Jewelry is always a way to show who you are.
Besides letting you show off your creative side, it also makes you look better.
With so much demand, it’s not surprising that the jewelry market will be worth 307 billion US dollars worldwide by 2026.
If you want to get in on this profitable business, you’ve come to the right place.
It may seem hard to start an online jewelry business, but that’s only true if you don’t have a plan.
We’ll talk about everything there is to know about selling jewelry online, from marketing to setting up an online store.
Let’s get started!
Why You Should Sell Jewelry Online?
If that wasn’t enough to convince you, did you know that more than 29 million people buy jewelry every day in the U.S. alone?
That’s because it’s a consumer product, and there’s always room for improvement and new ideas, depending on how creative you are.
Diamonds, gemstones, beads, and shells are just some of the things that can be used to make necklaces, bracelets, rings, anklets, and a lot of other things.
It also appeals to people of all ages and cultures, so you can always find buyers, especially if your jewelry is original and one-of-a-kind.
If all of this is making your head spin, the main reason to sell jewelry online is that there are so many ways to do it.
Trending Online Jewelry Categories to Maximize Your Profits
There are a lot of people selling jewelry and a lot of competition. So, if you want to start an online jewelry business, the first thing you need to do is choose a niche.
As we’ve already said, there are a lot of options, but most jewelry stores fall into one of the following groups:
Handmade Jewelry
Most of the time, independent designers who work on sites like Etsy or Amazon Handmade make this jewelry.
It can be made in any size, color, or material that the customer wants.
As you might have guessed, this category’s biggest flaw is that each piece takes a long time to make.
Because of this, we also won’t recommend buying handcrafted jewelry from a third-party maker.
And if you want to sell jewelry alone and make a million dollars, this probably isn’t the right category.
Even so, you can still make a good amount of money selling handmade jewelry because you can charge more for custom-made pieces.
Affordable Jewelry
This is one of the most popular types of products, and you can also often buy them online.
It usually includes rings, bracelets, necklaces, and maybe anklets that go in and out of style pretty quickly.
Most of the time, these pieces aren’t very good and don’t last that long. But the low price is what makes them sell.
They’re great for people who want to show off their unique sense of style and make a statement.
People with a lot of followers on Instagram and TikTok would often wear them.
This jewelry is made of fake metals (like brass instead of gold) or gemstones that are less expensive.
The price of these pieces usually starts at $5 and shouldn’t go over $100 if they are of decent quality.
Most of these things are mass-produced because, unlike high-priced items, your profit depends on how many you sell.
Fine Jewelry
Now we’ll talk about the big guns, which is the luxury jewelry niche. This kind of jewelry is made with beautiful stones and precious metals.
These items become family heirlooms that are passed down from one generation to the next. As expected, they are expensive, and most people only buy a few things in their whole lives.
Starting a business in this field costs a lot of money and requires a high level of skill.
Fine jewelry is also bought as an investment because its value usually goes up over time.
Diamond rings are the most common type of fine jewelry. They are usually bought for engagements, weddings, and other special events.
Body Jewelry
Piercings are what most people call jewelry that goes on the body. It is a piece of jewelry that you wear on your body.
Ear, nose, and tongue rings, as well as belly button rings, are the most common types of body jewelry.
Most piercings are made of precious metals, because fake metals can cause allergic reactions.
They come in different sizes and are made of different materials, both of which affect the price.
People have also started to use piercings as a way to show who they are and add another layer to their style.
Overall, piercings have become more and more popular over the years, which makes body jewelry a great category for online businesses.
Plated Jewelry
We all know that not everyone has enough money to buy fine jewelry. With plated jewelry, the idea is to get the best of both worlds.
These things are made of fake metals that are covered with a layer of real metal.
This gives customers the best of both luxury and affordability.
The biggest problem with plated jewelry, though, is that the precious metal coating wears off over time.
One of the most common types of jewelry that has been plated is sterling silver or nickel that has been covered with gold or pure silver.
The most important thing to do when selling plated jewelry is to make sure that the company you buy it from can be trusted.
In this category, the most common way for sellers to trick buyers is to coat the jewelry with lead.
You should also be honest with potential buyers and tell them that the jewelry is just plated.
Steps to Start Selling Jewelry Online
You can learn how to make an online store from a lot of different guides.
But the most important thing is to stand out from the other people in your field.
You can use these to build a strong base for your online jewelry business and get it going.
Conduct an In-Depth Market Analysis
In the U.S., there will be more than 50,000 jewelry shops by 2022. If you think about other countries, you can only imagine how much competition you will face.
So, instead of opening a jewelry store right away, the first step is to do some research. During this phase, you need to think about the following:
Analyze Your Competitors
Take your time to learn and get ideas from other jewelry businesses that have done well. Keenly go through their marketing strategies and the type of products they’re selling.
Find out what makes them different from the thousands of other jewelers on the market and what they do that the others don’t. Then you need to figure out what makes your brand different.
Decide the Type of Jewelry
You also need to decide what kind of jewelry you want to sell when you do a market survey.
Do you want to buy handmade, body, plated, or cheap fashion jewelry, or maybe a combination of these?
If you want to get off to a big start and have the money, you could also start a fine jewelry brand. But this is dangerous, so we wouldn’t suggest it for a first time.
Run Surveys and Look at Trends
In a market analysis, you also look at your competitors and find out what customers are really looking for. You can do this by asking people in different social media groups and forums to fill out surveys.
In the same way, there are lots of tools like Google Trends that can tell you what kind of jewelry people are talking about right now.
Pick a Platform for Your Jewelry Store
There are a lot of ways to build an eCommerce store these days. Shopify is one of the most popular because it is so easy to set up.
But there are many other options besides Shopify, such as WooCommerce, Adobe Commerce, PrestaShop, etc.
Each platform has its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, Adobe Commerce isn’t easy for beginners to use, but it has advanced features for customizing it and is very scalable.
We would suggest sticking with Shopify or WooCommerce, though, if your main goal is to dropship jewelry. Both of these platforms are easy to use and good for people who are just starting out.
Lastly, you don’t have to start an online store from scratch if you don’t want to. You can just sell on an online marketplace.
In the next part of this guide, we’ll talk more about the best places to sell jewelry online.
Create a Feature Wishlist
If you can’t decide on an eCommerce platform, you could also think about the features you want your site to have.
You just need to look at other eCommerce sites, which don’t have to be about jewelry, and make a list of the features you like.
Once you have a list of features you want, you can look at different platforms to see which ones meet your needs. Some of the most common things your website should have are:
Multichannel integration
Mobile responsiveness
Deals and coupons
Use live chat to get help quickly
Video content uploads
You can also add a feature to a jewelry site that lets customers make their own designs that they can then order right away.
But, of course, this depends mostly on whether you let people change things to begin with.
Find a Reliable Jewelry Supplier
Making your own line of products can take a lot of time and be risky if they don’t sell. Getting help from a third-party manufacturer is a better choice. Here are some common ways to find a jewelry supplier:
Online Marketplaces
Most ecommerce business owners get their products from China, which has the largest manufacturing sector in the world.
There, it’s also easy to find people who make jewelry. You can find them on marketplaces like Alibaba, which is one way to connect with them.
Just look for the word “jewelry” on the site and sort the results by who has the highest rating. If you like their products, you can place a sample order to see how well they work and how long it takes to get them.
But remember that Alibaba is a B2B platform, which means that merchants can only sell products in large quantities there. If you want to dropship jewelry, AliExpress is a better choice because most sellers there don’t have a minimum order quantity.
Sourcing Companies
If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of finding a supplier on an online marketplace, you can use a professional sourcing service instead.
This would get rid of most of your work because a reliable company would always make sure that all the products go through strict quality checks before they are sent to you or your customers.
It will also let you focus more on growing your jewelry brand, since you won’t have to worry about finding new products and dealing with suppliers all the time.
Search Engines
You can also use a search engine like Google and type in “jewelry supplier + your country/area” to find a supplier.
You will definitely get at least a few results. Keep in mind that the best providers might also charge a lot.
Most of the time, they also get their products from someone else, and the only reason they are on top is because they pay for ads and have good marketing.
So, what you should do is scroll down the page and see what choices you have. It might be worth going to the second or third page of Google.
Set the Price of Your Jewelry
Setting the price of your jewelry would be the hardest decision for your business.
This has a lot to do with the last step, too, because your final price will be based on the price you pay for the materials.
Your business model also has a lot to do with how much you charge for your goods. For example, if you do dropshipping, you should aim for a 10–20% profit margin.
Just don’t try to charge too much for your jewelry at first. Before setting your own prices, it’s a good idea to look at those of your competitors.
You also need to decide if the shipping cost will be added to the price or if it will be a separate charge.
The Basics of Marketing an Online Jewelry Store
Putting together a jewelry store is only one part of the story. The other is to figure out how to market it well. Let’s talk about some ways you can promote your online jewelry store.
Learn How to Make a Good Product Page
Your brand is directly shown on your product page. No matter how great your market is, every customer will at some point look at your product page before they check out. So here are the most important things you need to do to make a good product page.
Captivating Product Descriptions
The descriptions are very important because they help customers decide whether or not they want to buy a product.
When writing about a product, the general rule is to use as few words as possible to say as much as you can.
Don’t put too much on your buyers’ plates by writing long paragraphs. Keep the text short and convincing instead. Make sure the description talks about everything about the jewelry, like what it’s made of, how much it weighs, and how big it is.
Don’t forget that customers can’t see the product in person, so give them enough design details that they can picture it even if they can’t see the pictures.
Attractive Product Images
Your product page is like a house built on a foundation of product images. They show the customer exactly what he or she is going to buy.
Try taking pictures of the product from a variety of angles. Use backgrounds that are different from the colors of the jewelry, and make sure the pictures are taken with a good camera and enough light.
Keep in mind that the better your product photos are, the more likely it is that your traffic will turn into sales.
Offer Product Recommendations
Have you ever noticed how big marketplaces like Amazon suggest products to their customers that they might be interested in? Well, that’s another way to market something.
Customers will sometimes look at a product that doesn’t have the features they want.
By taking customers to a page where they can find exactly the kind of product they need, offering recommendations is a great way to boost your chances of making a sale.
Build a Recognizable Social Media Presence
Almost every business owner needs to be on social media these days. It’s a powerful tool that lets you connect with billions of people all over the world.
Most people think that they can only promote finished products on social media, but that’s not always true. If you want to sell things you made yourself, don’t be afraid to post pictures of your work in progress.
We suggest taking a few pictures at each step and then putting them all up on social media one by one, as this will make great visual content.
It will also make your audience curious and get more people to interact with your posts.
You can also run promotions on social media for customers who post pictures of themselves wearing jewelry they bought from you.
These kinds of marketing campaigns would work better on sites like TikTok that let people share videos.
Run Paid Advertising Campaigns
Depending on the platform you’re using and the people you want to reach, one of the fastest ways to get more traffic is to run paid advertising campaigns.
People often use Google Ads and Facebook Ads as part of their campaigns.
But don’t forget that advertising campaigns are very expensive, so you need to be careful. On top of that, these ads don’t guarantee conversions just because they bring in traffic.
This is why you need to know who you’re writing for. Even in the jewelry market, people of different ages like different kinds of jewelry.
For example, if you’re selling fine jewelry, your target market should be at least in their late 30s. The price of the product is the only reason for that.
Most people in their 20s don’t make enough money to buy such expensive items, so when you run an ad campaign, you want to get rid of people who aren’t interested.
Focus on SEO and Develop a Content Marketing Strategy
If you want your site to rank higher on the SERPs, there are many ways to improve its SEO. Creating a blog is one of the most common.
Blogs are a great way to get more people to visit your site without paying for ads. But you may be wondering what to write in the blog. So, it could be anything that has to do with jewelry.
You can write about different gemstones, how to spot fake precious metals, or anything else that fits with your niche. Even though it takes a few months to see results, blogging is the best way for a business to market itself.
And if you want to connect with your audience in ways other than social media, you could start an email list and send your subscribers discounts, information about different products, and much more.
Overall, it’s not too much of an exaggeration to say that email marketing is still one of the most effective tools a marketer can use.
Market Your Jewelry with the Help of Influencers
Influencers and celebrities are always the ones who start new fashion trends.
Since jewelry is part of the fashion industry, it makes sense that you want to use influencer marketing to its fullest.
One of the most popular places for shoutouts from influencers is Instagram, and TikTok is right behind it. Just try to find an influencer whose fashion sense is well-known.
This would help you get more relevant traffic, since most of the people who follow these influencers are also fashionistas who are always looking for new accessories.
What Are the Best Platforms to Sell Jewelry Online?
It takes a lot of work to start an online jewelry store from scratch and then market it on the SERPs.
If you want to avoid trouble and sell directly to a large audience, you might want to consider selling on one of the following marketplaces:
Etsy
If your business is based on selling handmade or vintage jewelry, Etsy is a great place to do business.
With more than 90 million buyers, this is a great place for people who want to make money from their hobbies.
Signing up for Etsy is free, but the process of getting set up can take up to 5 days.
Plus, they charge 6.5% of the total order amount and $0.20 for each item you add to the listing.
Because of all the transaction fees, Etsy is not a good choice for big businesses. Shopify is better than Etsy in every way, even for dropshipping.
Amazon Handmade
Amazon Handmade, which came out in 2015, is a lot like Etsy in that it is only for people who want to sell handmade goods.
Amazon Handmade checks how each artisan makes their goods to make sure that they are all made by hand.
The best thing about selling on Amazon Handmade is that there isn’t much competition because the site is so strict. But it’s hard to grow an Amazon Handmade business, just like it’s hard to grow an Etsy business.
They also charge a 15% referral fee per sale, with a minimum of $1 per item. They also have a professional selling plan that costs $39.99, but only artisans selling more than 40 items have to buy it.
Facebook Marketplace
If you want to sell jewelry online, Facebook Marketplace is a great place to do so. It has more than 800 million users, so if you have good designs, you will eventually find buyers.
The best thing about Facebook Marketplace is that it’s free to use and doesn’t charge any fees for transactions.
But if you don’t want to look like a scammer, you should make a professional Facebook page.
eBay
eBay is one of the biggest business-to-consumer (C2C) markets in the world. On the site, users can list products that other people can bid on.
With these auction-style listings on the platform, it’s easier for people to get a high price for vintage and antique jewelry.
Aside from that, you can also sell other kinds of jewelry on the site because it allows B2C transactions.
Bonanza
Bonanza is quickly becoming a popular place to sell jewelry online, even though it isn’t as big as other marketplaces.
Do a quick search on the site for “handcraft jewelry,” and you’ll get more than 45,000 results.
The platform is also free to use, and they only take 3.5% of each sale as a commission, which is a lot less than other platforms.
Tips to Run a Successful Jewelry Business Online
You now know everything you need to know to be able to sell jewelry online.
But here are some more things you can do to keep your jewelry store open and running well.
Sell Authentic Products
Customers can be easily fooled when they buy jewelry online because they can’t look at it in person.
You might make a few bucks by selling fake goods, but in the long run, it will hurt your customer base and put you out of business.
There are already so many stores that sell fake jewelry that just selling real items can help you stand out.
This is why you need to be as honest with your customers as possible. And before you start working with a third-party manufacturer, you should always read the reviews.
Create a Unique Selling Point
Having a well-known brand name attached to jewelry can make it seem more valuable.
If you want to make more money, your goal should be to build a brand.
First, you need to come up with a unique selling point. Give your customers a reason to pick your brand over others.
This can only be done if you know what your values are and always make great products.
Stay Consistent with Marketing
Even if your marketing plan is great, you won’t see results until you stick with it.
That’s why you should try to post on your page almost every day. Don’t worry, though; you don’t have to spend all day in front of your computer.
Most social media sites have a way to schedule posts. You just need to make a few posts ahead of time that you can set to go live at certain times.
This will not only make it easier to work with your team, but it will also help you stay consistent because you can plan ahead.
Clearly Define Your Policies
All well-known brands give their customers at least some kind of warranty. This is even more important when selling jewelry online because it is so easy to trick customers.
One way to get potential customers to trust you is to have clear refund and return policies from the beginning. Try to help them quickly and solve their problems as soon as you can.
This could be a little hard to do when dropshipping. So talk to your supplier ahead of time and make sure you both understand how refunds and returns work.
Take Feedback from Your Audience
Lastly, ask your audience for feedback all the time.
You can talk to them right away after each purchase to find out how they liked it.
When a customer gets a bad product, they sometimes don’t say anything and just decide not to shop there again.
Follow-up after the order has been filled will let you know how well your supplier is making jewelry.
It also helps you get to know your customers better and makes them more loyal to your brand.
FAQs about Selling Jewelry Online
Is It Profitable to Sell Jewelry Online?
Most of your online jewelry business’s profit will come from the following:
Whether or not the product is real
Number of creative and unique designs
Your marketing strategy
If you can do these three things right, you can make a lot of money with an online jewelry business.
What Types of Jewelry Should I Sell Online?
Online, you can sell almost any kind of jewelry, but some of the most popular are:
Affordable jewelry includes body jewelry, fine jewelry, jewelry with plating, and handmade jewelry.
Is It Possible to Dropship Jewelry?
Yes, jewelry is easy to dropship because it is small and there is a high demand for it. You only need to find a reliable place to buy jewelry from.
Is It Better to Sell Jewelry through Marketplaces?
The answer depends on your business goals, your budget, and your level of experience.
If you’re just starting out, it would be better to sell jewelry through a marketplace because you won’t have to work as hard to market it.
But if you’ve been selling online for a while, you might want to think about making your own site. This would give you more freedom and control over your brand.
How to Grow a Jewelry Business?
Adding the name of a well-known brand to jewelry is an easy way to make people think it’s worth more.
This means that building a brand should be your main goal if you want to grow your jewelry business.
Start by finding a private label service that can help you design jewelry with your own labeling and packaging that looks good.
What Is the Best Place to Sell Handmade Jewelry?
Etsy is one of the best places to sell handmade jewelry. It has more than 90 million buyers. The next close alternative is Amazon Handmade.
Final Thoughts
Anyone can open an online jewelry store, but it takes a lot more than that to make it successful.
It needs careful planning, a good plan for marketing, and, of course, help from a reliable supplier.
