I love folksy and the fact that is authentic British makers, but unfortunately I have no sales here. I tried changing photos I keep the same prices than other platforms, I don’t know maybe my product is not for this marketplace, is somebody in the same situation. I’d love to stay even if I have the minimum to pay the fees here, because I feel that is good supporting a platform that is British made for British crafters but well I just like to hear some other people in the same situation…
thanks!
I just looked at your shop. You say you have no sales here ?
You have sales showing on your Sold page and reviews of your sold items.
?
Sorry don’t understand.
You will see if you check other posts on this forum that if you want to get sales then you do need to help customers find your Folksy shop. Most of us do that by promoting on social media and use links from the social media to direct customers to our shop / individual listings. I see you use social media but I don’t see any reference anywhere to your shop here, only to your shop on your own website. If you don’t tell customers you are here then you are far less likely to have good sales here.
Hi Joy yes sales is like 4 in the whole year, no really working. Maybe I should link it with social media. I thought that maybe somebody can tell me something else to drive traffic here, the social media is linked with my own shop. But I guess that it should be another ways to get some traffic in folksy for folksy buyers. Thanks for your feedback
For me, a sale is a sale and although 4 sales doesn’t sound like a lot, you have to ask yourself whether you could have got those sales elsewhere or not. I sell on more than one platform and sales are about equal. I rank better in Google searches here so it suits me to be here, (plus I like it here anyway!) though I might get more purchases direct from the site on the other side. Your social media following will go wherever you direct them. If that place isn’t here, they won’t come here.
I suppose you have to ask yourself whether you want to put all your eggs in one basket or not. If you don’t and you don’t mind spreading yourself around, you should stay, in the knowledge you have made sales here and will probably do so again.
On the other hand, some people just concentrate on Folksy (or another sole platform, or their own website) and do well that way. You have to experiment and do what is best for you at the end of the day. Everyone’s experience will be unique.
I closed my own website and moved everything onto Folksy, have had more sales this past month than I did on my own.
You do have to work at it though, join in the daily themes using the suggested word. I feature items at the top of my shop, either the same as the daily theme or new products. Then post on SM, Instagram, Pinterest etc. You do have to work at it but know from experience that Folksy works for me.
I do have a storefront on the ‘other’ site but prefer here.
At the end of the day you have to do what is right for you.
You say you’ve worked on your photos (and they are good) but have you tried reworking your descriptions and tags? It is your title/ description/ tags that are read by search bots (both folksy and google) to figure out if the page is relevant and should be included in the results - if you are not making it into search results it doesn’t matter how good your photos are your work won’t be seen to get bought. There is lots of info on the folksy blog about how to write a good description and get SEO to work for you (http://blog.folksy.com/category/seller-tips/product-listing-tips) but the rule of thumb I was given is to write the description as if describing the item to a blind person (ie including info about colours and textures) putting all the key info in the first 2 paragraphs. Also remember to put in all the dimensions - all of your listings I looked at don’t have the width of the bracelet just the circumference.
Promotion is not about getting a sale, it’s about letting people know you exist and what products you are selling. Promotions bring results mostly in the long term. In that sense, you do not have to use social media if you don’t like that method. There are many ways to let people know about your shop. Social media don’t work for everyone.
@harbouruk Folksy is a smaller site and takes longer to get sales in. You don’t need to close your shop, especially if you are making more money than you are spending in fees. I believe views from Google have increased recently (well, at least for my shop).
why leave?..it only costs a few pence per listing…you could list 5 a week and still have change against the cost of a cup of coffee?..or a chocolate bar…?
Join in on some more of the forum threads, so that we get to know you…there is also a facebook Folksy group and a facebook Folksy clubhouse…it only takes a few minutes a day…don’t leave…
You are right, I have to work make it better and is going to work thanks everyone for the answers and help, is the first time that I use the community folksy and it was great!!!
If you have quite a lot of stock, then why not join in with the daily listing thread…it takes a few minutes each day and you promise to LIKE everyone else’s listing every day. They do the same for you and it helps get you seen and on the front page. I have done it for 3 years now and my sales have rocketed. @harbouruk
I was just about to write a post and came across this one.
I agree with comments above - a sale is a sale! for starters.
I have, quite literally, made no sales and I’m really hoping for some thoughts and feedback. I make jewellery and cloth bags and I’ve had a piece published on Folksy about ‘Crafting with Health Issues’.
I’ve recently been diagnosed with autism and am creating some tactile pieces to ‘stim’ (fidget) with. My question is: do you think there would be a market for jewellery designed for this purpose while in no-way aimed solely at those on the spectrum. So far I’ve made pendants, bracelets, and a ring. I’ve posted a piece about them on my blog ‘marilyn unmasked’ if you fancied having a look.
I would so like feedback because as my health goes up and down I’m not consistent with production nor posting and I’d like to better decide whether to crack on or not.
Thank you so much.
@GemaInspirations Lots of people fidget with their jewellery regardless of whether it was designed for the purpose or because they are on the spectrum (I remember rolling a russian ring up and down my thumb because I could when I was a teenager). So yes with the usual caveats about needing a well crafted description, tags, good photos and promotion jewellery for fidgeting with should sell (especially if you go for on trend colours). One thing I would recommend is road testing it first to make sure that things like tassels don’t start to disintegrate after a few weeks of fidget action (or start looking really grubby and if they do test whether they can be washed) and that cords aren’t worn thin by continual rubbing.
Thank you so much for your comments. Very apposite and thought-provoking. I do wear them myself but then I’m more a ‘rocker’ so that’s not the best road-test. Some pieces are chunky metal or leather so that shouldn’t be such an issue, and I wouldn’t suggest any be worn by young people. I have made a chunky wood-bead jewellery set and, thinking about it, a lot of what I create is robust.
You have given me courage to go forward and I so appreciate that.
For those that do not use Instagram are missing an opportunity. It’s a great way of getting your name out there. Though I’m still struggling to get any sales on here (my last was last year) ig is still a very useful tool. Now I have pointed everything to Folksy to try it out fully. I’m getting views, no Instagram views are showing up, so I’m doing something wrong. As like FB they are forever changing their algorithm. Yet I’ve really done nothing on the other side and got a sale, together with AH. So I’m completely flumux?? Anyone have any ideas? I’m trying to go through my listings as @SashaGarrett suggested a few weeks ago.
I’m not hijacking the post as I think we can all help each other with suggestions of how we can get people to see us.
I find that by joining in on the forum as much as possible, people get to know my name and then if they want something they know where to find me…I have had 18 sales this month alone…play the games if you can, go and LOVE people’s shops and work…help each other.
I have an instagram account but cannot use it as I don’t have a smart phone and it won’t work on my pc…however, I still get sales…
Chat, make friends, play the games and show on the facebook folksy group and chat on the Folksy (FB) clubhouse link…never give up…
Folksy is brilliant x
IG is probably being filed under misc on your stats - as it is an app on a phone when people click on a link they need to leave the app and go to chrome/safari etc which causes a break in the link so stats don’t know where the traffic originated from (its the same if someone is using the facebook app on their mobile). Why your promotion isn’t leading to sales I don’t know (there is an article on the blog about using social media effectively). Etsy and AH both have far larger browsing customer bases than Folksy so people will stumble upon your listings by accident on those platforms.
Good know that maybe ig is still working. I have views showing where IG is mentioned on Folksy stats how would this happen @SashaGarrett from a laptop?
Yes if someone is viewing IG on a computer and clicks on a link it opens another window within the browser so the link doesn’t get broken and the stats know that they have come from IG.
