I'm pretty new at beading and I love it. I plan on starting to sell jewerly in about a month. I generally like bracelets and there are times when all I will make is a bracelet.  If I am inspired to I will make matching earrings.  My sister badgers me (sometimes) to make more necklaces to go with the bracelets.  Has anyone noticed more sells of sets as opposed to just a bracelet or any single item?

I very seldom make a matching set--and by that I mean a necklace and earrings.  I've never made a bracelet and necklace set as it seems too 'heavy'.  I've also never had anyone ask for a bracelet and necklace set.  Whenever I have made a necklace and earrings set, they always sell separately.  Go figure!  Try it and see what happens, but price them separately just in case the customer get's scared off by being forced to purchase the entire set.  Alice

I have good luck in selling sets.  I do and sell more bracelets, earrings and necklaces seperate.  I do get requests to do a matching pair of earrings to go with the necklace or bracelet they picked out.  I give them a discount if they are buying a set, but I will break up a set if someone wants certain items.  I would try doing a few matching sets and you may be surprised at what will sell.  Good luck.

Evelyn

Thank you both Evelyn and Alice for your responses.  I will use your suggestions.

 JoAnn

Hold the phone! I make mostly earring and necklace sets and find people love getting the earrings (they think for free!) with a necklace. If they're not so crazy about the earrings, I suggest giving them as a gift. If the earrings prove a deal breaker, I'll offer to take the earring s and charge $10 less. Of course, the cost is all built in, so I'm not losing anything. Recently, a customer wanter a tourmaline necklace without the earrings. I took $20 of for that sale and sold the earrings later that same day for $48.

 As for a matching bracelet, I sometimes make them, sometimes not, but it's nice to offer it as an "add on" when closing the sale. Or, "Did you see the ring that will match your set perfectly?"

If you don't make sets, be sure to have some "add ons" whether it be earrings, bracelets or rings" when closing the sale.

Welcome to the world of beading JoAnn!

I always offer necklace and earring sets and try to have at least a few options - long and short necklaces, big and small earrings, various coordinated colors, etc. - so that customers can mix and match. Customers love having choices. The variety of options leaves me with sets even when I sell some items singly. You don't want to lack a set when a customer wants one. Not everyone has the patience to wait for an order. Bracelets aren't very popular among my customers so I rarely make them. However, I do offer them as an option to be made to order. That's something I learned from experience. My first sets included bracelets, that didn't sell. Every beader's clientèle is different so you'll have to see what your market is.

Hadassa

Thank you all for your advice and suggestions.

I always make sets when I make my jewelry - my main thing whenever I make anything is that I make things as though I were making them for myself - one, it makes the designing easier and it always seems to sell better. If it's a piece I really love - I will make myself one as well - but I do always make sets and have very rarely had them not sell. The one thing I do offer and always hae with me is earring wires - that way if they don't want the ones they are on, I can quickly change them out - that also helps them sell very well.