No I completely agree, handmade takes more time and we can’t mass produce and we should be paid accordingly!
But for me Wholesale is a broad term and doesn’t just mean the ability to mass produce 100 items or supply the likes of Accessorize or Topshop, that’s what factories do. My items are handmade and I work alone so I also couldn’t do those levels! There is a local shop near me who sometimes order 16-18 pieces with plenty of warning and as a reward for committing to buy a bulk order I offer them a better price. I factor this into the pricing of my items. My friends who are milliners, bakers and textilers/screen printers all do this - they also work alone handmaking but reward small shops who commit to buying a small bulk order. This is still ‘wholesale’, it’s the same concept but on a small scale and doesn’t make our items mass-produced. For me Little wholesale orders with local shops like this help people like my friends and I take it from a hobby to a little one-man business making a little bit of profit where we can pay a few little bills yet means I still keep my integrity as an independent handmaker. There’s definitely a middle-ground between people making one off items as a hobby and people mass-producing bulk. A lot of handmakers do this kind of ‘wholesale’ so it’s often quite standard for people to build this option into their pricing. Of course it’s down to individual choice and not suitable for everyone - I know painters can’t churn out 10 oil paintings in a day!! xx
I think I appreciate quite well how sales work and the benefits of having them.
What I don’t appreciate is why anyone would think it necessary, or advisable, to reduce my prices during my busiest time, when I usually manage to sell about a third of my entire annual sales, and just a few weeks before Christmas.
Why would anyone want to send a signal to potential buyers that, if you wait a couple of weeks, you can have the same goods for half the price? Not old, unwanted goods, but anything in my shop - that’s business suicide. That’s not clever marketing, it’s just dumb.
And, by the way, don’t forget this is a public forum - some buyers will now know who’s going to be offering a discount at the end of the month.
ps when I say my mini wholesale orders are 16 items, it’s not 16 of the same thing, it’s 2 of one design, one of another, 3 of another but 16 pieces in total! I just reward a big order like that with a ‘wholesale discount’. xx
I don’t think those opposed to Folksy’s promotion of black friday discounts are necessarily opposed to the idea of having a sale. For me anyway, it’s far more to do with the idea of it being promoted by Folksy than individual shops doing it. I think it sends the wrong message about the site as a whole.
It’s easy to be tempted into having a sale with the idea that lower prices = more customers, but there are long term ramifications that many sellers don’t seem to think about. Customers who shop only for the discounts are probably not going to turn into loyal customers, coming back time after time because they appreciate the quality and workmanship of your pieces. It also creates the expectation that shoppers don’t need to buy things at ‘full price’ because you’ll probably offer a discount at some point. Small businesses that rely on discounts to attract customers are probably doing so at the expense of their pocket, and ultimately the success of their business.
I know this is a one off event (at the moment) but hearing a lot of sellers say that they’re going to join in because of the hope of attracting some business, any business, is really sad. It smacks of desperation not only on their part but on Folksy’s part too and (this is just my opinion), reading between the lines, I don’t think it bodes well for the future success of this platform. If it has become necessary to entice customers with bargains then there is a problem, and that problem probably isn’t going to be solved by the internet equivalent of emblazoning everything with garish fluro-coloured discount signs.
For what it’s worth, last year the black friday weekend was the busiest weekend of the year for me (on all platforms) … without offering a single discount or incentive.
Wow! What an interesting discussion!
I am really happy that Folksy are doing some promotion. I wish it was a big fanfare celebrating Christmas like the M&S advert rather than trying to attract some bargain hunters.
I’m not totally convinced that the last payday weekend before Christmas is the time to reduce prices, unless of course you have hiked them for the required number of weeks beforehand like the big superstores do.
I’m at a physical craft fair next week, and another on the 28th, so my stock will be made and priced with those events in mind. My margins are already too small for much movement; perhaps I should look at increasing my prices? I just have a small loyalty discount for returning customers, which to my mind is a better thing to aim for than bargain hunters anyway.
Does a reduced price really entice people to buy? I reduced the price of my knitting bags on here back in the summer, and they were promoted all over the place too, but not a glimmer. Over the same period I have sold three at the full price on the other site.
What about a Black Friday promotion gift guide featuring one item from EVERY Folksy shop regardless of pricing?
Yep less of the bargin hunter mentality please, I second that proposal. The bargin hunter, poundland shopper are not our target market.
Not only are M&S going for the extra special as one would expect but so are Not on The High Street now that should be what we should be aiming for the run to the top of the pile not the downward slide to the bottom. Or have I missed something???
Handmade is something you buy as an extra, a luxury item not something to be found in the bargin basement bucket.
I agree , obviously there is room for all marketplaces- I love a good rummage in Poundland but I also love exclusive gallery shops, craft studios and individual makers.
I too wish Folksy would ‘do their own thing’ promotion wise sometimes to get noticed, instead of joining in with the masses.
Hi Folksy Forums - we will be offering a 25% discount for Black Friday in our shop https://folksy.com/shops/handmadeinbrighton
cheers, Jude
Hi
I have reduced these two solid silver Moon Gazing Hare necklaces by £20.00 to £59.95 until 19 November
Poor Folksy - if I remember rightly last year people were complaining because they didn’t join in, this year people are complaining because they are joining in. Let’s face it, they will never please everybody.
Some of the shops on here are run by full time artisans, others by hobbyists - and a whole range of other abilities in between. Folksy welcomes everyone, you don’t have to be ‘selected’ and pay a huge joining fee. Naturally this means promotion will be lower budget, and also won’t suit everyone. High class promotions will miss out a lot of people who just do a few basic crafty bits as a hobby or to sell for a few extra pounds income. ‘Lower’ class promotions will be sneered at by people who only want a high class, rich customer visiting their shop.
Let’s embrace the fact that the Folksy team are trying different things, and accept that not every promotion will suit us all but make the most of the ones that do suit us 
Sara Absolutely. This type of promotion is not for me, for my type of shop / product but if it suits others then fine and well done to Folksy for keeping up with trends and doing what they can to get Folksy out there as a household name,
Funnily enough before I saw this thread I’d set up a discount that expires on blackfriday… My code was “DarkestDay” since I won’t join in with it 
I might now though…
I’d love to join in as I’m new to Folksy - so hopefully can make my first sale! I’ll be offering 20% off everything in my shop as part of Black Friday. And can’t wait to do some Christmas shopping too from everyone else’s shops!
Can I just say there’s no such thing as a hobbyist if you are selling what you make you are a business, you are no longer a hobbyist. So there are no ‘hobbyists’ on Folksy everyone who sells on Folksy is a Business.
A hobbyist is someone who makes things for themselves or to give as gifts.
I will be taking part and am offering a 20% discount on my ruffle scarves.
Ok, I should have phrased that better, but I can;t think of the ‘proper’ term - I mean people who make things for personal pleasure and who have extra materials left over and make things to sell at cost (thereby not being a business) -
Barbara I’m not sure you can be selective. I think it’s everything or nothing.
Well said Sara 
That still makes you a business even if you only sell we no desire to make a profit.
Well, if you want to be pedantic we will call them not for profit businesses 
ETA Just browsed the HMRC website and found this:
What counts as trading
You’re likely to be trading if you:
sell regularly to make a profit
make items to sell for profit
sell online, at car boot sales or through classified adverts on a regular basis
earn commission from selling goods for other people
are paid for a service you provide
What doesn’t count as trading
You’re probably not trading if you sell some unwanted items occasionally or you don’t plan to make a profit. You can’t use any losses you make as part of a hobby to reduce your tax bill.
The bit in bold - that’s the type of seller I am on about, so if HMRC states they are probably not traders (ie a business) then that’s good enough for me