I am starting this thread to see just how many sellers are dissatisfied with the new Folksy search bar. Could you please leave your comments. I personally think it is dreadful and of no help to sellers or buyers looking for particular word searches for example i want to buy a bear. I know the seller but can’t remember her shop name. Her bears did not appear in my search, neither did her shop.
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Hi Gail… it sounds familiar..
my name is “Bearlescent” spell it precisely or you will never find me. …
I have been told if you want to find one of my rabbits you have to type “stuffed rabbit” or “rabbit doll” not just plain rabbit in the search but you may also find one of my foxes when you do…bonus!
So if you want to see a rabbit…you’ll have to go to Instagram.
If you would like to see my new dolls..you will have to go òn Instagram
If you want to find a bear…sorry…go to Instagram.
There are no “pincushions” to be found only pin cushions so make sure you type it as two words otherwise search for a long time on my Instagram.
For any other items it might be better to find me on Instagram, I do show up on there.
I don’t need to write a long list of what is wrong with the new searches again as i have done that over the past few days and it is much simpler and quicker to answer what is right with it (blank space) ..
Yes I am currently very disgruntled, fed up and have a complete lack of enthusiasm to list anything else.
This is the first time since joining Folksy in 2018 that I have been this negative about anything but when you become invisible overnight it is very frustrating and it needs addressing. …it’s a fact I won’t make the best sellers list this week !
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I found unless I put specific details I never appeared at all. Luckily I have regular customers that keep me going,
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Shockingly worse than it ever was before
And that’s from me, now reopened and totally hogging anything stained glass or suncatcher related. I can only apologise to all the other glass sellers who don’t make it past page 7…
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I think it’s really bad and have commented on the other thread admin set up. So many sellers have now become invisible and some searches such as gifts for men produce pages and pages of items from the same seller. It’s not good.
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I’ve already commented and left feedback.
If I was a customer looking for a thoughtful handmade gift I would never return after searching GIFTS FOR DAD. Monopolised by the same few shops and some quite distasteful slogans I can’t believe anyone would gift to their dad
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Yep, same here. it surely doesn’t bring the “perfect matches”, and here is where I better stop writing.
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It was, incredibly, better before they fiddled with it.
Looks wise i can live with it, but only 7 pages and irrelevant results makes it non-functional, pointless and a huge drop backwards. i truly hope folksy hasnt actually paid a professional to create this. We’ve been robbed if they have.
Im going to be very interested in how folksy admin use it to create their gift guides and favourites - theyll have to search, choose from 7 pages, showing just 6 or so shops and itll be pretty obvious in how narrow these guides will be.
Honestly, id rather the company stopped messing around with these frilly additions (the gift guides etc) and focused on the actual functionality of the site first. Stick the pretties to the side till the underpinnings are right. Without foundations, this site is a goner and ill be incredibly sad to see that happen.
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Ooh yeah, see what you mean. I missed the change, when did they change the search bar? In a search for ‘sea glass’ none of my items appear until page 7, and those were recent relists. Does that mean that only newly listed items appear in the results? That’s a bit of a problem for Basic account holders, who only relist their items as they expire. And only 7 pages of results is surely inadequate for popular categories like sea glass? Most of my stuff is now invisible!
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The search is crazy. If you enter painting into the search box, the first half a dozen items that come up are jewellery, followed by plates, cups, saucers and teapots!! I’m not sure how else you could simplify the search for a painting!
Although my own shop was found relatively easily, some very well known shops are nowhere to be found unless you enter the shop name exactly. Most intelligent searches will give you the option after the first three letters.
Don’t get me started on the red price stickers which look garish and have been added at the expense of the shop name.
Was the search really so bad before? I don’t think so.
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I’ve the same problem. I have a Customised Birthday Table Runner or Banner listed in my shop, and no matter which combination you use no birthday table runner or banner comes up. All table runners and not one that shows birthday runner, far less banner. Not good for my home grown business.
Birthday Table Runner on Folksy From folksy.com … Beautiful Table Runner on Folksy. Yes if you want one to match your home decor!!!
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The saying “If it isn’t broken don’t mend it” seems to be appropriate here.
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Sigh
My bookmarks don’t show up at all on the 7 pages using a search for ‘bookmark’. They do show up if you search ‘Fair Isle’, but that’ll only show my bookmarks to a very specific set of searchers.
I haven’t been so active on the forum these last couple of weeks or so, so I missed these changes even though I’ve been on Folksy every day checking orders and doing relists. I wonder how many other sellers haven’t noticed that their listings are now invisible.
The only thing I like better about this search is that it doesn’t change now as you type.
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Hi All members.
I have just informed Folksy the thread has been set up under ‘shop talk’ and asked them to read the comments coming in already. Please keep them coming and hopefully they will realise they have made a terrible mistake tinkering with something that wasn’t actually broken. We pay them to help us be seen in a very competitive market, not put off potential customers who don’t understand a very weired search bar! This could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for many sellers.
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I am pretty certain Gail that every comment on the original thread, the second one and this one has been read by Folksy admin.
I think the only reason such negativity by all of us hasn’t been closed down by admin is because they know what a hash up it is.
Some of the Folksy team also have shops on here, I don’t for one minute think theirs will be any different to ours and they may also have become invisible so I am sure they will think the same as the rest of us.
If Folksy havn’t read the original thread I think they need to because I for one can’t actually be bothered to list all of my grievances again, especially as they have not been acknowledged.
It has been a total waste of our time, in the time i have wasted on here, on the searches and reporting back to Folksy I could been looking at alternative platforms because I don’t work for the fun of it, it’s a job that I work extremely hard at, at the end of the day for the vast majority of sellers this is a business like any other and whether we rely on the money it brings in, whether it’s a top up or luxury money the main reason we do it is to earn from it.
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OH my goodness , I have been reading this thread with interest and typed in bookmark and see all different size pictures. On page 4 (if it doesn’t get swapped about that is) there is a corner sheep bookmark of mine and it is 2 1/2" x 1 3/4" tall and underneath it there is a huge 4" space, so not only is my pic smaller than it usually is when searching but there is this blank space where it could have been normal size . Not only that but there is a bookmark on the same page that is 9 1/2" tall x 2 1/2" wide. It is so in your face that you can’t even view it all in one go on a laptop and have to scroll up to see the whole thing!! I liked it better when they were all the same size until you clicked on and got to the sellers shop and then fair enough to see long pictures but not the ridiculous variations in the search bar.
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Just be thankful yours came up at all! I just typed in book mark and scrolled through the 7 pages and neither of my bookmark listings appeared. I did see some pretty jewellery, a teddy bear, a mug with a print of a Volvo car and a photograph of Take That, amongst other things. Interesting to know how a search engine rated them above my patchwork bookmarks in a search for book marks!
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I’m not even prepared to search for anything anymore because it is so pathetic.
I will be shopping elsewhere…and that is exactly what our customers will be saying…
this is so damaging for sellers and for Folksy.
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I for one am really surprised that there has not been any response to what are very valid and relevant concerns. The support team is usually great, and everyone emphasises that the support we get from the team is one of the major differentiators between this platform and others. I’ve put my shop in holiday mode (the software doesn’t offer a ‘hospital’ mode!) as I’m going to be out of action for a while, but I do hope that Folksy come through and offer a solution to this situation.
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I really don’t like the new search page… I reported my dislikes via the feedback on the search page and on the other thread and agree, I’m surpised we’ve not heard any response. Although we were all quite excited at the prospect of a new and improved search, it became evident very quickly that it’s not working properly. It’s such a shame that Folksy haven’t rolled back to the previous search especially as we’re coming up to Easter although I suppose they don’t think it’s necessary as have the “get ready for easter” on the main page. It’s sad though, that for those us who don’t tend to make seasonal items, that we have to rely on a terrible search screen for shoppers to find (or not in the majority of cases) our listings.
I’ve stopped adding new items to my shop at the moment as I really don’t know what factors are now going into the new search criteria and how I make my items appear in the first 7 pages.