Beading Business: Tips for Setting Up and Running Your Online Jewelry Shop, Part 1

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Taking a look at the recent threads in the Beading Daily forums, I see the same question over and over: I just set up my online jewelry shop, but no one is ordering anything from me! What am I doing wrong? It's easy to look at successful sellers on Etsy, ArtFire and other sites like Big Cartel and think that all you have to do for your online jewelry business is list a few items and then watch the sales start rolling in.

In reality, setting up and running an online jewelry business takes a little bit of work, some persistence, and a lot of time. While it's true that some online sellers find success fairly easily, the rest of us have to make a serious effort at running our online jewelry business. The things you need to do to run a good online jewelry shop aren't necessarily difficult, but they do require a little bit of thought.

Tip #1: Before you set up shop! Before you even set up your online jewelry business, it pays to do your homework.Contact your local chamber of commerce to find out what you need to do to collect sales tax and obtain any required business licenses. Even if your jewelry business is just a hobby, you are most likely required to collect sales tax when selling jewelry and then will have to turn that tax over to the state. If you have any questions about collecting sales tax or business licenses, make an appointment to sit down with a small business adviser from your local chamber of commerce. You'll be thankful that you did!
Tip #2: Have clear store policies. This probably requires more thought than any of the other things you will do before you even set up your online shop! What are your store policies? Do you accept returns? Will you do custom work? What kind of deposits do you require? Will you set up lay-away payments for your customers? Take a look at the store policies of other online jewelry shops and make notes on what you like and what you don't. Think about what works best with your business model before writing up your own policies. You can always change them later if you find that your original set of policies doesn't work for you, but make sure that any changes in store policies are well-advertised.

Tip #3: Take great photographs. I can't stress enough how important photographs are as part of providing an excellent online shopping experience for your customer. No one is going to buy a piece of beaded jewelry if the photograph is fuzzy or underlit, or if it doesn't show enough detail. It takes practice to be able to take great photographs, but if you're serious about running a successful online jewelry business, it's a skill that you must learn. Poor photographs gives customers the impression that you are not serious about your work!

Tip #4: Write good descriptions. This is the part that seems to be difficult for many online sellers. Writing effective descriptions can be tough, but it's well worth the time you spend on it. Think about including popular keywords like "beaded necklace" or "beaded earrings" in your descriptions so that search engines can pick up on your listings. Include accurate measurements for necklaces and bracelets, and highlight any special gemstones, beads or other materials that you used when creating the piece. Have a little fun with your descriptions, too: I've seen (and written) some item descriptions that sound like a short story, revolving around that particular piece of beaded jewelry.
Tip #5: Maintain excellent communications with your customers! Keeping in communication with your customers lets them know that you take your online jewelry business seriously. When someone makes a purchase from your online shop, it's a great idea to send them a quick message to acknowledge the order, thank them, and let them know when the item will be shipped. If you ship with a confirmation number (which is always highly recommended), send that number to your customer so they can track their package, too. Buyers are more likely to come back when you stay in touch and communicate with them!
Running a successful online shop for your jewelry business doesn't have to take a lot of time, but some people find it easier to set aside a block of time every day to complete their tasks like updating inventory, adding new items and promoting through social media. Remember that it takes time for your online shop to get noticed, so don't feel bad if you set up your online shop and aren't suddenly overwhelmed with orders! Keep at your online promotion, offer superb customer service, and you just might find that your little "side business" is turning into a successful online jewelry business!
Have you looked at your product photos and decided that you need a little help? If you have an hour to spare, you can learn everything you need to know about taking great photographs of your finished beaded jewelry from professional photographer Jim Lawson. Jim has spent many years photographing the jewelry featured in Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine. In the new video How to Photograph Your Jewelry, Jim shows us how to create a professional photography setup, how to get the most out of photo editing software, and even how to achieve a professional graded background to bring out the best in your finished jewelry pieces!

Are you ready to learn more about photographing your finished jewelry? Download How to Photograph Your Jewelry onto your laptop or desktop computer and start learning what the pros know about taking great photographs of your finished jewelry. Since it's available for instant download, you can have your video ready to go in just minutes and start working on improving your photographs today!
Do you have an online jewelry business? What tips for running your online jewelry business would you recommend to someone just starting out? Did you find that your first sales took a while, or did you start seeing items selling right away? Share your tips, thoughts and comments here on the Beading Daily blog! (And if you have a link to your online shop, share that with us, too!)
Bead Happy,

Jennifer
P.S. Come back tomorrow for Part 2 with tips on organizing and managing the inventory on your online shop!
Filed under: Lapidary, Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist Magazine
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