Custom Crystal Jewelry
i have had my jewelry in a shop here in LA and on the website for like
a month and a half now, and i have only ever sold one peice.... well,
i sold one to a friend, but pretty much just the one......
i am spending all this money on making these, and i love making them
dont get me wrong, but they are more than i can afford to just do for
fun....
what do i do to get these selling??? i really really want this to
work.....
Here is kind of a checklist of
what I personally did to become successful at selling my own work. This was
before I was making beads - so it applies to jewelry. Selling my
handmade beads seems to be a whole lot easier for me than selling jewelry
ever was, because the market isn't quite so bad.
1. I made sure my items were well made with high quality materials -
sterling silver instead of nickel, crystal when I could, high quality Czech
glass, vermeil gold instead of brass, uniformly made seed beads, etc. I
made sure I knew my stitching and stringing and could make items that were
pleasing to the eye. If you have original, unusual designs, that's a
serious plus.
2. Get the word out to friends and family first. They can be great guinea
pigs - if they will wear your stuff, there's a good chance the public will
too. I did a little mini-show for my mom's bunco group - a bunch of jewelry
crazy women - and it went so well! If you can do a jewelry party or
something with friends, that may help get you going. And when people see
your jewelry on someone's body and ask that someone where to get it, they
can give your information!
3. Make sure to have some business cards printed up. That way people who
have your jewelry (friends, family etc.) can give out your business cards to
interested people. That worked well for me - My mom still has a stash she
gives out to her co-workers when they ask about my mom's jewelry that came
from me. List your website on the business card, as well as a phone number
and email address. Be open to doing custom work for people who see
something they like on someone else. Custom work can be your best friend
when you don't have inventory selling on a website.
4. Learn how to price your work!!! This is very important. I know there
are a couple of formula's circulating around the internet and here in the
newsgroup. Do your homework, and then find the best formula to fit your
situation. Don't undersell - it will hurt you later, I promise!! Been
there!
5. Spend a TON of time marketing your website. This may sound daunting, but
I really want to scream every time someone says that they just built their
website and after a week they are not selling anything. It took me several
months of work (and I mean hours and hours of work) to get traffic and
customers to my site. And in this market, you will have to work even
harder. There are thousands and thousands of jewelry websites. You have to
make yours stand out, and then you have to MARKET. That means link
reciprocation, networking (talking to other designers), market research
(talking to and polling customers to find out what they like) and
advertising. Marketing does not have to cost a lot. Most of mine was
free - it just took tons of time. Get on google.com and start searching -
the internet is full of tips on how to do this - but tread carefully - don't
pay for what you can get for free.
6. Learn your audience. Who are you designing for? What are the trends and
fashions? You can pay attention to trends while still staying true to your
own artform. Love what you are doing, but try and cater to your customers
at the same time. Pay attention to the season, the nearest holidays and
events, the fashion colors in clothing out at the time and what the stars
are wearing.
7. Above all - be patient. This time of the year is the worst when trying
to sell anything except tax software! People are paying taxes, paying
attention to the war, paying bills after the Christmas season, etc. Sales
traditionally get better closer to Mother's Day for jewelry - and then even
better in the fall.