Selling beads on eBay and Facebook - your advice needed

I'm wanting advice regarding selling Beads online via EBay and facebook pages. I'm at a loss where to go next. Im trying to get into the Acrylic bead selling business but finding it extremely difficult to get noticed. I understand that the market is already flooded with these items but isn't everything? On ebay to build feedback I've sold items around my house and have managed to shift certain beads but then others just aren't moving. I've made an about me page but I'm reluctant to have a store as its more money spent a month and I'm not sure if it will make any difference. Or will it? I offer more beads for the same cost as other suppliers but it hasn't made a difference and if I offer more any money be it pence already will be gone and I will of course then be selling at a loss. On Facebook I have a small ad running, advertising my page and in both I mention eBay and Facebook to drive any traffic to the other. I have also tried getting beads from the company that makes them rather than the middle man to sell even cheaper but I was refused. I can only assume because I'm a small fish in a big pond. Any help would be appreciated.

I'm not an expert but here are some ideas I have:

Do you participate in forums and or blogs/web communities that cater to people who make things with beads? Being active in the beading community might help you quite a bit. Placing ads in these communities may get you more traffic to your listings as well. Try to bring these people to your Facebook page by running contests (they submit a picture of something they made with beads and try to get the most votes (likes) to win a prize you offer)

Try other channels for selling. I sell on a lot of different channels and originally I assumed eBay, since it's very popular would be my best bet. But I have noticed some smaller channels actually generate more sales for me.

For beading, I would try selling on etsy.com (they allow you to sell under crafting supplies). I haven't sold on etsy in a few years but I think it's like $0.20 a listing and that runs at least 30 days. You can check on site to see.

Thanks for the advice I will certainly give that a go :)

Something you might consider is putting together "kits" for novice buyers/beaders -- ie. a decent selection of beads, related supplies, etc. plus a snazzy plastic container with dividers in it, selling it for slightly more than it costs you, and less than it would cost them to go buying the items one by one. These buyers may not be very profitable up front, but with a "kit" sale you know you're either getting someone new (and potentially highly enthusiastic about their new hobby) or someone buying a gift for a hobbyist (and therefore a good potential recurring customer.) So the real tricks there are a) to put together a basics package for novice beaders, priced so that it won't put you in the poorhouse if you sell a thousand of them in a week; b) make sure you have a well-established system for keeping track of and in contact with customers that is not dependent on eBay, Facebook or other third party sites; c) a way to follow up on those sales that can actually make you some profit, including book/course reviews and recommendations, upsales, repeat sales, etc.

If you have a Facebook page, also consider looking at Payvment.com You can set up a live store on your FB page using Payvment, extremely easily and for free for the basic service.


Frank

@Frank: Nice idea about putting together starter kits for novices!

@9741lindsey: Both kachinafashion and Frank have given you great advice, for more tips you might want to check out these links -

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Also, doing a little extra for your customers will always keep them coming back for more :) You could offer a free gift (something small but related to the products you are selling) if they purchase a certain amount. Or a thank you note/email after making a purchase.

Hope this helps! All the best :)

Thanks, Richelle. I've sold "starter kits" for a variety of markets, and done well each time - knitting, model railroading, and fly fishing. I can hardly take credit for inventing the idea, but it is one of those logical things that people just seem to forget about when they're approaching their niches. Some kind of kit that has the basic things you need, and -- even better -- a value-added aspect like a small printed guide, cheat sheet, a cute/functional holder for it all, etc. can really make an impression on the newcomers to a niche, especially a hobby niche. Not to be overly mercenary, but newcomers to any given hobby tend to spend a ton of money while their enthusiasm is peaking, so giving them a positive first experience can really pay off handsomely in the long run as they come back for higher-ticket supplies, tell their friends about the awesome starter kit they got etc. etc. etc. It's been three years since I did the railroad kits, and I still get inquiries via my railroad-related sites (none of those sites sell anything but books, posters, clothes, etc. and not actual modeling supplies anymore, so it's kind of wasted, but neat that we still get inquiries.)


Frank