Been on folksy for 2 years I have had some sales but feel I should perhaps should of had more do any other sellers think it is my prices that are to high or to low as I only work on small profit margins it would be a really big help if anyone get give me some advice.
I cannot imagine you are making even a penny profit with those prices
To be honest if I were looking for something similar I would Not buy them on the basis that they are far too cheap.
Have a look around at similar things in other shops and up your prices accordingly.
Also…do some sums…packaging (you charge postage at cost), Folksy fees, PayPal fees…never mind material costs…
Good luck.
Xxxxx
Your prices look far too cheap to me, I would raise them a lot and re look at your SEO. Your titles and descriptions are far too short and not descriptive enough and you should be using all the tags. I’d have a read of the Folksy blog, there’s masses of info on there about titles, descriptions, tags etc
Another vote for your prices being way to low and that to improve your sales you should revisit your descriptions and tags. Here’s a link to the folksy blog which has sections on how to write descriptions and how to price your work
Definitely need to increase your prices and echo what others have said re SEO. Promotion is also important - Facebook, instagram, twitter and any other social media as well as joining in a few of the promotion threads on the forums should help get you seen.
Too low: puts people off, believe it or not!
I’m also going to say about your prices being too low.
Selling online isn’t like selling in a shop where people can see, touch and feel the item. If the price is too low people may assume there’s something wrong with it that they can’t see in the photos; maybe cheap materials, or that it will fall apart quickly because you haven’t taken long to make it because you have only charged maybe 10mins of your time. If you have faith and value what you sell, then you need to show that it’s worth having at a price that takes into account ALL your costs (materials, fees, your time).
In a nutshell, If you don’t have faith, then your potential buyers may not have faith in your products.
Also tell me about each piece, why you chose to make it, why choose those beads, what was your inspiration (perhaps you saw similar in a film on an actress? or a magazine? or even the richness of the red berries on a Yew Tree where you live etc). Help your potential buyer fall in love with it!
I agree that your your prices are low and may have an adverse effect on sales, but I am often guilty of this myself so I totally understand it!
Can I suggest that you organise your items into collections? You have lots of really pretty items to look through, I think the choice is a little overwhelming. I would like to be able to look at just your earrings, or just your necklaces etc.
Good luck with your shop, and I hope you continue to enjoy making! xxx
I can only echo what the others have said - your prices are too low. By the time you’ve paid a listing fee, commission fee on a sale, Paypal/Stripe fee on a sale, and for the material you use, you can’t possible be left with anything over, let alone make any profit.
You might also want to have a look through this link at what’s allowed to be sold here, including the copyright section (Betty Boo is a copyright item for one example) and about assembled jewellery - you have quite a few itens that are simply a charm added to a chain etc: http://folksy.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/54524-what-can-i-sell-on-folksy-
Thankyou for your excellent feedback I have taken on board what you have said I will be changing my site and prices thanks again Gary
Hi a big thankyou for your feedback I have removed a lot of items and shall only be putting on here the items I make up as I have taken on board what you have said its a big help to me thankyou again Gary
I have started listing these mice at £12.50 but wondering if it is too much. They are made from wool felt and take about 2hours to make, depending on decor?
Only you can tell, really - as well as your labour, you need to take into account the price of materials and your overheads, such as taking lovely photos for Folksy, doing the listings, etc. You are also doing bespoke embroidery on the bags. Seems reasonable to me for such a cute item.
I do have a couple of questions on your listing though - what is ‘CD’ marked felt? is that a typo for CE?
And you have tagged this as ‘child’s mouse’, but I’d be wary of suggesting this is a toy - with wire whiskers? could they come loose? I’m no expert, but I believe you have to be very careful in this area, and may need to get into compliance testing - and I don’t know that adding ‘this is not a toy’ would be enough, because anything that looks like a toy, counts! We do have some sellers who know all about this, so they would be able to advise.
As a fellow mouse maker ( different style!) of many years and 100s sold I can assure you your prices are not too much in fact you could even edge them up a bit given the time they take . Very cute!
I do believe I favourited one of these lovelies yesterday
Thanks Helen, yes it should say CE marked and I offer to do them without the whiskers for children. I will amend the listing. Thanks for pointing this out.
If you pay yourself min wage at £7.83ph, then you should start at least at £15.66 for your making time alone. Then add materials etc. If at some point you plan to sell in a Bricks and Mortar shop, you’ll then have to factor their cut in too.
So £12.50 is certainly not too much!
Just to add, if making for children it’s the mouse itself that needs to be CE tested (and a file kept) not just the felt you use. CE testing is more than chemicals in fabric, it’s testing the strength of seams, strength of any attachments, flame resistance of any of the extras you use (eg the sack or knitted items).
Thanks Liz
I know about the minimum wage but taking account of that and then costing the materials in, etc , would take the price way above what anyone would be willing to.pay.
Thanks for the info on CE testing.
That’s what I thought when I first started selling my items too, and I had a huge discussion on another handmade online forum about it convinced nobody would buy my items if I factored in a wage. Many people making things by hand and selling them feel that way but that’s when they decide whether they are a hobby or a business. If a business then to stay viable they have to pay themselves a decent wage.
There’s a lot about finding the ideal customer, where they shop, what influences them, where they eat even, but also about their disposable income and that they can afford handmade items that are priced to reflect the skill and time involved.
Folksy did a piece about it here https://blog.folksy.com/2013/11/14/pricing-your-handmade-products
But the article I read that changed my mindset was this one. At the time I was helping my husband run his business and it did hit home.
Anyway, don’t undervalue yourself, your skills, your time, your ideas. You’ve got a great product in your mice, I think you could at least double your price and still find buyers!
(I’m hoping this doesn’t come across preachy, I’m just a bit passionate about it!)
Thanks Liz
I don’t think you are preachy at all and agree with what you say. I think because I still think of it as a hobby ( I still work full time) I don’t value my items properly. I just wish more people especially buyers were as passionate as you are. I just love crafting and in this busy world, it keeps me sane.