Jewelry Business on Ebay and Website

Well, I don't buy jewelry online, period. Partly because I don't really wear the stuff, and partly because I like to see it with my own eyes to assess the quality of the piece.

(Edited: while I am not a fan of selling totem items to 'induce' fertility, if someone wants to buy that, it's up to them. Earlier, I called this exploitative and I apologize. I'm having a rather hormonal day myself and I'm sorry. )

I do not buy jewelry online. I have my key real pieces that I wear daily. I do not wear costume jewelry.

Now my 21 year old will buy cute and personalized things from Etsy. After my husband died, I did order a charm for her that had his handwriting on it from a birthday card he signed for her. Ironically, she ordered a bracelet with his signature for me. Very thoughtful. They were both ordered from Etsy.

I don't wear the bracelet, it's a keepsake.

If you do choose to start selling, go slowly and test your market well before you buy much inventory.

I don't usually answer these questions because I don't like being polled.

But you're a mom on this site who's on here a bit so my two cents are I would never buy this on Ebay. I used to shop on Ebay quite a bit not just for deals but because it was cheaper for me to do so. I had my top sellers and only frequented their stores. If I did bid on items it was just because it was sold out locally or something like that.

I would not myself buy jewelry online. I also would not be personally interested in your items. Most people I know with fertility problems don't want to be reminded of it and don't really buy into the religious or hormonal aspects you mention. But I'm sure there is a market - there seems to be one for everything. So as others have said, start small and find a niche and a way to advertise it. Usually if you can market your items at places that people would frequent - pair up with an established business - is the way to go first. Then have a store say on Etsy.

Etsy is where I would expect to see items like this. And Etsy sellers typically will customize or personalize their items too. Which would appeal to more buyers. Etsy stores usually support a local business - people get cards made up and say "I also sell on Etsy" with more selection than they might have on hand say at a craft market or a local store.

Good luck :)

I buy these kinds of things on etsy not ebay. It's a wonderful community of crafters and artists, and it's easy to set up a shop and do business (I used to have a small business there myself.) I've bought jewelry, clothing, soap/lotion, artwork, housewares, all kinds of things.
I think as a jewelry maker you'd be better off there than ebay. Ebay is just too big for a small artsy business in my opinion.
Here's a link to my girlfriend's etsy shop, she's a successful jewelry maker:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/CorinaCrooks?ref=listing-shop-h...

I'm a mosaic artist. I have quite a few friends that sell on etsy...their site is for home made crafts, gifts etc. Perhaps you should check etsy out.

People look to ebay for bargains. The look to etsy for unique.

I would not buy jewelry on ebay.

However, I have several pieces that I really like from Etsy. It's a great place to find creative people selling unique items of all kinds. I also found a small purse on Etsy that I loved, and that happened to fit my smartphone perfectly. However, I didn't like the fabrics that were offered, so I contacted the Etsy seller. I told her what I was looking for (color, texture, the lining, etc) and for just a few dollars more she made exactly what I wanted.

So through Etsy you can customize your jewelry or products and connect with your buyers.

And since your target audience is over 40, you could ensure that your jewelry doesn't look too pre-teen-ish. A lot of the stuff advertised online is targeted to the 20-somethings. And new moms need jewelry that the baby can't grab and get tangled in. So there's lots of options there besides fertility stones. I personally wouldn't buy a stone that was supposed to balance any hormones, but I would consider an attractive piece of jewelry that didn't look or feel like it came from that ubiquitous mall store that sells the twinkly cutesy stuff that is made of what seems like aluminum foil.

Honestly - I have a ton of nice jewelry and I never wear it - it stays in the safe - so I don't even look to buy any anymore - my husband knows better than to give any as a gift at this point.
My current job (working with food) limits jewelry (and finger nails) - anything that could fall into the food or hamper hand washing and sanitation or get caught in the hair net is a no go.
My Mom downsized her costume jewelry, put the cheap stuff in an old metal box that use to hold chocolate coins wrapped in foil (it's a really nice old box - looks like a treasure chest) - and gave it to our son when he was little for when he wanted to play pirates.
Sorry - I would not be interested in any way, shape or form in checking out your product(s) or sites.
I don't have anything against good luck charms - they're mostly harmless.
Fertility charms? Well, how would you feel about birth control charms?
If a bangle on a bracelet or necklace can't help PREVENT a pregnancy, I'm not seeing how it could help one happen.
Sure, belief has nothing to do with facts - there's a whole society for people who believe the world is flat.
I just enjoy being a bit more connected with reality when it comes to medical matters.

I would think that this is a very limited market - you are seeking women with fertility issues (that's only women first off, and only those with fertility issues, which is a smaller number) who also think that certain stones will balance their hormones (another very small percentage) or who believe in saints (a smaller-still percentage of women, even among those who are religious). Then you want to narrow the market even further by looking for women who want to advertise their infertility status by, say, inviting questions about their jewelry. Think about it: You're in line at a grocery store or buying make-up at a counter, and someone says, "That's a really nice necklace. What does it mean?" And you reply, "Oh, I'm battling infertility so I am wearing these stones to increase my chances." I think infertility is private for a lot of people. So if you're relying on word of mouth to drive traffic to your website, or if you are hoping that women will think to google "jewelry infertility" and hopefully find you (if you have good search engine optimization, which costs money...), you may have trouble getting enough hits to make the fees worth it.

I also think a lot of women dealing with infertility are already spending a fortune in time and money on doctors, hormone injections, counseling, and charting their cycles etc. - not sure how many would add on the expense of jewelry and the time needed to find it.

It also takes time on eBay to build up a reputation and become a preferred seller (I think that's the term - I could be wrong), so you have to absolutely have the long view here and not be expecting a lot for the first few years. And yes, the fees are hefty.

Ebay used to be the place to go but the last time I used ebay it was such an epic horror that I will NEVER use ebay again neither as a seller nor a buyer.

Etsy is a great option for craft selling online. I however prefer buying jewelry in person but will buy some rarely online from people and places where I can see and touch the merchandise. I believe also doing festivals and flea markets and private parties may also be a good way in concert with a website to sell your jewelry.

as someone who used to be an ebay power seller?? Ebay is NOT what it used to be.

I have bought and sold jewelry on ebay. Would I buy fertility jewelry? No. That's just not me. I'm sure there are people who would.

I would do word of mouth and concentrate on going to baby fairs that happen around your area.

Good luck!

If the price+shipping was affordable to me, I would be a customer!

Actually, I think that sounds kind of neat. I tend to be rather superstitious, so I would use something like that. I think the jewelry is nice because you can wear it all the time. It's really the intent behind it that makes it work. If you're into things like the law of attraction, jewelry can remind you of your goal. I think there is definitely a market for the saints. There are quite a few being sold on ebay (i.e. saints for fertility necklaces)