Hit 50 five-star reviews on my Etsy shop and it changed how I think about ratings

I sell handmade leather wallets on Etsy, and for the longest time I only cared about the star count. A 4.5 average felt good enough to me. Then last month I hit exactly 50 reviews with a perfect 5.0 average, and I actually sat down and read every single one. What surprised me was that most of my 4-star reviews had detailed feedback about stitching or leather thickness, while many 5-star reviews just said 'good product' with no specifics. That made me realize a 4-star review with real tips is way more useful for improving my craft than a perfect score with nothing behind it. Now I actually pay more attention to the written part than the number itself. Has anyone else found that low star reviews gave them better insights than the high ones?

2 comments

2 Comments

harris.uma14d ago

@taylor174 hit it exactly right. I started taping the written feedback from lower star reviews right next to my workbench to fix issues before the next batch. Stitching depth and edge finishing got way better from those 3-star notes than any 5-star praise ever did.

taylor17414d ago

I used to be the same way, I'd check my star rating first and ignore the comments if it was high. But then I got a 3-star review on a soldering project I posted and the guy pointed out that my corners were a little messy. I was annoyed at first but when I looked closer he was completely right. That one review taught me more than the ten 5-star "looks great!" comments I got that week. Now I actually read every single word of my lower rated feedback because those people took the time to tell me what went wrong. It stings a little but it makes me better.