Homemade jewellery

[penguingorl]

Hi all, I've been off sick from work since January and getting increasingly worried about ever returning, mainly down to having hardly any income. I've always been a crafter and love making things. So with being off work and self isolating I decided I should try and set up a little handmade business. I've attached some pictures of a cat pendant and earrings set, and would love some honest opinions, no matter how brutal! I also do lots of other shapes, moons, stars, sakura flowers, gem type shapes and so on. I've also been making brooches and fridge magnets and little rainbows in bottles. I'm struggling with knowing how to price things, and how to get my things out there. Instagram has been great but most of the people I've interacted with are other people with their own handmade items. Sorry, I know that's lots of different issues! Any advice or feedback would be really appreciated!

I don't know anything about the market for this kind of thing, but just wanted to say personally I don't think these are childish, I really like them! I'm 50+, probably not typical of my age group, but there are pieces here I would wear - I wouldn't necessarily categorise them as children's jewellery at all. I think the moon necklace and cat brooch are especially pretty.

@bringincrazyback aww, thanks so much! As a middle aged person who somehow manages to love glitter whilst still being a Goth at heart I embrace anyone who can appreciate a sparkly cat brooch
I guess that my main take away from this thread are that there may be a small market for what I make if I can find ways to keep prices low, photograph it so that it doesn't look like cheap tat, and somehow find my people!

Out of interest is there significance to the jewel in the middle of the cats head, does it mean something?

There's lots of different ways to display your pieces, have a look at what others do. I've seen things on mannequins, draped over books, on a plain background, on a tool bench with tools (which shows it's handmade) - all sorts. The important thing is that it is clean, well lit and in focus so it shows the detail. Have a look at what others do to get ideas. Try to be dispassionate - is there anything in the image that would put you off buying?

Try to work out your target market. You can have more than one, most do, but you want to appeal to them. Look at websites like Tatty Devine to see how they do it. Do they use clear colours, simple backgrounds etc? What makes things stand out? Different angles help so it doesn't look too flat. If you are going goth then great, don't put flower fairies in the background. But try not to be too focused on one style, hint at it but don't exclude others.

I occasionally go on Sotherby's website to drool - they have line drawings of a person wearing the piece so you can see scale. Something to give size is really useful.

One thing I would say is don't under sell yourself. Work out a price you are happy with and set it. If you want to have a sale so it's lower that's fine but if you set it low people will think it's cheap tat and ignore it. When you go up anyone who did buy when cheap will lose interest and people who didn't are likely to think you're just inflating the price. Set it at your standard price, you can put a note on your sale to say that as you are new you're doing your first few sales cheaper as you test what people are interested in, but make it clear that it is worth more. Places like Etsy gets repeat sales so you need to try and hang on to customers.

Emphasise the quality products you use. In the description of course but also in the title - that's what most people read. Have a look at other entries to see how much shows when you are skimming through on a search - does silver need to be in the first 3 words? You need to optimise both the search function and what people see. And you need to stand out by making it clear it is a quality product.

Very best of luck. Hope some of that helps. And the moon is especially lovely!

One more thing - Etsy lets you look at what has sold for other people! I can't remember how but they make money from you selling so it is worth their while to make it easy. They have lots of hints and guides, take full advantage.

@HollyBollyBooBoo Well, for me its mostly aesthetic, I really like how it looks. I found this to explain the origin, which does resonate in part:
The third eye refers to the gate that leads to the inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness. In New Age spirituality, the third eye often symbolizes a state of enlightenment or the evocation of mental images having deeply personal spiritual or psychological significance.

@Binglebong Many many thanks for the detailed response, so much to work with! I have set up an Etsy store, with a grand total of 1 listing! I'm doing some photography courses on Skillshare (if anyone else is reading this and is looking for free creative courses there is currently a 2 month free trial and there are so many interesting courses and tutorials on there for all things arts and craft..) I will try doing some better photos using my mannequin, and I love the idea of using books as background/props. Will basically have a good play around with different ideas.

I do know from having friends with handmade businesses that underselling is a huge issue. It's so tempting to start low/not really charge for your time but you make good points about it not being conducive to repeat, sustainable custom even if you do manage to sell to anyone. I did notice that the Etsy sellers I've found who do similar stuff and have high sales have an Etsy generated note on their pages about having repeat/returning customers and I can see why that is attractive to a buyer! As a frequent attendee of craft markets I've heard so many other punters quibbling over prices. Some people don't want to pay for your time when they know they can get a very similar mass produced item for half the price. Which begs the question what are they doing at craft fairs?!! Obviously they're not my target market.

I'll definitely be spending lots of time honing my titles. I joined my cities local Etsy fb group, one of the most common bugbears is customers not reading descriptions. It's clear that you need to get as much of the relevant info as you can across in your title and pictures. I will emphasise quality and sustainability. Using ingredients from China is way too common, and things like using other small businesses for things like recyclable packaging where possible are a big part of my values. Lockdown is making this harder though! (eg I found a lovely company in my home county who make small boxes from recycled materials but they're currently closed)

Thanks so much, and yes, I really like the moon too

penguingorl the hummingbird dress would definitely be next on my list when I can afford it!

Thanks @penguingorl, I find things like that fascinating. Best of luck with your business!

@RightOnTheEdge I hope that is soon! Beautiful dress and I love the ethos of the lady behind Popsy. Now I want to figure out a way to make resin hummingbirds!!🐦
Thanks so much @HollyBollyBooBoo 🐱