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Beading - Jewelry - Just started doing it - Anyone else?

Posted by wagerwitch • 7/24/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: beading, jewelry, jewlry making questions and answers, making jewelry, selling jewelry

I just started doing crafts because I'm currently out of work. (long story)

Anyhow - I've gotten truly bored and like to keep busy. So I went to WallyWorld and bought like 600.00 worth of beads, findings and wire, etc.

So far I've created a couple of necklace/bracelet/earring creations.

But - now I'm wondering - is there a market for selling these kinds of things?

I'm curious about a couple of things:

1) Where do I find BULK lots of Glass Beads or Metallic Beads?

2) Do people actually buy original "art" work jewelry?

3) If I want to sell them - where do I sell them?

4) Should I create a BLOG to sell them online - and if so - has anyone had any success at it?

5) It costs about 25.00 to make a set - and it takes about 5 hours to make them - how much should I charge?

6) How do you know if your stuff is good enough to sell or display?

7) They are one of a kind items - is there a niche market for this kind of stuff?

8) Do you have any suggestions about doing them? Things to get - where to get them - etc?

9) Would you buy a NICE set of jewelry if the lobster clasps were just silver type metal for big bucks or would you want the clasps to be actual gold or silver?

User Comments

7/25/09

wagerwitch

Oh oh oh - and WHERE DO I FIND GOLD (10K or 14K) or SILVER lobster clasps?

And if you use gold or silver clasps or toggles - do you also use real gold or real silver metal wire for beading?

And do they have real gold crimp tubes and real silver ones?

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7/25/09

ArsenicCookies

there is a huge market for it, one of my friends makes a killing on etsy, ebay and at flea markets with it. I have emailed her for the answers

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1. 7/25/09
  
  wagerwitch
  
  Thank you thank you...
7/25/09

trailofpen

There's always a market for it. If I were you I would first distribute some to friends and have them wear it and spread the word. I would also sell them on Ebay and make a small online store website with a shopping cart so people can purchase multiple items in one transaction. You are going to want to make sure you BRAND your items also.

If you have an online store you will want to use Google Base to have your products indexed in Google's "Shopping" tab. I would also look into a merchant account to accept credit cards. You can always use Paypal's merchant services for your website, and if you do, I would suggest their Pro service for $30 a month as it offers the most flexibility as far as accepting credit cards online and offline.

I would suggest filing a for a sole proprietorship business license with your county and also submitting a fictitious business name so that you can operate your business legally under a name other than your own. This also allows you to open a business bank account in your business name. You can always convert to a corporation later, so sole proprietorship is best for small time beginning business owners.

Once you have your business license you can get a reseller's license from your state, which allows you to purchase merchandise at wholesale without paying taxes. No vendors will even talk to you without a resellers license so this is key to keeping your costs down and increasing your profits.

You are going to want to make sure your SEO on your online store website is top notch as it can be the difference between making hundreds of dollars a month or thousands.

Since you are starting out small, I would not suggest opening up a brick and mortar store as it is very costly and is usually the downfall of many startup businesses. Stick with online, word of mouth advertising, SEO advertising, Ebay advertising, I would also consider making a video advertisement and submitting it to all video sites that way it will be indexed by search engines, which will equal more exposure.

Once your business starts to take off, you are going to want to file for an employment identification number so that you can hire employees. You will also need to purchase workers comp insurance. Ok, now I'm starting to complicate things, so yeah, just start small.

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1. 7/25/09
  
  trailofpen
  
  Sorry for the big reply. I didn't realize I wrote so much.
  
  Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that you should look into accounting software. I myself use Quickbooks Pro, which works great. You are going to want to keep your books in order or else you will be slammed by a tax audit if one ever comes.
2. 7/25/09
  
  wagerwitch
  
  LMAO!!!
  
  That was EXCELLENT information.
  
  Never worry about the long posts - I will read them - and if they have GOOD info in them - I'll use it.
  
  Thank you much for taking the time to put all of that out there.
  
  1)licensing
  2) Bank account
  3) reseller's license
  4) bulk purchasing
  5) branding
  6) Google Base - Ebay Store
  7) Marketing and Advertising.
  
  (That was paraphrasing it... LOL!)
  
  But that was GREAT.
  
  Thank you.
  
  If you've got experience in that stuff - I've got the time to read about it.
3. 7/25/09
  
  trailofpen
  
  Yeah, if you have friends that are widespread, word of mouth advertising can go a very long way. I would suggest distributing some jewelry to your most social friends as they will be the best advertisers for your product. It may sound mean, but it's the truth.
7/27/09

celticmusicfan

Wow this looks like a fun venture for you. Goodluck! And oh please show us a link to pictures of your creation.

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7/27/09

wagerwitch

Ahhh CM you're so sweet.

I'll tell you what - if the hubby gets the camera out - and I can take some photos of the pieces I've done - I'll share them.

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7/27/09

wagerwitch

But you can't laugh at me. LMAO!

I had to go purchase some glasses (you know that Magnifying ones?) to work with the little itty bitty beads. Oh my gosh they are sooooo small!

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1. 7/27/09
  
  celticmusicfan
  
  that would be sweet.and while we're on the subject of beads., you might want to check those worn by Maria Callas in the film Medea-the only movie she appeared in.
  www.youtube.com/watch?v=fThXZO6rSEw&feature=related
7/27/09

LolitaV

Hi wagerwitch, I am waiting for my firemountain beads. I am also making jewelry but only for myself though. When you get your questions answered, i'd love to hear them too

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7/27/09

melindaville

Hi WW--unfortunately, I don't know much about jewelry making but what about going to festivals this summer and selling them there? I go to festivals all the time in summer and I support the local artists at each one by buying their jewelry (and other things, like pottery).

Best of luck to you!

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7/27/09

stellak

Ive been making jewelery for about 2 years now, I work mostly with pearls and glass/murano beads. I started doing it for fun, and from time to time I do stuff for friends and co-workers and i find word spreads quickly. The best publicity was simply wearing my own stuff so people usually asked where I got it. Never tried selling online, good luck with that.

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7/27/09

amybyrd21

There is a market for it around here. My neighbor made a kilking doing it. She made braclets and necklaces, and sometimes watches. She sold them at diffrent shows and fairs, and such. I inherited a lot of her stuff when she moved. she took half of it and left me the other half. My daughter loves doing it. She just gives hers to people and never selld them. She is only 13.

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