How to Make Jewelry for Profit
There is a major difference between making jewelry for fun and making jewelry for profit. It is easy to make jewelry as gifts; convincing strangers to part with hard cash for your creations is a completely different story. Ask yourself, "Do my friends and family wear the jewelry I made for them?" If not, you should reconsider investing time and money in the jewelry business. If friends and family tell you how many compliments they get on your work, the jewelry business may be for you.
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Things You'll Need
- Tables
- Jewelry racks
- Chairs for you and any sales help
- Tent for outdoor shows
- Cash box or register
- Merchant account with major credit card companies.
Instructions
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Get to know potential clientele. Before signing up for an arts and crafts fair or trade show, go to the show and wear your jewelry. This is your best market indicator. If folks ask you, "Where did you get that," the show may be for you.
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Talk to professionals at the trade show. Most will have a lot of selling tips and advice.
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Match your stock to the show's genre. If it is a country-western trade show and you create post-modern jewelry, you are not likely to do well.
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Build your sales booth. Mimic the appearance of booths that caught your eye when you researched that show. Practice setting up your booth so that there are no problems on opening day.
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Get a merchant account with major credit card companies. Credit card sales can be upward of 75% of your gross sales total at some shows.
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Review the language in your sales documents. Molly Bennett, of mollybennett.com, worked with non-traditional couples as a wedding photographer, and realized that her documents contained language that made some clients uncomfortable or unable to express the realities of their relationship. Jewelry purchases are often made to celebrate or commemorate important events in a relationship. Inclusive language will increase the couple's comfort level and make them more likely to recommend you to their friends and family.
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Have sufficient stock. You will lose income when you run out of stock days before a show ends or don't have enough to fill a wholesale order. Some shows will ban you if you run out of stock, and nothing looks worse to a wholesale buyer than a delivery date weeks from the order.
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Book your shows. Plan your show route, including sending in your applications and fees. Get your business and sales licenses in order for each state, county and city where you will be selling. Each show's promoter should have the information you need. You will probably have to travel outside your home region if you want year-round sales possibilities. Ask the promoter if he has other shows where your merchandise might sell more successfully. For example, a promoter in Scottsdale, AZ told Gypsy Wilburn, "This isn't your crowd, these are older folks who like country and western-inspired items. But I have a show in Flagstaff, and your stuff should do better there."
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Choose a sales route based on your knowledge of customers' buying history at that time of year in that location, or based on your own need to winter or summer over to avoid extreme weather. You choose the route first, based on arriving at a given location by a given date, and find shows within a reasonable distance of that route.
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Arrive early. Review all details about the show before it opens. Set up and sell. Use a setup that will allow you to see all your tables and displays clearly. A bad setup is an invitation to shoplifters.
Be positive. Your customer wants a positive sales experience and will be far more likely to buy from you if they like you. After the show, leave your booth area clean. Thank the promoter, even if you don't intend to do the show again, as he may be in charge of other shows you may want to attend.
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Tips & Warnings
Always keep an eye on your booth. Even high-class crowds have their share of kleptomaniacs. Keep your booth clean and inviting at all times. Always greet customers, but don't pursue conversation or sales pitch unless the customer initiates it.
According to jewelry maker Gypsy Wilburn, "Don't judge people by how they look. The dirty, unshaven guy in front of you may be working a dirty but high-paying job and stopped in after work specifically to buy something for his new girlfriend. If you give him attitude, you may have blown a make-it-or-break-it sale. He may also be a show hand that has the promoter's ear, and might mention your attitude problem to the promoter."
