Ok, so I've made some jewellery and I think I'd like to start selling it - but where?

[ohfourfoxache]

Hello!

Can I pick your brains please, Crafters?

I've recently got into this and have made much more than I would ever realistically wear or give as stocking fillers.

I've put a couple of sets onto Ebay but tbh there are very few people even looking at the listings.

Any ideas about places to sell them online?

I wouldn't say that there is anything particularly fantastic about them and they probably won't sell, but I think I'd like to try. The main thing is that making them keeps my mind busy (I don't want to have too much time to think at the moment iyswim) but DH is getting narked about me making bits when they are just sitting around not doing anything once they have been made....

Any advice?

how about an online shop which you could advertise on uni campuses?
or what you can do is get a pasting table, line it with velvet, display your wares, then set up on an expensive street, getting your children to stand on the corner and shout a code word when the police are coming?

love the table in the street idea - unfortunately no DCs but I'm sure that I could teach the cats to meow in code!

I'd thought about an online shop, but I'm a bit worried that, as I start to feel better, I may not want to be "tied into making stuff" for it

what about taking them round some craft shops and offering them on a 'sale or return' basis - in other words, you leave them there as stock, and they give you a percentage of the sale price if and when they sell?
if you are going to do this, have the sales price established in your head, and perhaps make a nice display for them as well. Embroidery hoops with black velvet are useful.

Ooh, that's a really good idea Nigella - thank you!

Actually there might even be a shop in the village that could hold some potential - I'll check them out.

Why is it that, even though I'm shockingly bad with anything technical, that t'internet was the only place I'd really considered?

great, well I hope it goes well for you.
a couple of tips are - go for quite posh shops as well as more 'crafty' place, and say a higher price or percentage initially than you are prepared to accept.

Etsy is better than eBay for that kind of thing. Then the holy grail re sales traffic is to get a naice picture of your stuff (eg artfully arranged on some vintage linen or aged wood, or attached to someone attractive) to go ballistic on Pinterest through a bit of clever self-promotion or getting a popular blogger to talk about it (freebies help with this process).

God I hadn't even thought about "arty" pictures - DH had a look at high-end jewellers - loads of their backgrounds are white so he took pics with a plain white background (took him ages to minimise shadows etc). That's just not going to work, is it?

How easy/difficult is Etsy to use? What's the difference between Etsy and Folksy? I'm not a technical whizz (hence DH taking photos and using some sort of programme to brighten them etc) and I'm also a complete novice when it comes to anything like this

I haven't seen Folksy, but Etsy is HUGE and there is loads of advice on their forums about how to increase traffic to your store. I haven't used it as a seller but I gather that (like eBay) the most important thing is a working knowledge of PayPal and good advice via their forums. I sincerely doubt it's hard to use given some of the sellers I've encountered :)

LOL that makes me feel a lot better!

Oh my chuffing - I've just had a look at Etsy and it's mahoosive......

Does anyone have any experience from a seller's POV? How on earth do you even start - if you search by anything even quite specific thousands of entries come up How on earth do you even begin to be noticed?

off to google how to take terrific photos

Search engine optimisation helps. Join circles, follow people, make treasuries, drive traffic via Pinterest and Facebook etc etc. If you google "how to get noticed on etsy" there are lots of suggestions...

Local craft fares or even a one off stall on a busy market might give you an idea of what sells. Etsy is good too, i always look there if I want handcrafted items but no idea how you set it up.

I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet, but if you make to sell then you need to be registered with HMRC. It's not as daunting as it sounds and just means that you have to keep simple accounts and do a tax return every year. If HMRC find you and you haven't registered it may well involve a substantial fine.

I would also highly recommend getting insurance. It can cost as little as £35 a year and covers you for loss of stock and public liability (someone choking on a loose bead for instance), amongst other things.

I had a craft business for a few years selling at craft fairs and on Folksy. Personally I would register with Folksy and make use of all the fantastic experience on the forums.