I would be grateful for your opinions on my situation:
I am about 3/4 finished with my Shopify online store. I put my store on “hibernate” so I could get my ducks in a row, and make jewelry items for selling.
I have made 18 nice memory wire wrap bracelets that I think will do well. I have display-ready photos for every piece, but I have not posted them on any website.
As far as equipment for my business, I have my biz license and my Tax and Sales Use certificate. I have a printer, a postage scale, and a business phone. I am lacking a domain name, a business card, a POS card reader, and packing materials.
I know that I am very late into the holiday season, but I would like to find some way to take advantage of the buying atmosphere to sell what I’ve made. Am I expecting too much at this point?
The last day of shipping for USPS First Class was Friday and Priority Mail was yesterday. You can still squeak in an overnight USPS or FedEx package for a heftier price.
Most importantly, if your website isn’t even set up yet, I’m not quite sure how you would get a last minute sale tonight or tomorrow? Unless you have a waiting customer base who know you from somewhere and have been asking to buy online (and a ready mailing list to contact them), it usually takes quite a while to start selling once your site is up.
Yes. Its too late for the Christmas buying rush, other than those customers you might sell to who walk in your door. It’s past shipping/mailing deadlines even if you could have your site open hours from now, and you probably cannot.
However, that just means if you hustle, you could be just in time for the Valentines day rush. And I know people (my mom was one) who use after Christmas sales as a good place to start buying for Christmas next year, so…
I think that you missed Christmas 2021. You might consider targeting Valentines Day 2022. Get your website out there as soon as possible so that you have something to point people to when they ask about your jewelry. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just a page or two that tells something about you and shows your work. A website is never done, so don’t wait for it to be. Also, a static website can put people off.
Depending on the community in which you live, look for small craft shows. This will get you out to a local population. Consider donating a piece to community raffle like the library or a school fundraiser. 18 pieces isn’t a lot of stock. Ask yourself how you would respond to 10 orders for the same piece. You will lose customers quickly if you can’t fill their orders. Is your shop set up to be able to efficiently ramp up production if you have to? This means having the supplies that you need in house to respond to that need. This is tricky because it means that you have to spend money ahead of time in anticipation of orders. Over time you will figure out how to keep a balance in stock on hand, cash flow and orders. Finally, develop a small list of suppliers whose quality, availability and delivery times can be relied on. This is all hard work, especially if all you want to do is make jewelry. If that is the case, find a store to buy it or consign it to, but be ready to pay as much as a 50% discount off retail or commission. Good luck…Rob