> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vortexiq.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Late Shipments Risking Star Seller, Etsy > Late Shipments Risking Star Seller for Etsy stores. Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre. How to read it, why it matters, and how to act on it. **Card class:** [Hero](/nerve-centre/overview#card-classes-explained) • **Category:** [Marketplace](/nerve-centre/connectors#connectors-by-type) ## At a glance > **Late Shipments Risking Star Seller** counts orders that have passed their estimated ship date without being marked dispatched. Etsy's on-time criterion for the Star Seller badge requires 95% of orders to ship by their estimated date across a rolling 90-day window, so each late order chips away at that percentage and compounds your badge-loss risk. An Etsy seller cares because on-time dispatch is the criterion most directly under their control, and late shipments also drag down reviews and trigger buyer messages. Good looks like 0 orders past their ship-by date; bad looks like a growing backlog, especially during sale periods when small slips accumulate fast. | | | | --------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **What it counts** | Open orders whose estimated ship date has passed but which are not yet marked as dispatched. | | **Sample type** | Backend API data from Etsy, refreshed on the standard data refresh. | | **Why it matters** | The Star Seller on-time threshold is 95% over 90 days; every late order lowers that rolling rate and brings the badge closer to loss. | | **Reading the value** | 0 is the only safe target. Each unit is a specific order already late; treat the count as a same-day work queue, not a trend to monitor. | | **Currency** | number | | **Time window** | `RT` | | **Alert trigger** | `any order past estimated ship date` | | **Sentiment key** | `ets_alert_dispatch_sla_miss` | | **Roles** | owner, operations | ## Calculation Vortex IQ compares each open order's estimated ship date, derived from the listing's processing time and the order date, against its current dispatch status. Any order whose ship-by date is in the past and which has not been marked dispatched is counted. The card is real-time so the queue shrinks the moment you mark an order shipped, and grows as new orders cross their ship-by date. It does not retroactively re-grade orders already counted in Etsy's 90-day on-time rate; it focuses on the live backlog you can still act on. ## Worked example *Illustrative numbers.* On 14 Jun 26 a jewellery seller running a 3-day Father's Day promotion sees the card climb to 4 late orders after a courier collection was missed. Because their 90-day on-time rate is sitting at 95.6%, four lates would push it under the 95% bar at the next assessment. They prioritise those four for same-day dispatch, message each buyer to confirm, and temporarily extend processing time on busy listings to stop the queue refilling. They open Vortex Mind to trace whether the spike came from one carrier or one product line, then ask Ask Viq, "which orders are past their ship date and how late," to build the picking list in seconds. ## Sibling cards merchants should reference together | Card | Why merchants reach for it | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | [`on-time-shipping-rate-star-seller-kpi`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/etsy/on-time-shipping-rate-star-seller-kpi) | Converts the late-order backlog into the rolling 95% percentage Etsy grades you on. | | [`pending-shipment`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/etsy/pending-shipment) | Shows all orders awaiting dispatch, including those not yet late, so you can clear them before they slip. | | [`star-seller-kpi-review-ontime-response-crossed-threshold`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/etsy/star-seller-kpi-review-ontime-response-crossed-threshold) | The composite alert that fires once the on-time criterion actually crosses. | | [`star-seller-status`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/etsy/star-seller-status) | Confirms whether the badge is still held while you clear the backlog. | | [`orders-day`](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/etsy/orders-day) | Helps you anticipate dispatch volume so processing capacity matches inbound orders. | ## Reconciling against Etsy Shop Manager **Where to look in Etsy Shop Manager:** Open Shop Manager > Orders & Shipping and sort or filter by ship-by date to see which open orders are overdue. Cross-check the resulting on-time rate against Shop Manager > Star Seller dashboard. **Why the Vortex IQ value may legitimately differ:** | Reason | Direction | What to do | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Marked-shipped lag.** You marked an order dispatched but the status has not synced yet. | Marginal | Refresh after the next cycle; the card will drop the order once Etsy confirms dispatch. | | **Processing-time edits.** Changing a listing's processing time shifts future ship-by dates but not orders already placed. | Variable | Edit processing time to protect future orders, then clear the existing late queue manually. | | **Time-zone of ship-by cutoff.** The ship-by boundary can fall on a different calendar day depending on time zone. | Marginal | When an order sits exactly on the boundary, dispatch it to be safe rather than relying on the cutoff. | **Cross-connector reconciliation:** If lates spike alongside another marketplace's dispatch SLA, open Vortex Mind to check whether a shared warehouse or carrier issue is the common cause. ## Known limitations / merchant FAQs **Q: Does shipping one minute late count against Star Seller?** Etsy grades against the estimated ship date, so any dispatch after that date counts as late for the 95% on-time calculation. The card flags the order as soon as the ship-by date passes so you can still recover it. **Q: If I dispatch a late order now, does it stop hurting my badge?** Dispatching it removes it from this live queue, but it will still be recorded as late in the rolling 90-day on-time rate. Clearing the backlog limits further damage rather than undoing it. **Q: Why does my Etsy Shop Manager show a different number?** Usually a mark-shipped sync lag or a time-zone difference at the ship-by boundary: an order you have just dispatched may still show as late until the status syncs, and the cutoff day can shift by time zone. The numbers align after a refresh. **Q: Can I customise the alert threshold?** Yes. Sensitivity thresholds are configurable per profile in the Sensitivity tab. The default fires on any order past its ship date, but you can require a minimum backlog before alerting if you handle occasional one-off lates routinely. *** ### Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre *Late Shipments Risking Star Seller* is one of hundreds of KPI pulses Vortex IQ tracks across Etsy and 70+ other ecommerce connectors. Nerve Centre runs the detection layer; Vortex Mind investigates the cause when something moves; Ask Viq lets you interrogate any number in plain English. [Start for free](https://app.vortexiq.ai/login) or [book a demo](https://www.vortexiq.ai/contact-us) to see this metric running on your own data.