How to sell your stuff?

What to Sell:

Almost every girls wear a pair of earrings. This is the most popular piece and one of the easiest thing to do so if you're starting a beading business, start off with making these lovely dangling earrings.

Here are some tips on which items you should start selling first:

* Items that are popular in your area
* Items that don't take too long to make
* Items are somewhat unique
* Items that are affordable
* Items that there is a market for


Where to Sell Them:

Now that you have these items to sell, it's time to figure out where you're going to sell them. Below are a few suggestions as to where you can sell your stuff. Bear in mind that in SALES and MARKETING, investment is always necessary.

* from your home
* officemates, neighbors, churchmates etc.
* on a casual basis to people you know
* at bazaar, fairs and similar events
* on consignment in shops
* by custom/special order
* on the internet

How to Advertise:

Rule nuber 1, YOU MUST ADVERTISE. If no one knows you're selling, how will they find you to buy anything? It doesn't have to be complicated. Mention to your friends, family and coworkers that you sell beautiful customized hand made jewelries. Bring them along when going to someplace or if you already have a store, ask them to drop on by your booth or table. Odds are they'd rather buy from you than from a stranger. Be careful though, they may ask for a discount!

You can also come up with your own business card, banners etc. One of the quickest way to reach your market is through internet. Post you ads in forums, friendster, myspace and blogs. There are a lot of resources you can find in the internet and lots of potential buyers.

Keeping Records:

Keep track of everything, even if you think it's not useful to you at the time. In order to calculate how much profit you are making, you must track:

* which items sell best and in which location
* the expenses you've incurred - all types (labor, materials)

Pricing:

For me, the most difficult decision to make is what to charge my crafts. I often find myself putting a cheap price already especially when I offer them to my friends. But the thing is, a lot of them who buy from me would still ask for discounts, so, I would end up getting a small amount. It's best that you put a tag price of eact item already. Here are some rules on how you should go about reasonable pricing:

* 3 or 4 times the cost of the materials used
* an hourly rate (many suggest you use at least minimum wage) multiplied by the number of hours put into each item, plus the cost of the materials used
* whatever amount seems reasonable

The first two are pretty easy to calculate but most of time, results to overpricing. If the result is not realistic, you must take the third option into account. It must be low enough that the customer feels it's not overpriced. It must be high enough that you feel you're getting a decent return on your investment of time and money.

Happy beading!! Enjoy!!