30 Things Jewelry Resellers Need to Quit Right NOW! - Episode #84

[00:00:00] Welcome to the Jewelry Resellers Podcast, your go-to source for all things shiny, sparkly, and of course profitable.

[00:00:07] I'm your host, Desiree, and I'll be your guide on this dazzling journey through the world of reselling jewelry.

[00:00:14] We'll be diving deep into the art and science of reselling, uncovering valuable tips, insider secrets, and sharing stories from successful jewelry resellers.

[00:00:25] We'll explore market trends, industry news, and even discuss how to find those hidden gems just waiting to be discovered in thrift stores, estate sales, and beyond.

[00:00:36] So, if you're dreaming of turning your hobby into a hustle, or if you're a seasoned pro looking to stay at the top of your jewelry reselling game,

[00:00:46] join me each week for insights, stories, and more on the Jewelry Resellers Podcast.

[00:00:53] Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Jewelry Resellers Podcast.

[00:00:58] My name is Desiree, and I am your jewelry reselling bestie.

[00:01:03] Today, we're going to talk about 30 bad habits that I see affecting jewelry resellers and their business.

[00:01:11] Now, sometimes, habits, good or bad, are things that we're not quite aware of.

[00:01:17] However, I do want to bring some of these things, or actually all 30 of these things, to your attention,

[00:01:23] because it could be directly or even indirectly impacting your business, maybe in not the best way.

[00:01:31] All right?

[00:01:32] But if this is your first time catching an episode of this podcast, I do want to say welcome.

[00:01:37] And I don't know if you have noticed, but I tend to focus on the business aspect of running a jewelry reselling business,

[00:01:48] side gig, side hustle, whatever you want to call it.

[00:01:51] Because I believe that there really isn't a resource like this out there.

[00:01:57] And when I was getting started, this is the type of content that I was looking for.

[00:02:01] Now, of course, you can do all kinds of research online and off and learn about actual jewelry.

[00:02:08] But there wasn't any real information, at least not that I could find,

[00:02:16] for actually starting a jewelry reselling business and then growing a jewelry reselling business

[00:02:22] and maintaining and sustaining a jewelry reselling business.

[00:02:26] So that's really the angle where I'm coming from as it relates to the content on this podcast.

[00:02:32] So like I said, if you are looking to start as a jewelry reseller,

[00:02:36] or maybe you're already a jewelry reseller,

[00:02:38] and you're just trying to fine tune or streamline your business in some way,

[00:02:43] this is the place where you need to be.

[00:02:45] And like I said, my content is specifically for you.

[00:02:49] All right?

[00:02:50] And before we get started with today's topic,

[00:02:53] I always like to remind you to head on over to the website,

[00:02:58] which is jewelry resellers podcast.com.

[00:03:00] Because over there, you can sign up for our newsletter.

[00:03:04] And you will be able to instantly download a copy of the 20 bestselling vintage jewelry brands

[00:03:10] that I believe all resellers should know.

[00:03:13] You can also see past episodes of the podcast.

[00:03:18] I also have some really helpful and informative blog articles over there and all kinds of stuff.

[00:03:24] So I would love it if you visit it.

[00:03:26] And if you have any input or if you have any ideas for topics for future episodes,

[00:03:32] there's also a way to contact me directly on that website.

[00:03:36] All right?

[00:03:37] So again, that's jewelry resellers podcast.com.

[00:03:41] All right.

[00:03:42] So let's go ahead and get into today's topic.

[00:03:45] Because like I said, I think these are things that sometimes us as jewelry resellers or business owners,

[00:03:52] or even just people, you know, going through our daily lives.

[00:03:58] Sometimes we're not aware of habits that could be, you know,

[00:04:03] maybe leading us in a direction that we don't want to go, especially as it relates to our business.

[00:04:08] So these are 30 habits that I have noticed over the years of being a jewelry reseller

[00:04:13] and also working with and connecting with and networking with other jewelry resellers.

[00:04:19] And these are things that we want to pay attention to and hopefully figure out a way either to avoid these bad habits

[00:04:27] or to maybe modify these habits in some way so they have a much more positive impact on our business.

[00:04:35] All right.

[00:04:36] So let's go ahead and get started.

[00:04:38] You know, I have my notes here because I don't want to get off track,

[00:04:41] but these are some things I want you to think about.

[00:04:44] Okay.

[00:04:45] So these are the habits that we need to, like I said, be aware of as jewelry resellers.

[00:04:51] So the first bad habit I want to bring to your attention is the habit of undervaluing jewelry pieces.

[00:04:59] Now, this could be any type of jewelry, vintage, modern, antique, estate, whatever.

[00:05:05] I have noticed that especially when jewelry resellers are first getting started,

[00:05:12] they will tend to undervalue their piece.

[00:05:16] And I think it's because either they're just not knowledgeable or sometimes we're so anxious to make a sale

[00:05:23] that we're willing to compromise on price.

[00:05:26] I know I have been guilty of this, especially when I was just getting started

[00:05:31] and I didn't know a whole lot as, you know, as it relates to vintage jewelry.

[00:05:35] So this is something, a habit that you definitely want to break early because you don't want to lose money

[00:05:42] or even start becoming known as somebody who undervalues, you know, their inventory.

[00:05:51] Because believe it or not, even though people love, you know, to find jewelry for cheap,

[00:05:56] they will also tend to lose, I don't want to say respect,

[00:06:01] but maybe confidence in you as a jewelry seller or jewelry reseller

[00:06:06] because they're going to think that maybe you just don't know what you're doing

[00:06:10] or it leaves you open for potential scams and being taken advantage of.

[00:06:16] All right.

[00:06:17] So spend the time to really learn what you have.

[00:06:21] And I know this is probably the most challenging part of being a jewelry reseller

[00:06:25] is the education and the research, but it will pay off.

[00:06:30] I promise you that it will pay off and it'll pay off in big ways.

[00:06:33] All right.

[00:06:35] So bad habit number two is ignoring proper authentication.

[00:06:39] Now, the risk of selling jewelry sometimes does come with the risk of maybe selling something

[00:06:46] that's not authentic or maybe selling something that, you know, we need to verify in some way.

[00:06:53] Now, this doesn't always happen, but sometimes I've seen jewelry resellers have something amazing

[00:06:59] or extraordinary, or maybe they think they have something amazing or extraordinary.

[00:07:04] But they don't bother to take the time to either get the piece authenticated

[00:07:08] or at least find someone more knowledgeable who can give them more information about the piece.

[00:07:13] All right.

[00:07:14] Now, for a lot of us, that may not be the main type of jewelry that we're selling.

[00:07:19] However, don't be afraid to really invest in whatever way you need to,

[00:07:24] to get your jewelry authenticated.

[00:07:26] All right.

[00:07:27] Because it could be very important and it could make the difference between hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

[00:07:33] All right.

[00:07:34] Bad habit number three is poor photography.

[00:07:36] I can't tell you.

[00:07:37] I just talked about this in the last podcast episode where, you know,

[00:07:43] I was talking about creating jewelry listings that sell and how photography is part of the overall listing.

[00:07:50] And there's so many people, well, I should say so many jewelry resellers who will not take the time to get proper lighting,

[00:07:57] maybe have the proper display tools or use a decent camera to get the best pictures that they possibly can get.

[00:08:06] Now, I'm not saying we all have to be, you know, expert photographers, not at all.

[00:08:12] But we do want to do our best, like I said, to make sure that our photographs capture the essence and the details of the jewelry piece.

[00:08:21] And once you kind of learn the basics of how to do that, it doesn't take that much more time.

[00:08:28] And you putting in that little bit of effort really will make a difference in your jewelry listings.

[00:08:34] And your buyers or potential buyers will definitely appreciate it.

[00:08:40] All right.

[00:08:40] Bad habit number four is not leveraging social media for marketing.

[00:08:44] Now, I've said this many times on the podcast.

[00:08:48] I love social media.

[00:08:50] For me, it doesn't feel like a chore.

[00:08:52] I really enjoy it.

[00:08:53] I find that it really taps into my creative side.

[00:08:56] But I know not everybody is like that.

[00:08:59] However, if you are selling your jewelry online, you really are doing yourself a disservice by not communicating what you're doing via social media.

[00:09:09] Now, it is a free medium for you to use to promote what you're doing.

[00:09:14] And of course, you don't want to just spam your Instagram page or your Facebook page with your jewelry listings.

[00:09:20] However, you do want to use social media even just a little bit to let people know what you're doing and what you have.

[00:09:29] Because I'm telling you, people will notice and they will come and check out your online store if they see something they like.

[00:09:37] Or even if they're just curious like, oh, what type of jewelry does he or she have?

[00:09:42] All right.

[00:09:42] So even if you're not going to be on social media a lot, maybe just once a week, you know, post something to help promote your business and your jewelry items that you're selling.

[00:09:55] All right.

[00:09:56] So bad habit number five is neglecting product descriptions.

[00:10:00] I talked about this in depth in the last podcast episode, which was create irresistible jewelry listings that sell.

[00:10:08] All right.

[00:10:09] You definitely want to find the balance.

[00:10:11] There's kind of an art to writing a really strong, detailed, keyword rich jewelry listing.

[00:10:19] And if you have not listened or watched that episode, I do, like I said, do a deep dive on that.

[00:10:25] And I give you some tips and some ideas on how to make your listings really, really strong.

[00:10:32] OK, but, you know, that's really a bad habit.

[00:10:34] But if we're going to take the time to find the jewelry piece and list the jewelry piece, then we really need to do our best to make sure that listing is strong.

[00:10:42] So the people who are looking for that jewelry can find it.

[00:10:47] All right.

[00:10:48] Bad habit number six is overlooking shipping insurance.

[00:10:51] I know.

[00:10:52] I know.

[00:10:52] I know.

[00:10:53] Sometimes we don't want to invest.

[00:10:54] But if you are selling higher end jewelry pieces, I'm telling you, it will give you and your buyer peace of mind if you go ahead and spend a few extra dollars to insure the piece.

[00:11:04] Because you do not want something to happen to the piece, have it getting lost, damaged, stolen, whatever.

[00:11:11] At least, like I said, this will give you peace of mind.

[00:11:14] Now, you probably won't need to insure every single jewelry item that you sell.

[00:11:19] But again, this depends on your business and this, you know, depends on the type of jewelry that you're selling.

[00:11:26] And it's worth the extra dollars.

[00:11:29] I'm just going to say that it's it's worth the extra dollars to go ahead and buy the insurance.

[00:11:34] All right.

[00:11:36] Bad habit number seven is lack of a niche or focus as it relates to your business.

[00:11:41] Now, this is something where you're going to get mixed opinions on this.

[00:11:46] Some people are everything jewelry sellers.

[00:11:49] And then there's some people who really specialize in a specific type or niche or design or style of jewelry.

[00:11:57] Again, you're going to have to make this call for yourself.

[00:12:00] I have found that for me and for a lot of jewelry resellers that I have talked to, narrowing it down really kind of helps you because you're not overwhelmed with all of the different things.

[00:12:15] But again, it just depends on, you know, how much time you're putting into your business, what type of inventory you can source, what you can find, how much you can manage.

[00:12:24] All of those things will come into play here.

[00:12:27] All right. But for me, I have noticed that niching down even just somewhat like for me, I try to focus on just vintage jewelry.

[00:12:36] There was a time when I was strictly focused on like brooches at some point.

[00:12:43] You know, again, it just kind of depends on what I can find.

[00:12:46] So whatever makes sense for your business, do that.

[00:12:51] But like I said, it's easier for you to source and it's easier for you to kind of build a brand around a specific niche or type of jewelry.

[00:13:03] All right. Bad habit number eight is not offering combined shipping.

[00:13:07] I don't know why some resellers do this.

[00:13:10] I don't know if it's just because they don't know how to set it up or maybe they just don't want to.

[00:13:15] But certain platforms, depending on where you're selling, will make this very easy.

[00:13:20] And for the most part, if you are selling like on your own website or if you're selling on social media or during a live show, whatever the case may be,

[00:13:31] please offer combined shipping as an option for your buyers because it will encourage them to buy more and spend more with you.

[00:13:39] Like I said, I've seen some jewelry resellers not offer this and I can never understand why.

[00:13:44] But it's not that difficult to figure out.

[00:13:47] And I do believe it is something that we should offer just, you know, customer service wise.

[00:13:52] So please offer combined shipping.

[00:13:54] OK.

[00:13:55] All right.

[00:13:56] So bad habit number nine is failure to engage with customers.

[00:14:01] And this could be live selling or it could be online.

[00:14:07] There's been times when I have reached out to sellers asking questions or even sometimes just seeking ideas or input about something jewelry related.

[00:14:19] And there's been more than one time when my comment or my question or my email or my message has been ignored.

[00:14:26] And I think that's really not good.

[00:14:29] OK.

[00:14:31] Selling jewelry is a very personal thing and it's a very sentimental thing.

[00:14:36] And in some cases it can be very emotional for some people.

[00:14:40] All right.

[00:14:40] So there's there's definitely a layer of personalness that we want to not ignore as it relates to being a jewelry reseller.

[00:14:53] Now, I'm not saying you have to have long conversations with everybody who messages you, but really being considerate and, you know, kind enough to respond to the questions and comments that you that you will get.

[00:15:07] Now, especially me as a live seller, you know, people will tell me stuff during live shows or they'll message me after a live show, you know, talking about something or asking about something.

[00:15:17] And I really try my best to make sure I answer all of those messages.

[00:15:22] Sometimes I don't get to them right away, but I do try to respond.

[00:15:26] OK.

[00:15:26] And I think I have responded to every every message that I've gotten.

[00:15:30] If I have and if you've messaged me about something and I haven't responded, please let me know because I want to make sure that I do follow up.

[00:15:38] All right.

[00:15:39] So.

[00:15:40] Bad habit number 10 is skipping research on trends or just skipping research in general.

[00:15:47] We already kind of talked about that.

[00:15:49] And I know it's it's very overwhelming.

[00:15:52] There is so much to learn as it relates to jewelry and you're never going to know it all.

[00:15:57] And sometimes when you are, you know, looking up something, it opens up a whole nother rabbit hole of something else for you to learn about.

[00:16:06] And I say this all the time, but the more I research and the more I learn about jewelry, the more I realize how much I don't know.

[00:16:15] All right.

[00:16:15] So this is something that you will just have to kind of grow with over time and you will have to set aside maybe an hour a week or a few minutes a day to research your jewelry and research the jewelry industry.

[00:16:32] And everything and anything that you can think of that's jewelry related, that is going to help you be a much better reseller.

[00:16:39] OK, I promise you that that time and that energy will never be wasted.

[00:16:44] All right.

[00:16:45] Let's see.

[00:16:48] Bad habit number 11 is neglecting inventory organization.

[00:16:53] The dangers of disorganized stock or inventory management can lead to lost, you know, lost items, lost jewelry pieces and missing out on sales.

[00:17:05] We don't want that to happen.

[00:17:07] All right.

[00:17:07] So figure out a system to keep your jewelry as organized as you possibly can.

[00:17:12] All right.

[00:17:13] I have found something that has worked for me and I've shared it, but you really want to make sure that you have a system so you can find the piece, you know, literally in seconds, a minute at most.

[00:17:24] All right.

[00:17:24] Bad habit number 12 is overlooking customer reviews.

[00:17:28] Failing to gather and leverage reviews can limit credibility in future sales.

[00:17:33] All right.

[00:17:33] So we all know about feedback, especially on eBay, but other platforms do give us feedback and reviews and all of that type of stuff.

[00:17:42] And in some cases, you can only control so much of that.

[00:17:45] Right.

[00:17:46] But we want to do our best to make sure that we do get the best reviews possible because it will, you know, establish trust with the buyer, especially if someone is new and they've never shopped with you before.

[00:17:58] All right.

[00:17:58] So, again, if you're doing your best, I do believe that the reviews and the feedback will take care of itself.

[00:18:06] Bad habit number 13, using improper packaging.

[00:18:11] I hate to say this, but I have seen jewelry resellers be very careless with their packaging, especially when they're shipping jewelry items.

[00:18:20] Don't do that.

[00:18:21] Okay.

[00:18:21] You really don't do that.

[00:18:22] Even if the jewelry piece is not expensive, throwing in a little bubble wrap or maybe a small box, depending on what the piece is, goes a long way in kind of really appreciating the sale and that somebody, you know, took the time to shop with you.

[00:18:40] Now, the only time I've really seen this get bad is like when I have seen jewelry sellers.

[00:18:46] Like I've bought jewelry from sellers on whatnot and they're not quote unquote jewelry resellers.

[00:18:52] They're just kind of everything sellers and they happen to have jewelry that particular day.

[00:18:56] And so they don't sell jewelry.

[00:18:58] So they don't understand how to package it very well.

[00:19:02] But not that I'm making an excuse.

[00:19:05] You know, like I said, a little bubble wrap will go a long way to protect the piece and it's not that expensive.

[00:19:10] And the effort is meaningful and it is appreciated with the buyer.

[00:19:15] All right.

[00:19:16] All right.

[00:19:17] Let's see.

[00:19:18] Bad habit number 14 is pricing without market consideration.

[00:19:22] We don't want to do that.

[00:19:23] We don't want to overprice our pieces.

[00:19:25] Just like I said, we don't want to underprice our pieces.

[00:19:28] We want to make sure that we are fair and we are competitive as it relates to our jewelry pricing.

[00:19:33] And I have done an episode on how to figure out, you know, a pricing strategy or pricing formula for you and your business.

[00:19:42] Okay.

[00:19:42] But just remember, don't price yourself out of the market thinking you have something, like I said, extraordinary.

[00:19:47] And you have not done any, you know, research to compare what similar pieces are selling for.

[00:19:57] All right.

[00:19:57] So again, that is going, you know, it goes back to our research.

[00:20:01] You know, the stuff that we don't always like to do.

[00:20:04] Okay.

[00:20:05] Bad habit number 15 is not building an email list or not using built-in marketing tools depending on the platform that you're selling on.

[00:20:13] Now, I know a lot of us sell on eBay and eBay does have a customer newsletter feature that could be very, very helpful in helping you to make sales.

[00:20:24] If you are not selling on a place like eBay or if you have your own website, it's very important for you to grow an email list so you can stay in constant touch with your buyers.

[00:20:34] A lot of times your repeat customers will come from these types of marketing tools.

[00:20:40] All right.

[00:20:41] And I do believe that it is essential, like I said, either building your own email list or using the marketing tools on the platform that you are selling on.

[00:20:50] Okay.

[00:20:51] Because it really helps to build that relationship and that ongoing trust with your buyer.

[00:20:57] All right.

[00:21:00] Bad habit number 16 is underestimating the power of SEO.

[00:21:04] Again, I talked about this in the Create Irresistible Jewelry Listings That Sell because it's not only about having a strong listing on the site that you're selling on, but we also want to include those dynamic keywords so search engines can find our jewelry pieces and people can find exactly what they're looking for if it's what we have.

[00:21:25] All right.

[00:21:26] So learning SEO keyword strategies is very, very helpful, even if you don't have your own website, because you want to be familiar with the targeted words that people are typing in and that the things that people are searching for.

[00:21:40] And keywords doesn't only mean individual words.

[00:21:44] It could also mean phrases as well.

[00:21:46] All right.

[00:21:46] So, you know, that's not something you have to really know a whole lot about, but you do need to understand the power of strategic keyword marketing, like I said.

[00:21:58] All right.

[00:21:59] Bad habit number 17, neglecting quality control.

[00:22:02] All right.

[00:22:02] So we really want to make sure that we look at our jewelry pieces and make sure that they are in the condition that we say they are.

[00:22:09] I can tell you, I've been guilty of this where I can't tell you how many times I have sold a piece, gone and pulled it out.

[00:22:17] And then suddenly I noticed a stone is missing or something is broken or there's more wear on it than what I had initially described.

[00:22:25] All right.

[00:22:26] And that's the worst feeling because you don't know if the person will, will, you know, be bothered by that or if it's something that you should, you know, message them and say, hey, I just noticed, you know, X, Y, and Z.

[00:22:39] Are you still interested in the piece?

[00:22:41] And I've had to do that too.

[00:22:42] All right.

[00:22:43] So pay attention to the quality of your jewelry pieces.

[00:22:48] All right.

[00:22:49] Bad habit number 18, relying solely on one selling platform.

[00:22:52] I know, again, you're going to get mixed opinions on this, but I come from the camp of putting our jewelry in as many places as we possibly can in order to make the sale and to find the people who are looking for what we're selling.

[00:23:08] This may or may not work for you and your business model.

[00:23:12] And you don't have to be everywhere.

[00:23:15] But I do believe that being on maybe two or three platforms, it makes sense for me.

[00:23:21] Again, it depends on what you can manage, what you're comfortable with.

[00:23:25] Now they have software tools to make this even easier.

[00:23:28] But of course, that is going to be an investment that you will have to decide if it's worth it.

[00:23:34] All right.

[00:23:34] So, and the thing is too, is a lot of these platforms, you know, we have so many options nowadays that if one platform is acting funny, I like knowing that I can kind of pivot, even if it's only temporarily and focus my time and efforts on another platform.

[00:23:53] And I've done that multiple times, you know, throughout my jewelry reselling career.

[00:24:26] All right.

[00:24:28] To follow up with people when you need to.

[00:24:32] All right.

[00:24:32] Bad habit number 20 is ignoring international sales.

[00:24:36] I don't know why jewelry resellers do this, but I have seen people do it.

[00:24:41] Now on eBay, they make international selling really easy with the international shipping program.

[00:24:48] At least I think that's what the name of it is.

[00:24:50] But you know what I'm talking about if you sell on eBay.

[00:24:52] Okay.

[00:24:53] But surprisingly, some resellers don't offer that option.

[00:24:59] You know, maybe they're afraid of the paperwork.

[00:25:01] Maybe they're afraid of the cost or whatever.

[00:25:04] But if you can offer international shipping, even if it's just to a couple places like, you know, Canada or Mexico or wherever.

[00:25:13] However, that really increases your opportunities to make the sale.

[00:25:19] Now, again, if it's not something you're comfortable with, I understand that.

[00:25:23] But why would you limit yourself if you don't have to?

[00:25:27] Especially, like I said, if you're if you're selling on eBay.

[00:25:30] All right.

[00:25:30] Because eBay makes it very, very easy.

[00:25:32] And I think that we all should be offering that option to our potential buyers.

[00:25:40] All right.

[00:25:40] Bad habit number 21 is inconsistent branding or no branding at all.

[00:25:45] Now, I get it.

[00:25:46] Not all of us are trying to be this big, massive brand as it relates to our jewelry reselling business.

[00:25:53] But people will start to recognize you or recognize your jewelry pieces or even just recognizing your name.

[00:26:04] So when I talk about branding, the main thing I want you to think about is just being consistent across all platforms.

[00:26:13] OK.

[00:26:13] And this is a bad habit that I've seen a lot of resellers do where they have one name on whatnot.

[00:26:18] They have another name on eBay and then they have a totally different name on Poshmark.

[00:26:24] And so when buyers are trying to find you or find your jewelry, they don't know that you're under a different username on multiple different platforms.

[00:26:35] All right.

[00:26:36] And so we want to make ourselves and our jewelry easy to find for the buyers who are looking for it.

[00:26:42] OK.

[00:26:42] So a lot of you know that even though I have this podcast, when it comes to reselling, my name is Good Great Fabulous.

[00:26:50] And if you put in Good Great Fabulous on pretty much any platform, I will come up actually on all the platforms that I that I am on that will come up.

[00:27:00] The only one is Poshmark because Good Great Fabulous doesn't fit.

[00:27:04] So I'm Good Great Fab on Poshmark.

[00:27:07] But I try to make it easy so my potential buyers can find me no matter what platform they're on.

[00:27:12] OK.

[00:27:13] So that's what I'm talking about as it relates to branding.

[00:27:15] It doesn't mean that you have to have a logo and certain fonts and all of that, although you could do that.

[00:27:21] But I'm talking about at the most basic level.

[00:27:24] OK.

[00:27:26] All right.

[00:27:27] Bad habit number 22 is not educating buyers.

[00:27:30] All right.

[00:27:31] Now, again, you don't have to, you know, have a class or teach your buyer everything you know about jewelry.

[00:27:40] But sometimes basic things will go a long way.

[00:27:43] All right.

[00:27:44] So you want to give them enough information or education about the materials, the history or the value of the jewelry that you're selling just so they can make an informed decision.

[00:27:55] All right.

[00:27:56] So if there's something, little tidbits or little nuggets that you may know about a particular jewelry piece that may be useful to the buyer, share those things.

[00:28:06] Right.

[00:28:07] Again, you don't have to do anything major as it relates to this.

[00:28:10] But I know for me with like silver, people have asked me, well, how do I take care of silver?

[00:28:16] How do I clean it?

[00:28:18] You know, things like that.

[00:28:19] So if you have a jewelry piece, for example, that is really easy to maintain, I would throw that in your description.

[00:28:25] You could say, hey, this this jewelry piece is very easy to keep clean or this jewelry piece never needs polishing or, you know, anything.

[00:28:33] Anything like that.

[00:28:35] Like I said, things that are helpful to the buyer and it will help them be more confident or secure them in making the decision to purchase.

[00:28:43] All right.

[00:28:44] All right.

[00:28:45] So bad habit number 23, we are almost down, down to the bottom of our list here.

[00:28:52] And that's under utilizing video content.

[00:28:55] Again, I know not everybody is into video or live selling like I am.

[00:29:00] But if you do have a YouTube channel, why not showcase some of the jewelry that you're selling?

[00:29:06] You know, give people another way to find you.

[00:29:09] Maybe create the opportunity for them to be interested in what you're selling and to be motivated to go buy something or shop your store or shop your page, whatever.

[00:29:22] All right.

[00:29:22] Now, I know on eBay, they do give you the option to put a video in your listing.

[00:29:27] If that makes sense for you, I would definitely do it.

[00:29:30] But again, it's going to be your call on that.

[00:29:33] But really, showcasing your jewelry with the power of video can be very, very inspiring, I guess, as it relates to making more sales.

[00:29:46] You know, because people see something.

[00:29:47] They can see the angle.

[00:29:49] They can see, you know, the details of it.

[00:29:52] I love video, so I don't have a problem doing this, especially, like I said, with my live selling.

[00:29:58] But again, think about this.

[00:29:59] You know, maybe do a video and put it on your YouTube channel or on your Instagram page or, I don't know, Facebook, anywhere.

[00:30:09] Anywhere.

[00:30:10] All right.

[00:30:10] So use video to your advantage.

[00:30:13] All right.

[00:30:14] Bad habit number 24 is rushing through your listings.

[00:30:17] I talked about this in the last episode.

[00:30:20] You know, you see people, they literally just throw up some pictures, throw up, you know, a few words in the description, and then they publish the listing.

[00:30:29] And it just looks sloppy.

[00:30:31] It doesn't really give a lot of information.

[00:30:33] And the listing, in some cases, can work against you because people will see the haphazardness or the carelessness of the listing.

[00:30:41] And it just kind of turns them off.

[00:30:43] And it doesn't, you know, make them want to see what else you could be selling.

[00:30:47] All right.

[00:30:48] So again, you don't have to do anything elaborate as it relates to your listings.

[00:30:52] But you do want to be careful and make sure that they are as complete and as detailed as they can possibly be.

[00:30:58] So your buyer knows they're getting exactly what they want.

[00:31:03] All right.

[00:31:04] Bad habit number 25 is ignoring wholesale opportunities.

[00:31:07] In other words, if you can possibly lot some pieces up, I would definitely consider making that an option because I have sold jewelry lots.

[00:31:18] A lot of them, surprisingly, have sold internationally.

[00:31:22] And I have had resellers reach out to me privately asking to buy jewelry lots that they, you know, would like to sell themselves.

[00:31:32] All right.

[00:31:33] So if this makes sense for your business model and if you have the inventory to accommodate it, I would definitely consider wholesale opportunities or bulk buys or bulk selling in this case or selling some of your jewelry pieces in lots.

[00:31:49] All right.

[00:32:18] All right.

[00:32:19] So connecting with other resellers is definitely something that I think you should do if you, you know, have the ability to do so.

[00:32:28] It doesn't always have to be in person.

[00:32:30] There are numerous Facebook groups where you can connect with other resellers as well as in-person meetups and events and things like that.

[00:32:40] Even like reselling coaching groups, you know, you can meet other resellers that way as well.

[00:32:47] All right.

[00:32:47] Bad habit number 27 is ignoring follow up with customers.

[00:32:55] All right.

[00:32:55] It took me a while to learn this, but now this is something that I always do.

[00:32:59] Okay.

[00:33:00] I like to follow up with my buyers, especially when I have sold something that is a very, you know, expensive or high end piece.

[00:33:08] I always follow up and say, hey, I want to make sure that you're happy with your jewelry.

[00:33:14] I saw that it was delivered today, yesterday, whatever.

[00:33:17] If there's anything I can do or any questions you may have about the piece, please be sure to let me know.

[00:33:24] Follow up is huge.

[00:33:25] Now, we already talked about customer service.

[00:33:28] You know, when people have questions.

[00:33:29] But what are you doing after you make the sale?

[00:33:33] And you may not do this on every single, you know, sale.

[00:33:36] But if you have some, like I said, some of those higher end pieces, more expensive pieces, those buyers always appreciate a follow up.

[00:33:45] And I always make it a point to follow up at least a day or two after it shows that the package has been delivered.

[00:33:51] Because I want to make sure that they're totally happy with their purchase.

[00:33:55] All right.

[00:33:55] Okay.

[00:33:57] So bad habit number 28 is underestimating the importance of return and exchange policies.

[00:34:03] Again, this could vary depending on the platform that you are on.

[00:34:07] But I've seen resellers try to say, oh, no returns.

[00:34:11] And they're selling on eBay.

[00:34:12] And remember, that doesn't always matter.

[00:34:15] Okay.

[00:34:15] It doesn't.

[00:34:16] All right.

[00:34:17] eBay has a very strict return policy in place for buyers.

[00:34:23] Same with other platforms.

[00:34:24] Okay.

[00:34:25] Even if you say no returns, all sales are final.

[00:34:28] Trust me.

[00:34:29] If a buyer wants to return something, especially on eBay, they will find a way to do it.

[00:34:34] All right.

[00:34:35] So you just need to be educated about what is acceptable and not acceptable on the platform that you're selling.

[00:34:41] And if you're selling on your own website, make sure that your return and exchange policies are clear.

[00:34:47] So there is no confusion and no surprises for your buyer.

[00:34:51] All right.

[00:34:53] All right.

[00:34:54] All right.

[00:34:54] Let's see.

[00:34:55] Bad habit number 29 is overloading inventory without planning.

[00:35:00] I can't tell you.

[00:35:01] I have seen even resellers brag about this to some degree where they will say, oh, I have bins and boxes that I've never even opened, just filled with thousands of pieces of jewelry.

[00:35:12] And they can't even work with what they have.

[00:35:15] And they're still continuing to buy.

[00:35:18] And then they're not organizing the inventory they have.

[00:35:22] It's just piling up, piling up, piling up.

[00:35:25] Now, to some degree, I'm going to admit, I like seeing that because I get excited because I think, oh, my gosh, maybe they're going to sell a bunch of stuff off or or maybe they'll, you know, work out a deal with me or something like that.

[00:35:39] But I'm telling you, you don't want to get yourself in that position where you have hundreds or thousands of jewelry pieces that you just can't manage because it's too much and it's too overwhelming.

[00:35:50] All right.

[00:35:50] And I have seen, like I said, resellers get into this trap and I get it.

[00:35:56] You know, it's exciting to buy jewelry.

[00:35:59] It's exciting to see all the pretty pieces when you're outsourcing and you just have to have it all.

[00:36:05] All right.

[00:36:06] But we don't want to tie up our money that way.

[00:36:08] We don't want to clutter up our space that way.

[00:36:11] All right.

[00:36:11] So make sure that you are working with inventory levels that you can manage.

[00:36:16] All right.

[00:36:16] That's a really bad habit.

[00:36:19] All right.

[00:36:20] And our last bad habit is bad habit number 30, a lack of business goals.

[00:36:27] All right.

[00:36:27] Now, I'm guilty of this, especially in my early days.

[00:36:30] All I thought about was making money.

[00:36:33] I just wanted to make money and I didn't have a clear vision or a clear plan or a clear goal for my jewelry reselling business.

[00:36:41] It's very different today.

[00:36:43] You know, I have very straightforward goals.

[00:36:45] You know, they're not anything special.

[00:36:47] But I do have goals for my business because at some point, I don't know if I want to do this forever.

[00:36:53] But I do want to make sure that this business is sustainable in a way that makes sense for me and where I'm at in my life, you know, at whatever particular time.

[00:37:04] All right.

[00:37:05] All right.

[00:37:05] So you can have short term goals for your business.

[00:37:08] You can also have long term goals for your business.

[00:37:10] But you really need to have some type of goal structure because it will help you in every aspect of your business, especially when you're making decisions.

[00:37:19] Okay.

[00:37:19] Because you will know how much inventory you need.

[00:37:22] You will know how much shipping supplies you need to have on hand.

[00:37:26] You will know the type of jewelry that you are looking to source and eventually flip for a profit.

[00:37:32] All right.

[00:37:33] So having clear goals for your jewelry reselling business will do nothing but help you in every way as it relates to your business.

[00:37:42] All right.

[00:37:43] So these are the 30 bad habits that I see jewelry resellers getting caught up in, you know, and maybe some of these habits apply to you.

[00:37:54] Maybe they don't.

[00:37:55] I've been guilty of quite a few.

[00:37:57] However, like I said, I have figured out how to navigate through them or eliminate them to the best of my ability.

[00:38:07] All right.

[00:38:08] So I would love to know your thoughts and I would love to know what you think as it relates to these bad habits.

[00:38:16] All right.

[00:38:17] Are you aware of some of these or do you feel called out on some of these habits?

[00:38:22] And how are you improving and changing these habits for the better?

[00:38:26] I would love to get your feedback.

[00:38:28] I would love to get your comments and let me know what you think.

[00:38:32] Let me know what you think.

[00:38:34] All right.

[00:38:34] So that's going to be it for this episode.

[00:38:38] I hope you enjoyed it.

[00:38:39] I hope it was helpful.

[00:38:40] If you have any questions about anything, please feel free to leave them in the comment section.

[00:38:45] If you're watching this video on YouTube and also I know you can leave comments now if you're listening to this episode on Spotify.

[00:38:54] All right.

[00:38:54] So I want to thank you so much for spending this time with me and I'll check in with you again really soon.