Selling Handmade Jewelry Online

Hi spoiled311! It has been fun, but also a learning experience at the same time. Thank you for your kind words and for your response! Take care!

I haven't done well online either.....I just don't have enough time to dedicate to all the work that needs to be done....and I do very well at craft sales...my daughter says it's because I work the crowd! LOL

I love to hear a good success story. Continued more success.

Hi carolbee! I really didn't know what to expect with Etsy. I guess I thought it was more like eBay, where you just list your items and people find them. I have to admit, it does take an awful lot of work promoting on site, through networking sites, street teams, etc...all while researching what is selling, making items, taking photos (cropping photos...ugh, I hate that part) and then listing the items and then doing it all over again for the next creation.I've been pretty lucky so far and found my little niche to sell into. I do admit, craft shows are a bit easier on the whole, because i tend to book a couple shows into a three week period of time, so I mass produce what I can and I'm usually okay inventory wise for that group of shows. I'm not really fond of being there while people check out my work, but coming from a retail background makes it easier for me to "service the customers". Though I do wish I had it in me to "work the crowd" as Jill alluded to...lol Thanks you both for your responses!

Sorry about the delay in answering your response... I'm not sure how selling mousepads would do on Etsy, but a quick search should reveal how much, if any, competition there is. There are sellers that sell knitted laptop covers, knitted cellphone holders, etc, but I can't remember ever seeing anyone selling mousepads. Who knows, maybe you'll be the only one in that niche market (and having a niche category is the key to making sales on Etsy!!) Give it a look...there are always many other sites you can branch out to! Thanks for your response!!

I work the crowd too, Jill. This is why I sell better in person.

Hi Jillhill! Like I mentioned in my response to carolbee, I really thought Etsy would be more like eBay...list it and the buyers would find you on the last day of your listing...lol. Etsy is anything but that. Unless the creations are just so gorgeous and people buy the items as soon as they are listed, it's essential to promote on Etsy...and promote often. Of course it would be great if I didn't work full-time, but my income from making handmade jewelry isn't anywhere close to replacing my salary...but I still love sitting down and creating at my craft table...and I guess that's what really matters! It would be nice to have the personality to work the crowd at craft shows, though Thanks for your response!