Should I message a buyer about a 4-star Etsy review with positive comments?

Hi! If the comments are genuinely glowing, I’d usually leave a 4‑star review alone—messaging to ask “why not 5?” can easily feel like pressure (even if you don’t mean it that way) and sometimes prompts buyers to re-open the review and change it in the wrong direction.

If you do want to reach out, the safest approach is to treat it like customer care, not review management: send a simple thank-you and invite them to tell you if anything wasn’t perfect—without mentioning stars or asking them to edit anything.

Here are two good options:

Option A (recommended): Don’t message.
Take the win, keep your streak going, and use the review as social proof. A single 4-star with great text is very normal on Etsy and won’t hurt you long-term nearly as much as an awkward message might.

Option B (only if you truly want feedback): Send a low-pressure note.
Keep it short, friendly, and focused on improving your product/service. For example:

“Hi [Name], thanks so much for your kind words—I'm really happy you loved it! I’m always trying to improve, so if there was anything at all that would’ve made your experience even better, I’d love to hear it (no worries at all if not). Thanks again for supporting my shop!”

A few “don’ts” if you message:

• Don’t mention the star rating (“I noticed it was 4 stars…”).
• Don’t ask them to change the review or imply it affects your shop.
• Don’t send follow-ups if they don’t respond.

If you’re seeing a pattern over time (e.g., multiple 4-stars with “love it!”), it can help to proactively tighten common pain points that cause silent star deductions—things like packaging, clarity of sizing/photos, instructions, processing time expectations, or a small “thank you + care tips” insert—without putting any pressure on buyers after the fact.