Good luck Catt @CattCandleseasington - after nearly 4 years, I’m still persevering and still not there yet!!
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Market your items through direct contact, friends, family, work, your own website, use any opportunity you can to get your message across. Don’t bank that other social media sites will always grow your sales, consider the effort you have to put in too.
Also, don’t give up. If you have something genuinely unique and very different from others, there will always be a market for it at the right price.
Love your product, if you dont why should anyone else.
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Everyone has given such good advice. I would say stay with it if you love what you do, be prepared to adapt and change a little to suit your customers.
For me etsy is not really showing anybody andis very hard to get people to see your work. I have only been on jere a few days and so far i have had people look and interested. So touch wood itll improve. Advertising is the mamin kebcant gey enough of i. I agree with etsy its stiff
A social presence drives customers to your shop. Facebook/twitter/pinterest/instagram are perfect. If you list an item and wait for a buyer it could be a long wait.
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Hello! Is nice to read all these advices, I am new on Folsky too but in the same way I would love be to improve my sells. All the best for you!!!
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I would say first and foremost create what you love and have a passion for and try not define yourself by how much or little you sell.
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All These comments are wonderful, my input is, always keep positive in all your work and give yourself a pat on the back in all you do and love what your doing, this will reflect in your work, I listen to music when I paint or sew, my favourite music is varied, Michael Buble , Josh Groban, I love guitar music especial Spanish, such happy music.
Sue
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Do not take photos of your items on the floor if they don’t belong on the floor. No matter how clean your floor is it tends to put potential customers off. If the floor is the only space you have to take photo’s first put down a clean white sheet before laying your lovely handmade item down.
Do not take photo’s with your cat or dog siting on or next to it. Yes it might look cute but not everyone will be happy to buy something your pet has laid on.
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That is such good advice Eileen, thanks for that
Sue
I like this idea but as I am just starting out I have so many ideas I want to create.
I am hoping that selling certain designs may help me decide on my branding, colours, fabrics, etc.
I have only been here a week and after reading all the helpful tips I must learn to be patient and I now realise that this is going to take many months.
Thanks for the advice.
Hi all, I joined Folksy last week and although I haven’t had any sales I’m delighted to see I’ve had a few shop views already! Your comments and tips are really helpful. I have a full time job as an accountant (boring!) but I love knitting and would love to be able to knit all day long, every day! I’m not on Facebook or Twitter but am starting to think I should be to help promote my business - have any of you guys any thoughts on this? Thanks!
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Facebook isn’t brilliant now that’s because facebook wants us to pay for promoting. You will need to first set up a personal page but then if you post too many links on your personal page they’ll see it as spamming.
So once your have set up your personal page you’ll need to set up your business page.
I would suggest not relying only on facebook and twitter, but also use pinterst (pin it) button is next to each item you list on Folksy.
I would also suggest using Craftfjuice, google+, wanelo, maybe instagram and any other social media platform you can think of.
The more places you promote the wider audience you’ll have.
Also think about who are your target market. ie baby items would go down well at mother and toddler groups so see where they are in your area and pop in a flyer or two, maybe get permission to show some of your items.
Get some business cards so you can hand them out to friends, associates etc etc
You do need to put in measurements for your hats length and width.
I notice you say tracking is an extra option for a customer. To be honest tracking is for the sake of the seller not the buyer. It covers you in case a buyers says something is not delivered when tracking shows it is delivered. I would suggest tracking with signed for any higher priced item.
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Hi and thanks for your comments, they’re much appreciated! I totally get your point re the tracked shipping. To be honest I was just taking a lead from some sellers on other sites and this seemed to be the most common method for international shipping. I do send all my items first class recorded within the UK but international tracking seemed to be very expensive and I didn’t want to put any potential international buyers off, which is another reason why I opted for international standard. Good point also re giving the dimensions of my items, again I was taking a lead from sellers of similar items so I’ll make sure to add these!
Thanks again!
Tracey
Now I Don’t send tracker or signed for (only exceptionally for a much higher priced item and then I do to give me a higher level of insurance, the only reason).
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That’s because I absolutely hate it when a parcel sent to me, needing a signature, gets sent back to the sorting office and I have to go to great lengths to get it redelivered.
I have only ever sent out one parcel which has gone Awol and I’m pretty certain that was just my customer messing about. Even the replacement I sent signed for as she then paid for that service, did not actually get signed for !
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One parcel sent to me signed for (suction hooks from Ebay) for no reason at all, very very nearly got lost. It arrived the day I went away for 25 days and I was very lucky the sorting office still had it when I got back - only reason they had kept it over the 18 days was that there were absolutely no return details on or even in the parcel.
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So I pack very carefully, label clearly with a return label and post RM, via my actual post office not the post box, first class, signed for. Magic.
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Hi Joy and thanks for your comments on tracking parcels, this makes perfect sense! There’s usually always someone at home when ‘signed for’ parcels arrive for me so having to go to the post office to collect is never an issue, but I can see how it would be really inconvenient if this wasn’t the case - hadn’t thought of it from that angle so thanks!
Thanks again,
Tracey
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Be honest with your customers.
Your descriptions and your prices should be appropriate to the quality of the item; not a race to undercut the sweatshop imports, or even your fellow UK crafters, but a genuine value for the item.
Everybody can craft for fun, and give the resulting item to their Granny. That doesn’t mean it’s very good, and probably not worth a lot. If that’s what you are selling then say so.
Some people study and practice and create for years, refining their skills until they are truly a “Master” of their art or craft. Their prices should reflect their mastery, and their photos and descriptions should show why.
Most of us are somewhere between these two extremes.
There are customers for all levels, who know which High Street shops match their taste and budget. The hardest thing when selling online is to help your bewildered customers figure out if your item would be in their favourite High Street shops, or gallery. Plain white background shots have their uses, but lifestyle shots and appropriate pricing are much more helpful connecting the right customer with the right item.
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Take great pictures as that is the closest way your potential customer will come to feeling your product
As they say … picture speaks a 1000 words.
Need I say more!
Tola
Detola and Geek x
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So what are we allowed to do to promote. I have an Etsy shop and a facebook page selling different things but all with the same name. Are we allowed to link other pages to Folksy page. If I list something on Etsy there is a button to click which sends it to my FB page Is this allowed here and if not what else can we do. I was here a little while ago but it didn’t work for me Have just come back to sell supplies but only just started listing