Expert: James Dillehay - 12/10/2003

Question
My wife makes jewelry with beads - mostly pins and earrings.  She and a friend have sold at a couple annual craft shows at area schools.  Although the tables at these shows were inexpensive ($15 and $30), they didn't sell enough to cover the cost of the tables and supplies.
She is making jewelry for fun, not for money, but it would be nice if she could make enough to cover the costs of her hobby.
Can you make any recommendations on what kinds of beaded jewelry sell, and what venues are likely to make the most sales?

Answer
Rich

The challenge in answering your question is that jewelry artists who sell well do not want to share which of their items are making them money.

Other factors such as season and location also make for a larger picture, which may include: some pieces will sell better in Florida in January / February; others will do better in California in the Fall.

However, there is one online marketplace I have used to diagnose not only what types of pieces are selling best but also their price range.

For example, today I typed in the phrase "handmade jewelry" at Ebay.com and was shown over 150 auctions.

The next step is to go down to the links on the left hand side of the page and click where it says "Completed items". When I clicked, I was shown 300 + auctions completed in handmade jewelry items.

Ebay allows you to then sort the listings by "highest price". Now you have a list of what items are selling best online and the prices people are willing to pay. This is the first part of your research.

Based on the prices you see, if it looks like you can profitably sell your own pieces on Ebay, you can examine winning auctions for tips on how to construct auction pages which stand a chance of winning sales.

Please note, I am not suggesting you start selling on Ebay. That decision is up to you based on what you learn from doing research that answers your questions. At least the research will give you what you need to make an informed decision.

Hope this is helpful,
James
http://www.craftmarketer.com