Hello.
Long time Farker, new online sock shop owner.
Being a long time Farker I come into this classified knowing a couple things;

1. The socks on our site are for women and only about 5% of Farkers are women. Only about 0.05% of those are actually female people and not guys trying to get sponsored in main page threads :/
I bought this ad because I wanted to get feedback and of course get the word out, but it is valuable to me even if people don't buy, and just give opinions.

2. I will probably get ripped a new one in the name of getting opinions, but I still welcome them. Let me know if you find bugs, if there's an issue with your browser, or anything.

Thanks for you time,
Stay Socksy! (sorry)

As a Farkette, I genuinely enjoy socks and leg warmers, and yours are quite nice. However, the economy being what it is, frivolities like that aren't exactly at the top of my shopping list. Sorry.

Wow, look at this! Glad to see you on Fark! I am an actual female who has actually looked at and fondled Artisan Socks' products. I am not ashamed to admit I desired many of them.

I learned things too. I admit that, though I try to be ecologically aware, I had never even heard of "eco-friendly regenerated cotton" before. Now I have touched it and found how soft it is and what pretty patterns are available. (But if you want to talk luxurious feel, there's the cashmere arm warmers...)

I warn you, though, some of their stuff is a little kinky. Fishnet and thigh-high and such. And some is just darn cute! Like sharks and goldfish and cows and cats and psychedelic patterns.

Mostly what I came in to say (in this entirely unsolicited and unrewarded comment) is: I had no idea I could be so fond of SOCKS! Great selection, and good luck to you in your new venture!

And before you rip into Loonaci for being a shill, yes, they are a friend, yes they have fondled the socks, no I didn't pay them to say that even though I would have had they asked me to.

I am not above trying to curry favor.
*giggles*

MeowTseTung: no I didn't pay them to say that even though I would have had they asked me to.

Well, darn, that'll teach me to keep in better touch!
(I was just so excited to see the announcement I couldn't resist commenting!)

Hey loon.

Sorry for no "Heads up".
We're live, but like "beta live" which means live with our fingers crossed that we haven't overlooked something massive.

Our browser testing is still, how shall we say, in the rudimentary phases and I haven't gotten the cake towels in yet.
OMG CAKETOWELS

I already know the top images are obscenely heavy and I've gotten a "Can I just tell you what I want, I can't browse that heavy site you fat heavy site having farker" feedback already..

"Anna knew she had to have a new pair of socks today"

/anyone?

Heh. Okay, I guess it makes sense that there are sock designers, but I admit, I was briefly amused at the idea that there were enough of them on Fark to get feedback from.

I, obviously, am not a sock designer. However, I am definitely a sock wearer, and I freely admit I will be forwarding your website to my husband so that he can't complain that he never knows what to buy me for Christmas.

ThisIsNotSubtle: I was briefly amused at the idea that there were enough of them on Fark to get feedback from.

I love you brazillions.
If he gets you some, and you take fun photos of your feet I'll give you a nifty voucher. Just send a note saying "From Fark".

Actually, as usual I'm clear as mud.
1. I'd like socks designers (knitters and such) to contact us if they'd like. A good number of my female Farker friends actually knit and make stuff by hand. Fark just hits some quirky demographic there.

2. I'd like feedback about the site from a shopper's p.o.v.
Things like "hey, you forgot a wish-list function and I like your site so have one please" or "moar cow socks please" or even "Did a colorblind pygmy goat design your site then throw up on it??", you know, the Fark-like stuff. Hee!

Just a few comments design wise....

The site just overall seems a bit "busy".

You have pages where the "clips" at the bottom are blank. I'm guessing it is too hard to remove them if you don't have anything to put there, but, they seem out of place blank.

The clips at the top, the text doesn't always seem to fit the notes.

I get what you were trying to do with those clipped notes, it just didn't work for me.

The products look nice though.

dletter: You have pages where the "clips" at the bottom are blank.


Thanks for the feedback!
Could you let me know what you mean by "clips" at the bottom are blank"?

Also what browser / os combo are you using please?
Are you using custom style sheets?

Thanks!

Almost makes cross dressing tempting.

Almost.

Runners wear arm warmers if you're looking for expanding markets. The penultimate (I think) issue of Running Times had a column raving about them.

One example:

http://www.artisansocks.com/holiday-socks/

The Featured Items at the bottom.... all the clipped "papers" are empty.

And again, while I understand what was being gone for here... when the text or images don't match the angle of the clipped papers in the images behind them, at least to me, it looks dumb. IMO, either lose that imagery, or at least maybe make all the clip/papers "flat" to the screen and not angled.

dletter: The Featured Items at the bottom.... all the clipped "papers" are empty.

Ah!
Yes, we've not quite caught up and three? categories are still wating to have products uploaded.

dletter: IMO, either lose that imagery, or at least maybe make all the clip/papers "flat" to the screen and not angled.

I'll work on that today.
Thanks!

Hmmmm... I'm undecided.

I think I'll have to be able to see more pictures of your product to know for sure. Whole galleries, in fact, of young skirted models wearing artisan socks in various poses. That would help me decide!

Time to upgrade my old gym sock.

/fap

Fun site, but yeah, WAAAY too busy--actually distracts from the product. Seems more effort went into designing the web page than the socks. Less is more. I'd have less "design" imagery and borders, and put bigger better pics of the actual socks. Too many HUGE balls of yarn next to tiny pics of socks, and easy to get lost in the site.

And, as mentioned, on some pages, those little white rectangles on the clothesline had nothing in them. Looks weird.

But I like the idea, and the socks are nice. I'd just make the site more about the product.

Seriously, though--great idea for a site.

(Meant to say that above with all my yabbering)

Your ad worked. I am bookmarking for a future purchase. Kudos. :)

/the blue legwarmers would make a perfect gift for someone I know
//so I can see her wearing them :)

I love the socks. I don't love the extra-busy site design.
However, I will likely buy from your site. I am always in need of cute, unusual and bizarre socks. I've been selling my worn and smelly socks to perverts on the internet for a while through stinkstore.com so I get through quite a few pairs a month.

Shipping prices being made available BEFORE I get to the checkout would be appreciated, though. I'm in Australia.

Thank you all so much for the feedback, it is really helpful.

>Shipping prices being made available BEFORE I get to the checkout would be appreciated, though. I'm in Australia.

I'll add a page to make it more understandable sooner.

>And, as mentioned, on some pages, those little white rectangles on the clothesline had nothing in them. Looks weird.

We're trying to get them filled in :)

>I don't love the extra-busy site design.

What would you like to see gone?

>I don't love the extra-busy site design.
What would you like to see gone?

Less is more--for me the epitome of the web experience is Google. Sure, they have a little fun with in-jokes involving their logo, but they never forget why people come to their site in the first place--to find information. It's easy, it's clear what to do, it loads INSTANTLY and there isn't a bunch of crazy borders and distracting artwork everywhere that pleases designers more than customers.

What to lose?--well, first thing, those closepin things. Do you sell clothespins? Why are they so prominently displayed, while the socks--your actual product--is presented smaller and "below the fold"? The top of your page should be displaying...socks! Your product! And those HUGE balls of yarn in the background--why are they there? That kind of thing only serves to make your site slower to load--a HUGE no-no for any site--and for no purpose. (Even aesthetically they don't add anything.)

I think in your case people want one thing--the ability to easily find and order imaginative sockwear. That's it. Any "artwork" should be detailed pics of the product, not whimsical distractions and busy conflicting word balloon thingies.

It's also confusing to figure how to navigate your site--I notice that HUGE picture of the two girls wearing legwarmers is on a lot of the pages, yet there's one page with a HUGE picture of a table with a lamp on it (??). Beneath these pictures--microscopic pictures of your socks! This would be great if I wanted to buy a table, I suppose...

Anyway, your mileage may vary, and it's just an opinion, of course, but for what it's worth I think you actually have a good idea for a site, it's just really cluttered at this point. Basically, get rid of everything that has nothing to do with socks, selling socks, how to (easily) order socks, and displaying socks so people can check out the merchandise--after all, that's (theoretically) why they're there.

The green on green and orange on orange lettering on the menus to the left are a bit hard on the eyes, in my opinion. I also agree with SpyVsSpy when they said its too busy. Its a bit distracting when I'm trying to view the products, especially the ones in the Top Products category on the right.

I like the selection over all, though. Between SockDreams.com and your website I'll have all my sock needs taken care of :)

What SpyVsSpy said. That covered all the points I was thinking of.

Those yarn balls are confusing. Did one of them have a face? WHY DOES IT HAVE A FACE! It frightens and confuses me!
One last point: craft and cute might go hand in hand in some corners of the internet, but not everyone seeking quality hand-made garments will care for cute. Focus on skill, not kittens. Perhaps a bent towards something slightly French could drag you up further from the etsy crowd? (So you could bump the prices up, too)

My hilarious book is getting beaten by sexy socks. Good on you, sexy socks.

DAMN YOU!

/raises fist
//shakes it in anger

These are actually really cute. I wish I could justify buying something that pricey for myself. They are really adorable.