Hi,
I just started lampworking recently. One type of bead that I made I really liked, so I made a bunch of them, and choose the 5 best ones and made them a set. I put them on ebay, but they didn't get a bid. I'd like to be able to sell some of my beads, but I don't know why these didn't get a bid. I said in the auction that they are moretti/effetre glass, ivory and turquoise, batch annealed because I don't have my own kiln yet, and carefully cleaned and matched for size. I put the sizes of the beads which is one 12mm, two 10mm, and two 8-9mm. I am wondering now if they aren't good enough. How do I know if my beads are good enough to sell? I try to get them as round as I can, I clean them completely and I take my time making them. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I did wrong, and how to improve? My thought is that it was either that they are batch annealed (maybe I should have mentioned they are cooled in a ceramic fiber blanket first?), or maybe the starting bid ($20 which is $4 a bead, I was going to start at $16, but they are just SO pretty to me that it is hard to give them up for so little), or maybe it is that I only had one listing and am a new artist, and there are so many listings on there. I have another set going to the kiln, a set of 3 accent beads, a pendant, and 10 spacers, that I would also like to sell. Maybe I should have mentioned that I only make two of the sets, one to keep, one to sell? Any other suggestions about what I am doing wrong?
Thanks :)
Theresa

Hi Theresa!

I watch and buy lampwork on ebay a lot, and I'd say all of your guesses are right to an extent, except your description was probably fine. New artists rarely get paid what their time and effort is worth initially on ebay. It's a competitive market, and high bids usually got to beads and sets from sellers who:

-Have an established track record (both as far as feedback and as far as starting to develop repeat customers)
-Have beautiful pictures that show the beads off to their best advantage
-Use special glasses and shapes
-Create really unusual, complex, or technically perfect designs.

Expecting to get four dollars a bead starting out probably isn't realistic for ebay. Your beads are lovely, they look very carefully made, but you probably aren't going to get paid appropriately for the time, effort, and love you've put into them.

My advice to you would be to put as much effort into learning the art of photographing and auction layout as you do learning the craft of beadmaking at first. Keep your first beloved sets of beads to use yourself. That way you won't feel like they were stolen from you, and when you do start selling on ebay you'll already be a more advanced lampworker.

Here are some links to people whose auctions usually do well; study them!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sisters-Beads-With-aTwist-Handmade-Lampwork-Beads_W0QQitemZ110146481595QQihZ001QQcategoryZ34070QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/JCH-Roman-Cage-Annealed-Lampwork-Focal-Bead-SRA_W0QQitemZ120138155179QQihZ002QQcategoryZ34070QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Naos-Fleur-1-Handmade-Lampwork-Focal-Bead-SRA-4WC_W0QQitemZ190129654757QQihZ009QQcategoryZ34070QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/NellieMae-Honey-Drops-Lampwork-Beads-SRA_W0QQitemZ270142754009QQihZ017QQcategoryZ34070QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/K-O-Lampwork-Beads-Enchanted-Evening-5-Buttons-SRA_W0QQitemZ190128779152QQihZ009QQcategoryZ34070QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Doras-Lampwork-Bluestones-11-SRA-LE-FHF_W0QQitemZ140135222205QQihZ004QQcategoryZ34070QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Jackys-Glas-Art-handge-Glasperlen-LAMPWORK-BEADS-SRA_W0QQitemZ170128228497QQihZ007QQcategoryZ34070QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The thing about Ebay to remember is that there is nothing that is certain. There are a couple people (Kim Neely comes to mind) that always get high bids for their work. Most people don't have that kind of devoted following. You can never tell if something is going to sell or not. Some of what I consider my best work went without any bids. Some of what I considered only mediocre got lots of bids. Some work by others that I didn't think was anywhere near as good as mine got very high bids. You can just never tell with Ebay.

Ok, so maybe Ebay isn't the avenue I am looking for. Does anyone have suggestions on other ways to sell? I am creating a website for selling my beads and beadwork. I'm making progress, but still have to set up my databases and inventory display pages and link the cart. Hopefully I'll have it done by the end of the week. I also saw a link to another auction site someone posted in another topic. The problem is, I want to put the effort & time into the beads, not the marketing. Are there any other avenues that have worked for someone else?
Thanks!
Theresa

I have a friend who sells her beads through her LBS - and she gets 4-5 dollars each when they sell. Something like that might work for you. Having your own website is a good thing to. Be sure to put a link in your signature when your shop is set up, because a lot of your potential customers are here on this board.

Hi jetflair,
What is LBS? I'd be happy with $4-5 a bead, at least for a while.
Thanks!

LBS = Local Bead Store

I have noticed that most all of the bead stores I have been in are more than happy to carry locally-made lampwork. We carry lampwork from at least 10 different local lampworkers.

LBS = Local Bead Shop

There are lots of different reasons why they didn't sell on ebay including the reasons you state. It may just have been a week when there were lots of other auctions to tempt others away from yours or people may have been on holiday etc.

As an ebay bead buyer I like to see several pictures of the beads both in sunlight and artificial light. I think spacer beads of some sort look good on the photo's, small silver colour beads or large seed beads that match (or contrast well) with the beads help to imagine how they would look in a necklace. I also like to buy sets with a few matching plain spacer beads maybe 4 or 6 about 1/2 the size of the other beads. That way I know I don't have to search for matching beads. I would like to see this set with 4 blue and 2 red spacers.

Hope this helps.

Melanie

Thank you, all of the info and suggestions are very helpful!! I'm going to try several of them.
Theresa

I agree with the spacers - they'll flesh the set out and make it seem worth more.

I love your lampwork beads although the lentil isn't my favourite shape. But as someone who has just started lampworking, too, (only 2 times), what do you mean by "batch annealed"? I don't have
a kiln either and just assumed I wouldn't try to sell any beads (not that anything I've made is good enough to sell) until I got one, and that I wouldn't even use them in my
own jewelry.
Cluny
http://www.clunygreyjewelry.com
http://jewelrytrends.blogspot.com

Cluny,
Thanks for the compliment, although they aren't lentils, they are rounds made without a mold. I guess I should've mentioned that. Batch annealed means that they are put in a kiln once they have cooled and slowly heated, soaked at the high temp, then slowly cooled. From what I understand it is as good as putting them straight into the kiln as long as they are slowly cooled when they are first made. My local bead shop lets me batch anneal as many beads as I like for only $10 so I only go every few weeks (I wait until I have about 50 beads total, including spacers).
Theresa

ps - I have a new pic - I added some triangles and 8/0 seeds. I still have to make some spacers. I haven't had a chance to lampwork in a week and a half *sigh*

Plan on almost giving away your beads in the beginning on eBay, especially if you are new with little feedback. I think once you get a group of people who buy from you regularly you will get more bids and demand for your beads. It is a hard market right now, don't expect much in the beginning unless you have something really unique from everyone else. I am still in the expect little phase myself, although sometimes I get a surprise in a sale!

Start your auctions as low as you are will to go for awhile at first. Sell mostly for the good feedback not the money right now.

Your new photo looks better clarity wise, but I personally think it has to many other distracting beads. I either stick to just the lampwork beads or silver beads for accents. Unless I have something that I really want to show with them.

I didn't see your actual auction listing, just try to make it as professional as possible. Make sure your shipping is very competitive and not to much.

I would not expect to get $4 for those in the near future online through a site like eBay. I would expect $8-$10 for the entire set. Not a lot I know, but I watch a lot of auctions to see what people are willing to pay right now. My guess would be if you started them at $6-$7 you would get 1-2 bids on them. And might get $8-$10 for them. With eBay though you never know who will see an auction, some weeks are great and some are not so great, all luck on who sees your auctions that week.

Again my main advise is to accept lower prices now and get some great feedback for them saying how nice they were. It is going to take time. I feel like I am slowly getting better prices.

Good luck!

-Marie