Should You Consign Your Jewelry?
April 21, 2007 by Christina Jones
Filed under Jewelry Business Tips, Jewelry Design Careers
After selling jewelry to friends and family and then maybe doing an arts/crafts show or two or even a home show, it doesn’t take long before most jewelry makers consider trying to sell their jewelry to an actual store. That’s when the “C” word comes up – consignment.
Consigning your jewelry can be one way to get it out there and sold in galleries and boutiques; however, it can also be a royal PIA and provide a way for shop owners to take advantage of you. So when is it okay to consign and not okay to consign?
After selling through various forms – consignment and outright wholesale to shops – these are some tips I’ve picked up over the years:
- If a place (very often a gallery) already consigns with other artists, then that is usually a sign that they are ligit and will treat you fairly. In fact, they should have procedures in place for reviewing your work, and if accepted, they should have a contract for you to sign. No contract? This is a red flag that this is not the norm for them.
- Don’t assume just because a boutique or gallery is small that they will only consign with you. Look around the shop. Is everything single thing in there on consignment? I bet not, and if this is the case, there is no reason they can’t also purchase from you.
- Make sure you have a clear idea of your retail and your wholesale prices. Normally, your retail price will be 2 to 3 times your wholesale price. Yes, that’s right. Shop owners will mark up your jewelry 2 to 3 times what they paid for it because they need to make a profit. That means you also need to make a profit at your wholesale price or it’s not worth it for you to go this route.
- If you still sell in the general area of the shop, say you do arts and crafts shows for example, make sure your retail prices are real retail, not your wholesale prices. Otherwise, shop owners will consider that you are undercutting them.
- On that same note, make sure when you go out selling to different shops to try to keep around a 10 mile distance between those who do purchase from you. You don’t want to walk into one shop, sell, and then cross the street to sell to another.
I could go on and on, but instead, I’ll point you to a few articles I’ve gone into detail on this subject:
- Selling Your Jewelry to Shops: Some Dos and Don’ts
- Locating Retail Outlets for Your Jewelry
- Pricing Your Jewelry
I loved your helpful hints Tammy! I get questions about consignment quite frequently when we are making our show craftynation.com, but I don’t sell anything I make (my hobby is my therapy), so I don’t normally know how to answer! I will point people in your direction and put a link to your blog post haste! Thanks for being a loud voice out here in cyberland! Toni Lyn
I’ve had years of positive experiences with consigning, but have also lost some work due to theft or negligence by the shop. I do still have work out on consignment, but no longer pursue it as much. I’d rather sell my work myself
Thanks, Toni. A link is much appreciated.
Chloe – Yup, I’ve done consignment and had some good experiences. Then again, I’ve done it and had some bad, but it’s always way better to get the c-a-s-h!
Hi Tammy,
I’m new to jewelry biz and open to be educated everyday to this business. I want to present my work to shops. What are the questions that I should be asking shop owners? What questions should expect them to ask me?
Which is better selling jewelry to boutiques and or departments stores?