A few weeks ago I set up a
shop on Folksy. I had been a bit put off it in the past feeling that it didn't come off well in a comparison with Etsy. It didn't look as nice and didn't seem to offer the flexibility that my
Etsy shop offered. However, I had also been thinking that a Folksy shop would help me reach more UK buyers, something I felt I would like to do. I had also been feeling that it has become increasingly difficult to get noticed on Etsy - it's so huge and its search functions have become very complex. By coincidence a few days later I noticed Folksy announce a makeover (I love a makeover, my favourite film is Clueless). My decision was made. I set up a shop and haven't looked back.
My shop with the Folksy redesign
Some things I like about Folksy:• It's smaller than Etsy, I feel like it's easier for a seller to be found and as a customer (I've been doing some Christmas shopping there too) it's easier to find items you are looking for.
This means...
• Better potential for great work to stand out
• Better community feel - I like the featured sellers and products on the homepage
• It looks lovely - the redesign is modern and really shows work off to its best potential and makes your store easier to promote (see the cute blog badge below)
• It's great for targeting local/ UK buyers. My products seem to be selling well to UK shoppers: maybe they get my work or perhaps in the postal chaos of Christmas it's reassuring to shop closer to home
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Frankly Magazine (Folksy's online magazine) is also well designed and full of interesting content which supports sellers by both featuring their work and offering inspiration
• I like seller offers, such as the free listings all day that was offered a week last Friday
A product shot from my store
**For some other great Folksy shops have a look at this recent blog post about triangles!**
Room for improvement• It's a bit slow at times, but I guess this is down to increased traffic and the redesign
• It's not so great on the stats as Etsy. You can set up google analytics but there aren't any internal shop stats
• It feels a little pricier than Etsy where a listing fee is $0.20, compared to 20p on Folksy
A few little quibbles but in general...
It would be great to hear some other opinions about Folksy. Have you got a shop? Are you thinking about getting one? Have you been on for ages? How did the new design affect sales for you? Post a comment!
