How to Start a Scrap Jewelry Business

When you see it at a yard sale, you might pass over a box of old costume jewelry(http://www.pandoraiuk.com/pandora-glass-bead-b-740.html) presuming it to be worthless junk. However, one man's trash is always another's treasure. Many jewelry designers use vintage beads and findings in their work. These bits and pieces can be gathered from many different places, but this is time-consuming and many crafters choose instead to purchase salvaged jewelry supplies from scrap jewelry businesses. Gathering Inventory 1. Gather as much old costume jewelry as you can find. Look for pieces that can be disassembled and avoid things that do not come apart, such as necklaces in which the beads are attached to a piece of string. Garage sales and thrift stores are a good source for these type of items. 2. Disassemble jewelry as much as possible. Unstring beads and use jewelry(Rhomb Silver Charm at Pandoraiuk.com) pliers to open jump rings and remove any charms or findings. Chains should be left intact whenever possible. 3. Sort beads and findings so that like things are together. Use small zippered plastic bags or a divided container (such as a fishing tackle box) to keep sorted items together. Starting an Online Storefront 1. Open an account at a handmade e-commerce site like Etsy or Artfire. Do a little research into these and other similar sites to find which one will work best for you. Each site has a different fee structure. For example, Artfire offers free basic accounts with no fees for listing or commissions; Etsy, on the other hand, charges listing fees and also takes a small percentage of the final sale amount. 2. Take clear, detailed photographs of your inventory items. Show them from as many angles as possible. Make sure the photos are well-lit and clearly focused. 3. Upload your photos to your chosen e-commerce website and create a sale listing for each item. Be as descriptive as possible so customers know exactly what they are getting. Include measurements whenever possible. 4. Search for similar items over several websites to get a good idea of what the items are worth. When pricing your items, a little research goes a long way. Marking your prices too high will mean slow sales, and marking them too low means you are shortchanging yourself. 5. Take into consideration the cost of things like padded envelopes and other packing materials in addition to postage when setting shipping prices. Try to set your shipping prices as close to the actual cost as possible.