ADVICE NEEDED

OK so I got married and then got fired. Isn't life interesting?

I still have tons of beads & supplies and more than I'll ever use personally. So I'm planning on putting a lot up for sale as soon as I can. Do I ever need the $mulla$!

Here's the advice I need: What is selling now? What are the new trends? Should I sell small lots or big ones? Are people interested in kits/combos anymore? Should I try eBay right now, or would Etsy or some other venue be better? I'm still listing on JustBeads (and having to fix my auctions due to a hack they recently suffered... if you look at them, some have no pics or descriptions...) But I need to branch out some.

Any ideas? Suggestions? Warnings? I've been out of the beading loop for over

2 years really... except for posting here now and then.

Thanks so much and lots of hugs!

Reply to
Vibrant Jewels
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I can't give you much advice, but I will suggest if you sell on ebay that you charge nothing or extremely minimal for shipping. I've gotten so frustrated with the exaggerated shipping costs. Honestly, I believe it's all a scam. I'd bid twice as much on something with free shipping than I would for something charging over $2.

Um.. of course, I'm a terrible sales person too. So I'm only speaking from the consumer perspective.

-m.

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Reply to
chaddock

I usually use Buy It Now on JustBeads and offer free shipping... Haven't tried that on eBay. Difference in price usually isn't much, and ppl seem to like it. Just to get it moving, ya know? Thanks!

Reply to
Vibrant Jewels

Free shipping is almost impossible if you're the little seller without a large following of repeat bidders. Beads are heavy and once I figure in the cost of the jewelry boxes/tissue paper/new plastic baggies/bubble wrap that I send my beads out in, the mailing envelopes, the printer ink and labels, the cost of gas and time to get to the Post Office... charging $2.50 shipping just about covers all costs.

I'd love to offer free shipping, but it just isn't feasible on items that sell for $7-$8-$9.00.

Reply to
bluemaxx

Hi, Karleen. As to what is selling now, I've only been selling off my vintage beads with a few other odd things thrown in, so I really can't advise you too much... other than the fact that my vintage beads have been selling pretty well on eBay. Small lots or big lots make no difference if the beads are interesting or the photo catches the eye of the buyer. But I have no idea what the new trends are. lol

I tried selling some fall colored vintage beads and no one bought them, so go figure! Maybe people are thinking of Xmas already? I've thought of Kits/Combos also... even to including wire, crimps, wire guardians, clasp, etc. But I haven't seen very many kits on eBay... usually JustBeads was great for that; at least the last time I sold things there a few years back.

From a shopper's viewpont, Etsy seems to have lower prices than eBay... but I haven't checked out sellers costs at that website yet. Maybe someone else knows? But I do think that JustBeads is a little stagnant right now, free re-listing or not. Just IMHO.

One thing I can recommend for you - at least if you don't have a Mac, because the program only works with Windows. Go to Google and download their picture enhancing software called " Picasa ". GOOD pictures make ALL the difference in selling! With Picasa, you can 'straighten' the pictures, which basically enlarges the beads in the photo, then you can adjust the lighting to a brighter shade and with the last step, you can use the sharpen feature to make the pic really pop. 3 simple steps that really enhance your auctions! Picasa is Very User Friendly and you can master the program very easily because there are so few steps to making your pics better.

Good Luck on whatever you decide! :)

hugz backatcha, Linda

Reply to
bluemaxx

I have found etsy to be far more economical--and effective--than ebay. 20 cents gets your item listed for up to four months. And JustBeads is great too. Sarajane

Reply to
Sarajane Helm

I could be very wrong, but it seems to me that beading doesn't have the interest for many that it did at one time. Or maybe it's just that there's so much competition... especially since wholesalers have hit eBay. Buyers aren't going to slog through hundreds of pages to just find MY item, they are sticking with vendors they know.

I think I'll take Sarajane's advice and try Etsy. Wouldn't hurt...

Reply to
Vibrant Jewels

We had an extended discussion once - I think it was here, but it might have been in another NG!!! - about packaging.

I was impressed by some strategies where ppl had their own boxes printed, and always wrapped up the product like a gift. If I were selling "high end" jewelry to a niche clientelle, I think this would be a great idea.

But it seems to me that selling beads and components in small, inexpensive lots is a different breed of cat. I believe in securely packaging items... I usually wrap them in bubble wrap, and put them in a bubble envelope... But I'm wondering if the gift box thing is really necessary. And most of my products are paid for via PayPal, so I purchase the postage online and then just put the package in my own mail box. That saves a lot of cost. All you have to do is pack it and weigh it and PayPal calculates the cost. On heavy items you can even do this before you put them up for sale and adjust your price accordingly. Some people who don't charge for shipping recycle packaging, but I'd rather stick to new in most cases. Of course, I'm not trying to tell you what to do, just how I save a little money.

IRL, shipping isn't free and you have to account for the cost somehow. But I think ppl would rather know up front what their total will be, rather than having to make tricky calculations on the fly. I do resent vendors who charge $8 - $10 and up to ship one small item. I think that's excessive and I tend NOT to bid/buy those items.

I do give international Buy It Now customers a shipping discount, but have to charge something even on BIN b/c it's too expensive a cost to eat. HTH

Reply to
Vibrant Jewels

I think that was here.

There's a bit of a newish problem. Shipping beads of any size will be _at least_ a "large envelope", because a bubble envelope alone is more than 1/4" thick. Then it's uneven, and likely rigid, so you're into package rates, minimum 3oz, $1.34, and that's just the postage. Also, they have changed the minimum size requirements so that everything has to be at least 6" long (adding to weight).

I recycle packaging when I can, partly due to the prices we have to pay here, but unless I'm shipping very small seeds (not seed beads, but seeds that have the consistency and size of sawdust) I find I can't charge less than $2.50, unless it's something rather expensive and on which I actually have something like a profit margin, which I can ship free.

(Karleen, you may have wondered about the postage for that bead: it was marginal between "large envelope" and "small package")

Aloha, Maren HiloBeads: Beads - Beading Supplies - Hand-made Jewelry

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Blog at:
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Art and Fine Crafts Fair at East Hawaii Cultural Center, Sat. Nov. 28, 8a.m.-4p.m. Artists' Fair at Hilo Art and Glass on Sat., Dec. 20, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Reply to
Maren at google

I second Craigslist. You get a bunch of spam/scam emails, and it may take a while to sell things, but it's free and listings are for

45 days, and your expired ads stay in your account so you can repost them (but have to re-add the pictures). I don't have many Craigslist sales, but they're usually bigger ones. Craigslist frowns as non-local sales, shipping, etc., so mentioning that may get your ads flagged and removed. - And, local of course doesn't have to mean your house or their house, I tend to meet with people in mall parking lots or at work (lunch breaks). -

Aloha, Maren HiloBeads: Beads - Beading Supplies - Hand-made Jewelry

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Blog at:
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Artists' Fair at Hilo Art and Glass on Sat., Nov. 15, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Art and Fine Crafts Fair at East Hawaii Cultural Center, Sat. Nov. 29 Artists' Fair at Hilo Art and Glass on Sat., Dec. 20, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Reply to
Maren at google

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