6 Tips to Repel Negative Reviews On Etsy

Etsy shops have been a tremendous platform for people to sell jewelry, clothing, and many other customized products online. With Order Dissatisfaction Rate or ODR in place, it’s now more important than ever for sellers to pay more attention to their activity on Etsy.

The reviews your buyers leave on your Etsy shop is public feedback, which means every one of your potential clients will see them. So, it’s crucial that you handle negative reviews very carefully to keep your position strong.

Let’s look at some helpful tips on how you can beat negative reviews on your Etsy shop with charm!

Handle Negative Reviews Like Never Before

Prevention Is Better Than Cure

Before we delve into damage control, you need to think about all the possible reasons why you might end up with negative reviews when you sell on Etsy. For instance, Etsy has a pretty clumsy user interface on both desktop and mobile devices. The product details are not visible to the customers by default.

To tackle this particular issue, you can add pictures illustrating the product details. It’s one of the best ways to engage potential customers as they don’t have to go searching for specifications.

It’s even more applicable for people who sell digital goods on their Etsy shop. Demonstrate convenience by writing “INSTANT DOWNLOAD” and add product format tags such as “PDF” or “PNG”. This will make your Etsy shop stand out among the crowd.

Patience and Empathy Are Your Strongest Suit

When you receive a negative review, don’t panic! Take a moment to pause and think before you contact your customer. It’s best not to reply to the review right away as the review will be locked and your customer will lose his/her ability to edit it later.

So before you contact your customer, put yourself in their shoes. Analyze the situation to understand the reason behind the review. Was it your fault? Was it something that you couldn’t control? Why did your product or service fail to meet their expectations?

Getting answers to these questions will make things a lot easier for you. When you sell on Etsy, you have to be prepared to deal with tons of different types of customers. Therefore you must customize your approach for each one of them. If it was your fault, simply think of it as constructive criticism.

Time To Contact Your Customer

Now it’s time to reach out to your customer. Think of a conversation starter that will help you own up to your shortcomings and apologize. Sometimes, a sincere and empathetic conversation can lighten up a lot of resentment and anger. 

So, start with a note of apology and gently communicate about the issues at hand. Try to earn back customer satisfaction by offering solutions, discounts, coupons, refunds, etc.

Try your best to solve the problem at this stage. Often in business, you have to be flexible. Offering your customer refunds and discounts is just a part of it. Count it off as bad debt. If you succeed in convincing your client to change the review now, you’ll be saving yourself hundreds of dollars in the future as you’ll be eliminating negative impressions on your Etsy shop.

Positivity > Negativity

To handle a negative review, employ some positive attitude. If your customer didn’t respond or didn’t like your solution, it’s time for you to show that you care.

But don’t vent your anger on them. Show true professionalism by accepting their feedback and let your potential customers know you are an attentive and responsive seller who’s willing to improvise on their mistakes. How you behave with your customers will reflect on your brand image.

Connect On a Personal Level

Etsy is not a platform where big guns take the shots. The platform is actually designed to allow newcomers to sell on Etsy. So, if you’re selling physical products, why not add a lovely note inside the packaging to add a personal touch? Let them know you are a small business and not Amazon and their contribution makes a huge difference! 

Not only is it a great way to connect, but you’re also gaining a care factor. The customer will understand that you are not operating commercially and empathize with your situation for a change. Therefore, it will dramatically reduce the chance of them leaving a negative review.

Ask Beforehand

If you’re selling digital items, there’s a higher chance of incurring problems during delivery. So, what you can do is add a template question on your Etsy shop. For instance, why not add a question like, “Facing problems with your downloads? Contact me. I can help!”

Learn from your previous complaints and add template questions accordingly. This reassures your customers that whatever issue they are facing isn’t a big deal and more importantly, you’re ready to assist them through it.

Make Your Etsy Shop One of a Kind

Negative reviews are a part of the business. But now, you can handle them like a pro.

Taking things personally and beating yourself up over negative reviews won’t get you anywhere. Follow these simple tips to gain goodwill from your customers and reduce the risks of negative reviews overnight.