This may not be the best place for this thread, but I wasn't really sure where else to put it. I've been making hemp jewelery for myself and my friends for ages. It's a great stress reliever for me, and I enjoy wearing something I know I made. It's also nice because in my area it's hard to find good, durable hemp jewelery without paying an arm and a leg for it. Recently, I started playing around with different colors and knots. I thought I was just enhancing my hobby. But since I started doing this and giving my experiments away to friends, they've each told me that people come up to them and ask where they buy their stuff. Several people have told me I should really start selling my jewelery. I've thought about it, and I think that really might actually be a great idea. So I guess what I'm asking for is any tips, any little tibits of info I might want to know while I consider this. And what's the best way to go about marketing my products if I do decide to sell? I know hipforums has a network, but are there other options as well? As sellers of kynd goods, what advice can y'all give me? Thank you so much in advance!
I'd recommend getting started at a flea or farm market or small local festival. have several styles in different price ranges - simple single bead necklaces through the long phatties with the glass pendants. check hippie or hemp shops near you to guage the price,and go a little lower for a flea market. don't be an "artiste". learn to knot quickly and well. the best sellers are 3-5 bead simple sinnet chokers, at least around here, but have a variety and see what sells best. try getting a one-day spot at a farm market just to see how it goes. I decided to go all the way & file a DBA (doing business as) & get a sales tax number and everything. I'm looking at getting insurance soon so I can vend in a local indoor market, or a sidewalk permit. if you decide you're going into business, you might consider that producing everything you sell yourself will be a lot of work, and you might want to look into selling other people's crafts on consignment. It may be tempting to try ebay. I'd recommend etsy.com rather than ebay, although unless you're doing bulk bundles wholesale, hemp jewelery doesn't sell well online because it's so lightweight it isn't worth the shipping expense. Good luck!
My suggestion is that you could sell your "products" to the people who you familiar with. Because you should know the requirement from different people at different statues. When you really know the market of your "products", you can start your business. However, do not forget to find your objective market, I mean what kind of people will be atracted by your "products". Sometimes, you may start in another way which is called Chain Shop. (it is too complex to put here, maybe we can talk late)
I got started selling at a small but well-established craft fair that was open every Saturday in a local park. The membership was very reasonable, and I learned a lot about selling and about what would sell. Since I moved to my new home, I found a lot of school craft fairs that are fund-raisers for the schools PTO. Again, space fees are very low, and it's an opportunity for me to get good sales... the parents and families of kids attending the schools usually show up and support the event. Another alternative would be to check out any shops in your area that will either buy from you outright (wholesale prices, natch!) or take items on consignment. This is a common practice, and less risky for the retailer, while giving you a chance at exposure to the buying public. If you don't already have a portfolio of your work, invest in an album and take pictures of everything you make. Take that and some samples of your work around to shops and ask to show them to whoever does the buying. If nothing else, you may get some valuable feedback from them as to the quality and uniqueness of your work. Best of luck to you! Judy
