How to Sell Handmade Jewelry at Craft Shows

Copper Wire Jewelry Flower Earrings Red FW-05

Best Ways to Sell Handmade Jewelry at Craft Shows

 

For handmade jewelry artisans just starting out, there is no better learning experience than craft fairs. Meeting your customers face to face, and knowing what they are looking for and what they want is the foundation of a successful handmade jewelry business. You will quickly learn what your target market is and what niche market you should focus on.

There are many, if not thousands, of craft shows throughout the United States. Starting out local shows are great because they are usually cheaper and more convenient to do. You will discover the best way to display your jewelry as well as meet other local craftspeople. If they have been doing craft shows for a while they will know all the shows in the area that are worth doing and steer you away from the fairs that are a waste of time.

Monarch Butterfly Choker
Selling unique handmade jewelry, monarch butterfly choker necklace

 

Once you are ready you can venture into juried shows and national shows. These are very competitive so make sure your unique handmade earrings are of the highest quality possible. Juried shows are more expensive to exhibit but these shows attract thousands of people who are interested in all types of handmade gifts. After doing these crafts shows for a few years you will begin to have your own following of regular customers.

Unique Wire Earrings with Southwest Native American Designs
Handcrafted Wire Jewelry Using Copper and Copper Wires

Larger craft shows are also a great place to meet local store owners who would like to buy your handcrafted jewelry and handmade gifts to offer to their customers. You will have to decide if you would like best-selling handmade artisan jewelry as well. It depends on the type of jewelry you are making and if you can produce enough at a reasonable price for store owners to sell well in their shops. Although you do not make as much profit per piece, you sell many more pieces at a time. If your jewelry has high quality and affordable prices, you will be able to make much more money overall if you decide to offer your jewelry to the wholesale jewelry market.

 

Lighthouse Earrings, Handmade Nautical Jewelry
Selling well handmade jewelry at craft shows, lighthouse earrings
When first starting out in a handmade jewelry business one of the most important issues is cash flow. Craft shows provide an excellent opportunity to increase cash flow. Whatever you make can be put back into the business to make more. Crafting projects can be sold right from the home after they are made. This may require the internet and phone. Other than this, a crafter can sell their products through different craft fairs. This may require applying, paying for a table, and showing.
Colorful Native Star Earrings
Handmade native star earrings with black patina background
How to sell handmade unique jewelry craft shows;  selling handmade jewelry can be a fun way to turn a hobby into a profitable enterprise. With hard work and research, it’s easy to make some money. No matter how beautiful the handmade jewelry is, it must be displayed well on creative jewelry displays in order to sell well. Every booth at art and craft festivals has its own unique style and feel.
Lighthouse Bracelet
Unique Handmade Jewelry, Lighthouse Bracelet

Good-looking and interesting displays are attractive and invite people in. When planning a booth display, it helps to visit fairs and make note of what seems to work and not work in people’s booths. Group your items so people looking for certain designs will easily find the matching jewelry sets. Make sure to have a mirror close at hand. Ladies love to hold up the earrings close to their ears to see how they will look when worn. Have gift boxes to display your jewelry in sets to increase your sales. This also makes your jewelry more presentable and increases its perceived value, making them look more expensive. wear your own handmade jewelry. People love to see what handmade earrings and bracelets look like when someone wearing them. Many times sales are made of the same items you are wearing at the craft show.

Filigree Style Hummingbird Bracelets
Handmade Bracelets, Filigree Style Hummingbird Bracelets
it is very important that the setup of your booth should be welcoming and open. Many exhibitors make the mistake of putting a table at the front of their booth. Try setting up tables in a u-shape so that people can come into your booth. Booth space is small so you must use every inch wisely.  One complete and consistent theme from ceiling to floor is nicest to the eyes. Choose fabrics that look and feel appropriate to hang along the sidewalls of the booth.
Nature Jewelry, Maple Leaf Earrings
Handmade Maple Leaf Earrings
Use these same fabrics to drape over any tables in the booth. Use the space under the table for hidden storage. Your display lighting is very important so your customers can easily see the details of your jewelry creations. Craft shows are known for poor lighting so you must use extra lights to make sure your booth stands out from the crowd. Well-placed lighting can make an incredible difference in your sales.
Colorful Horse Earrings
How to sell handmade jewelry at craft shows, Selling Horse Earrings
Advertising in real life is one of the most surefire ways to get customers. Telling friends and relatives ensure word-of-mouth publicity and can help build some initial sales and feedback. Putting up flyers are coffee shops, grocery store bulletins, and other similar areas is also a good way to get publicity. Put up a few business cards so that people can take them. Please keep in mind that people visiting craft shows are not just looking for jewelry for themselves, they are also looking for gifts for their loved ones. Talk with your customers and understand what they are interested in so you can make suggestions.

Snowflakes Earrings Created in Blue Background

There are well-known websites to sell handmade jewelry online. It’s easy and free to set up a shop there, and jewelry forums are helpful in providing advice and guidance to newbies. After creating a decently attractive storefront and stocking it, it’s important to be thorough in advertising. Advertising in real life is one of the most surefire ways to get customers. Telling friends and relatives ensure word-of-mouth publicity and can help build some initial sales and feedback. Putting up flyers are coffee shops, grocery store bulletins, and other similar areas is also a good way to get publicity. Put up a few business cards so that people can take them at craft shows to get in touch with you in later days.
Circle of Life Zia Earrings
Zia Earrings with Dangle Copper Wires

Many independent jewelry designers find that craft shows are excellent sales venues for their jewelry businesses. The prospect of pre-show prep can be daunting, especially for the first few craft shows, but with careful planning, the show can come together nicely. The quality of the Unique Jewelry offered, the range of price points offered, and customer traffic affects your jewelry sales at craft shows. Equally as important is the way the jewelry is displayed. Some professionals leave the white walls of the tent as is, and use light-colored cloths on the tables. Regardless of the choices, your stand display must be consistent and complement the items for sale.

Native Painted Ponies Bracelet
How to sell handmade jewelry at craft shows, Selling Painted ponies bracelets

When you create handcrafted jewelry you will have more success if you make the items your customers are looking for. Customers will have great ideas for you as they are the buyers, it would be a smart idea to listen to and follow their advice. We made locket necklaces and this was a suggestion from a customer and it has been selling great. Also, you will have created a bond between you and your customers. Time and again they will visit a show just to see you and your new handmade bracelets.

Horse Earrings Handmade in Dazzling Colors
Blue horse earrings
If possible, bring extra jewelry to the show. As items sell, they can be replaced with extra pieces from inventory. Photographs of many different projects are always helpful to have on hand and a surplus of the item to be sold. Always welcome people into your booth, being friendly and sincere will increase your sales. People come to craft shows to meet the artist so each piece has a special meaning when they have talked with the artisan.
Wolf Art Jewelry Lockets
Unique Locket Necklaces, Howling Wolf Lockets
Your unique jewelry should be organized in an orderly fashion. Customers like to browse, but may not realize that there are multiple colors of one item or matching sets available if the jewelry isn’t displayed in a logical manner. How the jewelry is organized is not as important as simply having an organized method of some kind.
Buy Handcrafted Necklaces, Copper Reflections Offers Affordable Handmade Jewelry
Butterfly Jewelry Handmade Necklace
The unique jewelry collection can be organized in sets, by type of jewelry necklaces, pendants, bracelets, and earrings to make it easier for your customers to buy them in matching jewelry sets. Finally, place jewelry at various heights on the table using short, medium, and tall displays. This is aesthetically pleasing and adds dimension to the showcase. Being organized will also help you remember to take everything to the craft show and not forget something necessary for the show.

Mesmerizing buffalo earrings made from silver plated copper

Those who sell copper jewelry or sterling silver jewelry should bring a polishing cloth for last-minute pre-show touch-ups. Shiny jewelry always sells well. If your jewelry looks tarnish and dark, jewelry customs would not be interested in purchasing it. If you design your own jewelry, it is always to work at the arts and craft shows especially during slow times. So bring along jewelry-making tools. Jewelry-making tools will also help, just in case, a customer requests a last-minute tweak to any piece. Instead of reading at the shows, working on your jewelry will make the time go faster, will help you have a bigger stock for the next craft show but most importantly it will bring the customers to your booth to see what you are making and give them better conversation piece of jewelry to buy.
Wholesale Handmade Native Earrings
Handmade Native American Earrings
People would not want to disturb your reading and ask questions about your crafts. If there is a break in the traffic, have some work-ready. Nothing attracts people to your booth than seeing you making your crafts right there. Carry a box with some tools, and supplies as well as jewelry findings to complete your work. People who stop to watch will soon become customers.
Colorful Iris Rectangular Earrings
Handmade Iris Earrings
To increase your handmade jewelry sales at craft shows, always listen to your customers, they know what they like. They are your customers and they will be the ones who are buying your creation so it is a good idea to design your jewelry according to what they will like. This is another reason that is good for participating in craft shows as you will have a better chance to talk to more people and find out what you would be interested in.

For serious crafters who want to display their crafts online, there are websites available that may require a small fee to display arts and crafts for others to purchase. The start-up costs for a crafts business will vary depending on the type of craft, the initial volume of product being created, the intended size of the business, and business plans for where the product will be sold. Looking at craft fairs and other public events to set up shop at is another way to get the word out.

Flower Bracelets Created with Blue Background
Handmade jewelry, flower cuff bracelets

Even if a customer doesn’t purchase anything, they can walk away with a business card or flyer. Many jewelry shopkeepers use social networking websites such as Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Blogspot, and Tumblr to promote their jewelry stores. It would be foolish to use all of these simultaneously, but judicious use of a few can do wonders to help get traffic to your handmade jewelry website.