I read an interesting comment on a FB post this morning. Admittedly it wasn’t about Folksy but related to the other side and that well known auction site but it made me wonder whether Folksy worked the same way. Basically someone said that with a listing for multiple items, that once one had sold it caused the listing to rank higher in the searches and more sales followed creating an avalanche effect until they had to remove the listing to edit it and then start again, at which point the sales stopped. It made me wonder whether it worked against those of us who make one offs who would never achieve this status. It also begs the question of whether the addition of variations to our listings might help - i.e… I make something in 10 colours but instead of 1 listing for each colour I had one listing with 10 variations allowing a sale of one to boost the remainder.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
No idea, Roz! But when Folksy finally introduces variations we can try it out! I too make one-off items, but I’ve thought of grouping a few that “go” together in my shop on the other side (to keep my listings costs down, mainly)…
I occasionally list a quantity of more than one but have not noticed that once I sell one the other/s are then sold very quickly. It would of course depend on what is for sale.
I’ve tried this on the dark side, but it hasn’t made any difference to me. Maybe you have to reach a few sales of the item for it to have any impact?
I would love to have variations on here as this is how I sell more on other sites. The more colours I have to offer the more views they get which pushes it higher in search. I listed an item with lots of variations last month on there and have never had so many views on a single item in all the years of selling there.
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That’s very interesting Roz, I can only ever sell one of an item as each and everyone is handmade differently. I was speaking to a folksy seller last year and they couldn’t believe I listed every item separately, they did prints and weren’t in that position, but they also do very well here, so there may well be something in it…
Coincidentally I read something last night about this topic on the other side.
Folks are getting worried they will get pushed further down the searches when they only have one offs and not multiples. I think there are a lot of new trials being tested on there at the moment making everyone nervous.
I’m not sure how the search here works with regards to stock levels per item
It does raise issues for us who have OOAK items if this is how items are placed in searches.
Karen
I have seen that too Karen on the other side. I also only make ooak and never repeat anything exactly so it is worrying. I haven’t had a good month at all over there compared to usual sales.
It’s a worrying time Dawn. @dawnsneesbyjewellery
So many new changes everywhere. Even on social media making it difficult to be seen.
I can’t possibly make lots of items the same. That’s not how I produce my jewellery.
I love making one off pieces.
If colour variations were offered here I may take a step in a new direction and make some items in multiples where possible, but I feel sometimes I’m having to bend in ways I don’t want to, just to accommodate changes.
Feel abit down at the moment about it.
Karen x
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I feel the same Karen, to me that is what handmade is all about, unique one off pieces.
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This sounds as though it’s an algorithim that works out what sells best and then pushes that to the top; the idea being that the best selling items rank highest and the website holder (not the individual seller note, the website that is hosting the shops) gets more commission because the things that sell best are promoted first and so people are more likely to buy. In fact, the same basic principle that determines the ranking of keywords in search engines.
This works well a site that is a retail site that has lots of sellers essentially selling many copies of the same sort of thing but would possibly not work at all for a website where shops are selling one off unique items and where each listing has to be newly created as it differs from anything the seller has previously made. @folksycontent - are you able to comment on this at all?
I was discussing my sales on the other side (average 4 per week since 1st March) with a family member on Sunday and I had observed that I could make a sale with only 4 or 5 visits whereas on Folksy I sometimes get no sale even if I have had 40 or 50 visits in one day ( not that this is occurring much lately. His comment was well isn’t Folksy just seen as a community and not as a sales platform I found this comment startling but he may be right.
I had shied away from the other side thinking I would be lost amongst thousands of sellers but it seems that they have more buyers and so whilst I continue on here I am stocking more on the other platform.
Mel
Am I the only person who does better on Folksy? 
I had one sale on Etsy the whole of last year. And I just cannot bring myself to go on the forums…
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Different sites have wildly different views to sales conversions. But around December last year, my sales here were very similar to my other two outlets. So maybe Folksy has more serious buyers in December, whereas other sites have more serious buyers the rest of the year?
Honestly, you could go round in circles worrying about it. Or just keep making and listing items
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No, you’re not alone Christine, I tried the dark side a few months ago and achieved nothing, I’m going to have another go up in the run up to Christmas although I’m not holding out much hope, as for there forums! They seem so unfriendly, even nasty at times. I really want Folksy to work for everyone, it’s such a lovely friendly selling platform. 
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I don’t have much success on the other side either but then I don’t really expect to as all my promotion points to my Folksy shop. I just add a few listings and leave them to do their own thing - I get the occasional sale and maybe if I pushed it I would get more but I love it here on folksy and have never got on with the forums over there.
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I also so do much better on Folksy, things started to pick up on the other side but quiet at the moment but then I also do the bulk of my promotion for Folksy.
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I find the avalanche of sales thing to work on another selling site which I shall not name. As I make soap do I list multiples of an item. As soon as one sells, I get flurries of the same thing selling in rapid succession. Then it drops off again.
