Amynith
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2023
Posts: 19
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Post by Amynith on Aug 16, 2023 17:17:39 GMT -5
Recently I’ve tried to start selling some of my pieces, they’re all tumbled stones that I think are unique and because of that decide to wrap them, a good example would be this really interesting price of amethyst which is half white quartz and I decided to lean into that with the bead work.  While it is simple stuff the materials itself and the time I take is quite a bit hence why I’ve decided to try and sell some stuff to make a return to afford more materials. I opened up an Etsy shop but more and more I’ve realized that there really isn’t a good market there for handmade goods, I can’t compete with the cheaper stuff so I don’t think it’s a good option but it’s fairly convenient. I’ve received an offer from a local shop owner I know who’s willing to run consignment for me, and I’ve looked into having some of my stuff displayed at a local gallery run by a organization that promotes local artists. My question is out of all of these avenues which would be the best for this sort of thing and allow me to continue? |
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gunsil
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2023
Posts: 345
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Post by gunsil on Aug 16, 2023 17:42:00 GMT -5
Etsy is tough since you have to compete with jewelry made overseas by people who make a dollar an hour. I consign my jewelry to a store/gallery and get 60% of retail. If you are not using a lot of precious metals you may only get 50%. I don't make anything that retails for under $125. I won't sell on etsy because all my designs are my own and I don't want them copied by factories in the far east. One thing I will say, it is hard to make money selling your own creations. Really hard without your own designs. Hard selling tumbled stone jewelry too unless it's very reasonably priced.
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Post by stardiamond on Aug 16, 2023 19:30:44 GMT -5
I don't wrap, I make cabs and Etsy was a good fit. I use expensive material with good patterns and don't compete with cheap junk. I have no interest in craft shows because there is the same issue as Etsy and I don't want to spend time I could be using making stuff than sitting around waiting for customers.
jasoninsd has been actively selling his wire wraps. rockjunquie has her own website.
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Amynith
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2023
Posts: 19
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Post by Amynith on Aug 16, 2023 20:09:45 GMT -5
Etsy is tough since you have to compete with jewelry made overseas by people who make a dollar an hour. I consign my jewelry to a store/gallery and get 60% of retail. If you are not using a lot of precious metals you may only get 50%. I don't make anything that retails for under $125. I won't sell on etsy because all my designs are my own and I don't want them copied by factories in the far east. One thing I will say, it is hard to make money selling your own creations. Really hard without your own designs. Hard selling tumbled stone jewelry too unless it's very reasonably priced. Yeah honestly I’m probably just going to stop trying to sell online unless I can eventually get my act together and get a website set up. The biggest challenge for me right now is that I have too many ideas and not enough money to feasibly make them reality. I’m coming up with some sculptures which Is kinda what I want to do as an end goal along with source higher grade materials to make better jewelry to get there, but the sculptures are going to be such an infeasible goal at this point while higher quality jewelry is much more feasible. |
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Post by rockjunquie on Aug 16, 2023 20:26:02 GMT -5
Etsy is tough since you have to compete with jewelry made overseas by people who make a dollar an hour. I consign my jewelry to a store/gallery and get 60% of retail. If you are not using a lot of precious metals you may only get 50%. I don't make anything that retails for under $125. I won't sell on etsy because all my designs are my own and I don't want them copied by factories in the far east. One thing I will say, it is hard to make money selling your own creations. Really hard without your own designs. Hard selling tumbled stone jewelry too unless it's very reasonably priced. Yeah honestly I’m probably just going to stop trying to sell online unless I can eventually get my act together and get a website set up. The biggest challenge for me right now is that I have too many ideas and not enough money to feasibly make them reality. I’m coming up with some sculptures which Is kinda what I want to do as an end goal along with source higher grade materials to make better jewelry to get there, but the sculptures are going to be such an infeasible goal at this point while higher quality jewelry is much more feasible. You don't need to give up on Etsy. You're not gonna find anywhere, including your own site, that will give you the kind of traffic potential that etsy has. I had an etsy shop and my own shop. Both did well enough. It took many, many years to get where I was. If you want something ya gotta work for it. Selling online is NOT easy. To be successful, it takes time. There's a lot to learn. Start with great pictures and concise titles and descriptions. Relate to your base. Try to develop a shop look and be consistent. Don't expect top dollar right off the bat. For what you are selling don't go too high (do comparison window shopping to see what others are selling for). Stress you are handmade LOCALLY. I wouldn't say, "I'm not Chinese!" But, you can let them know you are not a foreign sweat shop. Try to seem approachable and don't be afraid to put your personality out there. People who buy handmade want to connect with the seller. I could go on, but you get the idea. Don't give up, yet and don't expect too much too soon. |
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Amynith
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2023
Posts: 19
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Post by Amynith on Aug 17, 2023 9:19:43 GMT -5
Yeah honestly I’m probably just going to stop trying to sell online unless I can eventually get my act together and get a website set up. The biggest challenge for me right now is that I have too many ideas and not enough money to feasibly make them reality. I’m coming up with some sculptures which Is kinda what I want to do as an end goal along with source higher grade materials to make better jewelry to get there, but the sculptures are going to be such an infeasible goal at this point while higher quality jewelry is much more feasible. You don't need to give up on Etsy. You're not gonna find anywhere, including your own site, that will give you the kind of traffic potential that etsy has. I had an etsy shop and my own shop. Both did well enough. It took many, many years to get where I was. If you want something ya gotta work for it. Selling online is NOT easy. To be successful, it takes time. There's a lot to learn. Start with great pictures and concise titles and descriptions. Relate to your base. Try to develop a shop look and be consistent. Don't expect top dollar right off the bat. For what you are selling don't go too high (do comparison window shopping to see what others are selling for). Stress you are handmade LOCALLY. I wouldn't say, "I'm not Chinese!" But, you can let them know you are not a foreign sweat shop. Try to seem approachable and don't be afraid to put your personality out there. People who buy handmade want to connect with the seller. I could go on, but you get the idea. Don't give up, yet and don't expect too much too soon. You are 100 percent correct honestly. I’m still very new to the whole trying to market side of things and it’s really intimidating to me because I have no idea what to do. My gut reaction was to be all bleak about it but sitting on it and thinking about it I know I’m just going to keep putting up listings and see what eventually sticks and gets attention. I also plan on branching out to maybe selling cabochons and slabs eventually and I figure a more diverse swath of things should probably bring in more people but at the end of the day I do it because I enjoy it. I enjoy making these things and I want people to see my work and for someone to eventually get to enjoy it for themselves. I still do think I’ll try to see about being put up in the local gallery but more so the sculpture stuff that really excites me. |
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Post by susand24224 on Aug 17, 2023 14:42:39 GMT -5
I'll add a bit to the excellent advice you've been given above. Connecting with the buyer is *very* important, but so is letting the buyer know why your end product is worth the price. So if your feature stone is hand tumbled (as above) tell them a bit about the tumbling process, i.e., how long it takes, the rate of "success," etc. Let them know the skills involved, the time involved and (subtly) the cost involved in your creation. If selling in a gallery, a small card with the display that explains this will be helpful. Invite people to comment! I should add that I do not sell online, but I manage, write descriptions for and make jewelry for a nonprofit, so I have some experience with what sells--and why.
Ex: "Featured is an amethyst nugget hand-tumbled by me. In tumbling I go through multiple stages of silicon carbide "grit," each a bit finer than the last until I reach, after four to six weeks, (and a separate polishing phase) the finish on this piece. Many stones have to be tumbled together through this process, and only perhaps one in ten are jewelry quality, and this is one of the best." Not very poetic, and I would polish up the wording, but this gives you the general idea. You might even say that amethyst is a particularly difficult stone to work with since it is brittle and much of it develops cracks or other flaws.
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Post by rockjunquie on Aug 17, 2023 14:48:00 GMT -5
Great advice! The good thing about etsy is you have plenty of opportunity to discuss (sell) your product in your description.
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