Use photoroom to remove backgrounds. I just done this in 2 seconds (taking the original from your shop)
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@MatildaBelle If you’ve got some seconds then now is the time to get them online! Folksy have got a seconds sale this Sunday, and as you’ve already got a Plus account, if you’ve got some seconds you can add the tag “seconds sunday” to, you might get seen a bit more which will hopefully lead to some sales.
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Thank you so much. I have Canva i think i can do it with that too, i think. Thank you x
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Thank you so much for the nudge. Yes i could do with getting them on in the next couple of days. Certainly worth it. thanks again
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You have some beautiful work. Have included you in my Folksy Friday this wek x
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Hi there - just seen your post. I, too, am new to Folksy (well returning after a very long break, and with a new name, actually!) but I thought I’d chip in about pricing.
Have you ever watched the BBC programme called Make it to Market? They advised makers to make something ‘high end’ they could use to encourage commissions and something they could make lots of that didn’t take too much time, and then something they really loved making.
I’m in the same boat as you - and advice to me has been to put the price UP so people consider it something ‘special’! Not that I have dared do that yet.
I think getting sales is first about getting noticed and I agree that is time consuming and depressing! I am not good at it!
Perhaps you could follow the BBC advice and think of something that you can make easily and maybe rather than putting the price down, put it up but with an extra item - eg instead of selling 4 buttons for £12, sell 5 buttons for £14.50, so although you are getting slightly less per button you are selling an extra one each time? They make some ‘posh stuff’ to encourage commissioned work (if of course you want to do commissions?)
Best of luck - I’ll favourite you - maybe you could return the favour?
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It’s difficult to figure out isn’t it. I also hate social media, and I get the impression it works for people who are naturally on it all the time, and for the others it’s just a chore. I do create a Pin when doing a new listing, but no evidence that it helps at all.
When pricing supplies, is your target customer other craftsellers like us who want it as cheaply as possible, but will buy several items at once, or a wealthy end-user who just wants a single unique item at a time?
I would be very unlikely to pay £6.50 for a single button, which by the time you add postage is almost £10. But I do buy sets of 4 or 6 buttons, and would buy matching sets in different colours. The sizes I would search for are 25mm and 38mm - put the size in your title and/or tags to get picked up by search.
In my opinion you’ve got the postage right by separating it out and having zero extra for additional items, as that encourages multi-item orders.
However, I am just not getting sales through Folksy over the last year, despite this being the site I promoted more than the others put together. I have just had my first sale here since the start of December, and that’s not because “people don’t have money to spend” as I’ve already sold more in January through other sites than the whole of 2022 here. I don’t know what changed with Folksy, but it’s becoming a struggle for me.
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lovely items…I think you aim at a specific market.
For myself for example, I only love sparkly things, so you have to target a different type of person.There are lots of people who will love what you make…you just have to find them
Lots of good advice on here and yes join in on the forums…a good percentage of my sales are from lovely people that I have met on here.
One word though, and forgive me if I an wrong…as I understand it, you cannot sell pierced earrings that someone else has worn, so to show them being modelled on a human being is not a good idea and might put people off.
The other good piece of advice is to have some “lost leaders”, small, low priced items to tempt people to your shop…
Hope that helps x
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Hi. Thank you for taking the time to reply. Just to clarify I wouldn’t dream of selling earrings that had been worn. The ceramic pieces are interchangeable on the dangly earrings and so easily swapped from the silver.
Thanks again.
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Hi. Thanks for some great tips. It hadn’t dawned I. Me to put the size of the buttons in the description. Although I don’t class myself as a supplier my buttons are a special treat. I’ve been making and selling them for a long time usually at markets but unfortunately due to health reasons I can’t attend markets any longer.
Hence pushing my online shops. I just can’t get traffic to my shop which I’m at a loss.
So sorry your sales on folksy aren’t great. Do you h to think it’s easier to have less online shops?
Thanks again for taking the time to reply.
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Hello, I think everything in your shop looks lovely, your prices are good and your photos are clear and inviting. I am finding you have to be constantly posting on social media daily, for hours, to get enough new followers to turn turn into sales. You have to join thousands of local and national Facebook groups, advertising groups, local business groups, buy and sell groups etc and groups that have any relation whatsoever to your product…,… and then spend hours and hours copying and pasting a advert for your business in all those groups……and do that at least weekly really or as often as the group rules allow. I’m in my first year of business and have been doing this for the past few months and I’ve increased my followers to over a thousand. And followers on social media = sales. It’s time consuming, boring and frustrating but it has to be done with social media for it to work for you. If you can create a amazing interesting Instagram video of your work and it goes viral that will also attract followers. Something I’m yet to do. But you have to do it every single day… constant posting. However I am now seeing results and I sell a lot through my social media pages as well as make sales and direct traffic to my shop here. I really hope that helps a bit and it takes off for you. I think your products and shop look beautiful so I’m sure once people find you they will buy Xx
I have three different ranges to my work - knitted wool, felted wool, and woven wool as Harris tweed. A few years ago I tried to separate them and sell totally different things in different places so as not to risk selling the same thing twice. It was also better from a targeted promotion point of view, but just took so much time. At one point I had seven online shops, two gallery outlets, plus in summer I was going to Craft Fairs as well!
I have now cut down to three online shops, one gallery, and half the number of Craft fairs. If you have just one shop, and it’s the right shop for you, then it is easy to promote, but I am very wary of “putting all my eggs in one basket”.
As for social media, it does work for some, but hasn’t for me. My Facebook page apparently has hundreds of followers, but my posts are usually seen by about 12 people. I used to pay British Crafters to do social media promotions for me, but that service is no longer available. I would rather be making things than pretending to like some complete stranger in the hope that they will share my post!
Meanwhile, I don’t remember when I last mentioned Etsy in any social media post, but within 24 hours of re-opening after Christmas I was getting orders. Whatever they are doing brings in the orders with little effort from me, but they do have a habit of changing things at short notice, so not a basket I would want to put all my eggs into.
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I thought your work photography was ready good .clean un cluttered. Impressed with you contemporary ceramic work x im no expert but thought your shop.is amazing. My sale have dropped of this year x no one even buying now I’ve reduce. Playing the long game and hope to.learn how to.improve too x bodkin creates
Good avice . I think its hard times and im definitely getting lower sale this year x
Good advice here 
Hi, So sorry for not replying sooner.
Your response is fantastic and so honest thank you so much. I think you really have hit the nail on the head that social media its a relentless slog that just has to be done. I think I’ve really struggled to get my head around the commitment that has to be made to social media, id rather be making. But then wouldn’t we all.
Thank you again and your wire work is so stunning!
xx
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Good morning,
so sorry i haven’t got back to you sooner. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply and your lovely comments.
Im so sorry things are slow for you too. Your Allotment skirts are amazing so beautiful! I can’t believe they dont fly like hot cakes!
Than you again for your lovely words. xx
Hi, thanks for the extra info and so sorry i haven’t got back to you sooner. Yeah i agree i dont think social media works for everyone its such a minefield isn’t it.
I feel like im chasing my tail i have my own website, folksy a gallery and some other outlets. sometimes i think right im going to just keep the one and focus on that. I feel like because i dilute my energy then none are succeeding. But then i panic like you said having all my eggs in one basket. I think i may do a little scream at this point arrghghhhh!
However it is goof knowing im not alone and that we are all just trying to keep the wheels turning, thanks again for your input i really appreciate it. Fingers crossed for them sales to keep coming in. xx
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Thank you 
I actually don’t like social media myself, hate it in fact, but am realising the world is being pushed in this direction and more people purchase from the internet now and as a small business , I’m not sure I would survive if I didn’t get to grips with it. I’m hoping that after a few years of flogging away at it, that I will be able to relax how much time I’m spending promoting myself through social media because the customer base will be there, but it’s hard work in this beginning process, worst part about working for myself lols. I wish I could just sit and make jewellery all day but I’m finding currently while I try and get sales, I’m spending about 70% on the computer and phone and only about 30% on creativity ……. I can’t wait until that changes 
Xx
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