Comments on: Should you wholesale your work?

By: Justine

Justine — Tue, 25 May 2010 18:06:53 +0000

thank you Maggy, I absolutely agree with you. Local is always the best because you can meet buyers in person, go at your own pace and just slowly build up a wholesale customer base. And yes, when I first started, I offered so many pieces that it quickly became overwhelming.

By: Maggy

Maggy — Mon, 24 May 2010 14:18:09 +0000

For those of you scared to wholesale, just start off small and local. I landed my first couple whole sale orders just by someone seeing me on Etsy. But after that it gave me the confidence I needed to start contacting some local shops and they are always very nice and often welcoming. You don’t have to think you need 100 items, my minimum for prints is just 10. I love wholesaling, once you figure it out, it’s a nice big chunk of change!

By: Jill

Jill — Tue, 11 May 2010 16:02:21 +0000

Very helpful things to think about. Thanks for this article! .-= Jill ´s last blog ..Sucree Jewelry: Gallery =-.

By: Justine

Justine — Sat, 08 May 2010 11:58:12 +0000

Hey Carolyn,

Thank you for your comment. It’s funny that you just left this comment because I was working on a short post about wholesale pricing. When I first started, i thought it was a 50% off type thing and I quickly realized that if I wanted to make a real go of earning enough income (not only to cover costs but to pay the bills AND put money back in the business) I would have to bring my prices up to that of almost retail, even more in some cases.

I’d love to get a quote from you for the post, let me know if you are available.

By: Carolyn

Carolyn — Sat, 08 May 2010 11:42:30 +0000

Having wholesaled – and retailed for many years (production studio), I find it curious that some of your readers are thinking of wholesale as “dropping” prices. How about looking at it from the bottom up? Create a line that is meant to be priced at wholesale,considering all expenses involved and meant to be doubled for retail. This is the standard markup in the retail environment.

Both wholesaling and retailing have their good points, and negative points. Choose what works best for you – you always have the option to include the other or go exclusively in that direction.

By: Why I Don’t Wholesale Anymore | Handmade Marketer

Why I Don’t Wholesale Anymore | Handmade Marketer — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:24:41 +0000

[...] was definitely part of it! I outline a few things to consider before wholesaling here but my take [...]

By: Terri W

Terri W — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 04:28:16 +0000

Another option would be to wholesale to a boutique or salon shop where you don’t have to mass produce because uniqueness is something they want. The one I sold to a gallery, I did not have prices on my items. I just went with a selection of my work and had a price list with me. Anthing I sold I don’t plan to make again so they don’t have to worry about competition. I don’t repeat the exact design anyway -something is usually different in each design.
.-= Terri W´s last blog ..Romance Earrings – shell pearl dangles =-.

By: Melanie

Melanie — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:03:25 +0000

I would love to wholesale my dragonflies. I would love more any or any tips you might have. .-= Melanie´s last blog ..Amethyst and Crysoprase Sterling Dragonfly Bug Brooch =-.

By: Alyssa

Alyssa — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:06:12 +0000

What program was this line sheet developed for? I contacted the wonderful Etsy seller that designed my logo/banner/etc and asked about line sheets – she’s never done one and was wondering what program it is designed for. She thought maybe Photoshop?
.-= Alyssa´s last blog ..Tinkerbell hair bow =-.

By: Poiema Designs

Poiema Designs — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:24:25 +0000

Wow, this post is so helpful! I’m working on getting into wholesale at the moment (still developing my catalog, line sheet, press kit, etc.), but it’s so hard to know what to expect. I’m excited, but nervous. No one likes the unknown!

Thanks for the helpful advice. Good comments, too — i’ve been wondering about branding.

Justine, how do you brand your jewelry items? is the tag just something small tied onto the chain? I was thinking about presenting my items attached to a MOO card (since so many jewelery items come with a card backing anyway, and MOO cards are both pretty and promotional), but there’s no guarantee the shop owner wouldn’t just discard them.