Sales can vary due to a huge variety of reasons. This feature is just highlighting the ‘basic’ issues that can be addressed in your work being effectively found in Google (search) as well as having the foundations for a good customer experience. For example, the feature doesn’t state if photos are good product photographs (programmatically very complex to determine!) or if you have good product-market fit (we don’t assess market ‘size’ or price point) but these latter things are possible. We’re here to help. Shop reviews are something we’re looking to do as a regular community activity - would this be something you’d be interested in? It would require you volunteering your shop to be reviewed and this to be the focus of say, a webinar or open session.
Do you have any photos from the workshop you’ve run in the past? That could be great, a sense of the space you use, and people taking part (with their permission)
I wonder if it’s worth doing the shipping for the cards Debby and setting the ‘additional postage rate’ at 0 so that if someone overseas buys one of your bears, they could add the card for free? Just thinking that it would work well for your postage gift boxes 
Workshop? I’m guessing you’ve replied to my response in error although I can’t see any mention of a workshop in this thread 
I’ve been shipping to the US for 12 years now and it’s been fantastic for me. I used to ship all over the globe until the regulations and customs changes came along (coupled with the increase in scammy activity from overseas email addresses), so now in my other shop I sell to UK (ex NI), US, Canada, Japan and Australia. Here, I can only set my shipping for the first two, but I do mention that I’m happy to ship to the other countries and ask people to message me.
In the 12 years of sending to the US, only 1 thing has ever gone truly missing plus a few delays around the holidays, but the Royal Mail service is amazing and away from busy times, arrives well within the 5 to 7 working days for the Standard service. I automatically set shipping to Tracked for anything over a certain value (currently £40) but only use the signed for addition for something custom made of higher value - most US people don’t like signed as it’s often inconvenient for them to go pick things up.
Canada has a much spottier record with the mail once it arrives in Canada, my experience of Canada post is that it’s very rough at times due to extremes of weather in some parts and industrial action, which happens quite a bit. For that reason, anything over £15 value goes tracked. I’ve never had lots of sales from there like the US, more of a trickle. My experience of Japan post is that it’s awesome, fast and reliable (both ways) but since Brexit the costs have gone up dramatically. I post to Oz fairly regularly and again, usually very fast and reliable but more expensive than US and I do usually send tracked there for anything over a certain value.
My suggestion to you and Moira @bornagainbears is that you could dip your toe in the water with the US only to start with and see how you feel about it. There are lots of US people who love to buy from UK makers and Mr Taco can’t involve himself with things that we sell due to their $800 de minimis threshold. Plus, if you buy your postage via Royal Mail’s Click and Drop and integrate your Folksy shop, they’ll help you produce the CN22 customs form for the front of the envelope, which is all you need to add along with an Air Mail sticker that you can get free from the Post Office.
Hope you give it a whirl! 
Ah, sorry, I presumed voucher = workshop as I was looking at a listing for a workshop previously 
. I wonder what you could display as a photo for a voucher - I’m sure others have creative ideas 
I would certainly be up for a shop review. I have just gone through a whole process of trying to put together a cohesive collection of work and the associated look of my shop etc. trying to create an identifiable style which people associate with me and my work. It would be good to understand from the folksy community how successful (or not) I have been and how I can improve things.
Ah, right Yes, it certainly got me thinking - maybe a flat lay with a gift card, pen, a printed voucher and props around like someone’s sending it off? Would love to hear other people’s ideas though.
Not a full review (I’ve already been messing about online for too long this morning 
) but I’d say yes Liz, you’ve really created a cohesive look for your shop and I think you have a very identifiable style in your work and the way you’ve written your descriptions.
Two little improvement suggestions: Your first item photos in most of your listings are very ‘tight’, which is great to get a close up of the piece, but maybe less engaging for a main product shot (some are also partially cut off). A bit of negative space around the piece helps draw attention to it - without that space, the image can feel overwhelming or cluttered. Plus, it can make it hard for viewers to judge the size of the item - space around it, or a reference object, helps convey its true proportions, even if you’ve given the measurements in the description.
The 2nd tip would be to include some photos of your brooches being worn, or at least pinned to clothing on a hanger and maybe your pictures on a wall in a room with that space around it again - that ‘lifestyle’ shot that always manages to sound so pretentious but is very engaging.
Your making story sounds really interesting - I’ve followed you on Instagram to see the other things you get up to!
That’s so helpful, thank you for taking the time to reply. You’ve led me to another question though and that’s how click and drop works? Does it mean that you print your postage label at home and pay online? I currently go in person to the post office with any orders. Jayne.x
Debbie @thecrimsonrabbit thank you so much for your ‘review’ . Everything you have said is really helpful and I will take some time to take and add some pictures taken in the ways you suggests.
I am relatively new to photographing images and definitely need to practice more with composition.
Really pleased you liked my story and that my ‘style’ is emerging.
I have followed you back on Instagram it will be lovely to see what you get up to.
Thank you so much Debbie @thecrimsonrabbit it’s definitely food for thought and I would like to give your advice a try. x
Thanks for this feature, it’s always nice to have feedback and although I have 0 items that could be improved, I’m always up for someone else to give their thoughts on my shop.
I did have an “overall shop” feedback that some (in fact all) of my items are restricted to UK delivery. The only place I’d consider selling to would be the USA, but tbh, I’m happy with just selling to the UK at the moment. Is there any way, we can “remove” or “ignore” that issue on the feedback screen so that it doesn’t show in future?
Yes, that’s right It is really easy to do - just sign up for an account here: https://parcel.royalmail.com/
Then you might want to check out this thread for help with integrating your Folksy shop: Royal Mail Click & Drop - ready to test
You can get fancy printers to print out proper labels for your packages but I’ve never bothered - just print them (double sided gets you two labels per sheet of A4) on the home printer, cut them out and sellotape them on. It’s particularly fab that you can then just drop them at the post office and get your usual proof of posting without messing about at the counter buying the postage. It isn’t ideal that the post office doesn’t get any kind of commission for handling the package, but things going in that direction is pretty inevitable. You can also drop your packages straight into the post box if you prefer, or have them picked up by postie, although there’s now a small cost for that
Thanks so much, I’m going to look into all of that! Ps I love your purses, they’re on my wish list for when I next treat myself!x
I’d be interested in this. Any constructive criticism from others in the know would be most welcome.
Thank you for this and the previous improvements to the stats page. I particularly like the daily graph as Ican clearly see if anything I do helps increases item views and shop visits.. I just need to know how to turn those views into sales. Ill be interested to see if todays theme of the day ‘linocut’ has improved my views today. I look forward to any future improvements.
Converting views to sales is my stumbling block any suggestions welcome.
That’s a really good point Debbie, when I added them to my shop my idea was that someone may order one to go with a gift, for some reason I didn’t think the same for overseas orders. I will check out the cost and add it in.
Yes, definitely, I need fixing and the more feedback I can get the better!
Hi Debbie, I took your advice and pleased to say my shop has fully passes it MOT now.