I remember getting my first sales. Both were from fellow Folksy sellers. They also left me some lovely reviews. I think this definitely helped me get non Folksy sales as it gives buyers trust in buying from you
So Id also say join in a few and people will get to know you and your shop
If im looking to buy on Folksy I check my favourites first, quite a lot of them are items Ive liked when joining in the various threads.
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That is a good strategy too, but donāt dismiss the Folksy community, its value goes beyond just sales. Tinternet is a big and lonely place when you donāt know anybody!
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I think you will find Joy has been on Folksy a long time.
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Indeed. 15+ years. Pretty au fait with how things work in fact 
Which is why I strongly recommend reaching out to the big wide world out there if you want to have a successful shop, not just this very restricted community.
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I echo what others say about building relationships within the Folksy community - they are potential customers, but more than that, they are a network of mutual support and promotion.
I admit to being rubbish on social media. I love Pinterest as you can dump and run, but Iām not sure how effective it is at driving sales, and itās a solo game - very little collaboration. The real collective gains are in FB amd Insta, where other people boost your reach (and you do the same to theirs) by sharing, commenting and liking.
I did 4 Folksy Friday boards last Sunday for the Perfectly Imperfect weekend. I had planned to spread them out, but life got in the way 
- I decided to give it a go anyway - sharing them on Pinterest, FB and Insta. I tagged every shop and included links to each product where the platforms allow.
Despite it being the last day of the event, the sellers I featured in my boards picked up the baton and ran with it (plus a few others who are always very supportive). The combined reach would have been enormous. I have just had a look at their shops, and at least 5 of the items I featured have actually been sold (15% of the 38 items included). And for the items still available, the links are still out there for customers to discover Folksy.
Of course we canāt assume the sales were directly relating to my boards - itās just an illustration of how collective promotion helps everyone. It takes time, but if we all do a little, we all gain a lot.
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I agree with @TheOldButton, collective promotion helps a lot. My Folksy Friday always brings me new visitors, and I hope it is a little boost too for those I feature. As Sharon said āother people boost your reach (and you do the same to theirs) by sharing, commenting and liking.ā
And so often the relationship has started here on the forum. Sometimes I start with the forum when Iām choosing items for my FF, for example if I want to make a pink board, Iāll go to the pink showcase thread. I could just search for pink items, but my thinking behind it is that those sellers might be more likely to join in.
But overall, I think itās important to use every avenue available to you if you want to get your shop known, come at it from all angles.
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I agree to some extent that collaboration is good. However, I find my customers come from other channels and cannot complain about my sales.
Having been in this business for more than 20 years, have built up a large following before social media etc. from craft fairs, my own website, social meetings, ex work colleagues and more. We had to do this prior to social media as nothing else.
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Hi Claire, Iāve just looked at your shop and as a fellow cavapoo owner the dog jumper caught my eye! I think the fact that you can make them to order to the specific size of dog is a definite selling point. Could you also personalise them in some way? A little name tag perhaps? There are specific gift guides and themes of the day that may relate to pets so try and get in on those. In terms of social media, crufts is coming up so that might be a good marketing oppportunity.
All just ideas, good luck!
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Hi
Thank you!!
Oh, I havenāt seen the gift guides - where would I find those?
I have seen and tried the themes of the day a few times though.
I had thought about personalising the jumpers ā¦will have a think about how best to do it.
Thank you so much
The gift guides are on the front page of Folksy. You click on āa selection of gift ideasā Folksy admin select work to include in the gift guides, you canāt add yourself to it but it might give you an idea of tags that you could add. Eg thereās a pet gift section and āknits for living and wearingā (or something like that)
As someone else suggested there are sections to could be relevant for you in the showcase sections on the forum.
As for personalising, I was thinking similar to your branded tag maybe or a stitched initial? Or a dog jumper that matches the ownerās hat?! You could just have fun with it.x
@jasmineme For the dog jumper Iād just recommend you switch the first photo for the second, as with the way the thumbnail crops I think the second photo works much better at the small thumbnail size, itās more obvious what the item is with the crop and itās eye catching as you get some of the cute dog face showing to grab peopleās attention.
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Oh great.
Yes, Iāve done some matching mum and dog designsā¦
Will see how I can play with that better.
Thank you.
Claire You mention your price points. I do wonder if you have set them rather high.
I just checked prices for knitted dog jumpers elsewhere. I know yours is special wool and hand knitted But I had difficulty finding any knitted jumpers more than Ā£20 on Amazon and though it may not be ideal as a comparison it is a good place to start.
Once you have an established business and some reviews under your beltā¦ but at the moment it might be better to be less ambitious in your profit aspirationsā¦
Joy x
Thanks Joy.
Yes, I guess Iām thinking about the amount the wool costs me and the time to make it. The prices reflect that ā¦ actually they donāt even cover minimum wage.
Itās sad isnāt it.
I appreciate your point.
Thank you.
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My materials are 50% of my price. But I do sell very well (everywhere but here at the moment but thatās another matter) and at prices I choose. I Never discount.
Whatās a minimum wage ?
But if you sell nothing then there is no wage at all
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I have a thing about merino wool, and Iād much prefer to knit or crochet with high end yarns but it puts up the price tag so much I stick to acrylic. I donāt think buyers realise how much work and time it takes to knit or crochet and how expensive higher end yarns can be. The Malabrigo yarn I use sometimes costs up to Ā£15 upwards for 100gms. I made a gorgeous silk merino scarf for myself and the yarn alone cost me Ā£25.
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Claire your dog coats are lovely, if I could have a dog I would buy one. They are made from exceptional quality yarn, Bluefaced Leicester yarn is not cheap, as you know is an expensive wool. Your prices seem fair to me, and some people love their dogs and cost is of no importance. I canāt give you any ideas for making sales, as I no longer have a shop open as I have been making my quilts for friends and family and for my local charity shop, I always use the best quality fabric as it improves the final quilt, using designer fabrics is a matter of quality for me, even when the finished item is being given away.
Keep going, it does takes a while to get good sales.
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Hi
Thank you. Yes, for me the pleasure is in the quality and supporting British wool.
I honestly believe using quality products is more sustainable in the end as they are the most durable.
Iāll stick at it for now and see what happens.
Thank you for reaching out to me.
Claire
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The best advice I read on here re pricing was to ask a price that youāre happy with and if someone likes it they will pay. I do think that people are willing to pay more for quality and a sustainable product and I love the concept of having a dog coat to match your beanie. It takes time to get sales on here and to build up your shop.
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Thank you.
Iāve tried to price that way - Iāve asked myself if I would pay that price.
I think itās fair but time will telli guess and if it doesnāt work then Iāll drop.
I donāt want to get to the stage that Iām making a loss.
This was also not supposed to be stressful.
X
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