folksy, etsy, coriandr, dawanda etc

[rachellucie]

howdy,

Just wanted to do a strawpoll of where people are selling on line and how they find it. I am a jewellery designer, so if you are in this field, great, but any and all feedback gratefully received.

I am selling on etsy, it's ok, but needs work or you get buried.
I tried dawanda, but couldn't get on with it at all - do you sell there, do you like it?

and folksy and coriandr are all new to me - how do you like them?

thanks for your time,
Rach x

[Andrea Berry]

Hi Rach
I currently have a shop on folksy and I think its a brilliant site, its easy to set up on and use. The forum is really active and the people are welcoming and friendly. I have sold 3 things on there within the first few weeks of setting up, also you gain lots of contacts and info through the forums. like you I'm considering setting up another shop but on etsy, just need to make more stock!!

http://www.folksy.com/shops/polka

Andrea

[Katerina Damilos]

Hi Rachel
I'm a jewellery designer too and recently joined Etsy and DaWanda. I still find it a struggle to get the traffic there, given how many shops there are. I'm considering folksy and coriandr (virtually looked at them yesterday) because I think I need an online store selling in £s.

x Katerina

[NiftyThrifty]

I went though all the sites umming and ahhing over which one to choose. I plumped for Folksy in the end as it is UK specific. I think with any of the shops you have to do a lot of work driving people to your site. A geat place to start is other makers as these are the people who are more likely to buy handmade as they understand the work and the ethos behind it. More than that other makers are a great source of advice. The forum on Folky and here on UK Handmade are great for meeting other makers, gaining tips, advice and confidence. I have to say I have been enormously impressed and uplifted by how helpful and friendly the other UK makers are. In terms of selling, I'm in the process of setting up my own website as I feel that this will be a more straightforward marketing proposition - in terms of message (who I am, what I do, what I sell) and dedicated URL - I will cross promote from both sites as well as use traditional marketing and PR to driver new people to the site. I just hope that in time it all comes together ...!!

[Half-an-Acre]

i have an etsy shop but only sell there if I plug away in the forums - make over 20 odd sales but now i'm trying to come back to BLighty because selling in pounds is better!
I have a Dawanda shop but the whole place was pretty static when i set up - sold about 4 things - but have lost the will now - too many other things to keep up with.
I have two Folksy shops - half an Acre and The Warren - sold some stuff on Half an Acre and sold around 26 bunnies to date on The Warren. I find the site clunky, unattractive and slow to navigate though.
I set up a Misi shop but can't be bothered with it at the moment - wouldn't bother with any others - especially pink doodlel with that ridiculous 'pinkies' system .. WTF!!!!

I have my own website but driving people to it is very very hard - you are buried really - the best combination i've found is to have a shop on somewhere like Folksy and set up your networks with people and then get your own website into the mix somehow.
to just have a website and nothing else and try to market it seems like an impossible task - one of the best forms of self-promotion is on forums like this.

[Alice Rebecca Potter]

im on folksy and etsy. i tend to put more time in my etsy as the views and the community is just larger, but folksy is still nice its just terribly quiet sometimes! Im sure wherever you choose you will only reap the benefits as long as you put the time in.

[Kate Hibbs (Paperleaf)]

I'm on Etsy, Dawanda and Folksy.. I get about the same number of sales on Etsy and Folksy. Have pretty much given up on Dawanda - I think the secret there is to have your listings in french/german as well as English, since a lot of the customers there only search in their own languages. But I don't have the time or inclination (or skillz) to translate everything... Have just started my own shop website too, and agree with half-an-acre, that's probably the ideal scenario - I haven't had any sales there yet but it's now the only address I put on my business cards, blog comments etc so hopefully in the longer term that's where people will come from, as well as return customers from Etsy/folksy as i slip a couple of cards in with their orders!

[Michelle Aaron]

I'm not a jewellery maker but, I am on Etsy, Folksy and Coriandr.
I just recently read an article which was comparing all the UK handmade selling sites, unfortunately I don't remember where I saw it! Hopefully it will sound familiar to someone else!

While etsy has a huge potential market it is a constant battle to get seen, never mind sell. It does seem designed for you to keep pumping money in to get high enough on the listings to even get seen in a search. I have 37 sales there and had to work hard for each and every one. But, if you have the look that etsy admin likes and you are willing to work constantly for it, you may be successful on there.

Folksy has been great for me and I have had a few sales, 15 or so I think. i started there about 4 or 5 months ago. The community is fabulous and it's got a great forum. The shops look brilliant and it's pretty well known, more so that the other UK sites. The drawbacks are a front page that just randomly rotates photos so it can really let the site down and the admin there is less than responsive to users. The feedback I have heard from my customers is that it's easy to purchase but the check out and feedback tools are difficult to use.

Coriandr is gorgeous, Mathew who owns it is very responsive and promoting all over the place. I find it really easy to use and have had a couple of sales so far. I think if more people can be directed to the site that it will end up on top.

[Karen Jinks / Kala]

we have an article comparing all the sites in the Spring issue of our mag, hope you found it useful!

[Michelle Aaron]

Karen Jinks / Kala said:

we have an article comparing all the sites in the Spring issue of our mag, hope you found it useful!

That must be where I read it!

[Surf Jewels]

I have my stuff all over the place, etsy, dawandr, folkey among others, but its hard to get out there and get noticed.

Hannah.
Handmade Ethical Jewellery:
http://surfjewels.webhosting-for-free.com

[Captain Skulduggery Dug]

I sell through Artfire and Coriandr. Both of these sites I have only recently joined, so I don't have great sales records there yet.

Artfire has a team running it that seem very dedicated to getting the best for their customers. They listen when you talk to them and they respond in a timely fashion. They tell it to you straight too. If an idea you put forward cannot be done they tell you so and explain why. They also are open and frank. If they make a mistake, they say sorry. Which is a refreshing change from some sites I have sold through.

I agree with Michelle Aaron about Coriandr. The site has a clean, uncluttered look to it and Mathew is a very fair minded person that listens to suggestions and seems very keen to promote and get exposure for the site. I think all the site is lacking is enough sellers driving traffic there. I personally like the site much better than any of the other UK sites I have researched.

I used to have 2 Etsy shops and a shop on Folksy. I left both sites because I was unhappy with how they were run and the way admin behaved towards people that were paying them money. Both sites seemed to have the attitude that you should be grateful to be allowed to sell there and thought it was in general ok to just ignore the sellers unless they were praising the site and the admin. Direct emails get no reply, questions don't get answered and sellers concerns seem to be utterly ignored. I would never treat my customers they way those sites have treated me or other people I know that have signed up there.

[Illusio]

Closed my shop on Artfire, no sales. As soon as my listings expire on Folksy, going to close that too. For me I will stick with Etsy and concentrate on my own shop. It's quite hard to sell Art online, I found I had little support on Folksy, and as for Artfire, I felt it was not justifiable to pay for a shop, and I had made no sales. I have decided therefore to open no new shops for the forseeable.