Hosting a jewellery party can be a great way to start selling your hand-made creations. Everyone who is there is there just to see your jewellery and will be ready and willing to buy. A relaxing environment where people are able to try on and handle the jewellery will also contribute to more sales.
A jewellery party can give you a feel for how to sell your jewellery before committing yourself to the cost of having a stall at a craft fair.
Holding a sale in your home can also be relatively inexpensive. The main expenses are the cost of printing your invitations and refreshments.
Before the party
The first step is to decide on a date. Try to make sure that your date doesn’t clash with any major events and check it with potential attendees. Decide how many people you can fit into your house, remember that there has to be room left to display your jewellery.
Print party invitations and distribute them to friends and family.
Display your jewellery in an attractive and professional way. Don’t forget to make sure there are plenty of mirrors, including hand mirrors available, and provide adequate lighting in the form of lamps or spotlights.
Provide non-greasy nibbles, wine and tea and coffee and some fun music to help create a relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere.
During the party
At the start of the party give a short talk about yourself and the inspiration for your jewellery. You can highlight any special pieces or matching sets or jewellery for special occasions such as weddings.
It can be a good idea to hold a small raffle for a charity of your choice, with a piece of your jewellery as a prize.
You can also offer guests a discount voucher at the end of the party with 10% off their next purchase. Don’t forget to put an expiry date on the voucher.
Make sure each sale is beautifully wrapped and placed in a box or organza bag with your business card inside.
Keep an invoice book with a carbon copy so that you can give customers an invoice and keep a copy for yourself. After the party you can then analyse what sold well and make notes for future plans and designs. Also make a note of any comments from your guests that may have triggered ideas for the future.
Remember not to let people try on earrings for pierced ears as you cannot then resell them.
Future Parties
Once you have held your first party you will find that friends and customers will be willing to let you host a party at their house. This can give you access to a whole new group of potential customers.
It is usual to reward the host with either a piece of jewellery or with a percentage of the sales.
