Company: Folksy
Founder: James Boardwell
Website: https://folksy.com/
Business: Folksy a maketplace to buy handmade gifts and original artwork, sold directly by the artists and designers who have created them
About Folksy and James Boardwell
Folksy is the home of British craft – the place to buy handmade gifts and original artwork, sold directly by the artists and designers who have created them. Made with love, every purchase from Folksy supports a genuine craftsperson.
James has been running Folksy since it started in 2008. He wanted to create an uncurated online space where craftspeople could showcase their work and share the story behind their creations. Inspired by the meritocracy that a marketplace brings, he founded Folksy to showcase designers and makers.
Folksy has been spearheading the handmade movement in the UK since its founding, and they are now the largest UK marketplace for craft and handmade. Because of this, they have gained a reputation as a UK-based equivalent to Etsy.
Folksy is intentionally not curated, so there are no gatekeepers deciding who or what is “good enough” – everyone is welcome to sell on Folksy, whether they work in a professional studio or at their kitchen table, as long as their work is original or made by hand.
Payments are automated and secure, meaning sellers do not need to worry about invoices, cheques or bank transfers. The fees against sellers are also slightly lower than Etsy, their main competitor. This all also benefits customers, who have access to easy checkout and secure payments. They have the choice to pay directly by card or through PayPal.
