Hi Folksy Family,
I am looking for motivation, very disappointed with lack of interest and sales. I did try to Etsy, but they closed my account with no warning or reason. I have looked at shopify, but not sure about fees, I have seen made uk but feel that may be like folksy (people just do not know about these sites.
if i cannot use esty, what is best platform?
I do not want to give up yet, can you please advice what else I can do.
Thank you
Sorry you are finding it hard. Things are very tough atm with the unknown on future bills etc.
One thing could be putting people off I’d the postage, now not saying you have to reduce as know things can cost a lot of money unless they fit as a large envelope box. Have you thought to increase the price of the candles as £1.50 for 6 handmade tea lights is cheap in fact cheaper than mass produced on eBay.
Atm I have included postage in my prices, mainly because got fed up changing all the amounts every time an increase. Okay that put my prices up slightly and have to pay comm on the postage element. Reading research customers prefer the feel of ‘free postage’ apparently and tend to favour those sellers. I do make clear including postage though as free really does not exist.
Do you promote on Instagram, FB etc. You can link you fab business page with Instagram and only post one to both. Join in the forums more.
Sorry no easy fix but may give you something to think about, good luck.
I think if you check the posts on here about lack of sales, motivation the single common piece of advice is you need to use Social media to get yourself a ‘presence’. Your shop front has no social media links which means you are not helping yourself at all. 
Did you get in touch with Etsy about why they closed your shop? That happened to me and I was devastated as that’s where I get all my sales. Just closed out of the blue with no warning but I appealed and a week later they reinstated it with an apology. Could you set up another shop?
I’ve been on here a couple of months now and just had my first sale, but it doesn’t cover the fees I’ve spent, so I feel your frustration. The community is so lovely but it doesn’t seem worth it at the moment when the interest is so low - and it doesn’t help that the search function is so poor.
I definitely agree with the others, you need to promote on Instagram and have a link direct to your folksy shop. I have mine joined with FB even though I don’t really have many followers on there but at least it means you only have to post the once. I’ve just started playing with tiktok and Pinterest as well, although I don’t really know what I’m doing yet with those!
And I agree about the postage. I would rather pay more for something and think I’m getting free postage - and yes I know it’s never free - but I would rather that than pay less for the item and extra for postage!
You could join as a plus account member for a few months then you could list more items and relist each day for free - that would give you more exposure? Joining in with the forums too helps as everyone is so lovely and helpful and when someone likes your things they briefly get shown on the front page so again it gives you a bit more exposure.
Your page is lovely and I love the look of your pictures. Looking at the forums though and from my own experience on here you’re not on your own with feeling frustrated. It would just be a shame if you gave up if it’s something you enjoy x
I have only been on Folksy for a few months but I regard Folksy is a long term thing. I love the group and all the advice but you have to drive your own sales on social media and it is not easy. Some people do well on this site so it is not impossible but you need patience. It’s best to regard a shop as a showcase - for exposure and as an access point to education and networking. For me Folksy is fine and hopefully sales will come especially nearer Christmas. Good luck.
Thank you for your encouragement, yes I will persevere. Good luck to you too! 
You’re right unfortunately, Folksy is the UK’s best-kept secret.
They have just increased the cost of shops, so I expect them to allocate the extra revenue to advertising.
I’m a huge purchaser of candles. I love them. But I want to see an in depth breakdown of the fragrances. Not just Cherry Blossom or Lemon but what the top notes are, and the middle and base notes, because all fragrances possess these. Wherever you purchase your fragrances should be able to provide you with this. I loathe anything with vanilla in it. And I not going to know if a fragrance has this in it unless the seller tells me. So unless I have that breakdown, I won’t buy. I’m sure a lot of people are the same.
Here’s an example of what would make me buy. It’s a Cherry Blossom fragrance breakdown from a well known fragrance supplier.
An intensely feminine floral bouquet with enchanting cherry blossom and regal iris harmonised by jasmine, rose, lily of the valley and freesia. The sophisticated base is made up of powdery iris, musk, precious woods and crystal amber.
Hope this helps.
Hi,
Thank you. That is very helpful feedback and I will update my listing to reflect this. I am using essential oils, so these are natural scent so do not usually come with information about top notes, middle notes ect, like fragrance oils.
I will have a look at these soon.
Many Thanks
R
Yes I wish I had known about folksy earlier. Hopefully it will catch on soon!
The description of your pretty heart shaped snap bar needs to be edited regarding the postage. xxx
Essential oils are either top, middle or base. So Lemon is a topnote. Top notes have tiny, light molecules that evaporate quickly. These top note scents are often described as cheerful, bright, light, refreshing. Citrus oils fall into the category of top notes. Perhaps let folks know that top notes are light and fresh etc. Base notes last longer. That’s why blends are so popular.
Doing some blends might get you some sales, as they will be unique to you. That’s how Jo Malone started out!
Do more research on your oils. Essential oils are notorious for not playing nicely with candle wax. Unlike fragrance oils, essential oils sometimes have very low flash points which cause them to evaporate when added to hot candle wax resulting in no scent throw.
And that’s another thing I look for when I buy candles. Good throw.