New Folksy - First Impression

Well, today can hardly go by without me blogging about the new Folksy we've been waiting to see for a few months now. Today the made-over site was unveiled, and I logged in to have a look.

Before I do though, I will start with a little disclaimer: These opinions and thoughts are mine alone, so if you disagree with me and wish to comment, please keep it friendly. Feelings are very mixed from what I've seen on the forums and I can only speak for myself. So now we have that out the way...

So, I've only had a short look so far, and I'm certain there are bugs to be ironed out and issues to be straightened. This is my overall first impression, and I have to say: I like it. :-)

Love the new logo. It's bright, fresh and fun, and makes me want to shop on Folksy (always a bonus for sellers). At first glance it looks like a place to buy crafty, unique items.

I like the cool greys, white and black of the site, it showcases the items better. The products are now displayed in a sort of polaroid box and I like that too, it's quirky but clean.

At the top there are three buttons: Handmade Christmas, Hats and Kitchen and dining. If I'm correct, those categories will be rotating, I imagine, so we'll probably find different categories to browse each day. I LOVE the illustrations, they seem to match the logo, giving the impression that Folksy is more of a 'brand'. I'm a designer by trade and an illustrator, so I suppose all this marries up with what I like.

Now onto my own shop: the one thing I would say is that it feels slightly less personal, that could be to do with the fact that the banner is smaller and less central. Perhaps Folksy will take that on board, as I see I am not alone in that observation. In the meantime though, I like it, my items look good and all the information is there.

The writing is a little small, but personally I can remedy that with [Cmd +] (I'm on a Mac) so I'm not bothered about that particularly. Search engine seems to work fine.

On the forums I've read that the 6 month listing has dropped to 3 months but the price is the same. I haven't confirmed this for myself yet. How do I feel about it? The same way I feel when anything I like to spend money on goes up. Petrol goes up but I'm not getting rid of my car, because I like to drive it. Of course I'd rather it was cheaper still. Do I still want to sell on Folksy? Yep. Will I carry on selling there? Yes, I will, I do better on Folksy than I do on Etsy, even though I think Etsy have nailed the promotion and exposure better with their circles and favouriting system. Go figure.

Change can be disorientating and downright unpopular, but I always think back to when facebook has gone through numerous makeovers: there is a general uproar and a longing for the old set-up - but now I can't even remember what the old facebook used to look like. I applaud Folksy for moving forward and making over the site, I never disliked the old one but I do really like this new one.