How to sell handmade jewelry to retail stores

Handmade jewelry attracts customers who enjoy wearing products that are different from the usual selections at major malls. Handmade jewelry features silver and gold coins and beads, and rarely costs more as a result of the time it takes to make the individual pieces. Whether you’re making jewelry yourself to sell or selling handmade jewelry by an artisan cooperative, you can find local and national retailers looking for handmade jewelry by searching online and knocking on doors.

Take high-quality photos of your handmade jewelry inventory and design color brochures. You can create professional-looking marketing materials using desktop publishing software. Advertisements must include detailed product descriptions, material information, your online business contact information along with your website address. Take the desktop publishing files to a local copy shop to print a few booklets, or to your local print shop if you need to print a larger quantity. You can also use brochure templates provided by an online catalog company.

Create a website to market your jewelry. You can set up a single or multi page website using a blogging platform and it will include photos of your jewelry, product descriptions and your contact information. You can also provide a form directed to your website that allows interested buyers to call you with questions. You can buy a custom website for around $10 a year, adjusted as of July 2011, depending on the website provider.

Search the Internet for online retail stores that sell jewelry that is similar to the jewelry you are going to make. Communicate with stores via email, particularly when a store’s website features a current special contact email address for product vendors. Include a link to your website, your contact details and a price list, if requested.

Visit retailers in person. Knocking on doors, a standard sales method can help you get the word out about your jewelry. Pack up samples of your jewelry and take them with you whenever you get an immediate interest. Ask to go to the person responsible for the purchase, and the store manager, try to provide brochures to those involved.

Dress to impress on sales calls, which involves wearing your handmade jewelry, so store managers and buyers can see your work right away. In some cases, you may be able to gauge reactions if potential buyers quickly take a liking to the jewelry.

Make follow up calls. Call the customers of the store you visit, specifically those who express a desire for your jewelry, but aren’t ready to make a decision on their initial visit. To make follow-up calls less nerve-wracking, ask the buyer for permission to follow up with them within their initial visit. However, you should make follow-up calls, whether you ask for permission or not, and avoid missing out on potential future sales.

Sell ​​your jewelry on consignment. Although some outlet owners may be reluctant to purchase handmade jewelry outright, most will allow you to display and then sell your jewelry to your customers for percentage of sales. Terms of shipping arrangements vary and must be negotiated with all store owners or managers.

Rent an exhibition space with a trade display of craftsmen and show your original work easier to the merchants. Retail stores that specialize in handmade jewelry—for example, boutiques, jewelry stores, and museum shops—send buyers to such shows to establish connections with artisan vendors. Craft trade events are closed to the public and buyers must present professional credentials as retail patrons to gain entry. Buyers Market of American Craft says that buyers thinking of buying their handmade jewelry must submit documents indicating their desire to have their wares displayed to administrators, rather than purchase the jewelry in the show. The reports give you the information you need to set up private sales meetings together with buyers inside your workshop or showroom.