How to start selling Jewelry…?
I have begun making jewelry as a hobby to keep myself busy. I have tried to sell a few sets that I have made, but I cannot seem to sell any. I am using Craigslist and Upillar. I know that I should be using Etsy, but I hate to pay for a listing if its never going to sell. Does anyone have any suggestions on how they began selling jewelry. I cannot find any craft shows in my area this time of year, plus I don’t have enough inventory to start one yet. I wanted to make a few set and sell them before trying a show. Also if you have any feedback on what I have made, that would be helpful too! Thanks!
http://www.upillar.com/listings/207076-handmade-jewelry-sets
Suggested Reading:
Erte: Art to Wear: The Complete JeweleryOversize book. 10 1/2 x 14. 414 illustrations: 201 color, 17 duotone, 196 monochrome.
This book is edited, designed, and produces by Marshall Lee.
Related Posts
http://www.upillar.com/listings/207076-handmade-jewelry-sets
I took a look at your work it’s very nice but too pricey in my opinion, if you want to sell any of these or others you may need to reconsider your prices , of course it all depends on what you are using ….for example if you are using crystal then I agree the price is right but if you are using plastic beads then drop the price or you will never sell any of them . Next you need to design a better web page for yourself , than you could place a little ad in a local newspaper and even have a Jewellery party at your place , ,make some business cards that you will include with each of your pieces ,go to little boutiques and leave some of these on consignment ,find out when a Bazaar in your neighbourhood will be ,you could set a little table there ,you may need to give some of the profit to the Church but at least you will sell your jewellery . Also consider making pins and bracelets and watches ,make some of these for the young kids as well we all use to like little necklaces and bracelets when we were little girls. I wish you the very best for the future .
http://www.ironspider.ca/basic_html/howtomakeawebpage.htm
if you only have a few made then use those as a model but you need to make sure that you have enough supplies of the same this way you can take orders for them. give yourself enough time to fill the orders this way you wont feel rushed
Make some Jewelry your friends would wear and give it to them. Then when people ask were they got it they can say you! May give you a little business and advertising to get started!
Hope that helped.
These websites should help answer your questions. They are very complete shops, I purchase from both. Good Luck !
http://www.artbeads.com/
http://wire-sculpture.com/
Hello there,
I really do think arts and crafts shows are the way to go for marketing your work. The folks at those shows are the general type of market you want to target. How you display your pieces is important. You need attractive and thoughtful displays. Something that grabs the viewers attention and yet shows your work in a favorable manner. I think people need to see your jewelry to buy it. I am probably old school on that. I did arts and crafts shows for a while and found those very profitable. Years later, I thought I would come out of retirement and sell some work on-line. The same style pieces, the same quality of workmanship and the same pricing as I used years before. I got no where on-line; I did not find that a viable outlet. I did do quite a bit of traveling to do the arts and crafts show circuit. Travel is not cheap. So you need to sell a lot to cover your travel expenses alone.
You do have to have an adequate stock prepared for a show. You cannot sell what you do not have. The ideas of having samples of your work to display and then taking orders for pieces does not work unless you already have established a reputation.
You have to decide what your style is and focus on that. You cannot compete in every style of jewelry. Find the style that fits your skills and your designing abilities and work in that area. Also, you have to decide which market you want to compete in. Are you making inexpensive costume jewelry. If so, you need very cheap supplies and quick easy designs that do not require a lot of time so you can afford to sell your work at cheap prices. If you are going to make higher quality handcrafted pieces, you need to avoid using any cheap supplies (such as no base metal findings). In the higher end jewelry, you need unique designs and fine craftsmanship.
I looked at your necklace, beads and a cast (or stamped) eagle center drop. I could not tell if you were using sterling or base metals. The design while all right was not unusual or unique. If you are using base metals, at $45 that necklace may not sell. If you are using sterling, you need to say that. You should also make your designs more unique. When I first saw the necklace, nothing stood out as unusual. Looked similar to many others I have seen. It it is not unique and special, how do you intend to compete in the market place. Why should someone buy your necklace instead of the many other simple stung bead necklaces available? That is the question you have to answer for yourself.
If you cannot find arts and crafts shows, you need to look for other novel ideas on how to get your jewelry displayed. It has to be seen to sell. Seeing it in person is the best approach.
Later,
Hi in “Fairfield”.
I’ve never tried to sell much. You can try consignment…but be careful with the terms and conditions …and you might try beauty salons.
I have a platinum buyers group at Fire Mountain gems..if you want to buy beads etc at a nice discount. Everyone places individual orders.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FireMountainGemsBuyersClub/
Good luck..just start small…and remember to have fun.
OH there is a yahoo group called Ohio Beaders. I’m a member. They have meets and a retreat.
you got to get their showcase…they have some talented ladies.
There are many jewelry marketplaces online where you can sell your jewelry, including Etsy, Ecrater, eBay, Artfire, 1000 Markets, and Dawanda. Here is a valuable link that lists many options for selling your jewelry: http://www.home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com/selling-jewelry-online-1.html.
i cant answer
AMAZING! Best of luck! http://seekitnow.info/188534/jewellery-sets
I know you said you didn’t want to pay to use Etsy, but have you looked at the fees? It’s only $0.20 per item for a 4-month listing. When I started selling there, I had no idea whether I would sell anything, but I figured if I listed 25 items to give it a try, I’d only be out $5 if it didn’t work. I don’t know your profit margin, of course, but I’d imagine if you sell just 1 or 2 of those items, you’d easily recoup your $5. In my case, I figured it was better to risk the $5 for the chance of selling something than to have my items continue to sit around gathering dust. Now I have well over 100 sales.
Other than Etsy, I’ve heard of artfire.com and yatimi.com. I don’t know what the fees are, if any, for the first one. The second one I know is free. I’ve never tried either myself, but based on what I’ve seen of them, they don’t get nearly the traffic that Etsy gets. I’ve never heard of upillar.com, nor would I ever think to look on craigslist for handmade jewelry, just my opinion. I really think if you’re serious about trying to sell your stuff, Etsy is the way to go. Give yourself a trial budget and if it doesn’t work, you can always go back to free sites. Good luck!
I think Etsy is a good place to start. It’s only 20 cents to list an item for 3 months. And there is a 3.5% fee on the selling price when you sell an item. Pretty minimal for the exposure you’ll get.
I looked at your jewelry and it’s very nice. Prices are a little high, but I don’t know what you are using in your creations. Etsy allows you to give a good description of your items so prospective buyers know exactly what they’re paying for.
You may want to consider making a few lower cost pieces, too. The more you have listed on Etsy the more likely you will be seen. Break out your sets and sell them as individual pieces. Buyers don’t always want a set. You can always put in your description that “the bracelet that goes with this necklace is also available in my shop”.
Before you start, I recommend you research the jewelry that’s already on Etsy to understand what’s selling and for what price. It’s best to have a niche. Designs that not everyone is doing. Something that will make your jewelry stand out. A way to brand yourself.
Craft shows can be a bit pricey. But sometimes you can find a local community show that is fairly reasonable that will give you the exposure you need right in your own backyard. Springtime is the beginning of craft show season so check your local newspapers and the web to see what coming up.
Good luck!