Hello ! started to upload shops … Would value a honest opinions about how I have set it up:-) would be appreciated ! Thought it looks better with the ruler to show the actual size of the candles! Been doing the candles since 1994 but had a 14 year break since then, The worlds changed !! madly ! and dramatically !! How much stock do you usually stock up your shops with and is the £45 a year option worthwhile ? Thanks Catt
Hello Catt & welcome to Folksy. You have a good selection of items in your shop already - well done. It’s up to you how much stock you list but at least a page is good to start with.
I would add some more details to your listings to help your buyers. It’s a good idea to use the ruler in your photos but I would state the measurements in your description. You mention that your candles are scented - what fragrances do you use and what other ones do you have available to order?
Good luck & I hope you have loads of sales!
Welcome to Folksy 
Your candles are awesome but I agree that more detail would help and maybe more pictures at different angles without the ruler. Which might help you being spotted as a Folksy favourite or added to the gift guides. Your postage seems odd to me too, it’s more expensive to post within the UK than the rest of the world? If there’s a reason for that then it may be worth explaining that in your description too as i would imagine it may put some buyers off. I hope I haven’t offended you with those comments, they are meant to help
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Hey Thanks for the feedback !! Appreciate it … Thanks Sonia , yes I will do that re the sizes… am just trying to get them all up at the moment hee hee… but your advice is really appreciated ! I need to unpack them all again hee hee took photos but forgot to check the scents out ! DOH ! typical bloke here !! ha ha! So am going to remedy that soon as !! Just putting scented for the minute eek !! Really appreciate it …Cheers Catt !!!
Hey Louise !! Thanks for the feedback…err have I done the postage wrong eek !! will rectify that…am trying to get stock up as well as manage my poorly cat 
that’s my excuse !! Am just glad the photos are ok… and will take more piccys without the ruler I just wasn’t sure … have taken all on board !! Thanks sooo much for your help !!! Catt
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You Guys are awesome !! @ Louise and @ Sonia !! Cheers for the advice !!
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Hi Catt, and welcome.
One thing I noticed was that you say these are custom made (which makes them non-returnable unless faulty) yet you say you will ship within one day. The custom listing should really only be used for items that really are made to order to the customers specifications, not for stock items, as it could land you in trouble as it looks like you;re trying to dodge out of the Distance Selling Regulations.
Your UK postage is £2.50 - from looking at your candles they will need to be small packet size, therefore £2.80 2nd class or £3.20 1st class. I think you need to properly calculate the shipping rates so that you don’t lose out.
Also, and I’m not meaning to be nit-picky, just genuinely trying to help, I’d miss out the overuse of exclamation marks in some of your listings, as well as checking on things like spelling and capital letters etc, as at present some of your listings are quite hard to read.
Hope that helps.
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Happy to help Catt, there’s a huge amount of great adviceavailabilities on the forums here.
Good luck with your shop
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Welcome to Folksy.
The plus account works out at good value if you plan to have more than 250 listings with in a year, that could be 10 each of 25 different items or 250 different items. Whether you will generate enough listings to make it worth while is up for you to decide.
Some people like to know what their candles are made from so you might want to add the type of wax used (paraffin/ soy/ bees wax etc) and if the scents are made from essential oils or synthetic ones. A description of what the scents are might be a good idea for the blended ones ie forest scent is pine with top notes of leaf mold or something. Also if you have an idea of the burn time that might be worth including (and a photo of one burning if you are prepared to set fire to your stock!).
Your titles - not all of them state that it is a candle - worth putting in so that it gets included in when people do searches.
Photography - good photos are essential if you want to get included in the gift guides. Some of yours are out of focus, most of them are at an accute angle (straight on shot from the front would be better rather than from a slightly raised angle) and the angle of lighting means that alot of the detail is lost in shadows. Make yourself a cheap reflector by covering a piece of card with scrunched up and then smoothed out tin foil and then bounce light back on to the front of the candle - casting all the detail takes effort and skill so you want to show it off.
Finally postage - I’m looking at a listing for a 2 inch candle and the postage is quoted at £1 - royal mail will charge you more than that, I think it is £3.20 for first class small packet. You can do a bulk edit on all your listings to amend your postage rates and royal mail have a price finder on their website so you can get it right and not end up out of pocket.
Sorry if this all seems very critical but it is worth getting it right from the beginning.
Good luck.
Sasha
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Hi Sara, Thanks for the advice! and the heads up re the custom thing… hadn’t thought of that so will amend now. Yes the prices for postage , was and is a bit of a mare, hey trying not to do exclamation marks…ha ha… is a habit , I need to stop… I run my own music website I use them all the time…err yes I know re my spelling hangs head hee hee … really appreciate the help ! oops exclamation mark 
cheers Catt
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Hi Sasha , And thanks so much for your Mail… that’s invaluable advice as well… I cant thank you enough either… The postage I wasn’t to sure about . Will get to work today on these suggestions, and will do a bulk edit … Thanks so much for your mail. Not being critical at all… Just very, very helpful Love the cheap reflector idea.
Wow really cant thank you all enough! You have all been so amazing and helpful… Thank You… Shall be busy doing all of these things today … Thank you ,Thank you, Thank you
Wow so much to take on board… Think doing the sales this way has to be the right way…Craft fairs etc seem to be so hit and miss these days… Just fully learning how to do it all online. I owe you all a huge drink My postage rates are exact yet but thanks for the heads up guys… wont add any more stock until I have this all corrected… Busy busy busy
Its worth the effort, I’m still tweaking and learning how to set it all up but I am noticing a huge difference the more that I ‘fix’ things in my shop.
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I just thought I’d have another look in your shop and it looks like you’ve made a lot of progress with our suggestions - keep up the hard work! Best to fix it now before you have lots of listings, I need to tweek/ re do a whole load of my photos but I’m dredding it as it is going to take ages.
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Hi ya ,Louise , totally , its all a learning curve !! so appreciate all the really, really helpful feedback !! been on etsy for ages no ones ever replied to me ! and never done or put as much effort into the shop as I wrongly thought the craft fairs would be great !! they arent !! anymore lol
Hi Sasha, Thanks have done a bit today…am needing to retake the piccys and have taken onboard everyones advice…its really helpful ! Yes would be a mare if I had too many items up on the site !! going to fix what I have up first…then continue adding once I have them sorted! I know I keep going back going arrgh I missed that one lol !
dreading re doing the piccys too !!
When you re-do the photos, try different angles as has already been suggested. Also, try with different lighting - the dark Buddha has a lot of details but it doesn’t show up very well in the current pic. Try lighting from below or from one side to highlight the detail.
Instead of a ruler, try another item that most people would recognise, like coins or a box of matches etc.
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Hi Catt
I realise that I don’t sell well on here, but here’s my 2p:
I read quickly through and agree with all said above. I would also add that it may be better to use the ruler pictures in your second or third photo, not the first.
Good luck and have a great holiday!
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