Comments on: Pricing Jewelry Focal Beads on Etsy – Tips for Polymer Clay Artists

By: Cindy Lietz@Polymer Clay Bead Making

Cindy Lietz@Polymer Clay Bead Making — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:14:38 +0000

Thank you Shannon for your sweet words! It is my pleasure to help! Cindy Lietz's last blog post..A Polymer Clay Tutorial About Adding Fimo Cane Slices to Round Beads

By: Shannon Stallard

Shannon Stallard — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:12:23 +0000

Thanks for all your help Cindy, you have taught me alot of what I do. Kudos to you, and your skills. May you always flourish in the way of ART.

By: Cindy Lietz@Making Beads Course

Cindy Lietz@Making Beads Course — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:42:11 +0000

Yes CraftyLinda I've heard that about Ebay! I am regularly researching on Etsy and will continue to share my finds. Thank you for sharing your information... it will be quite helpful for others selling their beads and jewelry or planning to! Cindy Lietz's last blog post..A 'Shiny-Beads' Polymer Clay Tutorial - Make Your Own Buffing Wheels

By: CraftyLinda

CraftyLinda — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 18:54:47 +0000

Cindy, I too have an Etsy store and am having trouble with the pricing. I read your article and am going to do a little more research. I have sold a few things. A focal bead just the other day. I had lowered the price on it two days before, so maybe I was just to high or maybe no one had seen it? I don’t like Ebay I have only sold a couple things there and they were not my polymer items. And the fees are out of this world. I learned a lot from your article and am planning on adding some new things to my Etsy tonight. Thanks

By: Cindy Lietz@Bead Making Basics

Cindy Lietz@Bead Making Basics — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:45:41 +0000

@missficklemedia: Thank so much, I totally agree! I went to your store and I see you have been around since 2006. You are definitely a veteran! I love your work. So glad you're here!

@Krista: Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment! The way to find the 'solds' on Etsy is to go the 'Shop Home'. Scroll down the page and on the right hand side of the page under the heading of 'Other Items' you will see the number of sales. Click on that and you will find a listing of all past sales.

The price is no longer listed but if you go back to their current listings you will probably find the same products with the price.

It is not a bad idea to also check how long they have had their store and the types of things they are listing. All very helpful info when you want to set up your own store!

A previous post by Cindy Lietz..A Fimo and Sculpey Cane Making Tip

By: Krista

Krista — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:01:06 +0000

I love this article, it has given me a ton of information. I have an Esty account, but have never used it for the simple facts you just covered. Pricing has been tricky for me. I use Ebay and take a risk, it has turned out well for me so far getting as much as $10 for a string of around 10 to 12 beads. But Ebay is killing me in fees, and opening an Ebay store is not any better. I want to used my Esty, but just can not seem to find a good price. I have done reserch on Esty, but still can not come up with one. I was not aware you could view somones sold items on Esty. Can you tell me how to do that? That would help me out a ton, because I am the one looking at the prices saying no way those beads are selling for that much. = )

By: missficklemedia

missficklemedia — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:45:34 +0000

This is a fantastic article on pricing polymer clay beads and pendants!

It is very important not to undersell your work, as I did in the beginning of my online business. Once you price low, it is in my opinion, much harder to raise prices and keep customers, then it is to price a bit higher and come down if they are not selling.

I, too sell on etsy and have found comparison research vital to my pricing. Thank you for sharing this!

By: Cindy Lietz@Bead Making Basics

Cindy Lietz@Bead Making Basics — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:30:30 +0000

Hi Amanda! That price I mentioned was for Shannon's particular focal beads pictured above. It was only an educated guess. She can price her beads higher or lower if she thinks she should.

The big thing about pricing art beads is quality, originality and reputation. Not every 10mm bead will be worth the same. The best thing is to start with comparisons.

The ideas above will help you figure out what your specific beads are worth. And then with time you can adjust those prices according to your successes and losses.

Cindy's previous post: Make Polymer Clay Knobs | Glass Beads | Clay Color Mixing

By: Amanda

Amanda — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 05:38:23 +0000

Was that price for one focal bead or for smaller beads, I have sets of 6 or 10 that are around 10-15mm across per bead.