I saw people saying they did not get many sales from folksy recently? is it worth having an account. how many listings do you need to start getting sales?
For me personally it is worth it, I cannot stress enough though that all of my sales so far have come from my own networking, not social networking either, real old fashioned talking to people networking. I love that Folksy is small and as unique as its makers, I love that it provides me with a platform to sell my work from so I donāt have to try and figure out a website of my own, I love that it caters for uk makers only and I love that itās not yet gone the way of the others and I love the sense of community here, so yes for me itās worth it.
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Im in a dilema, I have been with Etsy since 2010 but lately they have become greedy and aside from the always increasing fees they have also started putting accounts in reserve. withholding 100% of the takings. they only state 75% but then always say you dont meet the minimum. so they keep the lot.
Unfortunately I dont have the time to self advertise or market and I like that etsy do a lot of the work. I was hoping that folksy also did similar and advertised listings on google etc. and that someone would say for example that āyou will find you get sales if you have over ## number of listings.ā
Im realy conflicted about folksy i realy want to make it work but its been months since i had what i call a stranger sale my past 3 sales have been people that i have met at fairs and markets elsewhere even then its been a wile , at this point im sure its costing me more to have a shop hear then i ever make off of folksy
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Iām afraid there isnāt a magic number of listings required to generate sales, not on this platform or any other. Folksy do advertise listings on google but not in quite the same way or with quite the same budget as etsy, you do need to make sure that you format your titles and descriptions in a way that google likes for that to be effective.
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I think Folksy is worth it. My daughter has a shop on the other side, and persuaded me to join, but at the moment itās shut!!!.. Yes, I only opened it last month and had four sales very very quickly, but I just donāt like it. With Folksy you feel part of their community, which is what I like. And, the fact that itās an English site is really lovely.
I myself only opened my Folksy Shop a year ago, and already have returning customers. I have a Facebook Page, and am on Instagram and Pinterest, but have no idea where new customers come from, but Folksy must be doing something right. My Shop was closed from December last year to April this year, and within a day I sold loads of cards.
Stay with Folksy. They are the best.
SallyAnn
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For as little as 15p per listing (plus VAT) you can have an online presence for your work, the support and help of other sellers and the Folksy team, the opportunity to take part in physical real time events if you join your local Folksy Group, offer your customers a choice of two ways to payā¦ Whatās not to like?
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you perfectly articulated what swirls around in my brain 
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Folksy is a lovely place to beā¦I get consistent sales but it took a while to get started. I was here for 3 months before I had my first saleā¦we are now 11 years down the line and nearly 900 sales. As Judy saidā¦where else can you get an online presence for such a small investment. Also Folksy take care of the shopping cart etcā¦( wouldnāt know where to start)
It also safeguards you against any problems. Compare it to having a websiteā¦/ I also used to do fairs that cost me Ā£45 a time for ONE dayā¦for similar fees on folksy you can show your work for 4 months for each listing ( for 9 months)
Even advertising in a local shop or magazine would cost you far higher than that.
Join in on the forums. Sally Ann did and I know she has made a lot of friends and a lot of salesā¦
It is a NO CONTEST answer for meā¦and everyone here is really lovelyā¦and friendly tooā¦always someone to help youā¦x
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I think Folksy is worth it. I donāt make many sales on here either and most of those are from friends but I like the fact that it is small, run by committed people, who as far as I can tell have more than one job. I do have a shop on my website but I prefer the look of my shop on here and I appreciate that Folksy is not listed on the New York stock exchange nor is it beholden to its shareholders, so Iāll be staying.
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I have been on Folksy a number of years, selling different things with the āoddā sale here n there
I have not sold anything with my recent shop which I have had well over 12 months now, I use IG& Pin regularly & i do pop on the forums when I get chance & I also appreciate that my work is that of a ānicheā marketā¦
Like other sellers I have also tried selling on other platforms but didnāt like the way they work! I find Folksy to have a very friendly community but for me personally I think I may have to reconsider carrying on 
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While I agree with everyone else here who loves the community, the ethos and the āhandmade in UKā feel and theme of Folksy - at the end of the day, weāre here to make sales arenāt we?! Personally, it hasnāt really worked for me on that front. I know some sellers do well on here, even some who donāt go mad on Social Media. The popular advice is to post daily on IG etc, but that hasnāt brought increased sales for me with another shop elsewhere, so Iām not convinced itās the magic formula for everyone. It depends on so many factors - what you sell, price, presentation and your expectations too! Some folks are content with the occasional sale and are happy to be part of the Folksy community for its own sake. I do think Folksy could do a lot better in terms of exposure, but I can also see the need to keep a balance and not become some huge, anonymous, corporate monster too! I would never discourage someone from giving Folksy a go thoughā¦Who knows? You might be one of the lucky ones!
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I have been on Folksy since May 2021 and I havenāt had a sale. I relist from time to time and I wait. Facebook didnāt work for me and I donāt do Instagram.
For me, as the others have said, itās about the attention Folksy gives to UK makers and the marvellous community that is so open to supporting their fellow traders. I get a lot of pleasure from making things and trying new creative ideas and I put them here for someone else to enjoy them but I donāt rely on the sales to pay my bills. I may think differently if I did.
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If you are making more money than you are spending on Folksy, then why not leave it open? If you donāt feel motivated to promote it, then focus your time and energy somewhere else. You can always come back here and work on your shop, promote it etc.
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Folksy has been well worth it for me since I joined. I took the decision to pull out of supplying up market boutique jewellers because they charged up to 45% commission and added insult to injury by only offering āsale or returnā agreements. No matter what your craft is this means your stocking the vendorās premises without them parting with their own money. By the time I had taken out the original gemstone and precious metal costs I had very little profit. One jeweller even had the audacity to reduce my jewellery without asking me first and I landed up only making a Ā£35.00 profit on an item he sold for Ā£575.00 after all my materials costs had been taken into account and his commission. At least you have full control over your business with Folksy.com.
Folksy has a few pitfalls, but so do all the others. Folksy far outways what I was having to put up with.
Starting a craft business is hard work, and yes, mine has to help pay the bills. Restocking on sterling silver, gemstones and designer knitting yarns has sky rocketed in price since Brexit and covid and I am having to take the hit on extra costs at the moment, which is not good business sence.
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We did a market yesterday not the buizest one but pretty good there was an hour for us to set up and talk with other venders and only one other vender knew about folksy and non of the customers we saw knew we both have cards that say where out shops are and we where explaning its like etsy but they are nicer to the sellers in the hope that it brings more attenchion to folksy in the long run
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I also always emphasise that we are British handmade which they very definitely are not.
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There have been several comments regarding Folksyās promotion. TV is obviously out of the question because of costs. NOTHS can afford tv adverts because they charge a high joining fee. But what about āgatheringsā at the NEC or any venue which would be thought suitable. I donāt know how much it costs to say have a stand at the Stich and Sewing Show for example, with the intention of bringing the Folksy story to more people. I am sure some sellers on here would give an item to furnish the stand which would let everyone know what is available and the variety of products Folksy has for sale, and some sellers might help out on the stand telling of their experience. This would not be a selling day but a promotion day with Folksy staff there to promote Folksy.
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Really good idea Marg. The Country Living fair at Excel is expensive but if Folksy manned it sellers agree to send 1 item to display. Or those near the venue help to hand out leaflets etc would really get the word out there.
CL often offer special rates for promotion, F may pick up more sellers as well as buyers. A few laptops showing the full site so it can be browsed would be good.
Maybe split between those that want to join in would not be as expensive.
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