Handmade jewelry is one of the most popular items to buy online. It’s consistently one of the 15 Best Things To Sell On Etsy To Make Money year after year. If starting this home-based business appeals to you, read on for tips for making and selling jewelry successfully.
Even if you know little to nothing about jewelry or the process of making it, you might be a good candidate for this fun and unique business if you:
- Have previous experience with arts and crafts
- Have a good level of manual dexterity
- Would like to learn a business that can be conducted entirely online with good income potential
While there are pieces of jewelry that require a tremendous amount of skill and experience to produce, there are also projects accessible to almost anyone.
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Getting Supplies For Handcrafting Jewelry
Making jewelry is a popular hobby, so there are plenty of options for getting the supplies you need.
Here are some of the most popular places to get your store supplies:
These suppliers provide everything you need to start your jewelry business including beads, gems, cord, wire, leather, clasps kits, looms, design tools, and hand tools.
How to Make Jewelry
The best approach to learning how to make jewelry is to either find someone to teach you or to take advantage of the many videos available online.
Many of the suppliers of jewelry-making supplies and tools also provide videos so you can learn how to use their products.
YouTube has thousands of videos for jewelry-making enthusiasts. Look for the most popular videos and learn the proper techniques.
Tips For Starting Your Jewelry Making Business
Before quitting your day job and going full force into your jewelry business, do your research and make a good business plan.
Check out your competition
One of my top tips for making and selling jewelry successfully is to research the market.
You’ll not only get great ideas, but you’ll also gain a better understanding of the landscape. Go on a site like Etsy and see what other people are selling and what the reviews say. How can you improve on those items or give them your own twist?
Things to look for:
- What types of jewelry are others offering?
- What seems to be most popular?
- How can you improve on the jewelry provided by others?
- Can you build a better website to sell your jewelry?
- What platforms are utilized to sell? Etsy? eBay? Others?
- Do your local craft fairs and flea markets sell jewelry?
Getting your jewelry business organized
Fortunately, you don’t need much to start a your jewelry business.
Beyond a place to work, access to a camera and computer, and organizational skills, there’s little else required. A lack of resources isn’t an obstacle for anyone interested in making money with jewelry.
Ensure that you have the essentials:
1. Get a dedicated workspace
A desk or table that can be dedicated to your jewelry-making adventure is ideal. After your spouse or child sends 300 beads rolling onto the hardwood floor, you’ll understand the need for a dedicated space out of the way of household traffic.
2. Work on your photography skills
It’s also important to be able to capture the beauty of your jewelry with a camera. If people can’t see your jewelry, they won’t purchase it. Taking high-quality photos is critical. No one will pay for jewelry presented in a blurry photo with bad lighting.
4. Get Storage containers for your supplies
Avoid the belief that you can store all the cord, wires, and beads in their original packaging. The packaging was designed for display and shipping, not for use over days, weeks, or months.
Tupperware-type containers can suffice but the best way to stay organized is with special bead organizers. . Find a solution that works for your budget and needs. The more budget-conscious might rely on several Ziplock style storage bags.
You don’t need much to get started! Jewelry-making is a business that can truly be started on a shoestring budget. There’s no reason to get carried away. Get what you need in order to get started.
Marketing Your Business
Marketing is the key to success. Assuming you have an attractive product, your success depends on your ability to get others to see and purchase it.
Marketing may even be a bigger part of your success than the quality of your product.
4 Places To Sell Your Handmade Jewelry
1. Social media
Social media can be a powerful way to move your product. Instagram is huge for marketing jewelry in lifestyle photos. Look at what other people are doing to get ideas for posts.
A great idea for making and selling jewelry successfully on social media is to include process photos of how you make the items as well as finished products.
2. eBay
eBay is a good place to both sell your handmade jewelry but also to look for craft supplies on a budget.
This post on making money on eBay will help you get started.
3. Etsy
Etsy is THE place to be if you sell handmade items. Plus, it is free and easy to start your own Etsy shop.
You do need to have a good plan in place to get your products to come up in the search and feed but Etsy can be a goldmine if you learn how to sell jewelry on Etsy correctly.
RELATED: Printable Etsy Store Planner
4. Amazon
Did you know that you can sell handcrafted items on Amazon as a third party seller? It’s relatively easy to start your own Amazon marketplace store, this post has some tips.
5. Shopify
Shopify is a platform that allows you to sell more or less anything in the form of a real online store. It’s easy to use with low fees and is the most recommended online platform.
RELATED: How To Open An Online Store With Shopify
6. Your own website
You can sell your jewelry without the fees charged by the selling platforms by starting your own website.
This can also be your greatest source of leads.
There’s a lot of information on search engine optimization available to make your website visible to those who are looking for handmade jewelry.
Include a shopping cart and other shopping tools on your website to make buying easy.
The quality of your website will also be attributed to your jewelry, so ensure the website is a pleasing experience to your visitors.
7. Craft shows and flea markets
Handmade jewelry is one of the best things to sell at flea markets.
These vary from city to city.
Go check them out and see if they’re viable options for you.
Be creative and think of other ways to let people see and purchase your jewelry.
Marketing will take quite a bit of time until you have a loyal client base. Be diligent and patient in the meantime.
How To Make And Sell Jewelry Successfully: Final Thoughts
Nearly anyone can create and sell jewelry.
While you may not have the design skills of a professional, there are people out there that would love to purchase your creations.
Jewelry-making is an easy business to get off the ground.
If you’d like to make money from the comfort of your own home and put your creative skills to work, making jewelry can be a great way to boost your income.
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