How to find the best product for the best price
For your jewelry making business to be successful, you must be able to price your
product so that you make a profit. You can.t purchase your products consistently at
retail prices and hope to build a business. You will need to go wholesale.
As in many fields, jewelry makers can be tight lipped about their suppliers or sources for
materials. Today, I will show you some key tips in building a successful supplier list.
You will need to do some research with this chapter. You might find it helpful to work
from the e-copy of this lesson (rather than a printed version) as you will be able to click
your mouse and go locate the sites with ease.
(This chapter alone could be worth its weight in ….silver! .)
How to find the materials you need:
1. Put the Bead or Gem Fair on your calendar. One of the best ways to find bulk
materials is at a show. You can see the products and have a “hands on”
experience.
Here is a link to use to access a directory of all the shows scheduled in the US. It
includes International shows.
http://www·lapidaryjournal·com/cal1·cfm
2. Go Online: There are many distributors online. You can purchase large
quantities and get some deep discounts. You may want to visit:
http://www·riogrande·com/
http://www·rings-things·com/
http://www·inmcrystal·com/
http://www·bestbuybeads·com/
http://www·artbeads·com/
http://artgemsinc·com/Content/Default·asp?
http://www·foreignsource·com/
http://www·auntiesbeads·com/Home·aspx
3. Try EBay: Don.t be deceived! Just because it is on Ebay does not mean it is
cheap or a good deal. Check the prices – so some homework. Having stated
that disclaimer, you can find some good deals on Ebay.
(Be sure the provider has at least a 99% rating!) Here are a couple dealers you
might want to look at:
http://stores·ebay·com/beaddevotion
http://stores·ebay·com/junesgems-antique-jewelry-beads
4. Buy from bead stores – but only in the case of an emergency!
You wont make any money if you are buying your raw materials retail.
5. You may want to import your own stones from other countries and skip the
intermediary altogether!
It is possible to gain access to the Asia market and import your own supply
and/or, you may want to take advantage of those connections and sell online to
other jewelry designers.
Check out The Ultimate Jewelry Source. They provide you with an extensive
database, training in how to sell online, create mini-sites and protect yourself
when doing international trading.
6. Buy at wholesale or below wholesale by taking advantage of clear-outs and
liquidations. Again, you could use your price advantage to resell at wholesale
prices and/or for your own business alone.
Check out: Buy Jewelry at Wholesale Over 250 sources available plus training for
how to resell at flea markets, online and retail and Ebay.
You should have no problem finding a suitable source for your blooming business. In
fact, with the information in this chapter you may have found another way to fund your
creative venture!
If your cash flow is short and you need find the money to buy your materials and to
market your business properly, you could use a wholesale jewelry business to fund your
creative genius.
Sounds like you have might have some investigating to do!
In the next chapter, we offer some introductory tips on how to recognize the value of
jewelry and various stones and elements.