TOP TIPS FOR SELLING JEWELRY

Secrets for Success Online and in Real-World Settings

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Table of Contents
Top Tips for Selling Jewelry ............................................................................................ 1

Secrets for Success Online and in Real-World Settings .............................................. 1

Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 3

Section One .................................................................................................................... 4

Market Research 101 .................................................................................................. 4

The Markets for Selling Jewelry ............................................................................... 5

Section Two .................................................................................................................... 7

How to Sell Jewelry ..................................................................................................... 7

Pricing ...................................................................................................................... 7

Create Your Marketplace ......................................................................................... 8

Photos...................................................................................................................... 9

Social Media ............................................................................................................ 9

Marketing and Selling Jewelry Online .................................................................... 10

Ideal Resources ..................................................................................................... 11

Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 12

Sources ......................................................................................................................... 13

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Introduction
To say that selling jewelry online is competitive is putting it mildly. After all, if you go to a site like
Etsy and just click on the "All Categories" in "Jewelry" you are likely to have more than five million
results!

So, whether you are wondering how to sell handmade jewelry online or at "brick and mortar"
venues, or you are just wondering how to start a jewelry business of some sort, you need to begin
with the facts.

And the biggest fact is that you are in a competitive industry.

However, the proverbial playing fields have been evened out like never before thanks to:

 The popularity of handmade and artisan goods

 The wide availability of craft fairs, flea markets, and small shops

 The rise of the Internet and its many online marketplaces

 The affordability of individual websites and marketing methods

Today, it is far easier to get into contact with your intended audience almost at once thanks to
social media, powerful search engines, and the use of marketing tools like SEO campaigns and
pay per click marketing. Additionally, thanks the plethora of information available to those
interested in learning how to sell jewelry online, almost anyone can start selling jewelry.

While it can be as easy as whipping up some earrings and heading to a site like Etsy to sell them,
if you are to become a true entrepreneur and artisanal professional, you will need to take some
common, preparatory steps. This brief guide is going to provide you with those top tips for selling
jewelry both online and in the real world. We are going to look at basics in market research,
choosing the right online venue or real world setting, learning how to sell, and some of the best
resources for you to use. When finished, you'll have all of the information you need to make a

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strong start at selling jewelry successfully without losing the joy of designing and making your own
custom works.

Learning how to sell jewelry is not rocket science, but it does take a bit of work. If you put in the
time at the beginning, you will discover how to start a jewelry business effectively without feeling
overwhelmed, defeated, or bogged down in the details.

Let's start with the basics of market research and the top places to begin selling jewelry…

Section One

Market Research 101

The most basic definition of market research is to "gather information about consumer needs or
preferences". As a jewelry designer and artist, you may not feel like market research is necessary
because what sort of consumer needs does artisanal jewelry meet? However, it takes only a few
minutes of clicking around a gallery at Etsy to see that jewelers do meet a wide diversity of
consumer needs and/or preferences.

For example, you will find people selling jewelry as diverse as tungsten wedding bands and
wooden watches, nose rings or wire wrapped shell pendants, and fancy initial "dog tags" or waxed
polyester bracelets. There are almost no similarities between these products, other than the
simple fact that they can be described as some sort of jewelry.

So, when you start learning how to sell jewelry online, it has to be based on the fact that the
industry is competitive, but it is also extremely diverse. Your job is to identify your specific "target"
audience and then discover how best to put your jewelry in front of them.

This is not as tough as it sounds because there are only a few places that you need to look. And
all you will be looking for is:

 Jewelry that is similar in overall design or tone to yours

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  Descriptions (or keywords) that are similar to those you would use to describe your jewelry

 Pricing that seems in line or competitive with your intended pricing

 An audience large enough to meet your needs

Market research is a two-way street, and it is meant to show you, as the seller, what your
audience wants and needs, but it is also meant to demonstrate to you whether the audience can
supply you with the sales you require. To figure out if selling jewelry at any location is feasible, you
need to know your costs and earnings requirements and then head out to discover which venues
will supply you with the audience capable of answering your needs.

The Markets for Selling Jewelry

You will sell either online or in the real world (or both). There are no limits as to where you can
begin selling your jewelry, though you won't want to go overboard. As some experts suggest, you
will want to start in one place and then build on your successes. So, choose to begin in the real
world and expand into a website or online marketplace as your successes selling jewelry allow, or
vice versa.

That means you can:

 Explore all of the "brick and mortar" options: This will include craft fairs, craft shows, art
galleries, local shops, home parties, gift shops, in collaboration with designers of garments
or other goods, and from your own storefront or kiosk

 Explore all of the online options: This will include the different artisan marketplaces (our top
suggestions include ArtFire, Etsy, Bonanza, Dawanda, eBay, and Zibbet and Business
News Daily also provides a comprehensive list of their Etsy alternatives too), your own
website, or in collaboration with designers who use your jewelry as accessories

In addition to the actual sites where sales occur, your market research will have to include social
media. This is because the lines between actual sales sites and social media are blurring rapidly.
In fact, Pinterest is now making it possible to purchase directly through their pages. The most

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common social media pages for selling jewelry (or promoting to create sales) are Facebook,
Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

For now, use all of these sites to search specifically for the kinds of jewelry you create. The key to
discovering how to sell jewelry online and in the real-world, is to learn if and/or where there is an
audience for what you intend to offer.

We are operating on the idea that you are selling handmade jewelry and not reselling commonly
available or generic items you have purchased from large-scale manufacturers. Because of that,
you will attract attention and be able to provide solutions to your specific niche.

And it is the "niche" where market research really occurs. Remember that list of jewelry types just
provided above - the tungsten rings, woven bracelets, etc. The words used to describe them will
become the "keywords" used to search for your audience, but also to define the niche you fill in
the jewelry market as well.

Thus, your market research for learning how to sell jewelry successfully begins with learning what
people want by looking at trends in the places where people most often buy jewelry, and by
searching using words and phrases that describe your work. Doing this helps you to learn if
people are buying what you offer, how many people are looking for it, and where the strongest
markets exist.

The research is also going to enlighten you about a niche that might allow you to learn how to sell
jewelry more successfully. As an example, you might design wedding bands, but if you design and
sell tungsten wedding bands, you are going to make your market research a bit easier. If you go a
bit farther and sell only wedding band sets made of tungsten, then you have your niche and can
research it as extensively as possible.

Doing the research prior to selling jewelry is as simple as choosing where you will sell (online or in
real-world settings) and then spending time searching for other vendors offering similar items.
Gather pricing, and see how much interest there is in their products, and you have the solid basis
for selling jewelry successfully.

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Section Two

How to Sell Jewelry

When you have done the market research and know where you will be selling jewelry (at least to
begin with), you then have to discover how to sell. That means you will:

 Calculate all of the costs associated with selling jewelry - This means the costs of
materials, labor, and fixed costs that range as widely as insurances and bank fees to space
rental and the cost of gas to travel from craft fair to art festival and beyond. It also means
you must know how you can accept payment and how that will affect your bottom
line/earnings.

 Create your marketplace - This can mean making a website, building social media
followings, and selling online. It can also mean purchasing a tent, building a functional
display, and creating a schedule of shows and festivals where you can begin selling
jewelry.

 Begin marketing - Selling jewelry requires marketing. That means you will always wear your
jewelry, you will always have great images (with proper styling) of the jewelry, you will be
on social media, and you will remain aware of the opportunities available to you with free
online marketing (apart from social media). This may means that you will blog about real-
world shows, use social media to post your schedule of appearances at fairs and festivals,
appear as a guest blogger, get clothing designers to use your jewelry as accessories, and
more. Naturally, you will also need to know about paid advertising and that can appear in
local publications, via "pay per click ads", on social media, and in banner ads or other
online options.

Pricing
The first item above is calculating costs, and this is specifically to determine the right prices for
your jewelry. Selling jewelry means pricing it competitively, but not underselling yourself. The ideal
"formula" for proper pricing has to include:

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  Cost - Include ALL of the materials used, the cost per piece for your labor

 Labor - Calculate a reasonable or fair market wage for your time and work in making and
designing the jewelry, and then divide it by the number of pieces you make in an hour

 Business - Include anything else that costs you (i.e. studio rent, electricity, interest on loans
or credit cards, shipping, advertising, anything that costs you out of pocket is part of the
cost of the jewelry).

Convert each cost to you into a "per piece" amount and add it up. That is the "wholesale" price.
You can offer that to people willing to buy in bulk, not individual buyers.

For the regular market, most people professionally selling jewelry will triple the wholesale price, or
at the very least, they double it. Your market research is always going to tell you how to choose
the most competitive pricing, but do not make the same mistake that many people just learning
how to sell jewelry make and underprice yourself.

Create Your Marketplace

Only you know whether you will sell online or in the real world. As already suggested, it is
advisable to sell in one area first and then expand into the other (online and then offline or vice
versa).

However, "building your marketplace" means creating the foundation on which you will lay out
your wares. Whether you decide that building a website is ideal for selling your jewelry or creating
a stall to take with you from festival to fair, be sure it has been designed with selling your jewelry
specifically in mind.

A web page, Etsy page, or booth at a festival are all the same thing - a backdrop meant to
enhance your jewelry and ensure that your audience is attracted and drawn into a sale. Use your
time spent in market research to harvest images and ideas for most effectively displaying jewelry.
Then, use those concepts to develop your marketplace and begin selling jewelry online or in the
real world.

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Photos
Taking good pictures is one thing, but taking pictures meant for selling jewelry is another. I
strongly suggest you use the popular list of free product photography tutorials from Wix.com in
order to master the art of photographing your work. However, some quick tips for selling jewelry
effectively in your marketplace include:

 Use the right light for mood

 Use proper displays for the general theme or tone of your jewelry (i.e. if it is made of natural
materials, surround it in a natural setting, or if it is a very characteristic ring why not
photograph it on a finger, but blur the background to make the ring "pop")

 Use a high resolution camera for the best images

 Be sure that the scale of a piece is properly recorded in at least one image

 Give multiple angles

 Ensure the colors are accurate

 Accessorize if that helps to enhance the style of the piece(s)

And you can use many of these same tips for real-world displays rather than online galleries.

If you are going to build a physical display, though, be sure it matches the overall style of the
jewelry. For example, if you are selling jewelry that is very clean, streamlined and modern, your
display should match that. You don't want a bohemian display full of colorful scarves and a
"gypsy" atmosphere if you are a designer of very contemporary jewelry.

Social Media
Before we look at the last item in the "how to sell" list, I want to touch on social media. That is
because it is not specifically marketing but also a part of building your marketplace. After all, you
may feature boards on Pinterest related to the current fashion trends and use images of your

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jewelry in the mix. You might blog about the popularity of a specific stone or style and link that to
your social media and your sales pages.

Social media has to feature as part of your marketplace as well as your marketing. Your audience
is on social media, and it is the most direct way of interacting with them. Even if you opt to use
real-world locations for selling jewelry, you will want a social media presence. This lets your
followers know when and where they can find you and what new styles or trends you'll be
emphasizing in your latest designs.

One major word of advice about social media - do have it, but don't go crazy with it. Choose one
site that you can easily keep up with, and try to stick with it. Don't expand widely across
Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook if you only check in once or twice a week. Start with
something as basic as some Pinterest boards and a Facebook fan page, and just stick to it every
day (yes, that said every day). The reason is simple - social media is just that - social - and if you
are not responsive within an hour or so of receiving messages, comments or questions, people
doubt you are actually socializing.

Social media is NOT marketing, but it is part of your overall marketing plan. Using social media
when selling jewelry is done to learn from your buyers and audience, interact with other people
designing and selling jewelry online and to spread the word about your activities or interests.

Marketing on the other hand is just that, and you can rely on your stronger social media
connections to support your efforts.

Marketing and Selling Jewelry Online

As part of your initial market research, you learned what words are used to describe the kinds of
jewelry you design, make and sell by those searching for it. You can begin inserting these words
into product descriptions and advertising. However, you also want to display your knowledge of
the materials you choose and use this to help promote your work.

For example, let's say that you are selling jewelry made from garnets. People may think they are
rubies, but you will learn all about garnets, their many uses, and why they are interesting and

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relevant to those who wear them. Writing or speaking knowledgeably about your materials,
methods, designs, and even the styles of the season is also part of marketing.

Selling jewelry means wearing it…yours specifically, or even styles that inspired you. Whether
online (via social media, blogs, or your own "look” books) or offline and in person, you can market
effectively by showing passion about the items you make and sell. Selling handmade jewelry is a
rare chance to inform the buyer about some aspect of the jewelry you create, and that can be a
significant portion of your marketing.

Use the strongest keywords or descriptors and put them to use whenever possible. This may
include paying for advertising when selling jewelry online or off. I strongly recommend the use of
free marketing tutorials, which are in abundance, though some of the best are through Lynda.com
and KnowThis.com.

No matter what sort of marketing you will use when selling handmade jewelry, you will also need
to keep track of the many details. Learning how to start a jewelry business is definitely one thing,
but learning how to keep it going is another.

Ideal Resources
Right now, it may seem impossible that you will become so busy that you will need software to
help you track inventory, materials, sales, some aspects of marketing, and more. However, if you
paid close attention as you read the previous pages, you probably learned that you need this
support right from the start.

Selling jewelry is a very complicated chain of events, and I have found that there are few
trustworthy resources to turn to when you need help juggling the details. Among the most
commonly recommended is the software from BejeweledSoftware.com. This company has been
at work for was founded back in 2001 and has produced crafting and jewelry design support
packages ever since.

Their innovative solutions make it easy to price properly, make well informed business decisions,
and provide premium sales information to potential buyers and existing customers. From easier

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marketing directly on invoices and single click shares to Facebook, and from wholesale pricing
calculators to instant budgeting figures, this software can help you get started selling jewelry
successfully and without any guesswork!

Conclusion
I hope you have found tips in these pages that can help you cut down on the time spent preparing
yourself to start selling jewelry. My goal was to help you spend more time doing what you love -
designing and making jewelry - than becoming a super hero business professional. Sadly, you will
have to dedicate time to growing your business, but if you use the methods outlined here, you will
be in constant contact with clients and your fans, and receive a lot of feedback, support, and
information from them.

If you use the tools, tactics, tips and resources, you can streamline the work of learning how to sell
jewelry and then selling jewelry, and keep your focus on creating your beautiful designs and
products.

Jewelry is a wonderful way to make a living, and I sincerely hope you find yourself doing so in the
near future. Best of luck and happy designing, selling and success!

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Sources
Craftsy.com. Tips for Selling… http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2013/10/tips-for-selling-handmade-
jewelry/

Etsy. Jewelry. https://www.etsy.com/c/jewelry?ref=catnav

MoneyPantry.com. 11 Best Places… http://moneypantry.com/places-to-sell-handmade-jewelry/

WikiHow. How to Sell… http://www.wikihow.com/Sell-Homemade-Jewelry-Online

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