How I Use Sites like Ebay to Market My Handmade Jewelry

How I Use Sites like Ebay to Market My Handmade Jewelry<br /><br />My hobby as a silversmith keeps me busy all year long. At Christmas time though, I work several hours a day to try to make gifts for people who want to purchase handmade jewelry for their friends and family. I call it my Santas elf work! My work is signed, original, and priced so that it will sell practically as soon as it is made. I have not ever had to have my work sit and gather dust in somebody elses shop on consignment. I dont have to pay huge prices for table space at trade shows where I might sit there all day and not recover my booth fee! I get paid when the piece is sold. If someone wants my jewelry in their shop, they pay me upfront. I would much rather be in the studio making another piece of jewelry than sitting at a booth all day trying to make a sale. I dont mass produce my jewelry so therefore I cant afford to not have access to it 24 hours a day. Occasionally there is a lull in sales and I suspect that I have saturated the local market with the current item. That is when I turn to the on line marketplaces like eBay and Etsy to show my work to a wider audience. While it is true that eBay is a tough place to sell jewelry, it doesnt change the fact that it makes good advertising sense to post an item in order to get prospective customers to seek out my website and possibly contact me for custom work. Sometimes it doesnt cost anything to list an item on eBay. Etsy charges a small fee to post. I take the opportunity to list my jewelry whenever I get word that eBay is offering free listing days.<br /><br />I make sure that my website is mentioned in the auction, listing, contact, and about me page. Also, I encourage prospective buyers to contact me for more pictures and to ask questions. At the bottom of my personal email messages is my custom signature that has a hot link to my eBay ME page that ultimately takes the person to my auction, or listing. I write articles and reviews for eBay and am now in the top 3000 reviewer rank. When I write a guide or review for eBay, I add a link to my website so that my jewelry can be viewed, even if the guide or review I am writing doesnt have anything to do with jewelry or silversmithing. My business card has my eBay username on it in addition to my other contact information. It is NOT EVER a good idea for a hobby gold or silversmith to put the address where they live anywhere thieves might see it such as a business card. I know i dont welcome the thought of someone showing up at my house looking for my silver or gold supplies! Having an auction site or listing is a safer and cheaper way to promote gemstones and precious metals if you dont have a store with high security systems.<br /><br />I sell a piece of jewelry every once in a blue moon on eBay, but that doesnt stop me from using their site to promote and showcase my work. Once someone buys a piece of jewelry from me, they generally buy another piece soon thereafter. My best customers bring me more customers. It is useful to have something on line that is current and can be looked at immediately no matter where my loyal customers find themselves. I have had folks call me from another state while vacationing to order something that someone is admiring at the moment. With a eBay auction spot, it is possible to make the quick sale through paypal and ship the jewelry that day or the very next day. It is certainly possible that the piece would get there before the loyal customer returns home from wherever they are calling from.<br /><br />I have been silversmithing for almost 30 years. I have found that the best and fastest way to sell my work is right off my neck! I know that sounds odd, but I wear my jewelry. People see it, and they ask about it, and then they want it. That could be at the grocery store, a meeting, or a performance. When someone stops me to tell me they like my ring, or my necklace, I always say thanks I made that. If they dont want to buy it right then and there, I hand them a business card. When they return home to their computer, they can go to my website which has a link to my eBay. If they dont see the item there, they can call me and I can post an auction especially for my buyer anytime of day or night. That is one of the many beauties and benefits of being an eBay seller.<br /><br />I find that eBay is a much better and safer method of presenting my work than selling consignment. Consignment in my opinion, just makes a shop owners display case look pretty. But shops close, and shopkeepers are too busy sometimes to contact the jeweler and tell them they just made a sale. and then what? Why should the jeweler be the only persons work in the shop that doesnt get paid until after the sale or long after the sale in most instances? Everything else in the shop is purchased upfront. Why should the jeweler be the last one to get their money? Why should the jeweler be the only artist that has products in the store taking the risk?<br /><br />eBay and Etsy are a way to have an on line display case without having to worry about not having access to my own work. Chances are that if my work were in a display case in some other town, my prospective buyer wouldnt follow through and go there. I dont have to do the 70% /30% split with the shop owner. Why should I have to give somebody else so much money for something they didnt make. Ebay, paypal, and Etsy take a small percentage of the final sale it is true. But not nearly as much as consignment which can sometimes be as high as60% 40%! I always price my auctions and listings a little higher than a live sale to reflect the shipping cost, paypal fee, and eBay cut.<br /><br />Using eBay to promote my jewelry hobby has been a major stepping stone that could lead to a small business someday. If you are considering advertising your jewelry hobby or business why not take advantage of the worlds largest marketplace in addition to local advertising and personal sales?<br /><br />This summer my handmade Native American Eagle Feathers are still a hot item. I started making and selling them at Christmas time for a customer that buys them every Christmas to give away as Christmas gifts. Friends saw the project while I was making and filling the order, and I got orders from that original order. It snowballed this year pun intended! I have worked steadily since December making these. I even made some copper ones for contrast to my collar of feathers that I wear every time I leave the house. Each feather is handmade, unique, etched, and signed. Sometimes I add a bead or two on the stem. I am always willing to custom make something to fit the person, or modify a piece so it is the perfect gift for the occasion. Right now, I am adding gemstone beads into the mix making the feathers the perfect birthday present no matter what month. I was so busy filling orders this winter that I forgot to post one up for auction on eBay. I totally forgot about Etsy. Right now I have one of my feathers up on both eBay and Etsy. Hopefully I can remember to keep an auction up at all times. It is a great way to offer my feathers to a wider audience and for very little upfront cost.<br /><br />Published by Concha Castaneda<br /><br />I was born in Bowling Green Ohio. I am an artist, musician, and I care very deeply for the earth and her creatures. View profile<br /><br />Gemstones Associated with Wealth, Money, and FinanceIf you are interested in knowing what gemstones are associated with wealth and finance look no further.