How To Get More 5-Star Reviews For Your Etsy Shop + Templates

Reviews are an important part of your Etsy shop. Not only can it help you build confidence in shoppers, it can help you improve sales and search ranking.

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So how can you get more customers to give you 5-star reviews for your Etsy shop?

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If you are struggling with low review rate, you’ll love this guide. We’ll look at ways to encourage reviews, review ask templates and more.

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Why Are Etsy Reviews Important

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In a crowded marketplace like Etsy, online reviews are one of the most important factors that potential customers use to decide whether to buy from an Etsy seller or not.

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Positive reviews build confidence and trust from Etsy shoppers, making them more comfortable buying from you. And because of that, conversion rate improves when you get more positive reviews. It means that you will be able to ‘convert’ more shoppers into customers.

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According to Etsy, customers who leave 5-star reviews are also more likely to become loyal customers and make more purchases.

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Good product reviews are also a criterion for being a Star Seller on Etsy.

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How Long Does Buyers Have To Leave A Review On Etsy

Customers have 100 days to leave a review after the estimated delivery date or when the digital product is downloaded. Within that time frame, customers can edit their reviews unlimited times.

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Only customer reviews from the last 12 months are considered in your shop’s average review rating.

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Can Customers Leave Review If They Check Out As Guests

Yes, customers who checked out as guests can leave reviews. There are some extra steps that they need to do to link the order to a registered Etsy account:

1. Search for the order confirmation email from Etsy from the email address transaction@etsy.com
2. Click on the order confirmation number link (located underneath the heading “Order details”
3. Follow the steps to create an Etsy account
4. Then your order will be linked to the new Etsy account
5. Go to “Your Account” and click “Purchases and Reviews” to leave a review for the order

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How To Improve The Chance Of Getting Positive Reviews

High Quality Products & Good Customer Service

It’s obvious but the key of getting 5-star reviews is by offering high quality products and customer service. People are much more likely to leave positive reviews if they are satisfied with the products and if you are ready to help when they have questions.

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Accurate Product Photography

Accurate product photos can set the right expectation for your customers. They’ll know exactly what they are getting and won’t be disappointed when they receive the order.

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Try to show all angles and important details of a product in your product photos. Also consider including photos for size/scale and packaging. Get more product photography inspirations here.

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Accurate Product Description

In your product description, you should include all important information so that customers understand what they are buying. Some of the information include:

• Product features
• Materials
• Product size
• Guarantee (if any)
• Shipping information
• What’s included and what’s not (e.g. for digital products, state clearly that it’s a digital download and no physical product will be shipped)

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Accurate Shipping Time & Processing Time

This is especially important after the pandemic as shipping times have become more unpredictable. Make sure to communicate shipping time clearly with customers in the product description, shipping settings, and order confirmation message.

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Processing time is another factor that can affect customer’s experience. This is especially true for customised products that require longer processing time. Similarly, state the processing time clearly in multiple places.

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Is It Okay To Ask For Reviews On Etsy

Yes, you are allowed to contact customers who’ve bought from your shop for feedback including reviews. We will look at the ways you can ask customers and a review request template you can copy.

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But first, let’s look at some bad practices that are NOT allowed on Etsy when asking for reviews:

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What’s Not Allowed When Asking For Reviews

Send multiple messages and emails to ask for reviews is bad practice. Doing so can annoy your customers and actually hurt your chance of getting a positive review. Not only that, doing that excessively could be considered spamming and may get you banned on Etsy.

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Also, you can’t offer free or significantly discounted products in exchange for a 5-star review. That’s considered ‘shilling’ and is against Etsy rules.

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How To Ask Customers For Etsy Reviews

Etsy sends out an automated email to ask customers for reviews, no matter physical product or digital products, which looks like this:

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But here are some extra ways that can improve your chance of getting a good review:

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Ask In Confirmation Email

This is the email that customers will receive after placing an order. Because the customer may not have received or used the product, this is not the best place to ask for a review straight away, but it’s a great opportunity to build a strong relationship with customers. You can thank them for the order and let them know you’re happy to help with any problems they may have with the order.

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To change the order confirmation message:

1. In your dashboard, go to “Settings” and “Info & Appearance”
2. Scroll down and edit “Message to Buyers” or “Message to Buyers for Digital Items”
3. Save and the message will be sent to customers who buy from your shop

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Ask In Order Inserts

Including an order insert is a great way to get more positive reviews. Customers will see the order insert when they receive the product and be reminded that they can leave a review for you.

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My Etsy shop has some thank you card templates that include a review request message. You can simply edit, download and print to include in your orders.

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Ask In Follow-Up Message Or Email

You can also manually message customers who have received the order and ask them for a review. Usually it’s a good idea to ask for review a few days after they have received the order. This can give them some time to actually use the product before giving you feedback.

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Etsy Review Request Template

When writing your review request message, keep in mind these few points:

• Keep it short and concise
• Be appreciative of the order
• Don’t be pushy
• Clear instruction of how they can leave a review
• Say that you are happy to help if they have any problems with the order

Here’s the template to ask for reviews:

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Hi (name),

Thank you again for your order! I really appreciate your support!

I hope you are happy with your order. If you are happy with your purchase, it would mean the world to me if you can leave a positive review for my shop. But if you have any questions, please let me know and I’m happy to help.

To leave a review:
1. Go to https://www.etsy.com/your/purchases‍
2. Find the item purchased from my shop
3. Leave a review

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Should You Reply To Etsy Reviews

A review will be locked after you reply to it, which means it won’t be editable by the customer who left that review.

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If it’s a 5-star review, it’s a good idea to reply and lock in the positive review by showing your appreciation. I would recommend a simple reply like this: “Thank you so much for your review (name)! I really appreciate it!’

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How To Handle Negative Etsy Reviews

No matter how good your product is, it’s inevitable that there will be some unsatisfied customers. They may leave a bad review for reasons that are out of your control.

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To learn how to handle negative reviews, read this guide here.

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Can I Ask Friends Or Family To Leave Reviews

It’s allowed only if the reviews "reflect the honest, unbiased opinion of the buyer". Otherwise, it’s considered shilling and is against Etsy rules. You can read more about the rules here.

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Can Customers Leave Reviews Without Buying

No, only customers who’ve made purchases in your Etsy shop can leave reviews.

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