Selling Your Jewelry Creations Online
by Lee Dobbins
Selling your jewelry creations online requires different skills and supplies
then selling at shows or on consignment. You’ll need to develop good computer
and digital photography skills as well as set up a shipping area and buy shipping supplies.
Jewelry is a very visual product to sell - potential customers need high
quality photographs that display the piece in detail as if they were holding
it in their own hands. A good quality digital camera with zoom capabilities
is essential for taking photos of jewelry.
Unfortunately, just buying a good camera probably isn’t going to be enough to
make your photos stand out. You’ll also need good lighting and a light box for
the photos to come out their best. You can buy professional lights and a light
box or go the homemade route. I use a clear plastic storage box as the light
box and set up adjustable plant lights on the sides and top - all these materials
can be found at Walmart or any discount store. To take the photos, set the box
on it’s side with the open end facing you, set the jewelry inside the box and
take the photo. The clear plastic will diffuse the lights to prevent glare and
make your photos more clear.
Once you have taken your photos, you will need to upload them to your online
selling venue. There are 3 ways to sell online - having your own web page,
selling in an online mall, and selling at an online auction. Having your own
web page requires a bit more skill as you will need to write the code for the
page yourself, hire someone to do it or buy a package that helps you do this.
Selling in online malls and auctions is usually a bit easier as you can post
your information on a form that is uploaded and you don’t need to know much
about html coding. Personally, I have found that selling at an online mall is
the best way to go - the auctions are overcrowded with jewelry of all types
and it is extremely difficult to get any qualified traffic to your own website
without spending a fortune.
Along with your photos, you will need to provide an excellent description of
your jewelry. I suggest you take 3 photos of the piece and then write a paragraph
description on the piece listing the materials used the size and any outstanding
features. Don’t be afraid to be creative in your description!
The final phase to selling jewelry online is collecting the money and shipping
the product. You need to decide what form of payment you will accept. Will
you take credit cards or only accept credit through Paypal? Personal checks,
or only money orders? I love Paypal as it is so quick and easy but there are
fees associated with it. Many of my customers pay with personal check and I
have never had a problem in 6 years of doing business online.
Once you receive payment, you can ship out the jewelry! This is your opportunity
to make a good impression and gain a repeat customer. To make shipping easier,
it’s a good idea to setup a shipping station which includes a table to package
and wrap on, all your packing material, tape, boxes and mailers, your return
address stickers and any promotional items you like to put in the package.
I like to package my jewelry in gold foil boxes and ship those inside a bubble
mailer. The boxes are only about 20 cents if you buy them in bulk and they look
so nice to the customer when they open their package. Also, have some promotional
cards, business cards, pens or discount certificates made up and include those
with your URL so the customer can come back and buy more!
Lee Dobbins is a jewelry designer and writer for
Artisan-Jewelry-Online.com
where you can read more about making your own jewelry
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