LinkedIn

This is an invitation for those who own and sell their handmade jewelry online and are members at LinkedIn to join a discussion group that I started. If anyone is interested in joining, please send me an email request at service@cinsojewelry.com or find us at the Groups Directory, search keyword is handmade jewelry. Our group is called "Unique Handmade Jewelry."

Hope to see you there~

Selling Sites

I can think of three selling sites that are extremely popular right now. Being extremely popular doesn't necessarily mean that these sites are the best for you to be selling at. One very cute site has nearly 1.3 million jewelry listings. Not unless someone puts in a specific search description of one of your pieces, how do you expect to be found?

I received an invitation to list my items at a site called Main Street Mall Online (MSMO). It seems like a very nice site and at some time I will be looking at this site and others to list items. There's a better chance of being seen at the smaller sites as Main Street has a little over 500 listings for jewelry.

Just be sure that you check these sites out thoroughly for charges, security, etc. Also, be sure that you can cancel your site easily. I also want to point out that MSMO has a free mini-mall. You can list up to ten items for free and with all the regular features of their paid stores.

Until next time~

SALE!

Cin~So is extending our end-of-the-year sale until the end of January 2010 at 25%. I am still recovering from major surgery and hope to add some new items and designs by the middle or end of February, we just need pictures taken.

It's really a hard time right now for business. I even considered closing the website and opening up a storefront at one of the free listing places. In fact, I've had a few invitations and will be posting about those sites for those of you who are interested.

In fact, the day after my last post, I received an offer I couldn't refuse. I was contacted by a small diamond jewelry site in London to advertise on my homepage. Thankfully, they sent me just a small description and Stefanie created a small box for them. They were pleased with it and I was extremely pleased, as the payment will help pay for another year of my shopping cart.

Since this was unexpected, I wasn't sure what to charge. I came across several sites suggesting $10 a month to advertise on a homepage. Well, $10 a month seemed a bit cheap to me. Then I came across a board where a poster said you have to look at your homepage as prime real estate. I worked a deal making a little over $15 a month since this is just a plain text advertisement. Now, if they wanted to put a banner on my homepage, the charge would have been $200 a month (negotiable) ~ I wish...

Also, it's a new year and another quest to find links.

Until next time~

Antiqued Brass Findings

By accident, my daughter found out that some of the finish on brass findings will wash off. One of the major companies that sells antiqued vintage looking brass findings says to care for the brass, wash it in mild soap and water. Well, if you do that expect to see the finish go down the drain. I suppose with time the antiqued look will return, but it was completely unexpected to see how easily it washes off. You'll need to use Renaissance Wax to seal the chains and findings.

I Knew It…

Back in January, I mentioned that the new trends would be copper, brass and gunmetal. I guess I should have also mentioned the “anonymous” base metal. I feel a bit vindicated of sorts because a few weeks ago I received a small catalog in the mail and didn’t get around to really looking at it until this weekend.

Without naming the catalog, I’m sure some of you can guess the company. It’s the one where an actor’s name is connected to it and if you ever order the jewelry you’ll find that it’s extremely small and sometimes not very well made; such as, open jump rings and sloppy wrapping techniques. Also, when you receive the jewelry you’ll first think, I can do better, and you’ve just spent four to five times the true value, let alone paying for the designer’s name.

Anyways, what do I find? Jewelry made with base metals. The down side is that you’ll still spend four to five times (and in some cases 10 times) the true value.

Until next time~

Long Time No See

I would like to announce that Cin~So Jewelry is having a 25% off sale on all jewelry until December 31, 2009. Next year all existing jewelry will be taken off the site and replaced by new designs.

I can’t believe it’s been 10 months since I’ve posted anything. I haven’t forgotten this blog, as I was busy working on finishing Hunter’s blog about canine diabetes and Cushing’s disease. Unfortunately, I met a lot of people whose pets are going through what Hunter suffered with undiagnosed Cushing’s.

First, I want to say that Cin~So’s website has a new look. We’re unveiling it today. My oldest daughter, Stefanie, is the web designer. I loved our old site’s design, but she decided she wanted to change it. Our new design is how Stefanie always wanted the site to look like. It’s gorgeous too, and yes, she’s the boss.

Vivian took the beautiful picture of a cherry blossom branch from our tree.

Jewelry Tools

When I first started making jewelry I purchased a pretty good set of jewelry tools. A few months ago, I finally broke down and purchased a professional set at Rio Grande. I bought the set made by Swanstrom. If you want a set that fits nicely in your hand and isn’t too large, this set is for you.

Sitemap Maker

I had previously recommended a sitemap that was pretty easy to use. However, I ran into a problem and to be honest, it was probably something I did. Whenever I deleted a page, and went to my Google account, it would show that I had errors. I just wasn’t able to remedy the problem. So I went off searching for an even easier sitemap maker and came across http://www.inspyder.com/. Its pretty much idiot proof (and I’m happy for that). So far, I have had no errors. This sitemap is not free.

Until next time~

New Trends – Copper, Brass, Gunmetal

I’m sorry I haven’t posted anything for over a month. Our beloved dog, Hunter, lost his battle with Cushing’s and Diabetes on December 28, 2008. It’s been very hard to be motivated to do anything. Hunter was adored by our family and is extremely missed.

So, as I’m trying to get back into things, I wanted to post about metals. For Cin~So’s creations, I love using silver. I’m attracted to silver more than I am gold. One reason I love using silver than gold, another reason, spiritually speaking, silver is more pure than gold.

However, you have to flow with trends and I see (prediction here) the new trend to be more towards copper, brass and gunmetal. First, they’re more economical and (most importantly) they’re really a good accent against natural gemstones.

For over a month, I’ve been buying copper and brass findings. I say the more unusual the better. I especially love brass findings in art deco themes. Also, gunmetal can give new beads an heirloom look and feel.

Until next time~

Learning Process

If I didn’t say it earlier, this has been a slow learning process. When I installed the sitemeter a few months ago, it was very helpful in learning what countries people came from who found our site. Also helpful were the search word(s) people used to find our site, and which directories they had come from. Traffic more than doubled from a few paid directories which I mentioned earlier.

However, probably one of the most important features of the sitemeter, which I hadn’t thought about until yesterday, is how long people are staying on the site. There have been less people staying on to actually click into the jewelry categories. They were popping in and out.

So, I went back and scrutinized our homepage. The first thing you saw when you entered our site, besides the top border of beautiful flowers, was print. You had to scroll down a little to find the categories and below that were some thumbnails of jewelry. That was the major problem, no jewelry pictures at the top. There was nothing there to capture anyone’s attention and make them want to look for more.

We did a little switchoroo yesterday. We left the top paragraph, moved the index to the left and to the right of that moved the jewelry pictures. We also added a “What’s New” category with a picture. You can also go to the jewelry by clicking onto the pictures. Below that we have a closing sentence.

We have a box below that which contains all the different links, such as customer service, privacy policy, etc. Below that box, we have our jewelry webring, then icons stating we’re registered with child safe surfing sites, and last the three advertisers for paid commission sales. At the very bottom, we have icons for Add This and Sitemeter.

When I checked the traffic on the sitemeter this morning, we had a few more people actually staying on and viewing other pages. That’s what it’s all about. Getting people to stay on your site and view more pages.

Now, all we need is buyers. We’ve had “free shipping” for a few months now and unfortunately no one has taken advantage of that. Also, no one has taken advantage of the payment plan. The “free shipping” will end December 31; however, the payment plan will stay.

Have a great weekend~