selling bead jewellery on internet is waste of time !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My wife bought a book on how to sell bead jewellery.
It suggested don't bother trying to sell on the internet:
people need to feel the product in their hands before
they will buy.
So I had a look at eBay - yes indeed, there are thousands
of items for sale, and it seemed like 99% of them had
ZERO bids.

On Jun 26, 7:22 pm, wrote:
My wife bought a book on how to sell bead jewellery.
It suggested don't bother trying to sell on the internet:
people need to feel the product in their hands before
they will buy.
So I had a look at eBay - yes indeed, there are thousands
of items for sale, and it seemed like 99% of them had
ZERO bids.

There's a lot of beaded jewelry out there, not just the internet but
also if you go to any art and craft shows as well.
The key is to have something that's not like everyone else's
(unique!). I know people who do quite well selling their beaded
jewelry on the internet (not me... haha).

Laura
www.lauradawsonglass.com

I've always been a fan of yours Laura and I love the idea of your fused
earring pairs! next time I have some cash, I'm coming to see ya!

--
Karleen Page
Member International Jewelry Designers Guild (IJDG)
Vibrant Jewels web sto http://www.vibrantjewels.com/jewelry/welcome.htm
Vibrant Jewels JustBeads Auctions:
http://www.justbeads.com/search/ql.cfm?s=21770
CLICK HERE to join myYahoo Group:
"Laura Dawson" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Jun 26, 7:22 pm, wrote:
My wife bought a book on how to sell bead jewellery.
It suggested don't bother trying to sell on the internet:
people need to feel the product in their hands before
they will buy.
So I had a look at eBay - yes indeed, there are thousands
of items for sale, and it seemed like 99% of them had
ZERO bids.

There's a lot of beaded jewelry out there, not just the internet but
also if you go to any art and craft shows as well.
The key is to have something that's not like everyone else's
(unique!). I know people who do quite well selling their beaded
jewelry on the internet (not me... haha).

Laura
www.lauradawsonglass.com

wrote:
My wife bought a book on how to sell bead jewellery.
It suggested don't bother trying to sell on the internet:
people need to feel the product in their hands before
they will buy.
So I had a look at eBay - yes indeed, there are thousands
of items for sale, and it seemed like 99% of them had
ZERO bids.

Your wife might have better luck selling on etsy - http://www.etsy.com.
I have listed one necklace there and it sold, but it took a long time.
For the cost of an eBay listing that lasts a week, etsy listings last
for many weeks.

I think jewellery is a very competitive category because a lot of
people do it. It's hard to know what styles and colours people are
looking for. You also need to promote the heck out of your items - you
can't expect people to come to you.

HTH!

Christine

On Jun 27, 3:22 am, wrote:
My wife bought a book on how to sell bead jewellery.
It suggested don't bother trying to sell on the internet:
people need to feel the product in their hands before
they will buy.
So I had a look at eBay - yes indeed, there are thousands
of items for sale, and it seemed like 99% of them had
ZERO bids.

Internet selling is not easy at all, regardless of the product you are
selling.
In addition to all the skills required for physical selling (unique
product, pricing, marketing, etc.) you need to have a well designed
website, conveying content and a strong internet presence. It requires
lots of resources, a good business plan, and patience... Not easy, but
possible.
Sarit.
http://sarit-jewelry.com

Hi Laura,

I've always liked your work. You've got a great sense of color and your
work is always tidy and professional.

One of the things I was told when I sold real estate was that you have to
develop your customer base; that you make most of your money from return
customers. I wasn't in the business long enough for that to come true for
me. But it's true in all sales. Having purchased your work, I wouldn't
hesitate to buy from you again. Do you sell exclusively at etsy now?

Personally I don't like buying finished pieces on line. It's bad enough
that colours aren't always what you expect, but pieces hang wrong depending
on your size. (This is true to a lesser extent for beads and cabs, and for
that reason I expect to pay less on line. As a buyer I take a greater risk,
so I figure I should pay a lower price.)

My own work I sell to people I know, who are repeat customers. Or I put
things on consignment in a gallery. You see, I know there are two jobs
involved in selling my jewelry. One is making the jewelry, and the other is
selling it.

For making my jewelry I have a way to determine the price, which I base on
replacement cost and something added for something that just works out
great. (The labour intensive stuff I don't sell because I couldn't get a
fair price.) And by replacement, I mean getting a new set of beads in the
same style from the same seller -- probably custom work at 3 times what I
pay at auction (eBay), etc. This is partly in case I have to replace a
piece. That price is wholesale! (Most beads we buy on eBay are wholesale
too.)

Anything that goes to a gallery sells to the customer for double the price.
That retail price is the fair market value. And if you sold on your site as
well as in a galley, the gallery would require that you sell at competitive
rates; not half the price the item sells for in their shop. (eBay has the
same requirement, you can't undercut them.)

The job they do in the gallery is selling, and that job pays the same as
creating the piece. That's what retail pricing means. And unless you are
willing to do an equal amount of work, you really haven't earned the second
amount.

To earn that you have to do the same kind of investment in education and
time. Ever done commissioned sales? You have to know your stock and your
customer base inside out and backwards. You have to know about financing,
buying or fashion trends, and display, etc. On line, that translates to on
line is a lot of site management knowledge as well as site promotion, and
other things I just don't know how to do.

People who ARE willing to learn that second job can do well. Look at
Kandice (my personal poster child for selling on line well, and from whom I
have bought finished work). I am not willing to put equal effort and
investment into both jobs, so I cannot expect to sell well on line. But
it's up to me. The problem is not that selling on line doesn't work.

Tina


"Laura Dawson" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Jun 26, 7:22 pm, wrote:
My wife bought a book on how to sell bead jewellery.
It suggested don't bother trying to sell on the internet:
people need to feel the product in their hands before
they will buy.
So I had a look at eBay - yes indeed, there are thousands
of items for sale, and it seemed like 99% of them had
ZERO bids.

There's a lot of beaded jewelry out there, not just the internet but
also if you go to any art and craft shows as well.
The key is to have something that's not like everyone else's
(unique!). I know people who do quite well selling their beaded
jewelry on the internet (not me... haha).

Laura
www.lauradawsonglass.com

Hi Sarit,

As I wrote in reply to Laura's post, you are absolutely right.

Nice clean dramatic stuff you do.

Tina




"Sarit Wolfus" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Jun 27, 3:22 am, wrote:
My wife bought a book on how to sell bead jewellery.
It suggested don't bother trying to sell on the internet:
people need to feel the product in their hands before
they will buy.
So I had a look at eBay - yes indeed, there are thousands
of items for sale, and it seemed like 99% of them had
ZERO bids.

Internet selling is not easy at all, regardless of the product you are
selling.
In addition to all the skills required for physical selling (unique
product, pricing, marketing, etc.) you need to have a well designed
website, conveying content and a strong internet presence. It requires
lots of resources, a good business plan, and patience... Not easy, but
possible.
Sarit.
http://sarit-jewelry.com

It takes serious dedication and some sacrifice to start being successful at
selling online. You also have to be flexible and willing to adapt, because
things change constantly. It's a very volitile and risky market, but it can
be seriously rewarding, too.

I agree with you, Tina - and thanks for citing me as an example.

--
Kandice Seeber
www.lampwork.net


Hi Laura,

I've always liked your work. You've got a great sense of color and your
work is always tidy and professional.

One of the things I was told when I sold real estate was that you have to
develop your customer base; that you make most of your money from return
customers. I wasn't in the business long enough for that to come true for
me. But it's true in all sales. Having purchased your work, I wouldn't
hesitate to buy from you again. Do you sell exclusively at etsy now?

Personally I don't like buying finished pieces on line. It's bad enough
that colours aren't always what you expect, but pieces hang wrong
depending
on your size. (This is true to a lesser extent for beads and cabs, and
for
that reason I expect to pay less on line. As a buyer I take a greater
risk,
so I figure I should pay a lower price.)

My own work I sell to people I know, who are repeat customers. Or I put
things on consignment in a gallery. You see, I know there are two jobs
involved in selling my jewelry. One is making the jewelry, and the other
is
selling it.

For making my jewelry I have a way to determine the price, which I base on
replacement cost and something added for something that just works out
great. (The labour intensive stuff I don't sell because I couldn't get a
fair price.) And by replacement, I mean getting a new set of beads in the
same style from the same seller -- probably custom work at 3 times what I
pay at auction (eBay), etc. This is partly in case I have to replace a
piece. That price is wholesale! (Most beads we buy on eBay are
wholesale
too.)

Anything that goes to a gallery sells to the customer for double the
price.
That retail price is the fair market value. And if you sold on your site
as
well as in a galley, the gallery would require that you sell at
competitive
rates; not half the price the item sells for in their shop. (eBay has the
same requirement, you can't undercut them.)

The job they do in the gallery is selling, and that job pays the same as
creating the piece. That's what retail pricing means. And unless you are
willing to do an equal amount of work, you really haven't earned the
second
amount.

To earn that you have to do the same kind of investment in education and
time. Ever done commissioned sales? You have to know your stock and your
customer base inside out and backwards. You have to know about financing,
buying or fashion trends, and display, etc. On line, that translates to
on
line is a lot of site management knowledge as well as site promotion, and
other things I just don't know how to do.

People who ARE willing to learn that second job can do well. Look at
Kandice (my personal poster child for selling on line well, and from whom
I
have bought finished work). I am not willing to put equal effort and
investment into both jobs, so I cannot expect to sell well on line. But
it's up to me. The problem is not that selling on line doesn't work.

Tina


"Laura Dawson" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Jun 26, 7:22 pm, wrote:
My wife bought a book on how to sell bead jewellery.
It suggested don't bother trying to sell on the internet:
people need to feel the product in their hands before
they will buy.
So I had a look at eBay - yes indeed, there are thousands
of items for sale, and it seemed like 99% of them had
ZERO bids.

There's a lot of beaded jewelry out there, not just the internet but
also if you go to any art and craft shows as well.
The key is to have something that's not like everyone else's
(unique!). I know people who do quite well selling their beaded
jewelry on the internet (not me... haha).

Laura
www.lauradawsonglass.com

On Jun 29, 7:50 pm, Sarit Wolfus wrote:
On Jun 27, 3:22 am, wrote:

My wife bought a book on how to sell beadjewellery.
It suggested don't bother trying to sell on the internet:
people need to feel the product in their hands before
they will buy.
So I had a look at eBay - yes indeed, there are thousands
of items for sale, and it seemed like 99% of them had
ZERO bids.

Internet selling is not easy at all, regardless of the product you are
selling.
In addition to all the skills required for physical selling (unique
product, pricing, marketing, etc.) you need to have a well designed
website, conveying content and a strong internet presence. It requires
lots of resources, a good business plan, and patience... Not easy, but
possible.
Sarit.http://sarit-jewelry.com

well, i started this site .... is it gonna go anywhere... please
advise

www.chippedstones.com

THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH BEADS OR JEWELRY!

--
Karleen Page
Member International Jewelry Designers Guild (IJDG)
Vibrant Jewels web sto http://www.vibrantjewels.com/jewelry/welcome.htm
Vibrant Jewels JustBeads Auctions:
http://www.justbeads.com/search/ql.cfm?s=21770
CLICK HERE to join myYahoo Group:
wrote in message
oups.com...
On Jun 29, 7:50 pm, Sarit Wolfus wrote:
On Jun 27, 3:22 am, wrote:

My wife bought a book on how to sell beadjewellery.
It suggested don't bother trying to sell on the internet:
people need to feel the product in their hands before
they will buy.
So I had a look at eBay - yes indeed, there are thousands
of items for sale, and it seemed like 99% of them had
ZERO bids.

Internet selling is not easy at all, regardless of the product you are
selling.
In addition to all the skills required for physical selling (unique
product, pricing, marketing, etc.) you need to have a well designed
website, conveying content and a strong internet presence. It requires
lots of resources, a good business plan, and patience... Not easy, but
possible.
Sarit.http://sarit-jewelry.com

well, i started this site .... is it gonna go anywhere... please
advise

www.chippedstones.com