Etsy to Change Sellers' Average Review Ratings

Etsy is changing how it calculates average review ratings to reflect sellers' full review histories while giving the most weight to newer reviews. However, Etsy will continue to base Star Seller criteria on the most recent three months of performance, meaning the Star Seller badge and eligibility criteria will not be affected.

Etsy announced the news on March 10, telling sellers the change would roll out over the coming weeks.

Currently, Etsy calculates a seller's average rating based on reviews from the past 12 months. Soon, it will be based on sellers' full review history - although newer reviews will count more. The impact of each review will decrease by half each year, Etsy said, "so your score better reflects your current customer experience." 

Etsy said some shops may see a change to their average rating while other shops may see no change at all. And, it noted, "If you haven't received a review in the past 12 months and previously didn't have an average rating, you may now see one based on your full history."

The new approach, Etsy said, "aligns with common ecommerce practices, where average ratings are typically based on lifetime reviews to meet buyer expectations and provide a consistent shopping experience based on lifetime reviews."

The updated rating calculation will apply everywhere ratings appear, including Listings; Search results; Shop pages; and Shop Manager. See more details on the Etsy Seller Handbook.

Etsy discussion boards are closed to non-sellers, but sellers discussed the change on Reddit, with many of them seeing it as an overall positive change.

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