Hi everyone. Joined yesterday but I’m not 100% sure it’s right for my products … which is a shame…let’s see. I’ll give it a couple of weeks. I think the big store beginning ‘E’ has pushed the customer experience and seller expectation for very high quality product image which I’ve tried to do but many of the other sellers on here don’t seem to be utilising all the amazing online software to make their images and products ‘stand out’. Sorry to be mean … but its a fact.
I’m very proud of what I make and it is all 100% handmade by me including each individual pattern. I really hope that this site can ‘up the anti’ on the quality of images needed to attract many more visitors to the site. Best wishes Michelle
Welcome Michelle @MichelleBrayDesigns …Love your shop…you are very talented…I can’t sew, so you have my admiration.
Of course this is the right place to be.
Folksy is wonderful.
However, be aware that it is a lot smaller than E and therefore sales can be slower and it takes time to get yourself seen. I waited for 3 months for my first sale but am currently over 600…
Join in on the forums…everyone is really nice and very helpful…and unlike E, we like to chat a lot and share and help each other…
Join in with some of the games so that people can see what you make.
I am sure you will do well…I have favourited your shop…
Keep listing so that there is always something new to see…don’t just list loads and sit back and wait. The secret to success on Folksy is to always have something new for people to look at…good luck x
As @teabreaks says, don’t expect to get masses of sales here straight away as it is much smaller and less known than certain other sites, so you need to tell your fans that you’re selling here to help it get known… but it is a lovely site where they really seem to care about and listen to us sellers, so it’s worth giving it a good chance.
I know what you mean about the photos, there are times I’m pinning items or trying to make a photo collage to promote Folksy on instagram and really wish some of the photos were better, as you can tell the item would look amazing with the right photography, but with dark, blurry photos it’s not going to grab anyone’s attention or make them want to click. From blog posts I’ve seen from Folksy trying to give photography tips, they agree too and understand how important it is… but there’s not much they can do other than give tips. Hopefully it’ll mean your items stand out so you get more sales, and the more sellers that join Folksy with great photography, the more others will have to improve their images to keep up.
I love the way Folksy is so friendly and relaxed and accepts everyone, not just the people who have the skills to make their shops and images look professional. I’ve done much better on Folksy than Etsy, and Etsy has masses more substandard (and mass produced) stuff than we have here…
I didn’t mean to sound like I think everyone needs super professional photos either, it’s just when a photo was taken with an unsteady hand or is completely out of focus, or is so dark you can’t really see the details, then it’ll stop me sharing even the most wonderful item, which is a shame when people have created such nice things (and it stops me buying too if I can’t see the details well enough, and sales are what we all want).
Sometimes all it needs is someone finding the macro setting, or remembering to hold the camera with 2 hands to fix it. I understand not everyone will want to spend hours learning all the settings and how to edit photos to professional standards, but occasionally it feels like someone took 5 seconds to take one photo and uses that no matter how it looks… and if I’m going to spend money somewhere, I hope for a little more than that.
Michelle, welcome to Folksy, a very friendly place to sell.
You will find lots of advice about making sure you promote yourself on social media so customers can find your lovely things.
If you have any questions just ask and I can pretty well guarantee someone will answer you.
Can I mention that your FB and IG links don’t seen to work.
Xxx
I used to sell some of my items on Gift Wrapped & Gorgeous and I remember one rather funny email sent to sellers from the owner Amanda regarding photo quality… the brilliant phrase “we are NOT Ebay” has always stuck in my head since…
Hi Brenda, thank you for your message - apologies for not replying sooner - I was away for a few days. Reading through all the comments, everyone seems very committed to the site which is great so I’m sure over time, I’ll start seeing some sales. I have loads and loads of new items but want to see initially how the summer stock sells through. best wishes Michelle
Hi Christine, well Folksy is potentially in a strong position - we are up against Etsy who have the power and technology behind them but they are USA-focused with the majority of their customers from the States. It’s hard to break that market because of carriage costs and I do suspect some sellers are mass producing and importing/selling on Etsy just based on the sheer volume of sales they seem to have. I have had a look around Folksy and I’d have to be honest and say, even though you are saying that the products are of higher quality, the photography of these items has a long way to go. Its the one chance to grab the attention of a buyer and not lose them to someone else. regards Michelle
Hi Sarah, that’s so true. I know personally my selling prices aren’t low but are priced to reflect the fabrics/trims and time that’s gone into making something. Therefore, it is so important to give as best an indication of quality through the images portrayed as you only have one chance of securing a sale and as they cannot feel or touch the products, the customer has got to have total confidence in the quality via the imagery and product descriptions. Best wishes Michelle
Hi Joy, thank you for your message and for pointing out the link breakages on FB and IG. Actually, I’ve been giving this a lot of thought since reading that you couldn’t connect to me via Folksy to FB or IG and I’m glad. I’m glad because by doing that, you are leaving my shop and I’ve lost a potential customer who may never return back so I’m going to remove the links on Folksy directing them out of Folksy onto somewhere else but leave the links in place outside of Folksy directing them in… hope that makes sense! best wishes Michelle
Good luck
such pretty outfits 
