How to Sell Handmade Jewelry Online in 7 Easy Steps

With the online jewelry market anticipated to hit $39 billion in 2025, there is no better time to begin selling beautiful bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and other pieces made with love.

The question that many first-time jewelry creators have is how to sell their products. A high-value market means steep competition, so capitalizing is hard — but possible.

In this blog post, we offer a 7-step guide on how to sell handmade jewelry online, as well as tips to help you profit from your hustle-slash-venture. I’ll delve into elements like audience segmentation, how to design handmade jewelry people want to buy, and where to sell.

Are you ready? Let’s go!

Table of Contents

Understand Your Audience

Before you sell a single handmade item, you have to answer the most important question: who is your target audience?

Your new jewelry-making business venture won’t succeed without this information. Knowing who constitutes your audience will determine the marketing strategies you utilize (and who you target), the jewelry-making materials you select, and the design.

Let’s break down what you need to know about your audience.

Geographics

Even if you sell handmade jewelry online, you still want to target specific parts of the world. For instance, if you’re based in the United States, you might ship to the rest of the country, or maybe outside the US.

Targeting the entire planet as your audience may seem tempting, but that doesn’t always work. Not everyone has a need or interest in your handmade jewelry, which isn’t me trying to be mean, but just honest.

Demographics

On that note, it’s time to continue narrowing your audience by demographics. These are the traits and descriptors of your buyers, such as:

Age
Gender
Nationality
Occupation
Income
Industry
Language
Race
Family structure (married, children or no children, etc.)
Education level

Psychographics

Then, sort your audience by psychographics, which tell you the most about them. For instance, you can learn their:

Opinions
Activities
Social media use (and favorite platform)
Attitudes
Values
Interests
Social status
Personality
Lifestyle
Beliefs

Combining all three (geographics, psychographics, and demographics) gives you richly detailed information on your audience, including specific segments.

From there, it’s time for you to determine your target market. These aren’t your customers yet, but they are the ideal people to purchase from you as your handmade jewelry business grows.

If you’re struggling to build a target market, dig into what your competitors have done and perform market research.

Select the Right Materials

Handmade jewelry materials — *Image courtesy of Santayana Jewelry*

With your target audience identified, it’s time to get creative! When you began making jewelry, you likely started with the cheapest materials to save money. However, now that you’re transitioning from a hobby to a side hustle or potential full-time career, you must offer a broader range of materials.

Your materials are part of your handmade jewelry brand and can help cement your niche, so choose carefully. Here is an overview of your options and what the materials signify.

Beads

Colorful, whimsical, and fun, beaded jewelry can run the gamut. For instance, you’ve got colorful friendship bracelets, a kind re-popularized by Taylor Swift’s fanbase, or upscale beaded bracelets worn across the seasons for work or a night out.

Beads are usually made of plastic but can utilize recycled materials, making them better for our planet. Your customers will also appreciate your attempts at sustainability.

Stone

Although stone seems like a rough and heavy material to use for jewelry, it can be shaped, colored, finished, and refined to look just as sparkly as any jewel.

Birthstones are a popular type of stone jewelry. These colorful stones, of which there are 12 in all, represent one’s birth month. Making birthstone jewelry is an excellent customization tactic for your new online handmade jewelry business.

Healing stones and crystals have also risen in popularity in recent years. Depending on the stone, it can reduce your worries or even improve your luck or happiness.

Metal

Metal jewelry includes everything, from precious metals like gold, platinum, and silver to copper, bronze, aluminum, and stainless steel. Rose gold has to go on this list as well, as it’s a trendy jewelry material people clamber for.

The benefits of metal jewelry are durability, dependability, quality, and affordability, at least for some metals. Fine jewelry is also a good way to attract potential customers.

Clay

Another handmade jewelry material that is making a big splash in the world of DIY is clay. One of the most fun parts of clay is that it’s so utterly shapable. You can make it into any jewelry imaginable, from fun tag earrings to funky bracelets that will turn heads and command attention.

Besides its versatility, clay is also colorful, which increases its fun factor. As a crafter, you’ll appreciate the inexpensiveness of clay, especially as you’re getting started and carefully maintaining your business overhead.

Ceramic

Building timeless bangles, charm bracelets, and pendants with ceramic lends them an earthy gorgeousness, especially when combined with unique designs. Ceramic is fragile but still should hold up well if worn often, and your customers will want to!

After all, ceramic jewelry looks great when working in professional or informal settings, dressing up everyday looks and styles.

Resin

Once you master how to pour resin (yes, there is an art to it if you want to avoid air bubbles), the sky is the limit regarding the type of handmade jewelry you can create. You can make sheer bangles with delicate purple flowers inlaid inside, or rainbow-colored metallic-looking earrings.

Resin is a great material if you appreciate all things fun and colorful. It will attract customers with just as eccentric tastes.

Pearl

You probably won’t work with pearls immediately, as it’s one of the more expensive materials on this list. However, pearl’s appeal is undeniable, whether a pearl necklace or bracelet or even a pearl-inlaid brooch or pair of earrings.

Pearls are usually worn for upscale occasions and given as keepsakes. Although you might have a smaller audience of buyers interested in pearls, they will likely be loyal and dedicated.

Wood

Do you have a hand for woodworking?

If you can carve intricate designs into small pieces of wood, you should use it as a material for your handmade jewelry. Wooden pendants, bracelets, rings, and earrings look natural since the wood is often stained but otherwise untreated.

Choose Appropriate Color and Design

Handmade jewelry on plate — *Image courtesy of YouTube*

After selecting your material, it’s time to consider the design and color of the jewelry. Let’s review.

Color

The color of your tailormade jewelry will be in part determined by the material, but you’re not stuck with that color if it doesn’t appeal to you. You can always paint or finish the jewelry in another hue.

Whether you should handpick colors from the rainbow or work within a predetermined color palette depends on your brand. Some brands will produce tailored collections in specific hues, while others may play with color more indiscriminately.

Design

There are plenty of jewelry designs, so where do you begin? It’s your choice, but ensure alignment with your brand.

Here are some handmade jewelry design types to explore.

Cultural

From Minakari to Kundan or Polki jewelry, every piece of cultural jewelry has a story to tell. Interweaving your culture with a historical narrative is a fantastic way to build a successful brand. Customers who choose your jewelry will express their culture with your evocative pieces.

Art

Designers who make art jewelry are used to producing head-turning pieces. Each creation is an art, whether it brings forth an idea or expresses emotion. These pieces are unique and quirky, but those who wear this style adore them unabashedly.

Tribal

Utilizing a lot of metals, tribal jewelry like bibs and arm cuffs aren’t specific to one particular culture. That said, many indigenous tribes produce this type of jewelry, which often includes gorgeous stones, pearls, coral, and bone. More so than its appeal, tribal jewelry is beloved for its spiritual meaning.

Fashion

Chunky, fun, colorful, brash, and bold, fashion jewelry is a popular category. This jewelry is usually inexpensive to produce, relying on faux stones, pearls, and low-cost metals.

Bridal

The bride-to-be needs jewelry as momentous as her big day. Creating bridal jewelry from scratch is a surefire way to guarantee the bride’s pieces are unique, which will be important to many women.

Antique

Antique jewelry has an undeniable appeal, using materials and design styles reminiscent of a bygone era. These pieces are usually formal but can include informal styles designed for everyday use.

Pick the Right Platforms for Selling Handmade Jewelry

Handmade jewelry on table — *Image courtesy of Rosanna de la Riva*

You’ve begun producing handmade pieces you’re excited about, and you’re ready to start selling jewelry online.

Here is an overview of all the platforms you can explore to sell handmade jewelry online.

Etsy

Etsy needs no introduction. Founded in 2005, the platform achieved 7.4 million active sellers in 2022, which it has since surpassed. While it’s unclear how many of those millions sell handmade jewelry, it’s a popular category, so you’ll have a stacked market to compete.

However, if you can find your niche and establish a presence, more than 95 million people shop on Etsy, exposing your handmade jewelry to a large audience.

Better yet, Etsy lets you set your prices. Keep in mind that Etsy will take out a one-time $15 setup fee plus a listing fee of $0.20 for every item you add, with auto-renewals at the same rate if your item has been online for four months and hasn’t sold (and you want to keep it online).

You will also pay 6.5% of the item’s cost as a transaction fee with gift wrapping and shipping fees. If you use Etsy’s built-in advertising services, you will pay to bid on Etsy Ads in the Advertising Dashboard.

Amazon Handmade

Millions of people rely on Amazon for commercial goods, but you can also sell DIY jewelry via the Amazon Handmade platform. This site is available globally, allowing you to kickstart your jewelry business regardless of location.

Although you’d have to pay a $39.99 monthly Professional Selling fee to join Amazon as a seller, that doesn’t apply to Handmade applicants. The referral fee is 15%, but you don’t have any hidden fees.

Shopify

With almost two million merchants, Shopify remains a top platform for eCommerce selling. Shopify gives you the keys to create your online storefront after selecting one of its paid pricing plans.

The Basic plan charges $29 monthly, with 2.9% fees in person and up to 77% shopping discounts. The Shopify plan for $79 per month offers discounts of up to 88% and 2.7% fees for in-person shopping.

For $299 a month, the Advanced plan has the steepest discounts, with 2.5% rates in person.

Facebook Marketplace

With a billion people visiting the Facebook Marketplace, it’s another viable platform for growing your handmade jewelry business online.

Besides the huge audience potential (and it is vast), Facebook Marketplace doesn’t charge you a cent to list jewelry (or any other item). You can put as many pieces as you have on the Marketplace without paying, which is awesome!

However, Facebook Marketplace charges you a fee of five percent per transaction, with the lowest limit being $0.40.

Instagram

Many jewelry designers and sellers have experienced great success on Instagram. You will need a Creator or Business account if you don’t already have one. Next, go into Commerce Manager, attach your account to a Facebook Page for your jewelry business, and wait for Instagram to approve your account.

Once they do, activate Instagram Shopping, and you’ll be ready for sales.

What’s even better is that Instagram is a platform for managing and driving sales, so it’s like killing two birds with one stone.

eBay

With over 130 million active buyers, eBay achieved web traffic of 2.98 trillion people in 2022, which is no small feat! This platform is for buying and selling almost anything and everything you can imagine, including jewelry.

Again, since it’s such a big platform, you may have difficulty building a following, but if you can achieve it, you can do big things on eBay.

Just be prepared for fees. eBay charges final value fees, ‘Good Till Canceled’ listing fees, and insertion fees.

Your website

If you’d rather not use a third-party site, you can always build a website and begin selling handmade jewelry there.

Of course, you’ll pay to design (most of the time) and get the site online, but you won’t have transaction fees and other associated costs like eBay, Etsy, and third-party platforms charge you.

The only downside is that you’re on your own. Since you’re not starting on an established platform, you have to do that much more marketing to get noticed.

The upside? Less direct competition and more earnings through reduced fees.

Engage in Marketing and Community

Whether you opt for your own website to sell your jewelry online or dive into the world of third-party platforms, you must still market yourself to stand out from the competition and establish a loyal audience.

Here are some strategies that will help you build your tribe.

Start low-cost or no-cost

There’s a common misconception that advertising and marketing have to bleed you dry financially, but they don’t. There are many ways to market your services without spending a fortune. In some cases, you can even promote yourself for free.

Social media, which I’ll focus on in this section, is one of the best ways to do that.

You should also consider:

Getting involved in an online community through regular engagement
Blogger outreach
Joining social media groups
Attending local conferences and events
Blogging
Hosting a webinar
Creating and optimizing a Google Business page

Post valuable content on social media

What constitutes valuable content, you ask? This can trip some people up.

Valuable content is something your audience finds interesting, entertaining, or informative. That’s all there is to it. Of course, I know I’m making it sound easier said than done, so let me offer another tip.

You don’t have to post everything yourself. You want to flaunt your jewelry, but constant promotions aren’t valuable. They’re annoying. You must intersperse your transactional posts with valuable content to make your entire feed more valuable and keep people around.

So, if you promote the element of handmaking your jewelry from natural resources, an infographic on an indigenous tribe you work with is perfectly appropriate to share, even if you didn’t create the infographic.

Seek collaborations

A good collaboration doesn’t cost a cent, only your time and effort. These parties have huge audiences, from content creators to bloggers, reviewers, and influencers. By agreeing to a mutually beneficial deal, both parties win.

For example, you may opt for an exchange of guest blog posts. An influencer may try your jewelry live on social media, and in exchange, you let them create their own jewelry line.

Offer giveaways and contests

Another excellent way to draw engagement to your online store is by giving jewelry away. I know this seems counterintuitive to your goals, but contests and giveaways get huge traffic because people love the opportunity to win free stuff.

Select a few pieces showcasing your quality and variety, then slate them for the prizes. Here are some tips for successfully hosting a contest or giveaway:

Make it easy to enter, such as by following your account and dropping a comment. The smaller the barrier to entry, the more people will participate.
Promote your contest a few times while it’s happening to increase participation.
Showcase your prizes’ value to drum up more interest.

Engage with your audience

When you get comments on social media, respond to them! If direct messages start flowing in, don’t ignore them! You might not have time to engage with every last one of them, but interact with as many people as you can to build more loyalty.

Consider social media advertising

As your online homemade jewelry store begins taking off, consider paying for advertising on social media platforms like Instagram or Facebook.

You can grow your audience through advertising, and you should recoup what you spend through increased sales and more customers.

Decide on Pricing and Packaging

One of the hardest parts of successfully building a handmade jewelry business, online or offline, is deciding how to price your services.

Overpricing is a great way to drive away customers who would have otherwise been interested had your items been more affordable. Yet, if you lower your jewelry prices too much, you’ll spend more money to make pieces than you will sell them.

In other words, you won’t drive a profit. You’ll break even (maybe), or even put yourself in the red.

So, what’s the right price? While creators go about calculating costs their own way, the general agreed-upon rule of thumb is this:

Calculate the cost of materials and time spent. Then, double the number for the wholesale cost. If you’re selling in a retail environment, multiply the wholesale cost by x2.

There are other costs to roll into your pricing, such as packaging. If you use eco-friendly materials to stay in line with your brand or favor attractive packaging that drives the customer experience, you should charge more than generic cardboard boxes.

Focus on Local Selling and Collaboration

Collaborations are key in building your empire. I discussed online collaborations above, but don’t forget about the value of local selling, especially through these avenues.

Craft shows

Many cities and towns regularly host craft shows.

Research local events in your area, then book yourself a slot. Increase brand awareness while generating sales, and you might notice more social media followers and email subscribers (if you have an email list).

Home shopping parties

A home shopping party allows a limited group to try specific supplies, such as your jewelry. You’ll need to connect with a party host or planner to get your products showcased, but if the opportunity pans out, you could generate staunch supporters.

Consignment shops

Getting your jewelry retailed in consignment shops should be another major goal as you grow your jewelry business. You can focus on online consignment shops or those in your city or town.

This is like working with a third-party eCommerce platform in that your products get introduced to new audience groups without as much marketing on your part.

Boutiques

Likewise, strive to get your jewelry listed in online and offline boutiques. The perks are worthwhile!

Conclusion

The handmade jewelry market has great potential, but only if you understand your audience, choose the right platform(s), and build a community.

You have all the tools you need to grow a following, so now it’s time to get out there and make something happen with them.

EngageBay is an all-in-one marketing, sales, and customer support software for small businesses, startups, and solopreneurs. You get email marketing, marketing automation, landing pages and email templates, contact management, segmentation, and more.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Is it profitable to sell jewelry online?

It certainly is, but it depends on how you price your services. Estimated profit margins are between 25% and 75%, so selling handmade jewelry can be a consistent side hustle or full-time job.

2. Which is better to sell on, Amazon or Etsy?

This will ultimately come down to personal preferences. Both sides have large audiences, but Amazon Handmade has fewer fees.

3. How do I find my niche in jewelry?

Consider what you like aesthetically and the materials you enjoy working with. Also, consider that your niche should ideally be balanced.