I am listing but struggle with sell words like beautifully handcrafted or gorgeous sterling silver,bespoke and so on.I feel like I am blowing my own trumpet and feeding a load of bull and people are adult enough to make up their own minds.It’s like a phobia of these words,anyone else suffer from it or know of suitable treatment?
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Ha! Too right. You don’t use these for tag words though do you? I wouldn’t search for beautifully handmade, although I might search for bespoke or unique. It’s so hard isn’t it?!
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I tend to keep things as factual as possible but every now and then it my descriptions I will use a more flowerlly term, but I don’t use them at all in the titles and tags.
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Haha, I know, it feels so wrong! I’ve had a quick look at your the first two lovely items in your shop James (@gingakats) - don’t forget to add “moths” and “butterflies” to your tags. Those that search for butterflies may also be happy to look at (and possibly buy) moth items. Elaine
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When I am writing my own descriptions, like you, using these descriptive words feels quite unBritish, as you say ‘blowing your own trumpet’, a sort of showing off. Yet when I read other peoples descriptions I feel it gives the impression of confidence in their product, confidence in their design, and thus themselves. And if they feel they can use these words, then their products MUST also be good !
I think you ‘have to walk tall…and look the world in the eye’ and just believe that your products a worthy of such ‘flamboyance’!!
and so, having written about the positives of such words, I may have to go and review mine!
Suzzie x
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I agree - its not a very British thing at all! Just go for it and after a while you won’t feel so odd doing it.
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I’m the same, I think I should just describe the item and let other people decide what’s beautiful and what isn’t. Maybe it’s just me, but the word that makes me cringe most as a buyer, is when people describe their items as ‘quality’. 
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Thanks everyone,I think I can walk the walk so better get used to talking the talk.Ellies treasures,I will look at those tags thanks.
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I think you can wean yourself on to ‘sell words’ by starting with more descriptive language regarding the item. eg your jasper pendant, I know what colour it is, you know what colour it is but someone who is unfamiliar with brecciated jasper might not know so having a sentence along the lines of ‘this piece of brecciated jasper features an autumnal palette of warm browns and rich reds like the changing leaves, it also takes a glossy high shine when I polish it’. You are not ‘blowing your own trumpet’ but you are pointing out selling points of the piece just in a less technical way.
I was once told to write my descriptions as if I were describing the piece to a blind person as web bots (which help you get found in searches) can’t see the photos. Also tagging the item with the colours is useful as sometimes people would search ‘blue ring’ rather than ‘lapis ring’ - this becomes even more important if you use very unusual stones that people are unlikely to have heard of.
The thing I object to as a buyer is when something is described as ‘handmade with love’ - I don’t want love, I want skill - you could have hated every minute of it as it just didn’t go as planned but so long as you have done it well I’m interested.
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It is frowned upon to mention a specific shop or seller by name in the forum if you have doubts about them - better to drop an email to support@folksy.com with your concerns and let them look into it. That particular shop I looked into as I found one of their items I was very tempted by on an american selling platform and didn’t want to risk getting stung by import charges so I can say that they are UK based (but I changed my mind about the item).
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Oops,deleted now,I shall remember that one.