Marketing

Yup!

Here is a list:

Handmade for Profit by Barbara Brabec The Crafts Business Answer Book by Barbara Brabec Crafting as a Business by Wendy Rosen

Any of the Guerilla Marketing books should be helpful as well though not specific to crafts - just solid marketing ideas - they are by Jay Levinson and Seth Godin - The Guerrilla Marketing Handbook is great and he also has one for online marketing - I need to get an updated version of that one if they have one - mine is about 5 years old which is ancient in web years.

Here are some links to read online - I have not gone through ALL of them, they are just in my business folder to read when I get around to it - some are very good though:

I haven't seen any books, but there are classes. Viki Lareau in Tacoma teaches one, and Nanette Keller Jordan (S F Bay Area) does also. Viki Lareau travels to teach hers (at least she used to, I've taken it). I don't know about Ms. Keller Jordan's willingness to travel.

You could get your LBS to hire them to teach the class. Both women have taught at my LBS.

~~ Sooz

------- "Those in the cheaper seats clap. The rest of you rattle your jewelry." John Lennon (1940 - 1980) Royal Varieties Performance ~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links

WOW!

~~ Sooz

------- "Those in the cheaper seats clap. The rest of you rattle your jewelry." John Lennon (1940 - 1980) Royal Varieties Performance ~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links

Fantastic. Thank you so much. Now I have something to do to keep from feeling sorry for myself! Really, though, that only lasted about 20 minutes. LOL. I'm over all that. Thanks again Pam. Here I go... Carlinda

oooh - good question.

And thanks Pam for the list of resources (off to the library!)

Carlinda,

I was a marketing major in college, and I'm STILL not having any success selling my jewelry on the internet! I made a webpage, passed out some cards with my website address on it, showed the necklaces around at Church, have my father showing them at the hospital where he works, and even though I've sold quite a few, things have died down lately. I do have a couple orders for pearls, a brown glass/tiger eye triple strand, and a beaded lanyard...that's it for right now. It's hard when you don't really have the resources to get out there and sell your jewelry to different people, instead of the same people over and over again.

I've been debating Ebay, but after looking at some of the jewelry there today, I can't compete with prices like $5 for a Swarovski Crystal bracelet! The crystals alone cost that!

Valerie

Carl> Okay, another question for everyone. Since I have all this enforced

Valerie, you should look up the past auctions of the seller with the $5 bracelet, and see what their auctions close for. Because of auction sniping, there's no way to judge the final prices by looking at auctions in progress.

-Kalera

Thanks for the tip...I never thought of doing that. :)

Valerie

Kalera Stratt> Valerie, you should look up the past auctions of the seller with the $5

I did it one day with some of those .99 lampwork auctions, and was pleasantly surprised to see that most of them close well within the acceptable ballpark for lampwork prices.

-Kalera

I'm at Ebay trying to find out how to access the closed auctions. I did notice that the $2.75 Swarovski crystal bracelets are stretch bracelets, not regular bracelets made with soft-flex.

Valerie

Kalera Stratt> I did it one day with some of those .99 lampwork auctions, and was

Valerie, do a seller search and check one of the completed items options. You could even get "all", meaning what is still on eBay's server.

What you have to do (at least, the only way I know how to do it) is do an advanced search on a seller's name, then click the "show auctions that have ended" option.

-Kalera

You can also just open the basic search page, then click on the advanced search tab...it's an option to search only completed items.

~Candace~ your local hemp goddess :)

You can find a couple of quotes from me and a sketch of one of my early goblets in one of Barbara Brabec's books. I can't remember which one it was.........does that make me almost famous? Barbara Dream Master

If you want to make God laugh, tell him your future plans. Woody Allen

nothing ALMOST about it, m'dear!! Sarajane

Sarajane's Polymer Clay Gallery