Folksy

A small, Sheffield-based online marketplace, launched in 2008, where UK makers sell their own handmade and designed products.

About Folksy

Folksy is an online marketplace where people in the UK sell things they have made themselves. Its website calls it the UK's biggest online craft fair, and describes the products as gifts and craft supplies that must be original or handmade, so mass-produced and vintage goods are not allowed. Each seller gets their own shop page with a web address, branding and collections of products. Folksy says more than 10,000 artists, crafters and makers sell on it and that over two million items have sold. Sellers range from professional studios to people working at a kitchen table.

Folksy launched in the summer of 2008, and James Boardwell has run it since the start. Before that he researched and designed digital services for the BBC. The company took on its first staff member in 2009. Its website lists five principles in its own words: a love of craft and design, strength in numbers, cottage industries, meritocracy and being David rather than Goliath. It says the site is deliberately not curated, so nobody acts as a gatekeeper deciding whether a maker is good enough, and that makers can reach a mainstream audience without needing galleries or boutiques.

Folksy's About page says the team is spread across the UK, while the site description says it is based in Sheffield. Folksy Ltd is a UK company, its support team is described as UK-based, and it positions itself as a British alternative to Etsy. We did not find a street address. It also takes part in the UK craft scene: it ran a Folksy Summer School reported by Design Week in 2013,.

The About page names nine people on the team, who work on the site, support and the community. The company says it has been funded without millions in outside investment and does not present itself as a start-up, so it is a small, steady business rather than a fast-growing one. Sellers can pay for a Plus subscription that includes a private community forum, webinars and a Make it Sell e-course, so teaching makers how to sell is part of the work. These are the company's own claims.

In a small marketplace business the jobs are varied. There are customer and seller support staff who help makers photograph, price and describe their products, web developers who keep the shops and payments working, marketing and social media staff who promote makers, and community and content roles. If you like craft and design and are also interested in how online selling works, a company like this shows both sides. Folksy's website is the place to check for current opportunities.

What they do

• {'desc': 'A shop page for each seller, with collections and a custom web address.', 'title': 'Online shops for makers'}
• {'desc': 'Guides, an e-course, webinars and a community forum for sellers on the Plus plan.', 'title': 'Maker support'}
• {'desc': 'A place for shoppers to buy UK-made gifts and craft supplies directly from the maker.', 'title': 'Handmade marketplace'}

Key facts

• Launched in summer 2008; run by James Boardwell since the start
• Over 10,000 makers and more than two million items sold (company claims)
• First staff member hired in 2009; nine people named on the team page
• Describes itself as based in Sheffield and its team as UK-based

Website: folksy.com