Selling Crafts Online: which sales platforms do you use?

I tried to sell on Etsy, but no one was interested either, but MissOops sells quite a few items each week.
Local FaceBook pages maybe? Or rent a stall at various craft fairs (although we found that not only a waste of money but time as well).
The things I made are still in the drawer……all costs remain unrecouped!

I think the problem with selling crafts is to cover the cost of materials and time they tend to be very expensive.

. It is also important to not just take the opinion of friends and family when they rave about how good the items are but to compare them with what is already being sold. Look at comparable items to yours which are selling well then look as to why they sell and yours do not.

Try looking at Mademe, which seems very popular.

Oopsadaisy I used to do quite well at craft fairs, village fetes etc but they are non existent now so I turned to online venues. I must admit that visitors to craft fairs often want something for almost nothing (especially at school fetes) even though I try to price things to suit the event and the location.

I don't, however, use social media (Facebook, Instagram etc) and neither do I want to, so I guess I'm missing a possible customer base that way. But both Etsy and Folksy link with social media anyway.

Right now I just want to sell some of the crafted things I've got stored in the loft. We need the space! Perhaps a Clearance Sale would be a start.

Elizabeth27

I think the problem with selling crafts is to cover the cost of materials and time they tend to be very expensive.

. It is also important to not just take the opinion of friends and family when they rave about how good the items are but to compare them with what is already being sold. Look at comparable items to yours which are selling well then look as to why they sell and yours do not.

Very valid points Elizabeth especially your second paragraph. It's all too easy to be flattered by compliments from friends and family who may not be crafters themselves and are in awe of anyone who is.

I usually price things at what I would be prepared to pay for it if I saw it in a shop. Sometimes my price covers the materials (not always), but I don't cover my time making an item or I'd never sell it! My DH says my prices are too low.

Have a look at the following links and tell me if you think I'm pricing them too high, or they are not up to a saleable standard. I'd really appreciate a critique!

folksy.com/items/7850709-TRANSPORT-THEMED-COT-QUILT-HANDMADE

folksy.com/items/7832016-BALLET-SHOE-CHRISTMAS-STOCKING
I made the ballet stocking in pink and that one sold, so perhaps it's the colour that's unappealing.

Sapphire24 Thank you for that suggestion. I have not heard of Mademe. I'll take a look around.

I know quite a few crafters who sell on Twitter.

Happysexagenarian They are lovely items and competitively priced, I looked at similar for sale.

There are so many on Etsy I don't know how you could make yours stand out. Maybe they would sell better at craft fairs, either on your own stall or on consignment from someone else's.

Elizabeth27 Thank you for that.
It's so helpful to have someone new cast a critical eye over them. Yes, the sheer volume of competition is indeed a problem, and I can't now travel to craft fairs as I used to. For a while I rented space in a bricks-n-mortar shop with some interest and sales, but the focus of their stock has changed so I have lost that outlet.

I may stay with Folksy for a while longer, even though I sold more on Etsy before Christmas. I don't entirely like the way Etsy operates (they owe me money and won't pay up), and I prefer the community feel of Folksy.

Looks like emptying the loft could be a slow process!
Thanks again

I loved the quilt, however I think that to sell goods you price to cover the cost of making the item, you will never be able to recoup the cost of your time.
Sad but I’m afraid that’s how it is.
Do it for enjoyment but maybe don’t expect to make a living from it.

Have you thought of putting photos of your items onto Pinterest? Make a board with your items and people will share, mention that the items are for sale on Etsy.

We have found Instagram a good platform though we sell a very different product. We probably spend ½ hour a day choosing a photo, writing text and answering questions. But the hard work has brought us quite a few sales. It is easy to use but no links, we direct people to our web site or email via our profile. Look at others first and choose your tags carefully (this is how people search).

Happysexagenarian Imo, the ballet stocking would only sell to those who knew someone with a real interest in ballet. And yes, pink might well be more popular. Also, it’s quite big I think, if it was smaller, could it then be priced lower? I appreciate your time would be much the same.
The quilt is lovely, and I think, priced fairly. I would remove the wording about being suitable for a boy. In today’s world, that might discourage a buyer.
I’ve only ever bought from Etsy, tbh, I’d never heard of Folksy or Mademe, so can’t give any advice on them. As someone else said, Twitter might be worth a go.
I would have suggested selling through space in an actual shop, but you’ve already tried that. There’s a shop like that in a local shopping centre to me, they only moved there from a smaller, less well situated shop just before the first lockdown. They’re still in business, although on the very few occasions I’ve passed the shop, I’ve never seen any customers in it.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

I loved the quilt thought the price was really good , not so sure about the stocking. Pink or silver may been better for little girls. Have thought about a one day type sale it concentrates the mind makes people think if they want something they better buy there and then . Phrases like one day only &, only one available. Perhaps the at end of the month pay day deal might be a good time.

Thank you all for your constructive and helpful suggestions. I've got a lot to think about now. I do have a Pinterest board of the things make which links to my Folksy shop. One of my pre-Christmas sales was the result of someone seeing it on Pinterest. The red ballet stocking was a special request but then the buyer never came back!

I just love making things for the sheer pleasure of doing it and the sense of achievement it gives me. Some years ago I did manage to make a living from my crafting but with a very different craft.

I'll explore Instagram and Twitter, and take another look at Facebook, even though I don't like it!

Thanks again, and Happy New Year everyone.

Apparently it can take a few years to get noticed on Etsy. There's Not on The Higg Street. But Facebook page for your crafts seems good too. I've never tried selling but Knit Ith Hannah has courses on this very subject. She's on YouTube.

Not on The High Street

Have you tried Not On Amazon?

They were set up by someone who wanted to provide a platform for artists and crafters who were struggling to pay the fees charged by etsy and Amazon. He doesn't charge fees, and raises money from crowdfunding and Koffee.

Not on Amazon is based on Facebook, so if you are interested, do a search on there and you'll find it.

Having closed my shops on Etsy (I sold vintage) I would not recommend that site to anyone. They treat their seller like s**t and speak to them as though they were children. Just do a google and you will find many crafters who were demanded by Etsy to prove that their goods were handmade. In some cases this meant duplicating a piece which involved hours of work and having to buy expensive materials.

The site is also full of the most vindictive snitches who will not hesitate to report a competitor with the aim of getting them shut down. Do not imagine that you will be ok if you follow the rules because they are constantly shifting the gateposts. So you may not ever know exactly what the rules are.

A horrible site with horrible people in the so called legal department.

Update:
I closed my Folksy shop and opened a shop on Etsy. I have sold more with them in the last few months than I did with Folksy. But I now have very little stock in my shop as I'm busy sewing for family.

biglouis I agree that I don't like the way Etsy operates, especially their payment reserve system, and postage and delivery rules. Complaining gets me nowhere, they just don't listen, but I made their lives hell until I got some clear answers. I'll stay with them for now, but I'm hoping Folksy will seriously improve their promotion of their website so that more people know about it. I might then move back there.

Thanks again everyone for your responses.

My 14-year-old GD sells very well on Instagram (in Australia but much the same as selling here). However, she understands it and can make amazing short videos showing the packaging, the making of a product, etc. But it is very much their world.

I have been told in the past, by people that sell at Craft Fairs, that they do best by having some lower priced items for sale and higher price samples of what can be made to order. It also helps if they can work on something while they are there as people like to see the crafting. If it's a bad day, you're not then wasting your time. There are Craft Fairs and Craft Fairs though so you need to be picky.

OP. There are some Etsy seller Facebook pages where you can get tips on how to maximise your page (particularly key points when creating a listing to bolster ranking, how to deal with the charge for offsite marketing, shipping/returns issues, writing shop policies etc). You pay more fees selling on Etsy but your pool f buyers is s much greater. Etsy used to have local selling events too. No doubt that will start up again too. Best of luck

HappyS I agree with you about Etsy, MissOops had her shop suspended ( which meant that she was unable to access any of her photographs of her goods, customer lists, orders etc) they refused to tell her why she was under investigation for over a week.
They then sent her an email saying that she was using items in her crafts from a country that the USA has banned trading with !!
There was no way of arguing with them even though Etsy shops in the USA also use items in their crafting that comes from banned countries.
Their list also is subject to change, so she has to be aware of which countries the US decides it doesn’t like.
She now knows to back up all of her work and customer lists and orders on her PC, just in case the rules change again.

I sell a fair amount of vintage through private facebook groups so a lot less hassle than selling on one of the major platforms like Ebay or Etsy. And of course you are not paying commission to some conglomerate so there is that satisfaction. There are probably many such in facebook and insta devoted to various crafts. I would explore those. Expect a lot of work to make your mark.