Hello everyone, I just joined Folksy 6 weeks ago and have 100 listings now but I wanted to ask some advice from those with more experience how they plan their year in general. Is there a time of the year when you make more and increase your listings and is there time in the year when the demand is higher? I know that people have commented that it has been quieter recently. I suppose it depends on what you are making and if it fits any theme but any advice gratefully received as I am just trying to get organised.
Very many thanks
Jonny
As you’d probably expect Christmas is the big one and the run up is generally reliably busy. I usually find people start shopping early for it and stop earlier too - not so much last minute shopping as I’d have originally thought. Reckon your products will be v. popular at Christmas and you’ll also get lots of custom requests so I’d get as organised as possible for that if I were you.
Someone else might be able to give you a better idea on the rest of the year, as although I’ve had a shop here for many years, I’ve only really focussed on it since lockdown and these aren’t normal times. I’ve found sales have been good over the last year but recently it’s all gone quite - but then I haven’t been listing new things so that could be it. This was the time of year I’d planned to focus on lots of making even though it’s hard to be motivated do that when sales are quiet.
I saw a good YouTube video from Tizzit about planning your handmade shop year and the recommendation there was to build your year towards the big days (depending on what you sell) e.g. Mothers Day, Fathers Day and of course Christmas and that you should plan to reserve November and December just for selling and focussing on getting orders out.
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oooh just a thought (you’ve probably had it already yourself) - as part of a festive range could you do Christmas type animals (polar bear, penguin etc) containing festive words. The general advice I’ve always heard about festive products is to get them in your shop before end of the summer as it might get you extra publicity from magazines as they plan their gift guides far ahead.
I have to start thinking seriously about Christmas around end of August. Last year I was run off my feet and by the time Christmas eve came I was exhausted. I was at the level where if I never saw another piece of stained glass again, it’d be fine by me! I don’t just sell glass, and I don’t just sell it here…I make lots of other things and sell over on the ‘Dark’ side. I’ll be doing artisan fairs hopefully this year too.
It can depend a lot on what items you sell (for example, a knitter is likely to have a different busy time to someone making wedding items), and my sales can vary quite a lot over the months and years, but in general I do notice August-October will usually be quieter for me, and then November/December is usually busier with people shopping for Christmas. Although I do try and get Christmas sales a bit earlier, especially when it’s commissions or international, I still find most leave it until November (@feelfeltfound you obviously have more organised buyers than me 
)
I don’t plan to have more items in my shop at certain times of year and less at others, but as I only put my Christmas cards in for half the year, I do have a bit more coming up to Christmas. Christmas specific stuff I generally start adding to the back of my shop in August/September, but don’t promote it until October.
As your items seem easily giftable, I expect you might notice a Christmas increase as well. If you’re going to do anything Christmas specific then you probably want to start thinking about it now, so you can get it in to your shop by September for the early shoppers. If you’re just sticking to your standard stock, you’ll just need to work out your Christmas deadlines (for posting and commissions) and add it to your shop announcement in autumn.
Other than Christmas, your items seem most well suited to birthdays/new babies, so they’ll be happening all year round.
I was thinking of November as early for Christmas 
but I think some do start in October and with lockdown last year some got organised even earlier.
bats for Halloween with spooky words - the goths would love that
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@feelfeltfound That makes me feel better! I know there’s one annoyingly organised person on my Facebook who’s already said they’ve got a few things, and is normally finished shopping by October, but they don’t seem to be very common.
Thanks everyone that’s really helpful 