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How to Sell Handmade Jewelry Online

How to Sell Jewelry Online: Tips from Jewelry Store Owners

19 min read

You know what they say: “Diamonds are a girl鈥檚 best friend.” Well, in this instance, things are a bit different. Diamonds, and all types of other jewelry, have become a seller鈥檚 best friend, especially now.

If you鈥檙e looking to sell jewelry, you鈥檝e picked a great time to get started. The marketing world has shifted to a primarily digital format, meaning it鈥檚 become easier than ever to learn how to sell jewelry.

At first, you might think of those gleaming shops in the mall or the various specialty jewelry shops sitting around in your local downtown sprawl. They鈥檝e always been around since you were young and always have these amazing, ornate displays of various jewel-laden trinkets just waiting to be bought for that special someone.

With the advent of ecommerce becoming the centralized platform to sell jewelry, outlets to sell jewelry are now only a click away.

How to sell online
Tips from e-commerce experts for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.
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A Gem in the Making — Entering the Market

Ecommerce has been steadily . Online buying and selling have become the main form of business. After all, the internet has made it more convenient than ever for someone to find their own place online and set up shop.

Think of online markets such as eBay and Amazon. They each facilitate pages and pages of seemingly endless products, ranging from the most lavish of diamonds to a simple pair of cotton socks. They offer spaces for both sponsored and private trading, with eBay offering a more privatized arena for trading, auctions, exchanges, as well as buying and selling. The push towards a more digital format for places to sell jewelry has also become more prevalent than ever.

The community of buyers and sellers is vast and diverse. It consists of people looking to get rid of old jewelry from times past that is simply cluttering up their drawers, closets, or shelves. It extends all the way up to people who have spent their life devoted to selling jewelry, providing some of the rarest of artisan handcrafted accessories that might someday land themselves on the neck of a celebrity or any renowned figure.

The pool of resources is as vast as the internet is. Approaching something this expansive and constantly growing might seem intimidating at first. No reason to fret, though. In a vast ecommerce market that hosts hundreds upon hundreds of billions of dollars in sales every year, there is plenty of space for someone looking to learn how to sell jewelry. Let鈥檚 tackle a look at where to sell jewelry and how to get in on a shining gem of a market.

Crystal Focus — How to Stand Out

It is a constantly shifting market with plenty of potential to make as much of a profit as you could lose. Don鈥檛 let this deter you, though. It鈥檚 certainly worth trying to get your piece of the pie. Take a look at these brief reasons to get invested in trying to sell jewelry:

  1. It鈥檚 small, meaning that it is easy and cheap to ship. With many of the transactions you will be facing happening online, this is a key factor in the cost and potential profit yield. Considering that each piece of jewelry on average yields a range of 25% to 75% in profit. This certainly offsets the cost if anything it will take to ship out those gleaming wares to the next customer.
  2. Diversity is the name of the game. Thinking of an ornate brooch from the 1950s? That鈥檚 jewelry. A diamond ring from 10 years ago? That鈥檚 jewelry. A cute bead bracelet from a young relative? While it may not seem like it at first, that counts as jewelry. When learning how to sell jewelry, it is necessary to understand that there鈥檚 no reason to be pigeonholed in any one genre or product type when you鈥檙e just starting out. Let specialization take shape over 迟颈尘别鈥攊蹿 it鈥檚 necessary.
  3. There are plenty of places to source your supply from, whether it be your local thrift shop ranging all the way to the Bulgari at the local mall (capital permitting, of course). With an ecommerce market this big, there will be no shortage of places to start accruing a dedicated supply of wares from.

Where to Sell Jewelry

The best option for any newcomer who wants to sell jewelry is to set up their own website to distribute their wares from. Websites to sell jewelry may seem a little too populated to think it鈥檚 a good idea to make your own. After all, oversaturation is a common concern of anyone trying to get their foot in the door of an already massive market.

There鈥檚 no need to worry, though, as everyone was once in your shoes. The best way to get your own website set up is to find one of the many content management systems, or CMSs. These are excellent partners that the ecommerce world has to offer. These CMS companies will give you all the tools necessary to set up the perfect online shop, with tons of tools and widgets to accurately display what your goal is and what your business is about.

The best part? Most of them are completely free!

How to Start Selling Jewelry — Step by Step

Step1. Find your niche

Think of something that customers can buy only from you. It doesn鈥檛 have to be an intricate handmade product. But when looking at one of your products, people shouldn鈥檛 think they鈥檙e able to make it themselves or buy it somewhere else.

Experienced handmade sellers advise focusing on the target audience. You should picture your customers听and understand who are you selling to. It鈥檚 not just “women 21-45 years old”. Think of their lifestyle: how they spend time, where they go out, what they wear. Your accessories must match that specific lifestyle.

30%
of the annual income jewelry sellers get during the holidays (10% more than an average seller)

Jewelry is best sold during the holiday season. Historically, rings, bracelets, and necklaces make perfect gifts, so keep that in mind when thinking of what to sell. Try to create something you鈥檇 personally be glad to give your friends for the holidays. If you are not sure yet, your collections can be built around holiday themes in your first year. This is a safe start.

Your success formula is high quality + clear difference from competitors.

A huge product variety doesn鈥檛 mean you鈥檒l necessarily have more customers. Some brands sell a single collection of a few items and earn more than those with hundreds of products. So don鈥檛 hurry to fill your store with lots of products.

Step 2. Create a collection

Essentially, you鈥檒l have to:

  • Gather ideas
  • Choose the main theme
  • Draw the mockup
  • Create samples

Pinterest is great for searching for ideas. You can find popular products in your niche, understand how people wear them, and discover what competitors do about it.

Pinterest

Read more: How to Use Pinterest to Understand Your Niche

Collect as many ideas as you can — don鈥檛 let criticism scare away your inspiration. When you get enough ideas, you鈥檒l be able to notice patterns and make connections. Then it鈥檚 time to think of a theme.

To the moon and back

This collection “To the Moon and Back” is devoted to the mystery of space

Write down your ideas and connect them to the jewelry types. Homogeneous sets work fine, for example, the classic combination of “necklace + ring + earrings”.

Adventure time

Devote your collections to cartoon characters

Don鈥檛 create a lot of products at once: start with a few samples. That way you鈥檒l be able to test the demand and improve the quality of your products.

Step 3. Come up with a business plan

“Come on, I just make听bracelets!” you may say. But a business plan differentiates a craftsman from a business owner. As soon as you write your business plan, you鈥檒l get the feeling of听owning听a real business. It鈥檚 not just handmade jewelry 补苍测尘辞谤别听鈥撎齣迟鈥檚 your income.

A business plan is a must-have if you want someone to invest in your business. As a handmade seller, you鈥檇 probably do well on your own, but who knows? If your collection strikes the market, you鈥檒l start finding yourself surrounded by potential partners.

Stick to the business plan instruction in 2 parts:

Step 4. Create your brand name

There should be a story behind your brand name. People buy from people, so make the name reflect your personality. Check out available domain names, because you鈥檒l want your brand name and your domain name to be the same.

Long Cat

“Long Cats” store takes a brand idea of a cat playing with a bracelet

Choose the name thoroughly and thoughtfully, so you don鈥檛 have to change it in a couple of months. It will 补濒飞补测蝉听鈥撎齩谤 at least for a long 迟颈尘别听鈥撎齜别 associated with your handmade products and you. If it鈥檚 hard to come up with a name, skip this stage, and take on financial matters听first.

Learn more:

Step 5. Create your logo

Your logo is as important as the name. It听must stand out and stick in one鈥檚 memory. It also should correlate with the style of your products.

Long Cat logo

It doesn鈥檛 have to be something extraordinary and super expensive —听you鈥檇 better have a simple, minimalistic logo than no logo at all. Your customers may share pictures of your packages on social media, and your logo will be working for you.

You sure have some creative vision, since you make all these wonderful handmade products. If you don鈥檛 trust yourself on this matter, hire a professional.

Learn more: How to Create an Awesome Logo for Your Brand

Step 6. Think of your brand style

Brand style is not just about the color of your website background and the craft paper you use for wrapping. It is your exclusiveness in every detail.

You can always think of a twist, a small hook that鈥檒l catch customers鈥 attention. For example, send candy or a handwritten note with every order. It will cost you next to nothing, but customers will remember it.

Learn more: 4 Tips to Maximize the Impact of Handwritten Notes

Step 7. Find wholesale suppliers

When you created handmade things just for your friends and yourself, you were able to afford purchases at the nearest craft store. But now you are at听a professional level, production will grow at an exponential rate. It鈥檚 time to consider wholesale buying at reasonable prices.

You might need some advice on how to find suppliers. Keep in mind that your ability to provide clients with products in time depends on the regularity of supplies. Arrange long-term cooperation with suppliers. When setting up a contract, study it in great detail, so you won鈥檛 have problems later.

Read our guide on finding a reliable AliExpress supplier.

Read also:

Step 8. Simplify your work

If you have been thinking about a new bead loom for a long time but have听doubts about making an expensive purchase, then you should know — the time is now. Outdated equipment won鈥檛 keep up with a growing production level.

You can never predict how many orders you鈥檒l get in your first week, but there鈥檚 a chance sales will fall on you right after you share your first creation on social media (this happened听to another 黑料门 merchant,听Ali). It鈥檒l be much easier for you to make your products with equipment. And it may also improve the quality.

There are so many techniques for jewelry-making that we can鈥檛 share the exact set of equipment you鈥檒l need. So be rational. Your business plan (which听you鈥檝e already written) will show if you really need to get in debt to buy new equipment, or if the old equipment is good enough till the first income.

Step 9. Choose your wrapping

Oh, the beautifully听crafted听packages! Sometimes they bring as much joy as the product inside. Pretty wrapping is the first joy the customer gets from the purchase. It鈥檚 much more pleasant to carefully unwrap a sandpapery package or open a box听than it is to see a boring t-shirt bag.

You can even make your own stamp with the logo and give your parcels a wax seal. Let your imagination run free, and clients will write enthusiastic reviews on your wonderful product presenting. And they will never forget who sent them this beauty.

Long cat boxes

Show how your products are packed — people often buy jewelry for gifts

Step 10. Create your store

Now comes the “official” part — it鈥檚 time to create your store! How to get through it, if you have zero knowledge of software code and don鈥檛 have friends who are ready to take on this project for a bottle of lemonade?

Luckily, nowadays many things can be done based on the DIY principle. To open an online store with a cart and a shop window, you鈥檒l need just a couple of hours of your free time. Using 黑料门, you can create a free online store on an听Instant Site听or add it to your existing website听(e.g. if you鈥檝e been blogging听for a while already) or even to your Facebook page.

Primitive Riches on FB

Primitive Riches听is a Facebook store built with 黑料门

Sell on marketplaces and in pop-up stores to get famous among the locals. The 黑料门 mobile app听will help you control inventory wherever you are — it鈥檚 especially important if you sell products in single copies.

Step 11. Take pictures of your products

No great pictures means no chances to survive on the market. No chance. At all.

Pictures serve the same purpose to your website visitors as a sales assistant does in an offline store. They say: “Look at this beautiful color scheme, this unusual design. Check out the high quality and how fancy it looks on a hand/ears/a neck/a foot.”

Your pictures should show products in detail and give an idea of how to wear your jewelry. So don鈥檛 limit yourself to one picture per product: shoot the product from different angles and in different combinations.

Looks

Creates looks with your jewelry

Check out these two articles that can help you to make beautiful pictures:

Step 12. Write product descriptions

Add descriptions to your expressive photos. Tell what the product听is made of, why this material is better, what it goes well with, where to wear it, what the size听is. The most important thing is to persuade customers that without your turquoise bracelet their life will be dull and tasteless. Read our guide听to great product descriptions.

Premium jewelry store

Try to provide every detail, especially if you sell premium products like this store

Step 13. Create store accounts on social media

You can do this before you open your store to increase the interest of curious visitors.

Instagram works great for all things听beautiful. Create an account with your brand name and post inspiring product photos.

It is even better to post pictures of yourself, your friends,听and clients wearing or using your products. Let potential customers see how to wear/use your products and how they look in real life. You can also run contests for the best look with your creations.

Constantly Look for Inspiration

You have your style,听and you probably already have your customer base, who likes what you make. Go on! The changing market shuts out those who make no headway, and lets in more active and creative competitors.

Subscribe to the Instagram accounts of popular handmade sellers, check out Pinterest, and just pay attention to people in the streets and all things around you. That听way you will听be aware of the new trends听and听find new ideas to fulfill them in your own manner.

Now you鈥檙e almost ready to open your store. There are听just a couple of steps听left, and your life may change forever. Sounds like a movie or a book quote, doesn鈥檛 it? However, this reality can be yours in just a couple of months if you start to fulfill your dreams right now. Good luck!

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About the author

Lina is a content creator at 黑料门. She writes to inspire and educate readers on all things commerce. She loves to travel and runs marathons.

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