Thursday, September 24, 2009

My Inventory: How I pick beads

My idea on picking the right items in my shop is simple:
  • Offering quality products and finding the best reliable suppliers are very important.
  • I primarily sell firepolished Czech beads.  I like to set up my shop as a collection.  It's a good idea to have a specialized collection on the inventory instead of selling too many things.
  • I only have four major types of beads: Lentils, Donuts, 4mm firepolished beads, and Teardrops.  Also, I sell handmade beaded chains.
  • Having fewer types of beads help me organize my inventory and helps a lot when shipping many orders.  Less containers and bins when organizing.
  • I have at least 20 colors per types of beads.  Lentil beads are my bestseller, so I have more than 50 colors in stock.
  • I recently moved my ring and earring collection from my jewelry shop to my supply shop, because managing more than one shop became difficult.  I also manage my clothing line at topsycurvydesigns.etsy.com.
  • It is really important for me not to have too many different types of beads.  I like to specialize on only four types of beads then load up on the number of colors.  This way, my shop is more organize and buyers wont get overwhelmed browsing.
  • Bestsellers category helps my customer get a quick look on items that's very popular in my shop.

  • Wholesale lot gives my customer greater discounts when buying in bulk.
  • I wanted to offer unique items that is not offered at etsy, so I came up with selling Handmade Beaded Chains.  Perfect for designers, jewelry makers and crafters. These ready-to-use linked beads are perfect for their beautiful pendants, necklaces and bracelets. The sections can easily be taken apart. 
  •  It's very important to stock up on classic and basic plain colors like black, clear crystal, bronze (brown), amethyst, green, and blue.
  • I find it very successful to have multi-colored strand beads instead of having too many plain colors.  Example is my picasso mix donut beads.
  •  Keeping my shop fresh is important. To do this, I introduce many new colors every month.  If an item did not sell quickly, I usually restocks them after three months; however,  I immediately restock on hot items.  

7 comments:

  1. Fantastic colors on the top.. And I agree quality over quantity!!!
    :)

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  2. Thanks Leigh. I tried to sell too kinds of beads before and had no success.

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  3. What beautiful beads in that first photo! Amazing...

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  4. Beautiful beads!!!!!!!! Love the colors :)

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  5. Thanks so much everyone. Please come back for more helpful tips that I've learned in my business.

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  6. The beads in that first photo -- fantabulous!

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