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Is it better to consign jewelry to boutiques or sell on eBay?

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Consign
53% 408 votes Total: 775 votes
eBay
47% 367 votes

Consign

by Marcy Hutchins

Created on: October 20, 2008   Last Updated: December 22, 2011

As all things in the market place, whether it be products, services and goods, you need to have the proper exposure. People of all income levels and walks of life go the market to buy goods every day, some do shopping more than once a day. If your goods has that proper exposure in the market place, than odds are you will get some one to purchase your idem. If not, than you will expect to see your idem sitting on a shelf for many days, months to even maybe years collecting nothing but dust. It deals more with exposure of an idem more that who sells it, even though you still have key factors with that who, where and when of selling also to secure that sale on an idem, but by rights you still have the same statistics. To be honest with you I do not see any difference of selling on eBay or consignment shops.

If the marketing is done well and properly, than you should make a sale at either places. However, I would like to add this, if you are flat broke with no computer selling experience than I would have to choose to sell through consignment shops. Their business can be done this way, by requesting to have total control over the sale of that idem giving you your share upfront or when that idem is purchased or some shops shops may request you to give a fair price that can be split for the both of you. All in all it depends on the keeper of the consignment shops and how they do their business, for I have come across both types where I'm from. The benefits of a consignment shop is your goods are placed on the floor in the shop where other people who come into the shop will see it. It is a totally random search or random shopping, with little to no advertisement, and making a sale. Advertising your idem or sale at the shop may also help them sell the idem than may request you to bring in more items.

This is a good thing, because the more they can sell the more money you will make. If you choose to sell from consignment on-line, you may let the owner have control over the selling of your idem, which is how business is usually done with this type of selling. Either way, physical shops in town or on-line, they are a good place to start selling good(s) for the inexperienced sales person. Consignments are also good because they are usually small shops which in turn gets you more sales. You are knowing that people "Will" see "Your" idem. It is still up to the shop keeper/owner and how they do their business, but by all means get to know their business before you do business with them.

Selling on eBay is more of a challenge than what meets the eye. Many of the sellers you will be in competition with have great on-line selling and are "Real" on-line stores having that store through eBay. Many more people are on eBay, which means more items to search through and they may never get to your listing. In the end you owe eBay money instead of eBay paying you. If you are an ace at on-line direct marketing, than be all means GO FOR IT! eBay would be your place to sell your goods. This would include you have excellent advertising, which in turn creates excellent sales and revenue for you. Other wise, stick with consignment shops which are smaller and you will no doubt get a sale. So in the end if I had to choose one or the other, I would choose consignment shops for reasons mentioned above. Yet if all your key factors listed above apply than it does not matter where you sell your product.

Learn more about this author, Marcy Hutchins.
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eBay

by Chanell Gautreaux

Created on: May 26, 2010

Whether or not it is better to consign jewelry in a boutique or place it for sale yourself on eBay will depend on a few factors including the type of jewelry, its value, its volume and whether or not it is of your own creation.

There are advantages and disadvantages to placing your jewelry on consignment.  For instance, you may not have control over the pricing, you will have to share a significant portion of the sale proceeds with the proprietor of the consignment shop and your market will most likely be limited to local shoppers who happen in off the street.

One advantage though of selling jewelry locally on consignment is that you can “set it and forget it.”  That is, you set up the agreement with the retailer and then go back to your life until the store notifies you that your piece has sold.  You don’t have to worry about the marketing or the sales pitch or any of the overhead.

On the other hand, eBay is a twenty-four hour, seven day a week marketplace with customers from all over the world who might potentially see and purchase your jewelry.  Depending on how you set up your auction (or buy now) terms, the cost of selling on eBay is minimal and if a buyer wants your item badly enough they just might be willing to bid higher in order to get it, driving up the price and your profit margin.

Selling on ebay is one of those “simple but not that easy” ventures.  You need a digital camera in order to take pictures of the jewelry you’re selling and you will want to be keyword savvy in order to create just the right ads to attract potential buyers.  There is also the matter of promoting the fact that you are selling online and the costs and tasks of shipping items.  Placing jewelry for sale on ebay can be a very time consuming endeavor and final auction bids may not meet your expectations.

Used, antique, heirloom, trendy and costume jewelry all have different values and different markets.  Consider your own buying habits and ask yourself if the jewelry in question is something you would be likely to purchase via mail order or if it is something you would want to be able see in person before making a decision.  Even though eBay has been around for quite some time there are many people who are skeptical of buying online.

Small items that you might sell at a garage sale would likely do well on ebay whereas more expensive jewelry might sell better on consignment.  Ultimately, if your aim is to make the most money possible from your sale you will want to cut out the middleman and skip consignment altogether.

Learn more about this author, Chanell Gautreaux.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.


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