I am aspiring to become a very small online bead retailer - semi-precious stones and maybe a small amount of findings...  I am currently in the phase of increasing my education on stones via GIA courses.  I have quite a bit of business/online experience.  I am not knowledgeable yet on wholesale pricing, but I'm working on it and intend to focus on a few stones that I am very familiar with.

My question is: Is it worth while to attend some of the Tucson bead shows and hope to purchase some inventory to start myself out with?  Ideally I would like to buy from overseas vendors, but I am not sure where to start with them and language is obviously a barrier.  I was hoping that the Tucson shows might have some vendors that I could establish relationships with.  Would I be on the right track with this thought?  If so, can you recommend any shows that would be suited to someone looking to go into the retailing end of things?  I do have two other businesses and will set up a bead specific business number if it is required for purchasing at the shows.

I read the posts on last year's Tucson shows and online vs in person purchasing with great interest. Thanks!

 Yes, Tucson would be worthwhile. The Hong Kong Gem and Jewellery show later this month and again in March would be better if you are interested in direct importing. (25 to 50 strands per style/stone/size, work with a customs broker or consolidator..)

If you really want to start a very small on line bead store, direct importing might require too large quantities, buying from existing importers might e more realistic. (Not that there aren't on line retailers in China  who will sell smaller quantities at prices better than US retail but not truly wholesale.) Most Chinese on line firms have enough English to work with you.

 In previous forum threads I (and others) have given a lot of advice about starting bead business. These earlier threads are stored in the searchable forum archives. Here is one with  links into the archives:
http://cs.beadandbutton.com/bnbcs/forums/t/4448.aspx  You can search for others.

The Tucson wholesale shows (G&LW in particular) would be of more value for buying beads but the retail shows will show  you what  your potential competitors are selling.

Is that helpful?

Thanks very much.  That does help me out a bit.   I have thought about venturing to Hong Kong - but that would be a ways down the road (and more likely to be a smaller part of a vacation!).  I have heard the Guangzhou market is also a great place to potentially find wholesalers.  I have gone through places like Alibaba.com and Indiamart, but as they aren't specifically bead related I had a hard time narrowing down a supplier.   I think Tucson may be in the cards for this year and more affordable. 

 I spent some time and went through some of the other threads as well. Funny how many of the bead shop problems are the same as you find in un-related businesses... I sell shipping containers and I always have people who try to find my suppliers and buy direct as well.  I've realized these are the people I don't want to deal with and usually send them on to the most expensive/least accommodating of my suppliers. I'm hoping my other business experiences will help me pursue one I may enjoy more fully.

Thanks again - I really appreciated you taking the time to respond!

Cristy

Hi Cristy,

The best place for wholesale shopping is Tucson in the spring.  Most of the shows start the last week of January and run for anywhere from 6 to 14 days.  There are over 25 shows all running at the same time.  Each show will carry some beads but there are a few that carry a majority of beads.  Some of the best shows to attend are:

To Bead True Blue at the Doubletree - this is a show loaded with suppliers for bead stores and designers.  I show at this venue so it is of course my favorite!

Gem Mall - this show is full of 100's of bead vendors.  Many factories from HK and China attend this show.  You will be required to buy in full hanks or bags to get the best deals at this show.  Make sure to visit both tents.

Holidome - this has been the premier show in Tucson for years.  I think there is more finished jewelry there than beads but people still insist on going.  It's fun to walk through if you don't go on the first day.

Let me know what area of the country you are in and I will try to suggest a good wholesale show to attend.  A lot of the same vendors who show at Tucson travel the show circuit.  Make sure to tell them you are a vendor and plan on purchasing in quantity and they will give you better pricing.

I recently wrote a blog on the advantages/disadvantages of shopping in HK and China vs. Tucson.  Take a look here if you would like: http://cherrytreebeads.com/wordpress/.  If you decide to travel to China I would suggest that you plan it during one of the shows.  There is one next week so you are late for that one but they are in HK about 3 times a year.  The September show is the largest if you can wait until then.  Be aware that your freight will run you about $7US/kg for anything you buy at the show.  This adds about $1 per strand for larger shapes like 30x40 ovals, rectangles, etc.  You really don't get any better prices here than you do in Tucson but you may find the latest products.  You are also only about 3 hours train ride from Guangzhou if you try to go there.  One disadvantage of going during the show is that many of the factories will be closed down to attend the show.  You might try to make a contact to visit a factory while at the show and stay an extra week to visit when the show is over.

Good luck with your new venture!

Bill

Thanks so much!  So much valuable information from people who actually do this!  I think I have DH talked into Tucson and now I at least have a good idea of which shows to target - there are so many I was overwhelmed. 

Oh, I am in Kingston, Ontario.  I've been to our Toronto bead shows and they were fun, but not the terribly exciting.  There isn't even a bead store in my city (ony Michael's which doesn't really count). I usually travel to Ottawa or TO when I want to buy for my own use, but the prices are outrageous compared to online or in the US.  I realized a while ago that jewellery making was not my forte - I just loved buying the beads/stones. I was the geeky kid who desperately wanted the rock tumbler for xmas and nothing much has changed!

Thanks again!