Your beads and your supplies have been purchased. You’ve found a designated spot in your home for all of your beading work and a place to let your creativity loose. Of course, there may be a few loose strands of beads here and there, or bits of string throughout the house, but you have decided to take those first few steps in beginning your home jewelry business. Congratulations, hopefully you are on your way to success!
Now that you have all of these beautiful creations, you begin to wonder what to do with all of them. You have showed them off with great pride to your family and friends, and even have taken them to the office and maybe even to your favorite coffee shop. Plenty of people have responded about how gorgeous your designs are, but they all tell you one thing:
You should sell your designs!
As an artist, it’s hard to part with your designs. In the beginning stages of the creative process, our hearts and mind become attached with these precious beads because of all of the work that was put into them. But we must remember, that we are doing this to make others happy as well. It will be a delight to you when your first sale is made, and it will just make your heart flutter when you see your customer beaming at your jewelry design. In the end, the money will be totally worth it.
There are a variety of places you can begin to sell all of your handmade jewelry designs. Start out locally at first so that you can build a name for yourself. Have a few business cards made up so you can leave them with the businesses. Perhaps you can begin with your beautician. See if she would be interested in taking a few of your pieces. Work out a contract to where she can either sell them on consignment, or she could purchase them in bulk from you at wholesale price. Or if there are any local craft shops or coffee shops, try those as well and work with a similar contract on consigning or purchasing wholesale. People may see something special that they like, then show if off to their friends, and then they will then come to the place the sale was made! Your jewelry could possibly be a hit right there in your own hometown!
While you are starting out locally, perhaps you could host your own home jewelry party! Set out a pretty table with a pretty tablecloth of your favorite color. Set up some candles for a calm setting, set some music, light snacks, and some bright lighting for your jewelry. Invite some of your close friends, friends from church, mothers that you might know from your child’s school, and perhaps even put a small advertisement in the paper! Make sure you have enough change, and even some loose beads on hand just in case someone wants a custom design. If your party goes well, you could have other parties to sell your jewelry too.
During the summer time, keep your eyes out for craft fairs, farmers markets, country fairs, auctions, and more. Each place is an opportunity for you to pack up your jewelry pieces and sell! Many local towns and cities have farmers markets every summer, and will take vendors who sell food, produce, and different kinds of products. Sometimes there is no fee to sell your items, and sometimes the fees are very minimal. It’s great exposure for you to attract local tourists and to spread your wings beyond your local town.
Once you have branched out locally, it’s time to begin taking on the Internet. The Internet can be quite intimidating. There are thousands of jewelry websites on the web, but you just have to know how to find your niche. You may decide to stick with just bracelets, necklaces, sets, or perhaps just sell earrings. Then you have to find out who your target audience is. If you have some web designing skills, set up a small website, or you can set up your own little store at www.etsy.com and list each piece for only 20 cents each! Have the name and URL of your webstore on your cards so that you can be available to your customers 24-7.
Another big marketplace to sell your jewelry is at Ebay: (www.ebay.com). There are all kinds of crafters selling handmade jewelry on Ebay. But during the summer, every gal is looking for jewelry. Most of the biggest hits are anklets and bracelets. More women are wearing sandals and wearing short sleeve or sleeveless tops to show off their shiny jewels and flair. While the jewelry market on Ebay may be a bit fierce, it brings a lot of exposure to you and your business. Many buyers on Ebay will return to their favorite sellers because it is what they know and love. It may cost a bit more to list on ebay, which means there’s a possibility you might have to raise your price, but in the end, sometimes it is well worth the effort.
As you begin your home jewelry business, the one thing to keep in mind is to not get frustrated. There is a lot of competition out there, but you just have to be creative and find your way to stand out in the big world of jewels. Once you have found your niche, and have made a name for yourself locally, you are well on your way. The Internet is the next biggest thing to conqueror. Once you have your customer list created and they have marked you as their favorite, you have nothing to fear. It may take at least a few years to really bring in business, but once the business starts, you will be happy to know it’s yours. You can tell everyone how you built it from the bottom up, and having your own home business is something to be proud of-especially when it’s something that brings you joy and delivers happiness to other people.
