Sell Like a Pro Giveaway

This contest is now closed. Congratulations to our winners, Beth Ann D. and Marilyn M! You can read their comments and see the contest results on our latest blog post.

If your New Year’s resolution is to take your jewelry making ideas to another level, this next contest is for you! Enter our Sell Like a Pro Giveaway for your chance to win a prize package full of cool items to help get your designs noticed like the professionals do. We’ve teamed up with an online warehouse of retail supplies, Specialty Store Services, who have provided a majority of the prize components from their site. You can find professional jewelry displays from their site, including ones for necklaces, bracelets and even earrings, to help present your designs. Whether you want to sell your jewelry at a craft fair, online shop or a local boutique these displays are perfect for any avenue! Each winner will also receive a copy of the book Marketing and Selling Your Handmade Jewelry by Viki Lareau and a box of jewelry price tags.

If you’ve thought about selling your jewelry, there must be some advice you’ve been given or have gained from experience. To enter this contest, leave a comment below with one tip that you would give to others trying to sell their jewelry. We will randomly choose two winners to receive this amazing prize package.

If you’re looking for other advice on how to get your designs out there, be sure to read up on our Seller’s Secrets page and sign up to be a part of Shop Handmade, a free site dedicated to helping you sell your creations!

No purchase necessary, must be 18 or older to enter. Please one comment per person. Odds of winning depend on number of entries. Prizes valued at $80 each, void where prohibited by law. Contest valid in the US and Canada only excluding Quebec. This contest runs from tonight, Wednesday, January 4, 2012 and ends Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 11:59PM PT. Winners will be announced Wednesday, January 10, 2012. PLEASE NOTE: The jewelry featured in the display graphic is not included in this prize package.

-Marissa

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Comments

    • Dee
    • January 10, 2012

    Let yours friends and family borrow some of your work so that they can share with their friends and family.

    • Leabeth
    • January 10, 2012

    I had a hard time trying to think of a name for my business but then I remembered what a friend of mine had done a long time ago. She used her sons names. Well part of them. So anyway my business is called SHAAADEL for my sons SHane, AAron, ADrian and ELi. Cool huh?

  1. Photos Photos Photos!! Have good quality pictures of your creations!! a Pictures can be worth a thousand words! And Describe every detail of your work! the more details the better!! And I agree with he post above, wear what you make! it is the best way to advertise! I have also sold things off my person!!

  2. When you have a booth at a craft faire, always try to engage people in a conversation. Any subject, doesn’t have to be about your display, talking to them makes them more comfortable and if they do find something they are interested in, they will talk to you about it. I’ve found that this makes your shop more inviting and they do not purchase from you then, they will most likely be back later after looking through the rest of the booths, they feel comfortable in my booth and do alot more looking.

  3. the best advice i received was more of a confidence boost. i noticed a lot of people selling online and i became discouraged to sell there because i felt it would be hard to stand out. i kept getting messages from another seller who told me to just go for it! there’s nothing to lose!

    also, i would say that marketing your items well would be a good piece of advice. take good pictures, keep things fresh and go for it! the best references are word of mouth so great customer service is a must & wear some of your pieces also! you are a walking advertisement! show it off and keep some business cards handy! 🙂

  4. Check with local businesses to see if they will sell your jewelry or like me, sell it during the first Friday Art walks!

    • Tammy
    • January 10, 2012

    Wow, I have had so much GOOD advice it’s hard to pick the best one. Presentation is everything to quality pictures for online shops, I think are my top 2.

  5. I just sold my first commission and how she found me was on my facebook designers page – I started putting up photos of my work. Turns out my customer was someone I babysat when I was 14 and she now lives far away from me but we are now catching up! 🙂

    • Jen C
    • January 10, 2012

    I think the best advice I can give is to take pride in your work and not to sell yourself short.!!!

    • Judy Sertich
    • January 10, 2012

    All of this advise is so wonderful and priceless! My advise is great pictures of your items and don’t be shy to ask a shop owner if they would be willing to sell your work.

  6. I just began selling handmade jewelry this past fall, though I have always had a love for jewelry and crafting. I found that it is important to 1) find creative and signature ways to make the pieces my own, 2) not be afraid to “borrow” ideas from others- it’s all about taking others ideas and making them your own! and 3) find fun, catchy ways to market your stuff either will charms, business cards, parties, craft fairs, company name or slogan, or a website. and always.. have fun and do it because you love it 🙂

    • Amy
    • January 10, 2012

    From working in retail I know that presentation is key. The same item can be presented different ways – one will sell and the other won’t. It needs to grab people’s attention and look professional.

    • Jessica
    • January 10, 2012

    Advice is, when selling your stuff, 1) keep it simple yet eye popping. 2)Look for creative ways to display your items. This past fall we used an old window, added hinges to it and chicken wire to the back and hung our necklaces on it. We got so many comments on it, added bonus, it was a windy day and the wind could go through it and not knock it over. 3)Use black table cloths so your jewelry is the only color showing. 4) Be willing to adjust items for people. I had one wanting a bracelet lengthened and she called months later wanting me to fix more for her mother.

    • Faith
    • January 10, 2012

    If you are selling hand made jewelry, make sure you enjoy the work involved. Some pieces can take hours or even days to craft, and when broken down into supplies and time invested, can yeild a small profit comparatively. Also, never be afraid to try new ideas. You may be suprised to find a design you hesitated to make may become one of your biggest sellers (true story).

    • debbie
    • January 10, 2012

    marketing, marketing, marketing…

    • Cindy Spreiter
    • January 10, 2012

    The best advice I got it to price high enough to pay for your time and expertise. The cost of parts needs to be added to your cost and don’t sell yourself short. My friends tell me that my prices are low and I should raise them – AFTER they make their purchases!

    • Cortney
    • January 10, 2012

    Best advice I could give for selling handmade jewelry- Wear it! I’ve sold many pieces right off my neck or wrist simply by wearing it out! If people can’t see it, they can’t buy it.

    • Tabitha
    • January 10, 2012

    Make things that you love. When you love your jewelry, it shows! Also, even when you think you’ve mastered all of the basic techniques to jewelry making, never assume that you know it all. I still consider myself fairly new to jewelry making, even though I’ve been doing it for about three years now, and I never pass up an opportunity to learn how to create familar designs in a new, creative way.

    • Joni
    • January 10, 2012

    Make sure you get paid for your time. Materials need to be paid for as well. Find something you really like and do it over and over. I agree with the signature pieces. And show them off. If you get a sale off you arm or neck take it when you first start.

    • heidi
    • January 10, 2012

    Pieces of ‘Art’ command a higher price — Think of yourself as an artist and others will too!

    • Linda
    • January 10, 2012

    Never forget to keep learning, you can always learn something new if you open up to new ideas!

    • Kathleen Bruski
    • January 10, 2012

    Give gifts of jewelry to everyone and donate pieces to fundraisers. Use others as models of your jewelry.

    • Alice Reid
    • January 10, 2012

    The best advice I can give is this: If you aren’t doing so well selling at craft fairs and art shows, try to get your work sold at a gallery (especially one that is newly opened). I have had more exposure and have sold more jewelry in one month at the gallery than I would have at 6 craft fairs. AND the space I rent monthly at the gallery costs about the same as ONE good fair. All I have to do is periodic inventory checks and replenishing my shelves. The gallery staff does everything else. The check I receive at the end of the month seems almost like a gift!

    • Tiffany
    • January 10, 2012

    If you’re setting up a jewelry display, don’t over-fill it. Plan for the space you have. Cluttered spaces, racks and displays aren’t very pleasing to the eye and have almost a flea-market feel to them. Less cluttered displays showcase your jewelry and make each individual piece stand out better. 🙂

    • Kim
    • January 10, 2012

    My advice is to make jewelry for your friends. As a result, they are, in essence, modeling it for you and when others see it and comment on it, your friends give them your contact info. That has worked great for me. A friend even asked me to do a jewelry display at a cookie swap party she was having. I ended up with a lot of sales!

  7. I have always been told to do what I love and what I am passionate about. I design jewelry that I love and would wear myself (and often do). But I also love to be inspired in unexpected ways that require me to explore my creative side to turn the inspiration into a beautiful design.

    • Lee Wilson
    • January 10, 2012

    Donate to raffles, try to attend and LISTEN to whatever comments are made when people are deciding whether or not to enter to win your piece.

    • Kimberly Rice
    • January 10, 2012

    I make bracelets for my local library free of charge to help them out. Libraries are sadly, poorly funded. This would really help.

    • Janice Bobo
    • January 10, 2012

    I totally agree that you have to know your market. I have tried craft fairs with mixed success but the best was an open house held by a friend. She lives in an historic part of town, so seeing her house was part of the draw. She advertised to friends and included my jewelry and the items done by another friend who does mosaics. She touted it as an art show! We are planning another one at a different friend’s house in a couple of weeks. Targeting the men-folk before Valentine’s Day. Open houses are definitely the way to go!!

  8. I agree with the following:
    Do what you love, carry your business cards and wear your jewelry everywhere, consider your market, don’t try to do every trend that comes along, try to sell in a variety of venues, give jewelry as gifts to friends and relatives, and tell everyone what you do.

    • Patti Lundgren
    • January 10, 2012

    Presentation, presentation, presentation!

    • Elizabeth Reed
    • January 10, 2012

    ALWAYS MAKE WHAT YOU WOULD LOVE TO RECIEVE, AND DON’T BE AFRAID TO SELL AT LOCAL FARMER MARKETS, OR TO HIT LOCAL SHOPS THAT ARE NOT A BIG RETAILER TO SEE IF YOU CAN SELL YOUR ITEMS THERE FOR A PERCENTAGE. IT ONLY TAKES ONE TO START A REACTION!!

    • Lise Andersen James
    • January 10, 2012

    Stay current with your designs,
    Use the season’s colors.
    Experiment with textures, colors and media. You’lll find the right “groove-on” in no time.

    • Cody Willhite
    • January 11, 2012

    Have friends and family wear your jewlery with your buisness cards/ information cards made by hand, so they may hand them out when people like them! Gets it so people will see your work!

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