Handmade Jewelry Marketing Through Ebay Auctions and Stores
Hello again to all! I hope your sales of handmade jewelry are doing well. Sometimes it can get discouraging when no one is buying but don't let yourself be discouraged. Our bead store is very slow right now as it is every year in January. I used to drive myself crazy worrying about this but I now see it's a seasonal thing. Buying tends to occur in cycles. If sales are slow for you this time of year, use the time to do some planning for your spring jewelry line.
Yesterday we talked briefly about Ebay auctions and stores. Today, I want to discuss some techniques and strategies you can use to increase sales of your handmade jewelry on Ebay. I won't spend too much time on this as I know not all of you are Ebayers. If you're not an Ebayer, you may want to give it some serious thought as an additional market for your jewelry. In addition to being a potential source of sales for your handmade jewelry, it can also be a valuable tool for building your customer list. If you'd like to find out how to get your Ebay business going quickly and easily, you can view the excellent free resources on selling published by Ebay University. To access them click here. Here are some strategies that worked for me when I sold on Ebay:
1. Optimize the title of your auction or store listing.
The most important thing for you to include in your title are the keywords that people use to find your listing. I see too many auctions where people waste valuable title space using descriptive words and adjectives and, even worse, words like "look" and "wow". You need that space to include as many keywords as you can to capture as many targeted buyers as possible. For example:
Handmade onyx wire wrapped sterling silver bracelet!
Beautiful silver bracelet! Great Buy! LOOK!
Which listing do you think is going to get more viewers? The first one includes the relevant keywords that a buyer might search for while the second has alot of extraneous words that aren't relevant to searches.
It pays to do some research to see which words your buyer uses to search for items similar to yours. I'll tell you about some tools that can help you do that at a later date.
2. Pick the right category.
The best category for your jewelry is not always the most obvious one. Let's say you make a line of bracelets for dog lovers that incorporates dog charms into the design. Most sellers are going to assume they should list their items under a bracelet category. In actuality they will most like they will draw a more targeted group of buyers by listing under a dog collectibles category. It's even better if you can list under a particular dog breed. For example, if you make bracelets with Poodle charms, you would list under Collectibles: Animal: Dog: Poodle. In fact, this would be an excellent niche jewelry line to promote on Ebay. You could even publish a newsletter through Ebay stores that highlights funny Poodle photos interspersed among your Ebay listings for handmade jewelry. I'll bet this would be a hit!
3. Give your descriptions some personality
You want to always include all of the relevant information such as type of metal, type of stone, dimensions, type of clasp, what it's strung on etc. It also helps to add some suggestions on how to wear the particular piece of jewelry you're selling. Let them know how beautifully it would coordinate with that little black dress for an evening out on the town. Describe the sparkle of the crystals on that Austrian crystal choker. In other words, give your description some life and personality. Remember, buyers purchase on the basis of emotion. You want to paint a glowing picture that will make them want your piece of handmade jewelry.
4. Always include a professional looking photograph
In fact, you will probably need at least two photographs showing your handmade jewelry piece from different angles. I'm not going to go into alot of detail on this. I'll cover a whole post on this topic in the near future. Suffice it to say, you photos need to be crisp and clear with as few shadows as possible. I don't recommend adding a fussy background or alot of props as this can detract from the details of the piece itself. People sometimes use these crutches as a substitute for poor photography. It's best to master the art of taking a clear that really plays up the beauty of your piece. When I cover this topic in the future, I'll give you some equipment recommendations that helped me to improve my photographs.
5. Research before listing your item
You want to have an idea of the demand for your handmade jewelry piece as well as what similar items have sold for in the past. One way to do this is to do a keyword search for the item you're listing. For example, you might be selling a pair of sterling silver and jade earrings. In the search box on the main page, type in "sterling silver jade earrings". When the listings come up, look in the far left hand side along the yellow column and check the completed auctions box. A list of completed auctions will show up. In the top right hand corner of the listings, look for a drop down box that is labeled "sort by". Check the box that says "price highest first". This will give you a list of completed auctions and how much they sold for ordered from highest price to lowest. This is very useful information as it will help to determine the demand for your product as well as how much you can expect to receive if you list it. More on this later.
6. Make it easy for the buyer to pay
I would try to give my buyer as many payment options as possible. I always accept cash, money order, check, and Paypal. With the jewelry market being so competitive on Ebay, I think it's almost mandatory to accept Paypal. Around 70% of my buyers used Paypal to pay for their purchases. Paypal does charge a small fee for each transaction but the increase in sales it provides makes it well worth it.
7. Use Ebay to develop your customer list
Each person that purchases from you through your Ebay listings can be added to your email list for future marketing campaigns. If you publish an email newsletter so much the better. A newsletter that informs and educates your customer is one of the best ways to let them know you're still around and have beautiful handmade jewelry available for them to purchase. You could also do some little extras. For example use an autoresponder email program to send a Happy Birthday card to customers on their special day. I guarantee they'll appreciate it. An autoresponder is also a great tool for publishing the newsletter we discussed above.
So much more to say and so little time! Let me know if you'd like to get into more detail on Ebay selling and online selling or if you'd rather me cover more general jewelry marketing ideas. I always appreciate your feedback. Have a great day. :-)
Kristie
Hello again to all! I hope your sales of handmade jewelry are doing well. Sometimes it can get discouraging when no one is buying but don't let yourself be discouraged. Our bead store is very slow right now as it is every year in January. I used to drive myself crazy worrying about this but I now see it's a seasonal thing. Buying tends to occur in cycles. If sales are slow for you this time of year, use the time to do some planning for your spring jewelry line.
Yesterday we talked briefly about Ebay auctions and stores. Today, I want to discuss some techniques and strategies you can use to increase sales of your handmade jewelry on Ebay. I won't spend too much time on this as I know not all of you are Ebayers. If you're not an Ebayer, you may want to give it some serious thought as an additional market for your jewelry. In addition to being a potential source of sales for your handmade jewelry, it can also be a valuable tool for building your customer list. If you'd like to find out how to get your Ebay business going quickly and easily, you can view the excellent free resources on selling published by Ebay University. To access them click here. Here are some strategies that worked for me when I sold on Ebay:
1. Optimize the title of your auction or store listing.
The most important thing for you to include in your title are the keywords that people use to find your listing. I see too many auctions where people waste valuable title space using descriptive words and adjectives and, even worse, words like "look" and "wow". You need that space to include as many keywords as you can to capture as many targeted buyers as possible. For example:
Handmade onyx wire wrapped sterling silver bracelet!
Beautiful silver bracelet! Great Buy! LOOK!
Which listing do you think is going to get more viewers? The first one includes the relevant keywords that a buyer might search for while the second has alot of extraneous words that aren't relevant to searches.
It pays to do some research to see which words your buyer uses to search for items similar to yours. I'll tell you about some tools that can help you do that at a later date.
2. Pick the right category.
The best category for your jewelry is not always the most obvious one. Let's say you make a line of bracelets for dog lovers that incorporates dog charms into the design. Most sellers are going to assume they should list their items under a bracelet category. In actuality they will most like they will draw a more targeted group of buyers by listing under a dog collectibles category. It's even better if you can list under a particular dog breed. For example, if you make bracelets with Poodle charms, you would list under Collectibles: Animal: Dog: Poodle. In fact, this would be an excellent niche jewelry line to promote on Ebay. You could even publish a newsletter through Ebay stores that highlights funny Poodle photos interspersed among your Ebay listings for handmade jewelry. I'll bet this would be a hit!
3. Give your descriptions some personality
You want to always include all of the relevant information such as type of metal, type of stone, dimensions, type of clasp, what it's strung on etc. It also helps to add some suggestions on how to wear the particular piece of jewelry you're selling. Let them know how beautifully it would coordinate with that little black dress for an evening out on the town. Describe the sparkle of the crystals on that Austrian crystal choker. In other words, give your description some life and personality. Remember, buyers purchase on the basis of emotion. You want to paint a glowing picture that will make them want your piece of handmade jewelry.
4. Always include a professional looking photograph
In fact, you will probably need at least two photographs showing your handmade jewelry piece from different angles. I'm not going to go into alot of detail on this. I'll cover a whole post on this topic in the near future. Suffice it to say, you photos need to be crisp and clear with as few shadows as possible. I don't recommend adding a fussy background or alot of props as this can detract from the details of the piece itself. People sometimes use these crutches as a substitute for poor photography. It's best to master the art of taking a clear that really plays up the beauty of your piece. When I cover this topic in the future, I'll give you some equipment recommendations that helped me to improve my photographs.
5. Research before listing your item
You want to have an idea of the demand for your handmade jewelry piece as well as what similar items have sold for in the past. One way to do this is to do a keyword search for the item you're listing. For example, you might be selling a pair of sterling silver and jade earrings. In the search box on the main page, type in "sterling silver jade earrings". When the listings come up, look in the far left hand side along the yellow column and check the completed auctions box. A list of completed auctions will show up. In the top right hand corner of the listings, look for a drop down box that is labeled "sort by". Check the box that says "price highest first". This will give you a list of completed auctions and how much they sold for ordered from highest price to lowest. This is very useful information as it will help to determine the demand for your product as well as how much you can expect to receive if you list it. More on this later.
6. Make it easy for the buyer to pay
I would try to give my buyer as many payment options as possible. I always accept cash, money order, check, and Paypal. With the jewelry market being so competitive on Ebay, I think it's almost mandatory to accept Paypal. Around 70% of my buyers used Paypal to pay for their purchases. Paypal does charge a small fee for each transaction but the increase in sales it provides makes it well worth it.
7. Use Ebay to develop your customer list
Each person that purchases from you through your Ebay listings can be added to your email list for future marketing campaigns. If you publish an email newsletter so much the better. A newsletter that informs and educates your customer is one of the best ways to let them know you're still around and have beautiful handmade jewelry available for them to purchase. You could also do some little extras. For example use an autoresponder email program to send a Happy Birthday card to customers on their special day. I guarantee they'll appreciate it. An autoresponder is also a great tool for publishing the newsletter we discussed above.
So much more to say and so little time! Let me know if you'd like to get into more detail on Ebay selling and online selling or if you'd rather me cover more general jewelry marketing ideas. I always appreciate your feedback. Have a great day. :-)
Kristie
posted by Your friends at Beads Indeed | 3:15 AM
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