Handmade jewelry attracts customers who enjoy wearing products other than the usual selections in major shopping malls. Handmade jewelry includes silver and gold coins and beads, and they rarely cost more as a result of the time it takes to make individual pieces. Whether you are making jewelry yourself to sell or selling handmade jewelry by a cooperative of artisans, you can find local and national retailers trying to find handmade jewelry by searching online and knocking on doors.
Take high-quality photos of handmade jewelry inventory and design color brochures. You can create professional-looking marketing materials using desktop publishing software. Ads should include detailed product descriptions, material information, contact information for your online business along with your website address. Take your desktop publishing files to a local copy shop to print a few brochures or to your local printer if you need to print a larger quantity. You can also use brochure templates provided by an online catalog company.
Create a website to market your jewelry. You can set up a single or multi-page website using a blog platform and it will include photos of your jewelry, product descriptions, and your contact information. You can also provide a form directed to your website that allows interested buyers to call you with questions. You can purchase a custom website for about $ 10 a year, adjusted July 2011, depending on the website provider.
Browse the Internet for online retail stores that sell jewelry that looks like the jewelry you are going to make. Contact stores by email, especially when a store website has a current special contact email address for product vendors. Include a link to your website, your contact details, and a price list, if requested.
Visit the retailers in person. Knocking on doors, a standard sales method, can help you get the word out about your jewelry. Pack samples of your jewelry and take them with you whenever you have immediate interest. Ask to go to the person responsible for the purchase, and to the store manager, try to hand out brochures to those involved.
Dress to impress on sales calls, which consists of wearing your handmade jewelry, so store managers and shoppers can see your work right away. In some cases, you may be able to gauge reactions if potential buyers like the jewelry quickly.
Make follow-up calls. Call customers of the store you visit, specifically those who express a desire for your jewelry, but are not prepared to make a decision on their initial visit. To make follow-up calls less stressful, ask the buyer for permission to follow up with them during their initial visit. However, you should make follow-up calls, whether you are requesting permission or not, and avoid losing potential future sales.
Sell your jewelry on consignment. Although some point of sale owners may be reluctant to buy handcrafted jewelry outright, most will allow you to display and then sell your jewelry to your customers by percentage of sales. Terms of shipping arrangements vary and must be negotiated with all store owners or managers.
Rent an exhibit space with a trade show of artisans and show off your original work easier to merchants. Retail stores specializing in handmade jewelry, such as boutiques, jewelry stores, and museum stores, send buyers to these shows to make connections with artisan vendors. Artisan trade events are closed to the public and buyers must present professional credentials as retail clients to gain entry. Buyers Market of American Craft says that buyers considering purchasing their handmade jewelry should submit documents indicating their desire to have their products displayed to managers, rather than purchasing the jewelry at the fair. The reports provide you as you use the information you need to prepare private sales meetings with buyers within your workshop or showroom.