If you’re the type that loves to make crafty items, especially jewelry, then let it be known that there is a market online where you can sell handmade jewelry, no matter what kind you’re making. As long as it’s handmade and unique, you may be surprised as to how many people may want to buy your goods as well as how many platforms you can list your projects.
In 2018 alone, close to 30+ million people purchased jewelry every single day, making for a gigantic market! Yes, it is a billion-dollar industry, and there’s always room for another creator. So, why can’t it be you?
Whether it’s a necklace, ring or anything in between, the following platforms I’m about to mention are open to all, no matter what your experience may be.
Like most ways of making money online, it will take some work as well as some marketing on your part, but these platforms should make selling jewelry online much easier.
Without further adieu, here are teh best places to sell handmade jewelry…
How to Sell Your Handmade Jewelry Online
Amazon Handmade
If you want to tap into the millions of Amazon customers, then Amazon does allow you to sell your jewelry on the platform. You can even ship it into the Amazon warehouse, where Prime members can take advantage of your jewelry using their Prime benefits and Amazon will even ship it out when your jewelry sells.
To qualify, you will have to fill out an “Artisan” application so that they can audit your process to ensure you’re building handcrafted goods. If your jewelry isn’t handcrafted, then your chances of being approved will be nill. You can learn more about the guidelines as to who they accept here.
Amazon Handmade has no hidden fees, only charging a 15% referral fee whenever you make a sale.
- Website: Amazon Handmade
Etsy
Out of all of the options I list, Etsy is the best place to sell your handmade jewelry online simply due the sheer number of shoppers who browse the website every day. Most people who shop it are looking for something handcrafted. It also offers a ton of selling tools, from managing your shop on the app to shipping discounts. They even offer a variety of powerful marketing tools, in which helps grow your following and visibility. In short, there’s a ton of options available for buyers.
In 2017 alone, 33 million buyers spent more than $3 billion. Yes, that’s a billion with a B.
Etsy charges a $0.20 listing fee plus a small transaction and payment processing fee. All listings are active for at least four months or when it sells.
To learn more about Etsy, check out the book, Etsy-preneurship and Mind Your Business: A Workbook to Grow Your Creative Passion Into a Full-time Gig. These are book wonderful books that give you insight as to how to succeed on this very platform.
- Website: Etsy
Aftcra
Aftcra only sells handmade products from U.S. sellers, and while it’s not as well-known as the rest of the companies I mention here, it’s one to consider.
There are no listing fees and they only focus on American goods. On many platforms, this has become a problem as many sellers have been selling goods, claiming to be “handmade,” when in reality, it came from China. You won’t find that here, making for a better experience for buyers.
As long as you live in the United States and you’re selling something that’s homemade, you’re good to go.
Aftcra charges 7% on all transactions and focuses on making customer service their #1 priority. It seems to be a company that really does care for its sellers.
- Website: Aftcra
ArtFire
ArtFire allows you to sell a variety of items, from handmade goods, yes, including jewelry, to vintage items and even craft supplies.
The company offers promotional tools for all sellers to help take the “hassle out of building a website” as well as shop customization tools so that you can stand out above the rest.
Unlike a lot of these websites that charge a “fee,” ArtFire will make you choose a monthly subscription plan, all of which will determine your fees. This can range from $4.95 to $40+ a month.
- Website: ArtFire.com
Big Cartel
Big Cartel is said to “make it simple to build a unique online store and sell your business. Since 2005, millions of creators have sold everything from handmade jewelry to t-shirts, prints, art and much more.
As a seller on this platform, Big Cartel offers a customized shop option, all the tools you need to manage your store as well a simple monthly payment plan.
All of their plans, starting at $9.99 a month, includes a set number of products with no listing fees and features.
- Website: Big Cartel
Bonanza
Bonanza isn’t like a lot of these platforms I mention here since you can sell almost anything, but I wanted to include as you could see some success.
Similar to that of eBay, Amazon and Etsy, more than 50,00 sellers actually thought the platform was better, simply due to the lower fees, more control, better selling and “less busy work.” I haven’t personally used it, but I have read a lot of great things about it.
No matter what you want to sell online, yes, including your handmade jewelry, you can set up a store and even import from other popular selling platforms within minutes.
- Website: Bonanza
eBay
Don’t forget about the behemoth, eBay. While I wouldn’t say this is my favorite option, it’s one to consider. After all, it is the second largest marketplace online, slightly trailing Amazon.
The thing about eBay, as you already know, is that anyone can sell anything, so you may find your handmade jewelry getting buried in the search results.
It is possible to sell, but you will just need to market and use the right keywords to see any sales come in.
- Website: eBay
This option isn’t a platform, where you can create your own store, but it’s one to consider. It will just take a lot of marketing on your part.
Consider using the right hashtags and uploading pictures of your handmade jewelry. If people find your pictures through a search or even through your own marketing efforts, then you could sell through a popular platform like Shopify or even create your own eCommerce-based website (it’s easier than you think).
YouTube and even Amazon have a variety of guides to help you succeed on Instagram. While I would love to go in detail as to how it’s done, Instagram marketing in itself deserves its own post.
- Website: Instagram
RebelsMarket
RebelsMarket focuses more on a niche market, moreso the alternative styles such as rock, gothic, fetish and metal, to name a few.
If you feel your jewelry focuses on this niche, then you may find this platform to be beneficial.
RebelsMarket claims to be the #1 alternative marketplace, where you can reach more than seven million customers looking for this very theme. Setting up a store is 100% free.
- Website: RebelsMarket
Ruby Lane
Ruby Lane is the “world’s largest curated marketplace for antiques, collectibles, vintage fashion, fine art and even jewelry,” making it the perfect place to sell jewelry online.
It doesn’t receive as many visitors as eBay or Etsy, but there’s no reason you can’t be on more than one platform. It offers a highly targeted audience, fixed fees and excellent customer service.
To start selling, you must be selling one of the many items they accept. If jewelry is what you want to sell, then you won’t have a problem joining as it approved.
There’s no setup fee nor do you have to pay a listing fee for the first 10 items. From there, how much you pay greatly depends on how much you sell. Plan on spending at least $54 per month.
- Website: Ruby Lane
Storenvy
As I write this, the Storenvy platform has more than 65,000+ merchants with more than one million products listed. It’s a competitive marketplace, but there’s always room for more.
Storenvy is said to be the only free custom online store and social marketplace. To start selling, all you need to do is upload your products, choose a way to sell (store or social) and wait for the sales to roll in.
The company offers everything you need to succeed as a seller, from a customized storefront with no coding required to a very simple admin panel. It only takes five minutes to set up your store.
Right now, Storenvy offers a free monthly plan, wherein you can list up to 1,000 products at no cost. You can follow the link below for more information.
- Website: Storenvy
Build a Store From Scratch
All of the marketplaces I mentioned above are great to get the ball rolling right now and even see sales as early as tomorrow. However, all of these merchants come at a cost.
If you don’t want to pay a hefty fee every time your jewelry sells, then consider creating your own website.
The great thing about today’s internet is that there are a lot of platforms that do the dirty work for you, so no coding knowledge is even required. Shopify, BigCommerce and even WooCommerce are all great tools to consider as they have all the tools necessary to start selling online. While these options will have a small fee, it’s nothing in comparison to what I already mentioned.
The only downfall to this route is that it could take some time to market your products as you’re on your own. Nonetheless, it’s an option to consider, even if you plan on joining one of the many platforms mentioned prior.
How to Sell Handmade Jewelry Locally
In today’s technological era, so many people think you have to sell online in order to make the most money. While that is true to an extent, there are opportunities nearby. You just need to know where to look.
Listed below, I talk about the many ways you can sell your handmade jewelry locally. Be sure to combine these methods with the online platforms mentioned above to really capitalize on your profits.
Craft Fairs
Search online to see if any craft shows/fairs are coming to your town anytime soon. If so, see if you can get any information as to how you can register a booth there.
Depending on where you live, you could find a craft show being held a few times a month, whereas some other areas are lucky to have them once a year.
No matter what, a craft show is a great way to expose your products as most people shopping are looking for something that’s handmade. Test a craft show out, and if you have some luck, consider coming back every year.
Farmers Market
A farmers market, much like a craft fair, attracts a trendy crowd, often looking for just about anything local, not just food.
No matter how large (or small) your city is, you should find a farmers market that’s held once a week somewhere nearby.
If considering this route, just make sure you read the restrictions as some markets may limit you to as to what you can and can’t sell.
Flea Markets
In many cities, you may be able to set up a booth at a local flea market that may be opened on the weekends or even seven days a week. Again, it depends on your location.
A quick Google search can often yield some results, so I would recommend searching there first.
If choosing this route, just make sure that it makes sense both financially and demographically as flea markets can attract different types of crowds.
Local Small Businesses
You don’t always have to go to a local craft show or farmers market to see success as you could network with some small businesses nearby as well.
And, no, I’m not talking Walmart or Kohl’s. You’re going to need to target the local one-owner shops, such as a boutique of sorts.
This will take some effort, but reach out to these owners and see if they are willing to collaborate with you. Of course, you will have to pay them a chunk of the sale, but it’s a great way to get your name out there.
How do you approach them, you may be wondering?
I’m no expert, but from my own research, it’s as easy as searching for retailers nearby, usually through a quick Google search and then visiting a retailer that’s already selling jewelry.
During your visit, pay close attention to the jewelry they are already selling. If you feel the jewelry matches your vibe, then approach the business and see if there’s any interest. Keep your sales pitch brief and let them know how it will benefit them, not just you.
If a business is interested, then you could set up a future meeting date, wherein you could bring in samples, discuss what you could make as well as let them know about the pricing.
It will take some work and a lot of no’s before you hear a yes, but I can promise you that there’s a business nearby that’s willing to give you a shot.
The highly-rated book, Sell Your Jewelry: How to Start a Jewelry Business and Make Money Selling Jewelry at Boutiques, Fairs, Trunk Shows, and Etsy, does a great job guiding you as to ways you can sell to local businesses. If you don’t want to spend the money, check out the-jewelry-making-website.com. She has a lot of information as to how you can successfully sell your jewelry, broken down by category.
Tips to Succeed
I have covered everywhere you can sell your jewelry online. But, even though you know where to sell, it doesn’t always mean you will be successful.
To start seeing some sales come in sooner than expected, you will want to keep the following tips in mind:
Know What People Want
There are so many types of jewelry pieces you can sell, from watches to rings and necklaces. Not only that, but each piece can offer its own flavor.
It’s up to use to determine what kind of niche you want to tackle as this will define your store. Don’t be all over the place. Rather, focus on a few pieces that fit a theme.
As trends change all of the time, it’s hard for me to tell you what sells, but ideally, your best place to start is in the Etsy best sellers section or even the most recently sold pieces on eBay.
Pictures Are Key
Seeing these will be unique pieces, your buyers will want to know what they are buying. For this reason, pictures are so, so important.
Since they won’t be able to try anything on, it’s important that your pictures are clear, detailed and as informative as possible. Try to use a high-resolution camera and take pictures from all angles, including shots on people. It also doesn’t hurt to set it next to something, such as a coin, to show the buyer how big the jewelry really is.
In the beginning, you can take your own pictures, but if you want to really invest in your business, it may not be a bad idea to hire a professional photographer for the afternoon.
Figure out Keywords
Whether you’re selling on Instagram, your own website and/or one of the many platforms mentioned above, you need to know what kind of keywords are going to drive potential customers to your listing.
Like website search engine optimization (SEO), if you’re not writing about the right keywords, you might as well hang it up since most of what your writing may not be seen.
The key here is to find those keywords that don’t have a lot of competition but will still drive traffic. For instance, instead of a very broad term like a “diamond ring,” you may want to target something with less competition like “heart shaped diamond ring.” You don’t want to be too broad, so try to make it as specific as possible.
There are a lot of ton keyword planners, both free and paid, so there’s no excuse not to research what keywords you should sprinkle in your listings. For now, my favorite paid keyword research tool is Ahrefs, but there are more than 10+ alternatives that can work, too. In using these keyword tools, you can find a keyword that doesn’t have a lot of competition and drive traffic to your website.
Figure out a Price
Pricing your jewelry too high can scare off buyers, but doing the polar opposite can scare off buyers as well as they may deem your jewelry as being too cheap.
Experts recommend pricing your jewelry three to four times what it cost to make it, but you can factor in an hourly wage as well if it’s a time intensive piece.
Finding the right price can be rough at first, but split testing the prices once you receive enough traffic could indicate the sweet pricing spot.
Market Yourself
No matter where you plan on creating a storefront, marketing is everything. This can be said with any business, right?
While some of those marketplaces can drive in some traffic organically, it won’t make you much.
So, for that reason, you will want to think of other ways to drive in traffic, including PPC ads, social media ads and/or even ads on websites/social media profiles that relate to what you’re selling.
Advertising is an art, and there’s so much to learn. Like many times, I would love to write and write, but marketing deserves its own website. So, for now, I would recommend one of the many highly-rated book on Amazon to see how you can increase your sales.
Final Thoughts
If you love making jewelry and want to make some money on the side, then let it be known that it can be done. It’s just going to take some time and a lot of research.
Whether you want to sell locally and/or use an online merchant that does all of the dirty work for you, there are millions of potential buyers out there waiting for what you plan on making.
Selling jewelry will take a lot more than just creating a storefront, uploading a picture and waiting for a buyer. If only it were that easy.
For now, I recommend you check out the book linked prior as well as go feet first into the world of YouTube. In learning your market, there’s no reason you can’t succeed in the online jewelry world.
As always, I’m opened to hear about your thoughts. Have you sold jewelry online? Are you interested in doing so? Do you have any questions?
If so, feel free to leave a comment in the comments section below!
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