Hey there people!
So, I’ve had my GF since January, and finally got up the courage to try and make a go with a business. Right now, I am focusing on jewelry (mainly earrings), but plan to eventually branch out into engraving and signs, etc.
Just wanted to ask what you did to start getting people in the door on etsy/facebook/whatever platform you use? Or if you have a “best thing I could do” type of advice for a noob!
Thanks in advance, and here are some examples of my work:
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$500 referral fees GF style. 
But, more seriously, word of mouth, word of mouth, word of mouth.
Nice work too!
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I bought this thing in retirement for purely self indulgment, without any intention of making money with it. It has more than paid for itself by - word of mouth. 
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No clue about starting a business. I just wanted to say that your earrings are lovely.
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Good product photos! They can make or break you. I personally put my name and logo on all of my products (where it will not be intrusive of course.) I love to make some business card challenge coins out of different 
materials. I am OOO right now but I will upload photos soon.
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Jewelry can be more challenging to sell online, because people want to touch and feel it, and a photo of the jewelry alone doesn’t give them an idea of scale. If you can take some photos of the jewelry being worn (just a closeup of the ear or side of the head), it can help. Good luck! Oh, and nice pieces!
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Ours is jar for making family requests and gifts. I’ve always declined doing it for profit … As I just want to have fun.
Hope you can work through and be profitable!
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Beautiful jewelry 
Mine is primarily for friends and family, profit comes from thier friends who see it and need one.
My daughter loves the craft shows, I think more for the social value. Your jewelry would do great there.
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We sell on etsy, inperson and a little wholesale. Inperson has the best profit margin but you may find that to be different. Etsy has a ton of resources around this sort of thing (https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook). Learn how they work and you’ll be showing up at the top of peoples searches and have people ordering right away. We do a lot of promoting on instagram - the more people that see your stuff the more its going to sell. Make sure its priced right. You want to be low enough that its affordable but doesn’t seem like is cheap stuff from china but high enough that you will be making money. We found early on that we priced a little low but have gradually raised the prices and the market tolerated it. Also try to make it easiest for the customer. Take any form of payment, ship fast and free, personalize packaging. All these little things add up to make a huge impression on the customer who will come back.
What ever you choose to begin with do it really really well. So if its earrings make sure you test them. What happens if you accidentally shower or sleep with them? What about step on them? Its not that they have to survive everything but know what to expect so you have an answer when a customer has a problem (we also tend to replace things without questions because the next sale is worth more than a replacement). Make sure you have a ‘brand’ even if its something simple like all your packaging is pink. Lastly use high quality material. We switch from cheap earring posts found on amazon to a retailer early on the different was huge. The cost is marginal and the quality makes up for it.
You can check out our stuff at warfelstudios.com and don’t hesitate to reach out!
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As someone who paid for my GF with Earrings and Ornaments I would suggest craft shows or piggy back on large neighborhood garage sales. ALso, if you have some local shops that might buy from you that helps too. Create an Etsy store or shopify store and engrave it on your earring displays, and jewelry cards. Main thing is try to stick with one thing. If you keep branching out you never properly focus. I also will admit that getting your friends and family interested really helps.
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So when you said you switched from the cheap earring posts on amazon to a retailer what do you mean?
We used to order posts and backs from amazon (I assume it was someone reselling bulk from china) which had nothing wrong with them because you could tell they were cheaply made. We switched to a retailer out of new jersey (probably still reselling) but they are much higher quality and of course more expensive. The retailer sells through etsy and has all the right documentation to know that they are surgical grade stainless steel and will do bulk orders.
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Ok sweet my self and my girlfriend are just getting into making earrings and are just using cheap backs from Michaels lol.
Hi Mark, I’m Dee could you please tell me the name of the store or person you are buying your earring supplies. Thank you in advances.