Thanks Brenda!
All advice received is so great, I hope I will find more time to talk here 
I`ve send request to the group. Unfortunately I was declined 
Joy, I will defo do that!
Thank you!
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Yes, I do have a blog, I kind of abandoned it for a year now as there was no views.
I had some traffic from Europe but never a sale. I will sort it out today or tomorrow. I will change the design and add link to the shops.
I am planning to write posts in English and post more in general, but Im worried that my English is not good enough
Planetevents ,
Hi,
Yes, I am posting on 4 another crafting pages for 5 years, got also separate shops for steampunk and sweet jewellery.
No success. I wrote few emails to Folksy to include my listings in their main page collections but no chance, I can see all the time same products being promoted. How about new crafters that have potential?I still have faith and I am patient, maybe one day I will see new order but those listings consume money and time and theres no profit for years that’s what bothers me the most x
Thank you for getting back to me.
I am on both these platforms, and got big fat 0.
I do free shipping, each order would be nicely packed as a gift, I would add freebies to orders.
Time to time I’m offering 2+1 deals but got no response
Ive left lots of leaflets at work, shops in the area…
What about using things like Google ad words, or submitting your shop address directly to companies who specialise in SEO? You could try doing a search and take things from there.
Christine
Would Love to try.
Let me dig A bit deeper in this topic x
Yes, do.
I will readily agree that getting people to find your items and then buy from you online is hard work… The competition is absolutely fierce, but do persevere, as once you get ahead it is very rewarding.
Christine
Anna
I’ve just done some sums.
I think you have 240 listings in your shop. Each listing costs you 0.15p + VAt = 0.18p for 4 months. Assuming you relist each as it expires that means it is costing you
240 * 0.18 * 3 per annum = £129.60.
- I note that some listings have a quantity of more than 1 and you pay the 0.18p for each so a listing with quantity of 5 = 0.90p not 0.18p.
With that number of listings you would do far better to have a Plus account and at least that way your listings will only cost you £45 for the year … which is a pretty big saving … but… you Must do some promotion outside Folksy / your home town if you want sales.
When you’re selling on line you’re not looking to the person down the street to buy from you, the world is your oyster on line, you can sell to someone on the south coast of England, in Wales, in Scotland… People there are not going to see the cards and leaflets you are distributing but reach them online and you can sell to them.
I send my glass all over Britain. My local sales are not done online, those are direct, people who know me, markets and fairs. Everything else is on line and that accounts for 70% of my sales.
I know Christine is advising you about paying for SEO etc but there are some far more basic things you need to do first. Obviously not promoting is not working for you at all so you need to promote as I’ve said above.
Not sure that it is within the forum rules to suggest you should have a shop elsewhere as this forum is related to Folksy matters and reference to using other outlets is not generally appreciated.
You say you promote on Facebook lots but I see you’ve only put a few posts on your page this month. That isn’t going to help anyone find your Folksy shop anyway as you have nothing on your Facebook page to tell anyone that you have a Folksy shop.
Why not open an Instagram account and promote on there. Why not open a Pinterest account, a Twitter account and point these to your Folksy shop.
You could even pay for some social media promotion and still have spent less if you took the Plus account option.
It just seems such a shame to have all your lovely things sitting unloved and unwanted in your Folksy shop just because nobody knows they are there.
Rather like me opening my shop here at home in my garage but neglecting to mention to anyone it is here or even put a sign out to say I am open.
Yes you can promote within the forum but that gives you a limited possible audience of 3000. I have a potential customer base of 2000+ just from my Facebook page.
I hope this helps.
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Hi Anna. I’m afraid it was my fault your application to the Facebook group was declined. There was a mistake in the Folksy shop address you had typed into the approval form so when I checked it, it didn’t show up as a real Folksy shop. I did immediately ask our Support team to contact you directly though and ask you to apply again. Please accept my apologies.
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I do like the idea of facebook/instagram pages/groups etc, but I must admit that it can go a little off piste sometimes… In that many of the people who “” friend, like, follow" etc can at times be a hindrance more than a help, not least because they don’t actually purchase anything from you…and sometimes have less than honourable intentions for keeping tabs on what you are up to.
How do you feel about this…anyone?
Thank you, I can see email now.
I will send it once again.
I know what you mean.
I got 2000 likes on my FB BUT these are people from Europe and like 80% from Poland. No customers but "watchers " also got some ladies there that were copying my designs (I got that it can give some inspiration but copying its not right that’s why I stopped posting)
There was advice that I should change the name, im still thinking to do that just no clue for new name yet 
Maybe then I will open new FB and insta and let’s see what happen x
Do you have a Folksy shop then? Was this your experience?
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I have 4 made to orders in the last 3 days. All via Facebook.
Yes, I have a folksy shop… I was also around in the very early days of folksy and did very well…it is not folksy that is a concern, far from it, I guess what I am trying to put across is that on the pursuit of sales, you can come across some extremely trying individuals who can take up a lot of your time… And then waste it :slight_smile, and again, yes you can achieve sales via Facebook as well as instagram.
Hope that I have explained myself better this time around.
Christine
Anna, I know exactly what you mean…its nice to have your work admired, but copying is just plain wrong.
Christine To be honest when you say “hope I have explained myself better” I haven’t a clue what you mean.
@ana92pl Great. I see you’ve changed to a Plus account and now have an English blog.
Every little helps.
I’m not saying that Facebook is the be all and end all of a successful Folksy shop. It does work for me but I do work hard at it.
But it is well worth trying to see if you can use it to get your Folksy shop off the ground.
So next thing to do is get that Folksy shop link onto your Facebook page (and also onto your Instagram page) and then on Facebook join in with the Folksy shop group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1481471495437850/
and also British Crafters https://www.facebook.com/BritishCrafters/.
You have over 2000 potential audience for your Facebook posts so might be a good idea to pay for a small promotion from them. When I say small that is what I mean. You can select your target audience as being UK only and probably a younger age group of women. You can say you only want to pay £10 and that spread over 7 days.
I do that one every now and then when Facebook starts being mean about showing my posts and after that it is quite generous for at least a month.
If it were me I would set up say a slideshow, using the Facebook photo video faciliity using a good selection of 10 of your pieces. Add a link to your Folksy shop and then promote it.
I don’t normally put the shop link in the post itself as Facebook can choose to restrict the number it shows it to but if you are paying to boost the post (promote it) I don;t think that applies.
I do hope this helps. I just think it is such a shame your lovely shop is hiding itself away when it deserves to be seen.
Joy xx
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Hi Joy,
Thanks for all the great advice… Will get onto all of that ASAP!
C.xx
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Joy - your kind and thoughtful suggestions are so useful for everyone to read, thank you.
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