A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting another one of my fellow artisans at the Jewelry Cafe. He was a skinny man, scarecrow style. He had greying strawlike hair in a ponytail down his back, and he was either really unshaven or just had an unkempt beard. He reeked of cigarette smoke, and sounded like it too.
I was there working on switching over my tags to my new logo, and he was there to meet with Laura about a style of earring he wanted to bring in. This man has been in the jewelry business for over 30 years.
I wanted to ask him how his hands were....heh.
We got to talking because I needed some advice on what to put on a price tag. I had brought in some of my sterling ear wires, not the finished earring, just my ear hooks, to put up for sale alongside the JC's tiny little bead bar. Now I've been selling these ear hooks for $3/3.50 a pair, but figured I could get more at a place like the JC. But how much more?
Laura was too busy, so I got a chance to talk to Scott. And he had lots of questions for me. "How much wire is used per pair?" "How long does it take to make a pair?" These are questions I have thought about, and answered. But he had more. "What about your overhead?" Overhead??? Gods...how do you figure that one out?
I make my own tags and labels. I don't think about the cost of this in my final price. Scott asked me, "If you had to pay someone to make these tags, and then pay someone to put them on, how much do you think you would spend?" I have NO idea. But it adds up. The ink, the paper, the time.
Scott mentioned, back in his "heyday", he sold wholesale. BIG wholesale. Department stores. 5000 items made in 3 weeks type of orders. So he had to hire people. Some one to cut the pieces, someone to make the tag, put the tags on, etc etc. Costs a lot of money.
I don't think I want to do wholesale. Ever. I want my jewelry to be one of kind, and with my findings, I could never make them fast enough to wholesale at big orders like that and still make money.
I don't know if jewelry making is Scott's only income. He has really been making a living of it all these years? Can I do it?
Monday, July 21, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Wheeee!!!
Etsy sales are blossoming! I actually ran out of envelopes this weekend and had to go out to get more today. Now I am SO well stocked in envelopes...bring it on!!
I am looking into RME - Revolution Money Exchange - as an alternate form of payment. It sounds pretty good. No transaction fees like with Paypal. I have only just heard of it, and am surprised it's not more widely used. Everyone should check it out. If you are looking into making an RME account, let me know, because they have a referal rewards program (we both get FREE money).
Cool.
On a note besides jewelry sales, I have SO many zucchinis. I'm picking one or two every other day, and I'm swamped. I was supposed to be baking loaves of zucchini bread tonight...but the internet has sucked my time away.
I am looking into RME - Revolution Money Exchange - as an alternate form of payment. It sounds pretty good. No transaction fees like with Paypal. I have only just heard of it, and am surprised it's not more widely used. Everyone should check it out. If you are looking into making an RME account, let me know, because they have a referal rewards program (we both get FREE money).
Cool.
On a note besides jewelry sales, I have SO many zucchinis. I'm picking one or two every other day, and I'm swamped. I was supposed to be baking loaves of zucchini bread tonight...but the internet has sucked my time away.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Manifest Beads
Ahhh... high speed internet. Laptop. Wireless. I'm at my boyfriends's house, drinking his coffee, using his internet connection. I have dial up at home. Dinosaur age, I know. It makes it impossible sometimes to check my email, let alone upload or download anything. Someday I will remedy this.
Any way - I need to tell every one about Manifest Beads! Manifest is a bead store in Milford, Ct, where I have been working for three years. Mostly what I do is teach classes, three days a week, with the occasional day or two of working the store. This is also where I started designing and selling my handmade wire findings.
Earlier this year, we were looking for a change. While our location had been very functional, we weren't in a very busy area of town. Knowing our lease was going to end in May, we found a new place to move the store! An amazing location, right in the heart of the downtown, and twice as big. We scheduled the move, giving us a week and half off to get everything together. New stock, and some minor facelifts.
Then the city screwed us over. We were supposed to open on May 9th. Today is July 11th, and we're not open yet. We had planned to re-face the bathroom: new sink and toilet, new tiles etc. The city said, "Hey, this bathroom is not handicap accessible. It needs to be made so before you can think of opening." Okay, no problem. Plans were drawn up by the city architect, and the permit for construction was applied for. 30 days later, after much complaining to the city and politcal battles, we FINALLY got the permit to be LOOKED at. And it was failed. Permit application resubmitted. 30 days LATER it was looked at again and approved. It took TWO months to the go-ahead from the city to do the work they told us to do. Now work is STARTING VERY SLOWLY. It's been painful. For all of us. Manifest Beads has been my main source of income, and I haven't been able to work for over two months. My bank balance is hysterical.
This "lay off" is what prompted me to look into selling on Etsy.
It will be fabulous when we can get the store open again. By the end of the month? Most likely, and if not, then something is seriously wrong. I think we have to apply for an occupancy permit once the construction is done, and knowing how much the building department hates us.....ugh. I don't want to think about it.
www.manifestbeads.blogspot.com for more on our story.
Any way - I need to tell every one about Manifest Beads! Manifest is a bead store in Milford, Ct, where I have been working for three years. Mostly what I do is teach classes, three days a week, with the occasional day or two of working the store. This is also where I started designing and selling my handmade wire findings.
Earlier this year, we were looking for a change. While our location had been very functional, we weren't in a very busy area of town. Knowing our lease was going to end in May, we found a new place to move the store! An amazing location, right in the heart of the downtown, and twice as big. We scheduled the move, giving us a week and half off to get everything together. New stock, and some minor facelifts.
Then the city screwed us over. We were supposed to open on May 9th. Today is July 11th, and we're not open yet. We had planned to re-face the bathroom: new sink and toilet, new tiles etc. The city said, "Hey, this bathroom is not handicap accessible. It needs to be made so before you can think of opening." Okay, no problem. Plans were drawn up by the city architect, and the permit for construction was applied for. 30 days later, after much complaining to the city and politcal battles, we FINALLY got the permit to be LOOKED at. And it was failed. Permit application resubmitted. 30 days LATER it was looked at again and approved. It took TWO months to the go-ahead from the city to do the work they told us to do. Now work is STARTING VERY SLOWLY. It's been painful. For all of us. Manifest Beads has been my main source of income, and I haven't been able to work for over two months. My bank balance is hysterical.
This "lay off" is what prompted me to look into selling on Etsy.
It will be fabulous when we can get the store open again. By the end of the month? Most likely, and if not, then something is seriously wrong. I think we have to apply for an occupancy permit once the construction is done, and knowing how much the building department hates us.....ugh. I don't want to think about it.
www.manifestbeads.blogspot.com for more on our story.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Figuring Things Out
I've been spending a lot of time lately trying to figure out how best to sell online.
I'm learning about selling fees and international shipping costs.
I'm figuring out how to treat my wrist problems.
I have had a few more sales through Etsy, including custom orders. I'm going to be doing a little more revising on my pricing tonight. I'd adjusted my sterling silver findings, but hadn't fixed my plated wire findings. Then I got a custom order request, and couldn't afford to give any kind of discount on some of my earlier listed items. I want to be fair, affordable, and still make a living doing this sort of thing. Selling through Etsy has been a nice little side job, and I hope to do more, a lot more.
One thing I've noticed, when I go searching, as a buyer would, for certain products that I sell, they end up buried under pages and pages of items. Etsy is VERY big. Items are listed every second. Some stores have a system, that I am trying to do, in my own way. When you search for items, they are listed chronologically with the more recently listed items on top. If you relist the same item every couple days (like handmade earwires let's say), then that item is more likely to be noticed by buyers. It's tough. Because I don't want to be that seller that's trying to drown out every other seller. And it costs $0.20 every time you list an item. It's not much, but it adds up if you are trying to push an item that's not a big seller.
So here's my listing plan:
Since I make my findings in all different shapes and all diffferent metals, I can list each individual variation, one at a time. When I have every single style that I make listed in my store, I can start listing bulk item deals. Actually, I'll start mixing in those bulk item listings before that happens. If I can just keep up with listing something new every day or two, then I won't get lost in the sea of Etsy sellers.
Wholesale Pricing Plan:
Individual items will have a set price that you can click, buy and pay for. Discounts will be available on custom orders of 5 or more of a type of item. I.e. one pair of curly-Q ear wires: $3.00. Five pairs of curly-Q ear wires: 2.75/pr. I'll have the different prices noted on each item.
One another note, my darling boyfriend has been helping me with my wrist problem. His mum gave me one of those stiff wrist braces for the right hand (I'd only had one for my left hand, which has been fine lately). I wear this at night and when I know I will have to be lifting or moving heavy objects (like my vacuum, good lord). On top of that, he bought me three wonderful stretchy wrist glove/wrap thingys that I can wear while I work, AND one of those amazing microwaveable heat wraps. LOVE that thing. It's easy to use, and I don't have to try loading a tub full of heavy hot water to soak my wrist in - this does basically the same thing.
Time to go edit my etsy things. OriginalBeadwork.etsy.com
I'm learning about selling fees and international shipping costs.
I'm figuring out how to treat my wrist problems.
I have had a few more sales through Etsy, including custom orders. I'm going to be doing a little more revising on my pricing tonight. I'd adjusted my sterling silver findings, but hadn't fixed my plated wire findings. Then I got a custom order request, and couldn't afford to give any kind of discount on some of my earlier listed items. I want to be fair, affordable, and still make a living doing this sort of thing. Selling through Etsy has been a nice little side job, and I hope to do more, a lot more.
One thing I've noticed, when I go searching, as a buyer would, for certain products that I sell, they end up buried under pages and pages of items. Etsy is VERY big. Items are listed every second. Some stores have a system, that I am trying to do, in my own way. When you search for items, they are listed chronologically with the more recently listed items on top. If you relist the same item every couple days (like handmade earwires let's say), then that item is more likely to be noticed by buyers. It's tough. Because I don't want to be that seller that's trying to drown out every other seller. And it costs $0.20 every time you list an item. It's not much, but it adds up if you are trying to push an item that's not a big seller.
So here's my listing plan:
Since I make my findings in all different shapes and all diffferent metals, I can list each individual variation, one at a time. When I have every single style that I make listed in my store, I can start listing bulk item deals. Actually, I'll start mixing in those bulk item listings before that happens. If I can just keep up with listing something new every day or two, then I won't get lost in the sea of Etsy sellers.
Wholesale Pricing Plan:
Individual items will have a set price that you can click, buy and pay for. Discounts will be available on custom orders of 5 or more of a type of item. I.e. one pair of curly-Q ear wires: $3.00. Five pairs of curly-Q ear wires: 2.75/pr. I'll have the different prices noted on each item.
One another note, my darling boyfriend has been helping me with my wrist problem. His mum gave me one of those stiff wrist braces for the right hand (I'd only had one for my left hand, which has been fine lately). I wear this at night and when I know I will have to be lifting or moving heavy objects (like my vacuum, good lord). On top of that, he bought me three wonderful stretchy wrist glove/wrap thingys that I can wear while I work, AND one of those amazing microwaveable heat wraps. LOVE that thing. It's easy to use, and I don't have to try loading a tub full of heavy hot water to soak my wrist in - this does basically the same thing.
Time to go edit my etsy things. OriginalBeadwork.etsy.com
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