Making your own jewelry, selling it online and making money with it is easier than you think in 2024. Could you use some tips so that you can sell your handmade jewelry online ? Or do you want to sell more? In this article we are happy to help you on your way!
This article was written by Petra from DoorPetra.nl. Petra started making art with epoxy resin 1 year ago and has since set up a successful small webshop that she runs alongside her job in healthcare. She shows you that it doesn't have to be difficult to set this up.
You see it more and more often; small online businesses or shops on Instagram or Etsy. Nowadays it is easy to sell your handmade jewelry online and you can earn nice money with it. But how do you start with this and what does it all involve? Read on quickly.
Your logo and company name are one of the first things potential new customers see. That's why it's important to choose a professional name and logo. Choose a catchy name and don't make it too difficult. A logo builds recognition and gives trust.
Get inspired by looking at competitors in your industry, but make sure you are unique. For example, use your first name in combination with what you make. Like "Lisa's Epoxy Creaties".
In the past, you had to be able to Photoshop to make a logo. Nowadays, this is very easy. For example, you can easily and quickly make a logo on the website canva.com. Canva is a free online tool. You can use this tool to make social media posts, presentations, flyers, videos, logos and more.
No design experience? No problem. On Canva you can choose from thousands of templates. So you don't have to come up with everything yourself. In the example below we only changed the text! We searched for " logos " and then for " handmade ". We clicked on the example we liked and changed the text to " Lisa's Creaties, Handmade Jewelry ". You can apply this same principle to creating professional social media messages or even flyers. It can be that simple!
A recognizable corporate identity is very important. The corporate identity represents your identity, so what you want to radiate as a company or webshop. Make sure that your corporate identity suits you as a person and let this come back everywhere. In this way you create a brand that people will eventually recognize.
Choose colours that match your corporate identity and let this be reflected in the logo, for example. Do not use too many types of fonts: one or two is really enough. Choose fonts that are easy to read for everyone (online). Always try to imagine how something comes across to a potential online customer.
You can use your house style for business cards, flyers, but also for your website and highlights via Instagram. The most important thing here is: keep one style. This ensures peace on your website/Instagram and comes across as professional.
Many customers like it when attention is paid to the packaging material. There are many small webshops that sell nice gift bags and stickers cheaply. You can even choose to have your logo printed on a sticker. This looks professional and in this way you show directly who made the products.
Try to surprise your customer by, for example, adding a business card or handwritten card to the order. This gives a personal touch. Customers will also be able to find you easily in the future.
Instagram is a great channel to start promoting your handmade jewelry. First, you need an Instagram account. Keep this separate from your private account because that looks more professional. Write a short and clear biography for your profile. This is one of the things potential customers read first when they come to your profile.
Keep your bio description short and sweet. Include in your bio what you sell and which countries you ship to. Also mention how customers can pay, for example via a DM (direct message) payment request or tikkie.
Do you have a website/webshop? Always include the link to the website in the biography so that visitors can click directly to the website to make purchases.
Especially on Instagram and Facebook a lot of photo content is posted. This offers you a great opportunity to post photos of your own handmade jewelry and other artworks. In this way you can inform your followers about new products or certain offers.
Instagram is the platform for sharing photos and videos. By creating eye-catching content, you can connect with your customers in a simple and effective way as a company.
Visual content often works better than text. The brain can process images faster. Images and videos are viewed 94% more often than text! So make sure you have good photos. People can't hold your product in their hands and judge it from behind their computer or on their phone.
To take pictures you need a good camera. Nowadays you can do this perfectly well with your own mobile phone. Make sure the pictures are sharp and taken in daylight. Choose a calm background. Keep one line in this. This creates calmness on your profile and puts the focus and attention on the product instead of the things in the background.
Are you having trouble with the right light incidence? Then you can invest in lamps or a photo studio box (20-30 euros).
Be creative in what you post. You don’t have to just post content about new products that are for sale with you. Use it to post content about products that you have already sold, or an order that is ready to be shipped. This shows that your products are wanted.
Also use Instagram to post a photo of yourself every now and then when you are working or packing. This makes it more personal and gives a potential customer or visitor of your profile a good feeling!
Examples of different types of content:
Posting regularly is very important, but how often do you do it? Social media has an algorithm that shows messages to followers and followers of followers. How often you should post something depends on the platform.
In addition to these posts, you can use the story function. In this function, photos or videos are often shared of how your creation is made, for example, or what your workplace looks like. You can also use the story function to let followers ask or answer questions or fill in polls. This provides direct interaction with your followers and potential customers.
Do you want to sell your own products via a website in addition to your Instagram or Facebook account? Don't worry. You don't need any knowledge of building a website. Nowadays you can easily create a website yourself via, for example: Jouwweb.nl, Mijnwebwinkel.nl, Jimdo.nl etc. Often you can't sell products via these types of free websites. You can create beautiful pages there to show your products. Then refer the website visitor to your social media account, so that he can order there via you.
When your company starts to grow, you can take the step to a 'real webshop'. There are so many different platforms where you can easily and quickly create a website using templates. A template website can be seen as a pre-built website where you can change the design and content yourself, without any knowledge of programming or building websites. This allows you to get started yourself, super easily.
It takes a few days to design the website completely to your taste, but then you have something. Such a webshop is useful because it also automates some of the more time-consuming tasks such as: processing orders, inventory registration, SEO, etc. Popular platforms are for example Shopify, BigCommerce and Woocommerce. For the use of these you pay a fixed monthly amount. This varies between 40 and 80 euros per month for small companies.
Do you want customers to be able to pay via your website with iDeal, Bancontact or another payment method? Then you need a KvK number and a business account. More information about the KvK can be found in tip 8.
Is a website not really your thing? Too much hassle? Then take a look at Etsy.com. This is a large online platform where you can sell your own products. Signing up is free and done quickly. You can see Etsy as a kind of marketplace for creative entrepreneurs. They have the platform and you only have to place photos of your own jewelry there. In this way, you can reach customers all over the world at very low costs. Etsy is often used by customers of itsOkay who sell their own art made with epoxy resin here.
Etsy also offers the possibility to promote your own handmade jewelry. Promote products that are in high demand or that you already sell a lot of. Visitors to Etsy who are looking for this will then see the product appear as the first search result. This can be done for just 1 euro per day! You can use a general photo, like the example below, showing a number of pieces of jewelry (in this case key rings). A customer can then order a personalized product. In this way, you attract many potential customers, because you are not advertising one specific product.
When do you need to register as an official company? And when do you need to pay tax on your sales?
In the Netherlands and Belgium we have the KvK (Chamber of Commerce). Many small entrepreneurs and shops that you see via social media have registered with the KvK , so that they can purchase from a wholesaler. You also need a KvK number to open a business account.
As a small business owner or shop, you are not required to register here until you exceed a certain limit with your sales in one accounting year. In 2024, you may earn up to €8,400 tax-free in the Netherlands. For Belgium this is even €10,160 . This applies to all your sales, whether physical or through online sales. If you earn more than this amount, it is wise to register your company with the Chamber of Commerce .
There is also a special scheme for small businesses. This is called the KOR ( Small Business Scheme ). You can use this if your annual turnover is no more than €20,000. Use this if you fall below this amount: you do not have to pay VAT (21% of your turnover). If you use this, you cannot charge VAT to your customers. You can read more about this here .
Do you want to register with the Chamber of Commerce ? You can easily apply online. Choose a date and time and plan an appointment at a Chamber of Commerce office near you. The Chamber of Commerce employee can answer all your questions and register your company. Registering with the Chamber of Commerce costs a one-time fee of €51.95. As soon as you have registered with the Chamber of Commerce , your details will automatically be passed on to the Tax Authorities.
If you want to sell your handmade jewelry or other art, you will need to charge a good price. Not too expensive, not too cheap. By looking at your competitors, you can easily estimate what you can ask for your products. Look at a seller who sells well or has an attractive Instagram / Etsy page. Then you know you are in good hands.
There are several ways to calculate the selling price. For example:
Many sellers often keep a margin of 2 to 3 times the value of the purchase of the product. That is: you buy something for €1.50 and then you sell it to your customers for a sales price between €3.00 and €4.50.
Also pay close attention to the additional costs you make such as: annual costs, commission costs on the adventeer platform, advertising costs and other possible costs. You must also calculate these in the price. Also look at the brands and labels that are already present to see which ones best match your unique products.
Never market yourself too low. If you notice that something is not selling, you can try one of the following: lower the sales price, introduce temporary discounts, or simply be more patient. Also, check whether you are selling the right thing. Is there demand for what you are making? Are there other similar products or materials that are in greater demand?
The easiest way to increase your company's profits is to reduce your costs, specifically by purchasing smarter.
A simple method to buy smarter is to bundle your orders with the same supplier. At itsOkay you can buy epoxy, decorations, silicone molds and more.
While a specific supplier may not always be the cheapest for every product, you will save time and effort by ordering everything at once. This will ultimately reduce the total cost, thanks to combined delivery and a single invoice.
You can also take the plunge and send the company where you do your shopping a nice email asking if a collaboration is possible. Simply asking for a discount does not work, you would not give that to your customers either. If your supplier can also benefit from this, it becomes interesting. For example, you can agree that you tag the supplier in all your messages on social media and do unboxings, in exchange for a certain % discount on your orders. This may be exciting for a while, but every discount is something. At itsOkay this is always worth a try ;)
This is an important aspect of your business. Always make sure you deliver good and quality products. Ask yourself: "Would I use this, wear this or give this as a gift?" Always pay enough attention to the final product and delivery so that you get as few questions or negative feedback as possible.
In addition, good customer service is just as important. Make sure it is clear how the customer can reach you in case of questions. Always be friendly, understanding and helpful. Give a customer honest advice. If something is broken, make sure there is a suitable solution in consultation with the customer. This way, the customer is satisfied and may order from you again in the future.
Nowadays, promoting and advertising homemade products can be done easily via Etsy, Instagram and Facebook. There are many videos on YouTube explaining online advertising.
Investing in advertising is an easy way to grow your business and attract new customers. Paid advertising allows you to reach an audience that might otherwise remain out of reach, but is likely to be interested in your products. On Instagram, for example, you can promote a post for as little as 5-10 euros per day. Depending on the quality of the post, this often results in immediate sales!
However, this way of promoting costs money. And that is something you often do not have with a starting company. As you grow, you can decide to invest in this. With good advertisements on social media, you attract many customers.
User-generated content also works well (UGC). Word of mouth is one of the most effective marketing strategies. UGC is also part of this. Customers can create content showing how satisfied they are with your products. This way they reach their friends and family, which can lead to new followers and customers.
For example, do you like writing a blog? Then you can approach a company for a collaboration where you write a blog about the products in exchange for free articles, for example. itsOkay regularly enters into new collaborations with blog writers. Take a look at the blog page to see what you can make with epoxy resin.
A collaboration with an influencer or another person can generate many new followers or sales. But how do you approach this? First, assess whether the person fits your company and then ask yourself the right questions. How do you shape the collaboration? What are you going to do? And what does the other person do?
If you do it right, working with an influencer can increase engagement and traffic to your profile, which can ultimately lead to more sales!
I have been working with DoorPetra for almost 6 years now. I was the first to create an Instagram account and Facebook page. At first this was just to share my homemade jewelry and art, but friends found it all so much fun and bought the products.
By following other accounts and responding to messages, I also gained more and more followers. This is how my network slowly grew. I didn't start DoorPetra to get so many followers, but it's fun to see how the account is growing. I simply created my current website for free at the end of 2022. Unfortunately, few purchases were made via this website, because customers could not pay directly. I registered the company DoorPetra with the Chamber of Commerce at the beginning of 2023. This made it possible to open a business account and use iDeal on the website.
The past year I have been busy advertising via Instagram. You can choose for yourself how much per day you want to do that. I usually set this amount between €5-10 per day. When I have an advertisement on, I immediately see that the sales increase. Advertising on Instagram and Facebook is above all not difficult. For example, you can advertise a photo of your product directly by pressing the button 'Promote my post'.
Sometimes I give a nice contest with my own account or I am asked to give a big contest with other small entrepreneurs. This always results in growth in followers.
Do you have questions about making and selling art, jewelry or other objects? At itsOkay, we have several experts working with their own expertise. We are happy to help you.
Please contact itsOkay customer service or take a look at the Epoxy knowledge center .
Do you also like to craft and develop your creativity? Then itsOkay is the store for you! ItsOkay is the Epoxy Specialist of Europe. Active since 2018 and therefore a large online epoxy store for more than 6 years.
In addition, our epoxy specialists always work transparently and give you honest and personal advic
Comments
Beste Marijke, Als ik het goed begrijp wil je de epoxy vorm/creatie lijmen aan een rvs oorsteker? Dat je een mooie oorbel krijgt, toch? In principe moet dit gewoon werken met seconde lijm, ik werk hier zelf ook vaak mee. Je hebt ook speciale sieradenlijm, maar dat is altijd nog minder sterk als seconde lijm! Dit moet wel werken! Als dit toch niet lukt, moeten we even verder zoeken waar het probleem zou kunnen liggen. Kan je ons anders even voorbeeld foto’s of video sturen via ons mail adres? Dan kunnen we beter met je meekijken en een oplossing bedenken dat dit wel gaat werken. Ik hoor het graag van je! Gr, Demi team ItsOkay
Goedemiddag. Ik maak juweeltjes in epoxy met zelfgeperste bloemetjes. Ik koop hiervoor bij jullie de epoxy. Voordien goot ik de epoxy in vormpjes (open bedeltjes) en volstond het dus om een haakje aan het vormpje te hangen. Nu heb ik echter een nieuw modelletje gemaakt met 1 van jullie mallen (een cabochon) en moet ik dus deze cabochon vastkleven aan het rvs oorstekertje dat ik ook bij jullie kocht. Dit lukte echter niet met super glue secondelijm. Ik probeerde ook al met Hasulith juwelenlijm maar ook dat bleef niet kleven. Kan u me zeggen wat ik dan best wel gebruik ? Vriendelijke groet.