Selling Slides

I have a question regarding the selling of large pendants (slides) I
still am very small business. I haven’t sold any real big ticket
items yet but as my skills move up so does my jewelry. So I am
starting to set several large stones in pendants that are what I’d
classify as slides. Some would look good on either a leather thong as
or a Byzantine type chain. So here’s the deal. I don’t have a lot of
cash flow and I am trying to determine what the best way to sell
these - because I do need to sell them. Do I sell the slide and then
offer the option of chains and leather at various lengths and give
them the prices and allow them to buy them separately or do I make
call on it and match the slide to the hanging material and length?
Speaking of length is there a popular length right now?

Here are the arguments as I see them…

Selling the slide alone makes the price look more affordable and
gives them the flexibility to match it with what chain they want BUT
makes them wait to finish the order AND Makes it more likely to sell
because they will buy the slide and then perhaps buy the chain making
them feel like it was more affordable even though they spent the same
money in the end OR It’s easier to just have the whole necklace ready
to go even though the price is much higher. AND It makes a better
profit selling them as a unit. Moving me one step closer to that
black line that looks ooooh so far away.

Thanks in advance.

Lisa
LL Fowler Designs
Fort Collins, CO 80526

Hi Lisa:

Selling the slide alone does make the piece look more affordable,
but, if you have to special order the hanging material (chain, cord,
etc) every time you make a sale, you will be paying a lot of extra
shipping. Plus, anything that you can sell that doesn’t require extra
labor from you (you don’t have to make the chain) yields easier (I
didn’t say more) profit…what if you had a catalog of sorts? It may
take a little time to build, but you could show the slide with
different options on chains and what-not? You could say to the
customer that you have pictures of sample works that you have done
with various types of chains…then let them decide? I hope that I
have understood your question correctly…I’m a speed reader, but
I’m not very good at it

Good Luck
Kim

p.s. another point…sometimes, when the customer has to wait, they
feel like they are receiving a special order and more personal
service because you are taking the extra time to match their needs
exactly

I think the clientele matters in the decision. I think (and it’s
simply just my gut feeling on this, no experience behind it) selling
parts to put together yourself appeals to the crafty person who likes
to make things. I feel this type person will not regularly be someone
who spends larger amounts of money on items because “they can make it
themselves.” I fall under that category to some respect, so I know
the thinking process. It’s not a conscious thing, but subconscious.

On the other hand, a completed piece would appeal to the person who
just want’s to get it done, doesn’t like to tinker, doesn’t like to
haggle and want’s to move on with buying something lovely right now.
I believe this type person will be more inclined to pay the money to
accomplish the task at hand and buy that lovely thing in front of
them that they like and want. Done. Next.

So depending on where you sell them and to whom, it could work both
ways.

By the way, I prefer to be the second example because it feels so
good, but I’m too frugel and end up being the first more often. I do
think this is all very subconscious and tricky. I would try putting
both options out. I do believe it gets complicated to give the
customer too many choices. Go half and half and some can buy the done
deal and some can pick and choose to their heart’s content.

Hope my 2 cents is helpful.

Veronica

Do I sell the slide and then offer the option of chains and leather
at various lengths and give them the prices and allow them to buy
them separately or do I make call on it and match the slide to the
hanging material and length? Speaking of length is there a popular
length right now? 

a pendant will look, unless it’s put on a chain. So I began putting
them all on chains. Then the problem was people wanted a different
chain. I solved it by putting on the reverse of the price tag, the
retail price of just the chain alone: C-24.5, meaning the chain
retails for $24.50. If someone has a chain they want to use already,
or they want a different chain, it’s easy to subtract the price of
the chain from the entire piece, or to subtract the chain price from
another piece to replace the chain they want to change out. What I do
for pieces that are both pendant and brooch is that I tell the
customer right away that it can also be converted to a brooch easily.
It’s one of those value added things.

Lisa,

I went through the same quandary when I first sold pendants. I just
strung them up on inexpensive curb chains and advertised them as
"with display chain". Since I work in silver now and baser metals, I
string up the silver on 1mm SS snake chains and the copper, bronze,
and brass pieces on Grecian leather. I’d string up the piece on
anything the customer wants, but most people I think would just as
soon hit the local mall and pick out a chain that looks good with the
pendant. At least that’s the advice my wife gave me. I’d go broke
buying all of the possible chains that someone might want.

I’m going broke buying materials as it is. :frowning: Come on, Christmas
sales!

Brian Corll
Brian Corll, Inc.
1002 East Simpson Street
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

I sell a lot of what I call Big Beads, around an inch long and 1/4 to
1/2 inch in diameter, with a big open hole. I show several of them on
chains and cords, and display the rest of the bead designs on tiny
stands. The customers often ask what they are, and I direct their
attention to the ones on the chains or cords. Then they begin to
browse the collection for their special bead, and they select a cord
or chain, or not. One possible problem to look out for is that some
of the chains that customers have at home have large ends on them
that will not fit through your work. I sell more cords, both leather
and rubber, for these beads than I do chains. Most of these cords are
made up quickly for the customer with sterling cord findings and
lobster clasps from Rio Grande. Customers are very happy to get their
own custom length. I do fancier, studio fabricated ends and clasps
for my higher priced, one-off pieces, and for karat gold work. For
galleries, I supply the beads affixed to story cards, and send a
group of varied cords to mix & match. It works well for me. Everybody
wants something different!

M’lou Brubaker, Jeweler
(218) 492-4487 (phone/fax)