Hello all,
I opened a shop on Folksy back when it first started but being early days the sales were quite slow. So, as I have my work for sale on my own website and a couple of other online venues, I decided to let my listings end on Folksy.
I was thinking of reopening my shop here and I was just wondering how people are getting on these days? I don’t know whether any of you sell on other online sites or your own websites, how does Folksy compare to these?
I see that Folksy offer a PLUS account now which is probably a good thing to measure by, do many sellers here sell enough to make this worthwhile?
I’m looking forward to hearing your answers (hopefully positive!!)
I have my own website (s) as well as selling on here and Etsy, I tried Ebay but hated it.
My main website is my best performer (I have only just set up another one, which is just for the jewellery, this was done just in the hope of boosting my online presence on google).
I have a plus account. I originally set my shop up 6 years ago in an old business name, but then changed my name, but the URL was still the old name which bugged me, I was told the only way to change it was to start all over again, which I did, but it made me loose all my sales record (I found out recently that folksy have now changed it so that you can change the URL without having to start all over again! Urgh!!).
I’m not up there with the sellers who have sold in the hundreds (not yet anyway), but I do sell on here and more than cover the costs, so I think its worth it, but I think it really depends on what you sell.
It can be a bit slow going tho.
Not sure that really helps.
1 Like
I’ve been selling on Folksy for about 3 years - to begin with it was very slow but I was doing no promotion at all. I now do a lot of promotion and it does pay off. I have had the plus account from the start which I love and it has more than paid for itself - it allows me to list (and sell) items that didn’t turn out quite the way I envisaged which I probably wouldn’t have listed although there was nothing functionally wrong with them. It also allows me to make lots of smaller pieces in addition to my larger, more expensive items which again I probably wouldn’t list on line if I had to pay per listing. I don’t have my own website (yet) but I do have a shop on the other side which I only list select items in and that ticks over. I would say Folksy is a great platform with lots of lovely people always willing to answer questions and give advise but it does take a bit more work than some other sites to get yourself seen and make sales.
1 Like
I’ve been on here for over three years and the last couple of years sales have been good I only sell on folksy and only promote on facebook for me the plus account has been very worth the money
1 Like
Thanks very much, T&M. That’s really helpful.
I sell on ebay too, but really hate it!! It was great in the early days but it’s just not made for custom made items these days. That’s partly why I was thinking of reopening the Folksy shop again.
Thanks!
Thanks very much, Roz.
That’s really interesting, when you say you promote a lot do you mean within Folksy or on social media, etc? Does Folksy get much through traffic from google searches or is it mostly in-house sales from other members?
Sorry for all the questions!
Thanks, Valerie.
It’s great to hear that sales are good for you, it’s always helpful to hear a success story.
I’ve got a well established business Facebook page and it does help a lot with sales on my own website.
Thanks for your help.
This is my sixth year on Folksy and throughout the whole 6 years sales have been pretty regular, other than the usual seasonal dips. I do try to promote as much as I can and I have several customers who come back time and time again. My rag dolls take a long time to make, as a lot of hand stitching is involved and I couldn’t produce enough to make a living from it but I enjoy the fact that people like my work. I’ve always loved being on Folksy and have never regretted opening my shop. I like Folksy Plus - it really seems to work for me. I would recommend it to anyone.
2 Likes
Promotion on various social media, within Folksy and via business cards and word of mouth. Everything I sell, no matter where, gets a sticker with my folksy address on it and a business card enclosed. Still a lot more I could be doing though. Not sure how much comes from google search I’ve still to get my head around google analytics to work that one out. I do know that quite a large percentage of my buyers are not Folksy members though so they must have come from somewhere!
1 Like
Thankyou very much for your help everyone, it’s very kind and it’s great hear your success stories. It’s encouraged me to give returning to Folksy serious consideration.
Thanks again for being so friendly!
Been here 3 years and I have the plus account which means I list and relist far more than I would have and tbh it’s worth it just for the listing fee’s.
My sales have slowly increased but I do get weeks when I don’t sell a thing then suddenly sell lots in one month all very strange but it’s overall sales for the financial year that’s important.
You do need to promote outside and inside of folky and my sales are mainly non Folksy members ie guest buyers. I’ve even had a few return buyers come back for a second item.
It does take time though but last year I made a tiny profit ie tax year 2014-2015 which was great and no track with most new businesses. This year there would have been a much big profit only I had to buy a new laptop. DOH! But as I can’t run an online shop without it, it’s a business expense.
The whole subject of whether Folksy works for you seems to be very “individual”.
I am of the opinion that some things will never be as popular on the net because people can’t handle them and have a good look before they buy. I had this conversation with a fellow stallholder at a fair last week. She is also struggling to sell on Folksy but can sell well at fairs (I know … I’ve seem the evidence and been a little envious!) Her work does not translate well to the Folksy format, especially because of the small thumbnails that people have to browse. Her work really needs to be seen to be appreciated … and I mean looked at for real. I feel that jewellery falls into the same category; the best way to sell an item is to invite someone to try it on for fit, or if it is earring to hold them next to the ear. The buyer needs to see whether the item looks right for their proportions and skin tone.
I think that the real answer to this has to be to give it a go and see what happens. Good luck - I hope it goes well whatever you decide.
