Wholesale Art Jewelry - Jewelry for sale wholesale

In a post I wrote last week discussing the jewelry projects I'm working on now, I briefly mentioned that I was working towards selling more jewelry wholesale.  As promised, here is a little more information about what I'm planning.

In a nutshell, selling wholesale involves a retail customer buying a large quantity of product at a discounted price.  That retail establishment then sells it for their retail price.  Since I am not doing art shows and festivals much anymore, I began trying to sell my jewelry wholesale in the fall of 2009.

Why would I want to do this?

While I do sell some jewelry on the internet, I do not sell as much as I used to when doing art shows.  Many people who buy from me online have met me at a show or have experience with my jewelry (received as a gift, taken one of my classes, etc.).  While the internet is great for making new connections, it doesn't take away the concerns some people have about buying something without having the chance to "taste it" first.  Selling my jewelry wholesale would allow me to have a better nationwide exposure for customers, especially those who want to "experience" the jewelry before buying it.

Wholesale also allows me to work with the same number of people, but sell more jewelry.  I love interacting with retail customers.  I really do.  But with three small children in my house, my opportunities to have uninterrupted business time can be a bit slim.  Believe it or not, it takes almost the same amount of time to interact with a customer over the phone wanting one pendant (and subsequent packing and shipping) as it does to speak with a boutique owner about a large order and its packaging and shipping.  Dealing wholesale allows me to maximize the amount of jewelry sold for the least amount of time.

If this wholesale thing is so great, why don't all artists do it?

There is a HUGE commitment to producing a certain amount of inventory.  There is no way I could have done this a few years ago.  I have learned to work smarter on the business side of jewelry making and have found a way to have a few of the tasks completed by my very qualified assistant (who also doubles as a great babysitter.) 

I also have to accept that my profit margin per piece drops substantially.  With my one of a kind sterling silver semi precious stone jewelry pieces, I would have needed a high wholesale price to cover my time investment in the piece.  The retail shops, in turn, would have had to charge a very high price for the finished piece.  The price would have been much higher than what I would have sold the jewelry for at an art show.

I am getting ready for my first wholesale show event at the ACRE Orlando show in January 2011.  I will be blogging about it a bit over the next couple of weeks as I get ready and will have some pictures of the show as well. (If you own a retail establishment and would like to speak with me about carrying my jewelry, please contact me about my wholesale terms.)