Selling handcrafted jewelry on Ebay:
Good listings equal good sales.
I have been selling jewelry on Ebay for over a year. I have learned a lot through trial and error. Ebay is full of competition and anything you can do to improve your listings will help improve your sales.
Lets start with photos. Getting great pictures of jewelry is difficult. It took me forever to figure out have to bright clear photos with my digital camera. I have found that taking pictures outside in the sun or inside in a light box works bests. If you have the chance to photograph your jewelry outside, I really recommend giving it a try. The sun provides nice bright non-yellow light. When you can't get outside you can use a light box. You can buy a photography light box, they come in a range of sizes and prices. I prefer making my own. The size of your jewelry and workspace will determine the size of light box you need. I use a plastic cup and a plastic storage container.
To set up your light box you will need:
1.)Opaque plastic container large enough to set your jewelry in. If your container is clear too much light will come through, if it is too dark or thick not enough light will come through. The goal here is to create a bright but soft light.
2.) A background cloth. This can be any color that makes your jewelry stand out.
3.) Something to prop your jewelry up.
4.) Your camera with a tripod. If you don't have a tripod, try setting your camera a stack of books. The purpose is to steady your camera.
5.) White cloth, tissue, blank paper. These can be used to help soften the light if you are getting reflections or glares. Blank white paper can also help reflect in more light.
6.) Bright lights. Desk or table lamps can be used. I use 3 desk lamps that can be bent. This way I can get light from different angles to help reduce shadows.
Arange your lights around your light box, place your prop inside the light box and cover with your background cloth. Next place your jewelry in the light box and set up your camera. Get as close the the jewelry as you can with your camera. You want a close up to show detail but not look blurry. Take lots of practice shots and try out different things with the lighting. The final thing to do would be to edit your photos in your photo editing program. If your photos look yellowish, you need to try different light bulbs in your lamps.
Once you have your photos looking good it is time to list. If you can always use the gallery photo option on Ebay. People will look at the picture more than they read the titles. Your title is the next important thing. Your title should be as detailed as you can make it. Most of the searches ran on Ebay only search the listing title. The information contained in your listing should be descriptive. Longer descriptions will give you a chance to add in more keywords and really let they buyer know why they should buy your jewelry. If you use a unique style or stone, let the buyer know it. Tell the buyer a little about yourself. Making your listing a little personal will set you apart from other sellers and show that you are making and selling handmade jewelry and not mass market. The hardest part for me about selling on Ebay is pricing my jewelry. I don't have a no fail formula to pass on. Try out different price levels and see what works with your jewelry. Remember that Ebay buyers are looking for a deal as well as quality.
There are four areas I use on Ebay.
1.) jewelry and watches/handcrafted artisan jewelry
2.) crafts/handmaid items/jewelry
3.) everything else/specialty services/custom jewelry
4.) everything else/metaphysical/crystal healing.
There are a lot of categories on Ebay. I suggest going through them,you may find a unique category for your jewelry. Ebay listing fees can get a little high. To help keep your costs down you may want to try an auction service like Auctiva.com.
When your jewelry starts selling remember to always give your buyers great customer service.
