Good idea.
Yes, I too am discussing my thoughts 
I would also add that I, with my tiny number of sales, have helped several others on here get their higher numbers! I bought all my Christmas presents from Folksy shops and through my sharing links, encouraged others to do the same.
Fellow crafters all.
1 Like
And I, with my medium number of sales, also bought from Folksy sellers for Christmas gifts. What’s your point?
Personally I don’t see why the public have to know how many items I’ve sold. When I purchase I don’t care whether the shop has 0 or 1000 previous sales if they have what I want at a price I’m happy to pay. As a seller i can see how many I’ve sold in my dashboard and as far as I’m concerned, I’m the only one who needs to know that figure.
What I would like though is to have to option for the public to view ALL my sold items and not just the most recent. I may have sold something 5yrs ago that someone may want to purchase now if it can be made again.
8 Likes
I’m not so new to Folksy, but due to my higher priced items, don’t have high sales figures, so I’m not really in favour of this new move.
It feels like exclusion from the ‘haves’ and I find that quite demoralising. I could make smaller, cheaper items to boost the numbers, but I would rather be about quality not numbers.
Before anyone shoots me down in flames, I’m not suggesting that anyone who makes quantity compromises on quality, just that it wouldn’t be right for my products. I also think everyone is entitled to have an opinion, whether you agree with it or not, so before you hit that reply button, please go and make a cup of tea 
(No sugar in mine please)
Perhaps it would have been better to find out opinions before this stealth move was made. Having an option for the shop owner to retain their autonomy to decide whether to show past sales, in my opinion would be the best way forward.
5 Likes
I just had to double check the amount of sold items that come up on the page when you click on a shop’s sold items. I was worried that it many be possible to scroll all the way through every sold item - there are some things that I have sold on here from years ago that are better left forgotten and hidden in the archives!
I would prefer not to see any sales figures displayed on shop pages as I don’t really see the point. If I go into a high street store or even to a craft fair I don’t expect the store /stallholder to have a sales figure list over their door/stall. There is not much point to showing past sales either as the seller may not make that line anymore but more emphasis should be on reviews as I feel they can be helpful to potential buyers and the option should be available for guest buyers to leave a review.
One idea might be that, if some sellers really need their sales figures displayed is to make it an optional setting, so leaving it up to the seller if they display the figure or not.
4 Likes
I agree with @Zoknitandsew , I don’t really see how it is constructive for buyers to see what numbers of sales are. I don’t expect to know what sales numbers are when I buy from elsewhere - maybe a total Folksy Sales on Folky’s shop-front would be more meaningful?
I also agree with @Blackthorpe that It can feel demoralising to be a Low-Count amongst High-Counts… tho I’d like say that… my Cards are High Quality but Low Price & my Folksy sales aren’t reflecting my Offline sales (doesn’t look great when your pointing people to y’Folksy Shop) which I currently find frustrating -but that’s another matter- So for you ‘High Price Sellers’ it’s not true that you have to work harder to sell your more expensive items & I’m certainly not compromising on Quality! - Anyone who wants to come & have a go at making one of my Cards from start to finish is welcome! The +20p cut (added to %age) that Stripe & PayPal take on a £3.50 item is far more painful than on a £50 item…It’s all Swing&Roundabouts Folksies 
I’m glad that this has been addressed as I never realised it was such a contentious issue. You are right though, we don’t expect to see sales figures from shops on the high-street or stalls at craft fayres before we buy from them. I guess with shops on the high street though, we are are usually buying from big brands who already have some kind of reputation (be it good or bad)
I’ve looked at some other online marketplaces for selling crafts to see if sales numbers are displayed on each individual shop and actually there is some kind of reference to either reviews or sales on all of them.
Etsy - sales figures shown and star rating system based on reviews
Noths - review counts and a star rating system
Ebay - sales figures and positive feedback percentage shown
Zibbet - displays if they are a premium seller or not (I’m not sure if this is based on performance or maybe a sales package purhased? - like we can have a plus account here)
Like I said earlier in the thread - I don’t look at sales figures here when I am making my mind up whether to purchase something - usually, it’s just based on how relevant it is to my search (if I’m looking for something specific) or whether it has just caught my eye!
If I was slightly unsure about a shop - (maybe if it only had a few items on display) I would go to the reviews or if none were available I would look at the “about” section as I feel you can guage a lot about a person or business there.
As far as personal preference about displaying a shops sales figures - I like having mine on display. I’ve been here 10 years and had to work really, really hard to get that amount of sales. I would say I have had to work equally as hard on my £5 sales as I have on my £20 sales. Nearly all of my links come straight to my Folksy shop, so it is my pride and joy and a culmination of all of those years of work - so I do like to show it off to my customers.
In contrast, I only have really, really low sales figures over on the dark side - they are on display for all to see but I’ve never thought that would put people off of purchasing from me- if you find the right item - you are probably going to buy it. It doesn’t make me feel particularly demoralised over there when I see others with 2,000+ sales, I feel impressed and happy for them - Well Done, they’ve obviously got the right formula for sales success there.
I personally would like to see the sales figures stay but if people want the ability to opt in or opt out, that would probably be the best way around this issue.
10 Likes
It took me more than 2 years from the start to get to six sales. And I believe I covered your point about the amount of work being similar for the profit involved. My point is that the same amount of work results in fewer numerical sales, not less money.
Sam x
1 Like
Having read all of the posts here, I still have mixed feelings. On the dark side I only have 1 sale to my name, however, the lady gave me a 5* review. I’m rather proud of that and on balance I don’t mind the 1 sale since it comes with a glowing review. I rather think this is a debate we could have done without, as it has opened a can of worms.
Sam x
1 Like
I liked having the number of sales, even though I only have 14. One thing I found really useful was that I could see instantly if I’d had a sale, as they sometimes don’t appear immediately in email. I appreciate that I could look at the orders page, but that’s an extra click!
2 Likes
Making & selling is a struggle at the best of times, I admire everyone for determinedly ploughing forward. Folksy is my favourite online shopping environment, tho I currently do better offline. I find it a very supportive place & am always thrilled to see people succeeding (& sometimes intimidated!), - it helps me to keep going. I like to see everyone’s point of view, it’s useful… just don’t mind mine 
2 Likes
I agree. I had a really exited very happy buyer of a blanket and thought she would write a lovely feedback but she was a guest and couldn’t!
1 Like
Just had a good look… it has taken me a very long time to get 42 sales, use to make me smile to see it, don’t like it now it has disappeared!!!
May I just add that I can understand visitors may being guided by the number of sales but not us Folksy sellers we all buy from sellers just starting out. If we have to have numbers limited I would think 25 would be better and an easier target for new shops to aim for. Feedback is the best way to see the standards of that shop…
2 Likes
I have just read all the comments on here so far and these are my thoughts…
I have been a Folksy seller for 7 years and have made 30 online sales…it has taken a long time to get to this point and I did like seeing that number increase (albeit slowly) over time. It has never bothered me that others have sold more - it is not a competition! I would like to see it reinstated as it now looks like I haven’t sold a thing on first glance…not many people are going to click on another link to see past sales. I think it is confusing to the buyer as they don’t know what the threshold is - why will some of us have a number and some of us not?
With regard to the past sales - it is good to see some of these items, but there are items on there that I wouldn’t want customers to see so much as my work has evolved over time and they are not relevant and certainly not helpful! Is there a way of hiding some items from view as they do not currently reflect your style of work?
Feedback is a great way to give confidence to the buyer (rather than numbers of sales). I have very little feedback from my sales as most are guest buyers, which I think is very disappointing. I think it would be great if Folksy automatically sent an email to the customer (or we were able to do so) with a link to the feedback form (like the ‘your item has been shipped’ button).
I hope you find this ‘feedback’ helpful!
Caroline
9 Likes
I couldn’t agree more with Caroline - exactly the same situation, avery similar time on Folksy and only 30 something sales with a lot of guest buyers unable to leave a review.
2 Likes
I’m not 100% sure…but if you go to your expired listings and delete the listing I think it disappears…however, I’m not sure if it would affect anything else, like your total sales…
1 Like
Just a thought @folksycontent but did the potential new shop owners that gave you feedback suggest that hiding the sales count for new shops until they hit x amount would make a difference to them? Would it entice them to join Folksy? It seems from reading this thread other sellers already on Folksy say it wouldn’t have made a difference to them when they joined although I’m sure we were all keen to get off that zero!
I admit for me that I like to get a feel for those I purchase from, so will either have interacted on here with them or taken a look at their Profile or Social media.
I think a really good thing for Folksy to push is that recommendation feedback, that buyers fill in when they make a purchase. Maybe a graphic saying “100% of purchasers on Folksy would buy again” that we could all share?
2 Likes
I would prefer Folksy either reinstall them to everyone, or remove them from all shops.
2 Likes