After 6 years of selling on here, I’ve reluctantly decided not to renew any of my listings when they all expire next week.
For the first few years on Folksy, I worked hard to promote and improve my shop, and it all seemed to be going well for a while, but it got harder and harder to maintain a decent level of sales and to stay visible - whether that was due to Folksy or me, I have no idea, but whatever I tried didn’t seem to make any difference. I finally conceded defeat a couple of years ago and opened a shop elsewhere, just to test the water over the other side of the pond. My shop over there has done so much better, with much less promotion on my part - while sales here have effectively stopped - so that is where I must continue to focus my energies.
It’s a sad conclusion, as I loved the excitement of setting up my shop here and watching it grow initially, but I can’t afford to be too sentimental about what is essentially a business.
I’ll keep my account and empty shop and, who knows, I may one day re-launch it with a completely different look and identity!
My listings all expire on 28 June, so take a look before then if you’re interested.
Good luck to you all - I hope you have the success here that eluded me! 
And a big ‘THANK YOU’ to all my valued customers over the past 6 years.
Christine
Good luck with the future - so sad to see so many older, well established shops having to close.
Sarah xx
Hi Christine,
So sorry you are closing your shop. I have had the exact same experience as yourself on Folksy, selling really well the first couple of years and then a decline for what reason I don’t know. I have also promoted and promoted but still the decline continues, funnily enough when I was selling well I hardly promoted at all. I had a flurry of sales this May, after six months of not many sales but back to nothing again now. I also opened a shop on E… and am doing much better there so concentrate on that now. I’m going to plod on at Folksy until my Plus Account runs out and take it from there.
I wish you well with your shop over the pond.
Sadly, my experience is the same as Christine’s and Dawn’s. I struggle to get my work seen these days, let alone purchased. I’m also thinking of opening a new shop on another site, but will stay here until I see how that goes.
I’m thinking this thread should be in the Folksy Sellers’ Area? Otherwise we may be criticised for being negative and putting off customers…
Good luck in the future, Christine
Sorry to read you are closing your shop Christine.
Wishing you all the best
Karen xx
Thank you Sarah @thesherbetpatch
Not so much ‘having’ to close, as ‘choosing to’ I could have gone on for another year, but it’s hard maintaining 2 shops effectively, with the same stock, so I made what I believe is the right choice.
I still love Folksy and its unique spirit, but it wasn’t the right place for me.
Thank you Dawn @dawnsneesbyjewellery
I hope you find continued success in your new shop - I’ll see you over there! - but good luck on Folksy too, I hope sales pick up for you!
Thank you Christine @coatimundi
We’ve both been here a good few years, so I know how you feel, but I hope things improve for you here. It’s always worth trying new avenues, sometimes they lead to exciting places, but we all make our own choices, so whatever you decide, I hope it works out.
I hope the thread isn’t seen as negative - I’m merely stating facts and opinions, and shops open and close all the time on here. Some do amazingly well and others don’t - that’s the way things have always been. I don’t imagine many non-selling customers visit the forum that often, but if they do, I doubt they’ll be influenced by my ramblings!
Sorry to hear you’re closing your shop but will continue to follow you on the other side - I still love my sketchbook cover Sadly, I think I will be following in your footsteps when my Plus account ends. Wishing you all the best, Jenny x
I quite agree! It’s just that I’ve just had previous run-ins with the unofficial forum police!
Good luck!
Oh @ciesse I’m so sorry to see you go, but I can totally understand how you feel…
Good luck with everything and take care
Natalie xx
Sad to see this is still happening. I posted a similar post back on the 10th march and this is the first time I’ve been here since. I still have listings available but they won’t be renewed. Looks like my choice to jump ship back then was the right one.
I reopened my shop earlier this year, I have had two sales, both these sales came from people that I know, one on here and one from IG.
I promote, help others and promote their shops the best I can, I join in on forums, even started some up my self. I have met lovely people on here, I find folksy shop owners very friendly and kind
When I see others say " I have another sale " I am pleased they have. It does make you feel useless at times when you don’t have a sale. I’m have so many lovely people on here saying how they love my shop…I can only think I’m trying to sell things people are not interested in, Painting are difficult to selling anywhere.
I am a Plus seller, I work hard to promote my self and other on FB, Twit, Pinterest etc.
Im open to any advise…reading all these above me doesn’t give me any confidence because it look like even ones who have been on here for years are not getting many sales.
I have given some crafts that have been on here away to friends family so that they are not stuck in my stock, at least I have the joy of giving and the ones I give to appreciate my crafts.
I don’t know what my discion will be when it comes to renew my plus, will I want to pay another £40 for another year, I’m losing mony not gaining
For the time being I will try, be patient, promote best I can, see how it goes
Sue x
It’s sad Christine but great that you are selling well elsewhere
I am exactly the same - just letting my listings expire now. 337 sales in my shop but only 1 in the last 12 months.
I am busy in my other shops and in the time for 1 sale on here have almost 150 on E!
See you on FB or the Dark Side
Dottie x
Oh that is a shame Christine. Best of luck with the future…
Thank you for all your good wishes @RavelloDesigns, @MoreTeaVicarKnitwear, @Knittingtopia, @suebeacham, @dottiedesigns, @HeidiMeier.
I don’t know what the secret of success on here is, but many sellers do manage to find it - hopefully you will too! If not, I’m sure our paths will cross elsewhere and I wish you all the very best, whatever you decide to do.
Good luck, I feel I will be doing the same xx
I have been thinking the same thing Christine, I started my Folksy shop back in 2011, had some great sales but then suddenly they stopped overnight. I too have another shop on the other side, and that has been doing amazing thank goodness, as like you this is my business. I have tried everything form letting my shop run out, re stocking with new products and done lots of social media, I even contacted Folksy and they looked at my shop and told me that I hadn’t been promoting it enough, I say come on, there are only so many hours in the day and we do have to make the products as well as do all the admin. If Folksy aren’t prepared to help us we don’t stand a chance. I am considering re naming my shop on Folksy to see if that helps. Good luck with your shop and sales, sad to see another shop leave this platform 
I have just returned to Folksy from E. I do ok on there have some views but very few sales. I think all crafters are finding it hard at the moment and unless you have time to constantly promote sales are hard to get.At least there is less competition on here for what I make and everything is handcrafted.