How to Sell Real Crystal Jewelry

You have made or inherited or even bought crystal jewelry. Perhaps you dug up the crystals in Arkansas or Tennessee, made or make your own jewelry and you wish to sell it as a way to make some money. Regardless of how you got the jewelry, the time has come to sell it.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Contacts in the crafts community
• Website
• Distributor
• Consignment store
• eBay store

1. Identify your market. Who is going to buy your jewelry? If you have one or two pieces, you can probably sell them with a classified ad in your local paper or to a local jewelry store. Try Craigslist or any other online sales site like eBay. If your market is larger and you wish to sell to a larger audience identify your demographics, so you know how to target your advertising.

2. Determine a sales price. When you get all your sales and materials costs factored in, add it to the cost of making your jewelry and you have a start on your sales price. Most people do not value their time, so grossly underprice their wares. Know the price for raw material, the time involved in designing and making the jewelry, add that to the cost of selling a piece and you are approaching your sales price.

3. Decide to sell local or by mail. If you sell locally, get on the list for craft or other open to the public markets coming up in your area, so you can be prepared with a sales table and display for each market. Know how much each space will cost, how much product you need and budget accordingly. If you need pamphlets, know how many you need and how much they will cost, not just to print, but to distribute. To whom are you selling? If it is at craft shows, know who comes to the shows and display your jewelry accordingly. You will plan different displays and merchandise for a show on magical crystals at a Wiccan convention than you would at a pre-Christmas sale at the local church. If you are going to sell outside your local area, you need a web site or a distributor. There are agents who will sell your merchandise in their sales areas, but will buy from you at a wholesale price. The retailers who buy from the agent sell at wherever they set their retail price. You may want to work out a consignment agreement with one or more stores to carry your work, sell it and take a percentage of the sales price. This means you must make more to earn more.

4. If you decide to sell all over the country, you need a website and a way to accept money from your buyers. That means a designer, a shopping cart and a way to take credit cards. A website does not guarantee success. The only way potential customers know you are there is if you advertise. Advertising online is not only time consuming, but can be very expensive. You may well make more if you use your time and talent to create and sell your jewelry locally.