Question about what's missing on eBay

Hello everyone!

Sorry I've been MIA for a couple of weeks. My son got a pretty good
cold and then passed it along to my boyfriend and I. We're all finally
feeling better and sleeping through the night again, yeah!!

So, I have a question.....I am thinking about starting a small business
on eBay and I am wondering if you can help me figure out what demand is
not being met on eBay for beaders and jewelry designers. As an amateur
jewelry designer, I get frustrated when I am looking for supplies on
eBay and I browse through all these storefronts and I find what I am
looking for from a seller, but then they don't sell other things I need
like findings and complimentary beads. So then I don't get the discount
of combined shipping because I have to continue searching for what I
want from a different seller. I love the convenience of being able to
shop on eBay, I can't take my young son with me to a local bead shop,
he barely lasts 10 mintues.

I would like to offer a service where people can find everything they
are looking for in one store, and I would like to sell high quality
materials. I would greatly appreciate any advice and guidance. I've
been into selling and buying on eBay only since April so I am very new
to everything. Please throw any and all ideas at me for what you think
could be successful on eBay.

Thank you so much for all your help!!
Jesse

Your question is far too broad to fully answer in one reply from one
beader.

The success of your business will depend on many factors. Presumably you
want to offer the best price possible. That will depend on your suppliers.
Before you even open your store, you have much research to do and
relationships to form with good suppliers. The problem of shipping costs
will still arise for you in obtaining your stock.

If you have your supply lines already established, then you have to
determine what it is that beaders will require. Check out what is selling
and what is not.

I can tell you what, as a customer I do about the problem of shipping costs,
an issue which concerns me greatly because I live in New Zealand. I deal
with several suppliers with whom I have a long standing and loyal
relationship. Any slight cost benefit I might gain by shopping more widely
is more than compensated for by the quality of the goods, the efficiency and
speed with which goods are shipped, the excellence of the communications and
the lengths the business owners have gone to in order to help me with
special requests. These things are as important to me as saving a few cents
on a tube of beads.
Marisa AU/NZ


"jesse" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hello everyone!

Sorry I've been MIA for a couple of weeks. My son got a pretty good
cold and then passed it along to my boyfriend and I. We're all finally
feeling better and sleeping through the night again, yeah!!

So, I have a question.....I am thinking about starting a small business
on eBay and I am wondering if you can help me figure out what demand is
not being met on eBay for beaders and jewelry designers. As an amateur
jewelry designer, I get frustrated when I am looking for supplies on
eBay and I browse through all these storefronts and I find what I am
looking for from a seller, but then they don't sell other things I need
like findings and complimentary beads. So then I don't get the discount
of combined shipping because I have to continue searching for what I
want from a different seller. I love the convenience of being able to
shop on eBay, I can't take my young son with me to a local bead shop,
he barely lasts 10 mintues.

I would like to offer a service where people can find everything they
are looking for in one store, and I would like to sell high quality
materials. I would greatly appreciate any advice and guidance. I've
been into selling and buying on eBay only since April so I am very new
to everything. Please throw any and all ideas at me for what you think
could be successful on eBay.

Thank you so much for all your help!!
Jesse

Oh my gawd --
that's something you'll learn after being around for a while. And
doing your research. Asking others to do it for you is pretty much
considered bad form here.

Believe me, I am doing my research, I'm not asking others to do it for
me. I guess I didn't know how to phrase the question properly. I was
just wondering if buyers felt there was a demand that wasn't being met
on eBay. Specifically, whether or not there were certain rare jewelry
or bead components that people would like to see being sold on eBay.
And I am new to all of this, I didn't mean to offend anyone.

Thank you for the advice Marisa. I completely see your point of view.
I know it is a very broad question, I just wasn't sure how to phrase
exactly what I was asking. I have been doing a lot of research and I
know it is going to take a lot of time and energy to do this. I think
you are so right about customer service and everything, that is what
makes a business succeed. I am so new to all of this. I am a complete
amateur at jewelry making and design and am still trying to figure out
all the different components involved. The conclusion I am arriving at
is I need to find a niche and go for it, and that will take some more
serious research. I really appreciate your input.
Jesse

jesse wrote:
"Believe me, I am doing my research, I'm not asking others to do it for

me. I guess I didn't know how to phrase the question properly. I was
just wondering if buyers felt there was a demand that wasn't being met
on eBay. Specifically, whether or not there were certain rare jewelry
or bead components that people would like to see being sold on eBay.
And I am new to all of this, I didn't mean to offend anyone."
~~~~~~~~~~
Sorry; I can be really bitchy and horrid.

I find it difficult to find good components made of goldfill. I've
heard others say this also. Just finding goldfill earring hooks this
week showed that very few vendors -- stores or just auctions -- carry
them.

Part of the problem in finding gold-fill components comes from the nature of
gold-fill, as opposed to gold-plate or cast karat gold. You can plate any
shape, but "gold-filled" metal basically comes in wire and sheets, so you
can get things that can be cold-fabricated (stamped, bent, etc.) out of wire
and sheet, but not things that involve melting or any significant amount of
soldering. So, earwires aren't that hard to find (from large suppliers,
anyway), but you're not going to get anywhere finding ordinary ball-end
toggle clasps.

Georgia
www.georgiamorgan.net

"Dr. Sooz" wrote in message
oups.com...
jesse wrote:
"Believe me, I am doing my research, I'm not asking others to do it for

me. I guess I didn't know how to phrase the question properly. I was
just wondering if buyers felt there was a demand that wasn't being met
on eBay. Specifically, whether or not there were certain rare jewelry
or bead components that people would like to see being sold on eBay.
And I am new to all of this, I didn't mean to offend anyone."
~~~~~~~~~~
Sorry; I can be really bitchy and horrid.

I find it difficult to find good components made of goldfill. I've
heard others say this also. Just finding goldfill earring hooks this
week showed that very few vendors -- stores or just auctions -- carry
them.

Yes - I've also heard others say that as well. Thank you!!! I am
definitely going to look into that.

LOL!!! I have no idea who this was addressed to, but in my browser, I read
it directly after reading Sooz's "I can be bitchy and horrid" post :-D I'm
sure that's not what Jesse was responding to, I just found it immensely
amusing.

Love you, Sooz!
Alison

"jesse" wrote in message
oups.com...
Yes - I've also heard others say that as well. Thank you!!! I am
definitely going to look into that.

Alison said:
"LOL!!! I have no idea who this was addressed to, but in my browser, I
read it directly after reading Sooz's "I can be bitchy and horrid" post
:-D I'm sure that's not what Jesse was responding to, I just found it
immensely amusing."
~~~~~~~~
Jesse may not have meant it that way, but I can even HEAR the heads
nodding in agreement........I know who doesn't adore me. And that's
okay with me, BTW.

Additionally: I know about the goldfilled problem, and why it exists.
But I found it difficult to track down GF earwires this week. I did
it, I bought them, but there were very few out there in eBay land
(which was where I wanted to shop -- I don't have a resale license).