I have sold 179 items on Folksy which sounds reasonable doesn’t it? Until I tell you that is over the 12 years I’ve been with Folksy!
Online isn’t my main focus yet it takes more of my time than anything else. I do lots of craft fairs though these have dwindled as my dogminders have done, so the dog has to come with me; and not all inside venues (no outdoors for me these days) allow them. So I’d really like to improve my online sales in general and my Folksy sales in particular.
I think I’ve done all the right things. I engage in social media every day, spending far too much time on it for little return. Facebook gets me some but they’re mostly previous customers from the craft fairs: I’ve updated my Pinterest account to business, adding lots more images linked to my Folksy shop and I’m waiting to see what happens there but it doesn’t seem to have helped yet; Insta is a dead loss.
I’ve updated my photos loads of times.
I join in with most of what Folksy has to offer.
I have 223 items for sale in my Folksy shop – surely that’s enough?
I don’t buy the economic downturn as a “reason”, there’s always something that’s wrong with the economy. I don’t have a problem selling at the craft fairs (except for the odd blip when I get the venue/organiser wrong – even after 16 years of doing them, it can still happen,) lots of people are still buying no problem. I may only be doing small venues mostly at the cheaper end but picking right and knowing the area, people are buying, life goes on.
This isn’t a hobby, it’s my business but fortunately I’m old enough to access pensions, otherwise it would all be very depressing.
Does anyone have any suggestions about how I can make my online sales improve, even a little? It would so help my frame of mind!
I’m sorry. I can offer no help at all. My sales here are dire, I have in recent months or over the last two years really, become virtually invisible.
Everything I have is for sale here at the same price as elsewhere online but my sales elsewhere are fine. Here they are 50% repeat customers when they actually appear.
Like you outside fairs are a nono so I am limited and my arthritis makes setting up/down harder every time. I sell well when I do do them but am not in a tourist area where my things would attract better face to face custom.
I have my own website… I don’t sell from it, it is a shop front to all my online shops.
I am Very seriously considering opening it up to online sales … To cover me against the day that Folksy income no longer covers Folksy wages.
Ps just looked in your shop your work is gorgeous. Not surprised it sells when people see it.
I’m sorry you’re feeling frustrated about it and I guess that me saying you’re not alone isn’t any practical help!
One area that you haven’t mentioned but is something I think about all the time is: who are your customers? If you have a really good idea about what the profile of your buyers is (and I guess you will have as you’ve sold in person), that might help to focus in on what specifically has changed with them and why aren’t they buying online as they have in the past?
I personally believe that the biggest shift in buying behaviour isn’t so much in the economy but in how people are feeling about buying online since all the lockdowns - there definitely seems to have been more of a move to experiencing things in person, including buying handmade. I think this particularly applies to people who have more time and more disposable income, who may well be our customer profile. I also wonder if there’s a change in who those people buy for, do you think they buy less for their younger relations because the younger generations are more into experiences and non-material things?
One other thing you don’t mention that could be an avenue to research is selling into a different market - do you sell to the US, for example?
Don’t know if any of that is any help, but just some random ramblings that may spark and idea for you
I don’t know if you enjoy Instagram or Facebook but they are still my biggest platforms for engaging with loyal customers and finding new ones.
People seem to really engage with process videos. Once you’ve made a few instagram reels, you get used to it and they become easier and quicker to edit and don’t take that long (for a simple one)
Sometimes, I just simply video my stock, so that people can see what the things look like when being held, moved around etc.
I made a video yesterday, just showing me stick a heart on a gingerbread man (I even dropped him…lol!) It got quite a lot of views (over 2,500) and nearly half of those were from non-followers, so potential new customers!
To be fair though, in general, month by month, I have also been struggling to pay the bills this year. I’ve just had a nice upturn after my Halloween shop drop (these seem quite succesful too, especially for my regular customers) and I think people are now starting to buy for Christmas.
I can only offer my sympathies & say I hear you. This year as been my worst for 4 years. I think, as others have said, it just comes down to the fact that people don’t have any spare money at the moment. I have found at the craft markets I attend, customers will buy cheap stuff for the kids but only buy more expensive items if they really need it and it seems that jewellery isn’t something they really need.
I am pinning all my hopes on Christmas & then on the new Government to actually put more money in people’s pockets next year.
I have just checked my sales totals for the past 6 months… April to September and compared them with last year. My sales are up… not a lot but keeping up with inflation. The figures which are down and going lower and lower year on year are my Folksy sales figures. My customer base is unchanged and I promise you, I am well aware of my customer base, but the customers in that base are it seems just not finding my Folksy shop. They find my other shops though.
I decided to check items sold here on Folksy for a few years…
I am excluding 2020 2021 as they were exceptional and directly as a result of lockdown.
These figures are items sold on Folksy Jan to September for the years shown ::
2024 75
2023 77
2022 236
…
2019 251
2018 224
Anyone care to explain what happened After 2022… I had my other shops then too, I have not changed the way I promote Folksy / my other shops…
PS Just fell off my chair. A Folksy order pinged in.
One more tiny sale in the next 7 days and I will hit the Best Sellers list
Thanks Debbie. Yes, I do know my customer base from the craft fairs but they don’t necessaily translate to online sales - those same people seem to like in person shopping and not so much online. I’ve definitely got the 30 - 70 female set, preferably mum with adult daughter, they’re the best. My online sales have never been good, I had a very small upsurge over covid times and I’m back down again now. So, yes, my craft fairs are just as good if not better than they’ve ever been (and the one remaining gallery is doing much better than any of them have ever done.)
I think opening up to the American market would be a retrograde step. I used to be with etsy and never got an American customer. And it’s such a faff! I was open to selling across Europe before brexit then stopped when it got more complicated with the German packaging laws etc. It didn’t matter anyway, I only ever had one sale, that was in France from a British person living there! Basically, I need to be seen online generally and need those existing loyal in-person customers to find me and buy from me online, which is isn’t happening.
Thanks Sarah. I quite like facebook, there’s lots of people I know or who I’ve met, lots of previous customers, so it’s not all business chat. Instagram is another matter - it seems to be lots of other makers but not customers. I’ve done loads of videos/reels over the years as that’s supposed to be the way to go - the thought of getting over 2500 views is mind-bogglingly wonderful to me - I’ve rarely got 100! I’ll throw in an odd one these days to see if anything has changed for me - it hasn’t.
It is very hard Silvana, took me ages for my first sales the went quiet. Gradually have more but even then 500+ for at least 10 years on F is not good enough. I have reopened my shop on the dark side, adding journals to there as well liked in the US, still keeping on F though. So far have had more views with no advertising than on F. Something is wrong.
Like Joy I am having to do this but piece meal with other platforms. Also going back to paying plus monthly in January as not sure how things are going to pan out.
Thanks Chris but I’m not seeing th lack of spare money at all, not at the craft fairs, not everyone is struggling. I am not seeing anything different as there’s no downturn in sales when I’m out there. What I do see is that there is much more use of credit cards rather than cash, so they don’t see exactly what they’re spending (and an awful lot of people don’t want a receipt either.) So maybe that’s it. People don’t “need” their nails done every few weeks but so many do that now, so not needing jewellery isn’t a reason - and it certainly lasts longer than a nail session!
Thank you Carole, I know Folksy isn’t the best though I was on etsy for about 8 years at the same time as Folksy but transferreed everything over at the start of covid when I had plenty of time, I’d become very unhappy with the way they did things, even then, I believe it’s worse now. I do like Folksy though, they are so helpful and just more human! Just their advertising isn’t upt o scratch. Having said all that, I never found etsy to be any better, I think I just got lost in the billions of people on there, at least this is a smaller haystack to get lost in!
Thanks Joy glad you like my work, I just wish I could get seen by more people like you! You’re actually doing very well when you take all your outlets into consideration. Even your Folksy sales are way over anything I can muster.
But yes, to make any sort of success, you do have to spread yourself around lots of online platforms, especially when you can’t get out there as much as you want. I’m not in a tourist area but I’m in a very well populated part of the country (the Liverpool, Manchester, Preston triangle) so that’s probably why I have much more success that way - and I like to chat to people too, it’s all part of the experience and people like to talk, certainly round here.
I also have my own website but only use it as a shop front - when I decided to stop European sales (eventhough I’d only ever had 1!), I couldn’t figure out how to block payments from there, so took off the shopping cart altogether!
Thanks Alison for the reply and the instagram follow - I followed back as I hadn’t realised I’d not done it on there, only on Facebook. Again, this is something about Folksy, it’s a lot more personal that some of the other platforms, I don’t feel quite as “on my own” as I could be - I may be down in the dumps but at least I feel there is support out there. x
P.S. That latest bag I got from you is just the right size for everything I need, including that oversized tablet, when I do the craft fairs - and it gets lots of remarks too!
I honestly thought I was following you too! And I agree, it’s good to know you’re not the only one as online selling can be quite a strange and isolating place at times!!
And I’m absolutely thrilled that your bag is just right…hearing that has definitely been a high point today xxx
Sorry i can’t offer any advice, I do make sales but they are mostly to a handful of customers that collect my bears, if or when the day comes that they can no longer fit anymore in their homes it will probably be time for me to retire.
I find on social media the same names interact and like my posts, facebook is not like it use to be, a few years ago I could post a bear and half a dozen customers would be messaging to try and buy it. However my prices were a lot lower in those days, I remember my shelves were always empty, when I did craft fairs I often had to cancel as I had no stock to take. Very different to nowadays.
Instagram is better but it still seems to be the same followers that see my posts.
Nowadays there are probably at least twice as many people selling online, all trying to get their posts seen. I think we just have to keep pushing and hoping Christmas brings new customers, November is usually a really good month so will see what this year brings. Fingers crossed you have a really good pre christmas rush.
I completely understand, as I’m in the same situation! Online selling seems to require a disproportionate amount of effort compared to the results. It feels like all the time spent on social media and constant updates isn’t translating into the sales we’d hope for, and I often wonder if I’m truly doing all I can.
If you do find any strategies that work, please let me know—I really feel like we’re in the same boat! Best of luck, and here’s hoping for some positive changes soon!
Thank you Marco. Actually, I thought that you’d written to me in Italian but I put the translater on and realised it was my post in Italian - it was a very good one too, so many become gobbledegook! I’m ashamed to say that my limit of the language is reading a menu and some very basic stuff to get by with when I go there - my name is Silvana but 3rd generation and unfortunately I wasn’t brought up with that side of the family. Anyway yes, I wish you luck too, your work is so beautiful. I’m presuming you have tried to get into some galleries? The mark-up can be huge but there are some still that will do 35% & 40% and if you get the right places, you will find those customers who will pay with the amount you would need to add on top, to get what you want to get back from the sale.
Thank you for your message! You’re right; I made a mistake in the translation, and the original text remained. I apologize; my English isn’t the best!
I really appreciate your compliments about my work. As for galleries, I’m not exploring that opportunity because I think I need to be more fluent, and unfortunately, my English doesn’t allow for that.
Well, you’re doing way better than me. I’ve only had 12 sales in 3 years on here, considerably lower than when I was on another platform that shall remain nameless. I moved to Folksy because it was for UK designer makers, thinking it would provide a better audience, but it’s proved to not be the case for me. It is also my business, though I’m fortunate that my husband now claims his very modest private pension, otherwise we’d be in a bad way financially. I’m afraid I have no advice for you, but hope things pick up for you.
