Selling Jewelry Wholesale
and on Consignment

© by Rena Klingenberg; all rights reserved

Selling jewelry wholesale and on consignment are the two primary ways of marketing your work through shops, galleries, and other retailers.

Handmade jewelry for sale in an art gallery.

Many artists find that selling to shops, galleries, and other retailers is easier and more profitable than doing shows or home jewelry parties.

It can be an excellent source of income when you have good strategies for production, marketing, and record-keeping in the jewelry business-to-business world.

How to Succeed in
Wholesaling and Consigning Handcrafted Jewelry

Your success in selling jewelry wholesale and on consignment depends on your products, your mindset, and the way you approach your business.

It's important to understand the needs of shops, galleries, and other retailers, and how they operate.

Shops are always looking for something new and different to add to their product mix, to give them an edge over competing shops. Shop and gallery owners want something unique that will fly off their shelves at a good price, and they need suppliers (such as jewelry artists) who are reliable and professional to do business with.

Like business owners everywhere, they're very concerned about their bottom line - and how your products can help them cover their expenses and turn a profit for them.

When you sell your jewelry through a shop, it has to sell twice - once to the shop owner who makes the decision to carry your work, and once to the final retail customer who purchases it from the display in the shop.

Here are some in-depth articles and success tips for selling jewelry wholesale and on consignment:

Selling Jewelry Through
Shops and Galleries

Approaching Shops and Galleries with Your Jewelry
Tips for approaching shops and galleries about carrying your handcrafted jewelry; setting appointments with shop owners; making professional jewelry presentations.

A Jewelry Niche Market Gets Shop Owners' Attention
By building her business in a jewelry niche market, guest author Karen Palevich finds success in marketing her work through specialty shops and salons.

Selling Jewelry to Hotel Gift Shops
Dalia Costa shares her tips on jewelry opportunities in 5-star hotels, and how to get your work seen there.

Where Should I Sell My Jewelry?
Guest author Lenna Green shares her tips for researching your local area and nearby towns for all the possible places you might be able to sell your jewelry.

Tips for Selling Your Jewelry Through Art Galleries
(from one of my newsletter issues).

Jewelry Selling Secrets
Kameron Kay reveals her jewelry selling secrets - how she sells her handcrafted jewelry through shops in the U.S. and in Europe, and has her pieces modeled by celebrities.

Marketing Your Unique Jewelry in Gift Shops
Jean Forman's unique jewelry is in two gift shops, thanks to this simple way she approached the shopkeepers.

Working with Jewelry Sales Reps

Interview with a Jewelry Sales Rep
A sales representative can help you get your jewelry into more shops and galleries - especially if you understand how they work. Learn how to help your rep make more jewelry sales for you, in this fascinating "insider" interview with Jo-Ann Gibbons.

Wholesaling Your Jewelry to Shops

Jewelry Line Sheets
Learn all about jewelry line sheets - what they are, how to create and use them, and several examples of actual jewelry and fashion product line sheets.

Mass Production Strategies for Wholesaling Jewelry
Wholesaling jewelry sometimes means mass-producing multiples of the same pieces. Issues involved in wholesale jewelry production runs at home, paring down production time and costs, and a solution for temporary employees. Is wholesaling jewelry for you?

Selling Jewelry Through Catalogs

Selling Jewelry Through Catalogs
By selling jewelry through catalogs, a home jewelry business with the right product can quickly rack up huge sales. However, there are many pitfalls. Here's what you need to know.

How to Make a Printed Catalog of Your Jewelry
Learn how a product catalog of your jewelry designs can increase your sales, especially for home jewelry parties. Tips for producing your own professional looking jewelry catalogs at home.

Consigning Your Jewelry
to Shops and Galleries

Pros and Cons of Consigning Jewelry to Shops and Galleries
Important considerations and tips for consigning jewelry to shops and galleries. How to protect your jewelry that's on consignment.

Jewelry Consignment Agreement - a contract to protect you
Jewelry consignment agreement samples, and points to make certain are covered. The importance of a good consignment contract.

Jewelry Consignment Percentage
What's a fair jewelry consignment percentage between the artist and the shop or gallery? Splitting the proceeds fairly between the artist and the shop, and the most common jewelry consignment splits. Recommendations for avoiding low consignment percentages.

Seeing Jewelry Consignment in a New Light
After a prior bad experience with jewelry consignment, Laura Christensen Wells is trying it again. See how she's turned consignment into a valuable strategy for selling her jewelry.

Keeping Track of Your Jewelry Consignment Inventory
It's essential to track your jewelry consignment inventory to protect your investment and to know where you're making a profit. Tips for easy yet thorough record-keeping on the jewelry you consign to shops and galleries.

Jewelry Trunk Show - a Niche Almost Missed
An unexpected trunk show turns into a wonderful market niche for a jewelry artist who almost missed her golden opportunity. Guest author Laura Christensen Wells relates how she went from pounding the pavement to the perfect setup - and how she nearly passed it by.

Choosing an Online Consignment Store for Your Jewelry
An online consignment store can be an idea sales channel for your jewelry. Helena Liu explains what you need to know in order to choose a reputable consignment store online.

Selling Jewelry at Wholesale Shows,
Gift Shows, and Trade Shows

Advice from My First Wholesale Trade Show
After exhibiting in her first trade show, Judith Bright took a moment to jot down everything she'd just learned about doing wholesale shows. Here she shares her valuable insights with us.

Wholesale Gift Shows Continue to Increase Sales
Jennifer Hisir explains how wholesale gift shows have become an increasingly successful venue for her handmade jewelry and gifts - and the importance of connecting with wholesale buyers in person.

Be in a Jewelry Trade Show on a Small Budget
Three ways you can participate in a wholesale show inexpensively. If you want to display your work at wholesale venues but can't afford an exhibitor booth, consider these alternatives.

Working as a
Professional Jewelry Designer

Lessons Learned in the World of Designing Jewelry
A fascinating account of Charli Knight's experiences in the professional world of designing jewelry - where secrecy, possessiveness, and design piracy exist alongside creative beauty, craftsmanship and vision.

Freelance Jewelry Designer
Anne Rush, formerly Vice President of Jewelry Design for Liz Claiborne Inc., shares her top 10 tips for getting started as a freelance jewelry designer for a major established brand.

Breakin' into the Fashion Industry
Intrepid jewelry designer Marcy Einhorn recounts her experience with showing her portfolio to fashion industry buyers at an Henri Bendel "open-see" in New York.

How Being Bold Got My Jewelry in a Fashion Show
Discover what happened when Sarah Faison saw an opportunity for her jewelry designs to put the finishing touch on catwalk models at a fashion show.

An Inside Look at Jewelry Design
Find out what it's like to be a professional jewelry designer for major brands, as Anne Rush interviews fellow jewelry designer Fernanda Medina.

nOir Jewelry - an Interview with fashion accessory designer Leeora Catalan
nOir jewelry design house's chic accessories adorn celebrities and runway models. Enjoy Anne Rush's interview with nOir founder Leeora Catalan.

Importing and Exporting Jewelry

Importing Jewelry - Secrets of Finding Suppliers In Foreign Countries
When she began importing jewelry, Jo Guerra struggled to find suppliers. Now she travels regularly to import unique jewelry from other countries. Here she shares her tips for finding suppliers.

Developing Your Jewelry in China
Looking to have a minimum of 300 pieces made from one of your jewelry designs? Anne Rush explains how to work with Korean factories that are based in China.

Drop Shipping Jewelry

Drop Shipping Jewelry - A Cautionary Tale
Considering drop shipping jewelry as a sales strategy? You may want to think again after reading Aaron Rome's tips and this drop shipping horror story.