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BarryM
24-09-2014, 07:47 AM
I am a newcomer to jewellery making, but one theme that occurs again and again is the inadequacy of "corporate" websites to offer a suitable market place for quality hand crafted jewellery.

ETSY and NotOnTheHighStreet seem to be the most commonly used but, according to several posts, it appears that they also sell mass produced and imported jewellery, which somewhat "dilutes" the craftsman side of jewellery making.

Has anyone considered setting up a group website for craft jewellers ONLY to market and sell their products and "bespoke" services. There would seem to be enough people on this forum alone, who together, could provide input to a web design and also control those who are allowed to sell on such a site.

Any thoughts? I would be quite willing to co-ordinate any of those who may be interested or think that this has "legs" - I was a project manager heavily involved in IT before I retired last year (albeit nothing to do with jewellery).

Shoot me down in flames if this has been suggested before, but it has been ticking over at the back of my mind for the last month or so.

The fundamental aim would be to provide an excellent market place for craft jewellers exclusively controlled and owned by its "members".

Gemsetterchris
24-09-2014, 09:01 AM
There is a site by the name of jewelstreet that might be an answer for those doing one-off bits.

Lucie
24-09-2014, 10:22 AM
It's a great idea, but there are a few others attempting it. Uk Handmade for one.
The problem with the big guys like Etsy & NOTHS is exactly that - They're huge & everyone knows them, so they have both the money & the big brand behind them.
Have you seen the sheer amount of advertising NOTHS is doing at the moment? It's on the TV every time you switch it on!

I don't know whether any of the others are "cooperatives" though?

caroleallen
24-09-2014, 10:27 AM
Alan Hadley tried a few years ago but I don't think it really got off the ground. Jewelstreet might be a good option as it's established and there are some good jewellers on there. I've no idea how successful it is. They've asked me a couple of times but I can't be on NOTHS as well unfortunately. It might be a good place to sell your one-offs Carin.

art925
24-09-2014, 12:39 PM
There is a site by the name of jewelstreet that might be an answer for those doing one-off bits.
Jewelstreet is also similar. I am on there but you will also find larger brands. Odissa was established for guild of jewellery designer members but I got the feeling it could not compete with the marketing budgets of those mentioned.

medusa
24-09-2014, 01:09 PM
Jewelstreet passes my acme crap seller test!

Les, how does the accreditation process work? When they say they only take professional jewellers, do they check qualifications etc?

art925
24-09-2014, 01:47 PM
I can only tell you about the process how it was for me, I can assume it's the same for etsy and NOTHS or any other online marketplace; Complete questionaire and forward chamber of commerce and tax details, I have no qualifications for them to assess, but I do not consider this to distinguish professionalism

medusa
24-09-2014, 04:09 PM
I can only tell you about the process how it was for me, I can assume it's the same for etsy and NOTHS or any other online marketplace; Complete questionaire and forward chamber of commerce and tax details, I have no qualifications for them to assess, but I do not consider this to distinguish professionalism

cheers Les. Do they even have Chambers of Commerce any more?

pearlescence
24-09-2014, 04:14 PM
Yes, Chambers of Commerce exist but do not join. Complete waste of money. They employ very slick recruiters though.

medusa
24-09-2014, 04:15 PM
the other half used to work for the London Chamber of Commerce eons ago before it went down the pan, which is why I asked.

Tabby66
24-09-2014, 06:22 PM
Jewelstreet is also similar. I am on there but you will also find larger brands. Odissa was established for guild of jewellery designer members but I got the feeling it could not compete with the marketing budgets of those mentioned.

There have been a few that have tried, "Made by Hands of Britain" was another, as Les says, there are some big guys out there that are established and well funded, ...I've recently set up my "Boutique" (yes...Boutique) on Jewelstreet, I was accepted some time ago (18 months+) and got round to doing something about it when they said that they were going to be charging (£200 I think) for set-up, made sure I got in before the deadline...

Do you mind me asking how long you have been on there Les?...and if it has produced any sales??

The quality of jewellers does seem to be pretty good at the moment, and it is purely jewellery focussed, there are some well known names on there, hopefully they will stick to their guns and not go for mass produced "stuff". That said I'm not sure how keen they are on 'one-offs'...waiting for an answer!!

I don't have any formal qualifications for them to assess either.....filled in the application,...etc

Tabby x

art925
24-09-2014, 06:26 PM
Well I am registered with the Kamer van Koophandel Rotterdam, which is necessary if you want to own a business, be professional. Without a kvk register you cannot buy gold or register with a hallmarking organisation. It helps set aside hobbyists with professionals.

art925
24-09-2014, 06:56 PM
There have been a few that have tried, "Made by Hands of Britain" was another, as Les says, there are some big guys out there that are established and well funded, ...I've recently set up my "Boutique" (yes...Boutique) on Jewelstreet, I was accepted some time ago (18 months+) and got round to doing something about it when they said that they were going to be charging (£200 I think) for set-up, made sure I got in before the deadline...

Do you mind me asking how long you have been on there Les?...and if it has produced any sales??

The quality of jewellers does seem to be pretty good at the moment, and it is purely jewellery focussed, there are some well known names on there, hopefully they will stick to their guns and not go for mass produced "stuff". That said I'm not sure how keen they are on 'one-offs'...waiting for an answer!!

I don't have any formal qualifications for them to assess either.....filled in the application,...etc

Tabby x
I have been with them quite some time. I am unable to register with other UK based online sites as I am no longer UK based. It was a business decision we took to provide a UK arm to our business; it would cost hundreds a month alone to SEO especially with an IP address outside of the UK, they have a huge marketing budget and although it is all jewellery, the competition is healthy with mostly normal expected pricing from professionals. I do well with my UK sales and the commission is taken at source when they transfer the sales. There are larger brands Buddha to Buddha and the like, but I don't worry about them, I just concentrate on my own business. It works for me, I wish you well with your experience with them, you say you have been accepted so all will be fine, my work is far from the norm, I think they like the mix.

Tabby66
24-09-2014, 07:16 PM
Good to hear Les, thanks for the reply :)

BarryM
26-09-2014, 03:31 PM
OK thanks to everybody for the input, there is obviously no significant appetite to move away from the current web marketing faciltities. Back to the drawing board 😜

medusa
26-09-2014, 05:55 PM
OK thanks to everybody for the input, there is obviously no significant appetite to move away from the current web marketing faciltities. Back to the drawing board ��

There probably is, but it's that thing of competing with the big boys which inevitably results in having to go the reseller route like etsy.

CJ57
26-09-2014, 11:57 PM
OK thanks to everybody for the input, there is obviously no significant appetite to move away from the current web marketing faciltities. Back to the drawing board ��

I think there probably is too but there are probably all sorts of reasons that many of us don't bother. I've had the etsy thing to set up for months but I know how much time it takes to keep my FB page going which is really a complete waste of time for me sales wise and I just think oh God a photo from every angle for etsy, measurements, weights etc etc and I just can't be bothered. Not a great attitude to have and I need a good kick up the a...:)

geti-titanium
03-11-2014, 11:55 PM
Online marketplace selling platforms are hard to get going and even harder without a shed full of money behind you to promote them, but Odissa will make it one day, I can feel it in my water and have faith in her :-)

She's due for an upgrade this month along with the main guild of jewellery designers site, the designer directory was done today. Odissa has a page one google ranking for 'jewellery marketplace' and others are creeping up nicely, it's only a matter of time before it kicks in so it's looking quite promising now. We'll be removing non jewellery related products to make it a dedicated online jewellery marketplace and we'll probably be swapping over to a commission on sales basis as opposed to a fixed price subscription, we haven't thought that far ahead yet :-) It might be that we offer a choice of an extra Gold membership that allows listing products on Odissa and a commission basis for non Gold members, lots of things to think about :-)

Paul Townsend
04-11-2014, 04:36 AM
I recently set up my own site with emy wife its called forthemanilove.com as we got fed up with ETSY opening the doors to everyone and their mothers. We totally agree that you need very deep pockets to set up your own site, but we are building the site up slowly, and increasing what we spend slowly as well to make sure we don't end up flushing huge amounts of money down the toilet for little or no return. We are more than happy to look at anyone on here who produces Male orientated jewelry.

pearlescence
04-11-2014, 07:14 AM
I just had a look at your website Paul. Looks nice.
Under what law are you operating? Your legal page looks as if it was just lifted from another website. If you are going to operate under EU law you are way outside the legal requirements and if you are hoping for most sales in Europe your Dubai base could be a problem. There is a very complicated branch of the law called conflict of laws (under what legal system does this dispute fall?) and I can see you spending a lot of money just sorting that out before any dispute is even looked at.
With you in Dubai and the jurisdiction not clear it would not be wise for any EU businesses to get involved

Paul Townsend
04-11-2014, 07:43 AM
Hi Pearlescance,

As you have pointed out, we currently live in Dubai, and since online businesses here are not monitored, you could say we are outside of any global jurisdiction. As you can see we have picked up vendors from all over the world, these are all home or small workshop based organisations that are happy to operate in the same was as they would do on ETSY.

If we move back to the UK, then obviously we will have to review this, but this is not something we plan on doing anytime soon.

Bettonte Lino Snc
04-11-2014, 02:45 PM
How can I get in touch with the london Chamber of commerce?

pearlescence
04-11-2014, 03:06 PM
That's fine for you, but I would not do business with someone who I could not sue or enforce a judgement against. You will be subject to Dubai law if there was a contract dispute I suspect. Just because you are online doesn't make any difference to your legal obligations

pearlescence
04-11-2014, 03:08 PM
How can I get in touch with the london Chamber of commerce?
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