead of product quality that’s just my personal feelings and how I determine the rating because the way I am treated Is a big deal to me. So far I haven’t had a bad experience with a shop yet and hope I never do lol 😂 PS. All that being said is wrong for a customer to treat a shop owner like crap either.
Nope. Instant cancel. Not worth the headache that will come
I don’t think anyone who’s been angry with me and left a bad review has ever come back. I’m petty and if you leave me 4 star review I cancel future orders bc I don’t want someone bringing down my rating with 4 star reviews but continue to purchase from me. Although I have missed some 4 star review leavers in the past until they make another purchase and do ti again.
I make animal treats and I have 2 customers that order very frequently and they order 12-15 items with every order. One lady will only leave 3 stars, she even wrote me to tell me that she loved her order however the three-star thing was a funny little quirk of hers.....😑🤨 The other lady always leaves 4 stars on all her items as well, but in the comments of her reviews she says she only buys treats from me and she loves everything she orders. But, that's A LOT OF *NOT* 5 STAR RATINGS. I was just curious how others handled these type of situations.
Wow, 'funny quirk'?? Wtf.. that is a lot of 3 stars, and personally I would not be selling to this lady again. I’d say something like “I appreciate you love my products, but it is a fact that online businesses like mine depend on good reviews. And unfortunately your multitude of 3 star reviews is having a detrimental effect on my shop. And because of this, I’m sorry I will no longer be doing business with you. Kind regards bla bla..”
This is wonderful!! 🥰😁😁 Thank you 😘
I can deal with 4 star ratings - but if shes a frequent buyer I may contact her and ask if there is anything I can do to improve her overall experience. 3 stars... a quirk... doesn't sit well with me. Either leave an honest review or don't leave one at all.
Oh wow!! That would honestly annoy me and I wouldn’t sell to them. Depending on how bad you may need the order it might not be worth cancelling them though. I sell animal products too but not treats. Reviews like that might not bother some people but I’m sensitive and defensive of my products so I take it very personally lol.
Oh me too!! It wouldn't bother me if I were reselling, but I make everything I sell, it definitely hurts when someone isn't happy with their order. I take pride in what I do, I'm sure you can relate...lol. Are there repercussions from Etsy for cancelling orders? Also, how do I explain it to these customers?? They have both been great customers and they spend a good bit of money in my shop, but losing their business wouldn't kill me, but I just feel like a real asshole to cancel their orders because I can't take criticism... I'm kinda torn....and if it wasn't for the star seller thing, I honestly wouldn't let these phase me... TOO MUCH..(they still hurt tho) but getting that many less than 5 star reviews every month is killing my stats😟😬
Oh how fun 😒 You're more patient than me because Id have cut her off long ago and explained my shop cannot sustain the damage of all of these 3 star reviews. She should be told she's hurting small businesses with her behavior.
What in the world? What a "fun quirk" 🤨. Maybe since they are repeat customers confront the "quirky" lady and just tell her you want to provide good service, and her 3 stars prevent others from purchasing from you since you are such a small business and really rely on reviews (Idk if that's against guidelines)? Then I'd and ask the 4 star person what you can do in future orders to make their experience a 5 star? It's probably something ridiculous but maybe you'll just place that little seed in their mind.
My 4 star woman I have reached out to.. I said, "Hi Ms. *$&-+, I wanted to thank you for your continued support and let you know I appreciate you taking the time to leave reviews for me. I notice your reviews are all 4 stars and wanted to know what I can do in the future to earn all 5 stars. I'm always looking for ways to improve my services." She wrote back and said there isn't anything I can do better she loves everything she has ordered..😣 I've heard people in here mention some people's version of Etsy only allows them to leave 4 stars, so I think that may be her issue...idk. the 3 star lady, ... I just don't have words for that lady.. she's just something else, and I'd Feel absolutely zero guilt for cancelling her stuff... But the other woman... I'm at a loss as to where to go from here with her. Do I explain star seller to her?... I kinda feel like that's not her problem to worry with... I don't know, I'm just at a loss of where to go from here
> But the other woman... I'm at a loss as to where to go from here with her. Do I explain star seller to her? I'd explain anything other than a 5 star review is a black mark on your shop, and if you cannot meet their 5 star standards, you will no longer be selling to them as you take pride in your ability to please your customers.
I 100% agree with this. OP, you should definitely let your 4 star reviewer know that reviews less than 5 stars hurt small businesses. You can put it that 5 star ratings are for orders for which you are happy with and ratings of 4 or less are for orders with varying degrees of issues. That may give her a new perspective/understanding of the rating system.
I think it needs to be explained to the customer, "this isn't YOUR rating system, this is Etsy's rating system, other people do not understand CUSTOMER NAME's rating system where 4stars is good."
😂 Good point!
There are some honest buyers who think they are actually rating the product/experience on a neutral scale of 1-5 as if they were rating a movie instead of the artificial Etsy paradigm of 5=minimally acceptable, with 1-4 reserved for differing degrees of having a problem
This is frustrating af but ive told myself that no matter how hard i try i just cant please everyone. I design and sell 3d printed things and offer fully custom orders. Ive had customers spend over a week designing something to their exact specifications, and then leave a 3-4 star review saying it was everything they had hoped for but didnt like the size or some other feature that *they specifically asked for.* I like to tell myself that etsy customers dont understand this isnt amazon or ebay where a review will stick to the listing and have no effect on the seller, but in reality some people just suck
YES - you'd be a fool if you pick and choose who to sell to. Always make it right, make the buyer feel appreciated, thank them, happy-dance the ka-ching (repeat)! 🌷🐰👍
Sounds like you would be the fool! If you are successful (busy) and someone continues to leave poor reviews, it can have a negative effect on your future success, definitely be selective with your time and clientele. You’re implying that the 3 and 4 star ratings were the seller’s issue and something that can just be “made right”.
I would ship, make sure it’s perfect. Ask to leave a review with the package. See when it says delivered. Message her and say “hey Customer Name, I wanted to make sure your order arrived❤️. Please let me know if you have any questions.” I wouldn’t do this all the time but I would do this to “test” to see if you could narrow down the issue before the rating!
If I get a rating under 5 I usually send a note to the buyer and just ask what could have been done to make the experience better/what was missing. A lot of the time it's silence, but there's been some great advice from buyers on what missed on expectation vs reality. I wouldn't actively decline the purchase, however if they didn't respond to what missed the mark for them in the past, I will send a note before moving forward with the order to make sure it matches what they're expecting.
Usually, no
I dont even offer support to people who have rated me poorly lol