I'm another one who's not keen on the homepage - needs some photos so people who click on it know immediately what the site's about.
If you're buying some of your components from HK and China, can you guarantee that they comply with EU regs regarding things like having to be lead and nickel free? If you have public/product liability insurance (which I'd strongly suggest), you may find that buying components from overseas invalidates that cover. And if you can't guarantee the things you use are lead/nickel free, then you shouldn't really be using them as they can cause very nasty allergic reactions in some people, which could lead to legal action if one of your buyers was so inclined.
I also agree with the comments about your prices being too low. I make jewellery for a living, and my first thought when I looked at your stuff is that it's way too cheap, and that in itself will put some people off. You need to approach this more like a business (even if you only want to do it as a hobby), as you do need to ensure that you are charging enough to cover all your materials, packaging, and the time you put into each piece, which I just can't believe you currently are.
And again as others have said previously, i think you need to rethink your free worldwide shipping offer pretty quickly. You could end up losing out massively.
One thing to near in mind, in case you're not aware, is that you MUST be registered with HMRC either as a sole trader/self employed or as a business, even if you consider this just a hobby. Thy won't care about that - as far as they are concerned you're making money out of this, and therefore have to declare it for tax purposes. Failing to register with them can lead to a huge fine. And HMRC are noted for visiting craft fairs and trawling the internet for hobby crafters who think it's OK to sell stuff to make a few extra quid, and then fining them very heavily. Not worth the hassle of worrying about that all the time, in my view.
One other thing, you must include a contact address on your website - must be a physical address, not an email or PO Box - where customers can contact you; failing to provide that means you're not complying with the DIstance Selling Regulations, and could get in bother with Trading Standards. I think you also have to include a phone number. And you need to draw up some T&Cs too, covering things like your returns policy and so on - Trading Standards can help make sure you get it right, as having ones that aren't legally correct is almost worse than having none at all!
Good luck. It's not an easy thing to be doing right now!!
Ok I didn't know any of this apart from being registered as self employed which I am anyway.
I'm not entirely comfortable with putting a phone number and address as they are my personal details as I just sell from home. I have looked for these on other websites and nobody provides it, only proper businesses who have studios where they make their jewellery.
Can you link me to where it says this on TSI as I can't seem to find it.
I'm not sure where it says about providing addresses etc. Maybe it is only if you are a limited company, I have to provide an address on the website but I have a business address which is different from my home address where I make my stuff.
The insurance thing is a good point. If someone hurts themselves (unlikely I know) on your jewellery are you covered? Being a limited company gives you limited liability that's why it is best to go down that route sometimes. Other than that you should take out product insurance.
I also have terms and conditions to further decrease my liability.
I'm just a person at home making stuff but there is such a lot to consider from a legal and liability point of view. Most liability things won't cover things sent abroad either.
I like necklaces with black cord. You should make some pendants out of stones like quartz. I'm sure you could shape the stone around some silver or something.
So I clicked on your site and I'm presented with a bland page of (quite small) text that I had to read to discover it's a jewellery site. I'd suggest you put some examples on the home page and jazz it up a bit. Also you should make the payment method/security stuff more prominent.
I'd also suggest you just remove sold items rather than putting a line through them to suggest you're selling things. They're just taking up real estate that could be advertising new product.
I agree with this, I went on your website and saw something I really liked and then realized it was sold..
What insightful, helpful, constructive criticism! :rolleyes:
Thanks
To be honest though most things have already been said, but if you really want some proper feedback...
One thing that hasn't is that your website is terribly coded. It used archaic table based layout with no consideration whatsoever to semantic markup or accessibility. Your going to have rubbish SEO because this.
This is really just scratching the surface, ideally you would remove all tables and replace with nice semantic valid HTML, but that's probably too much so here's a few quick tips...
Each page should have a unique header in a h1 tag.
All images should have alt tags
The header is a huge image with image maps. You should at least have images for the menu items.
Ok I didn't know any of this apart from being registered as self employed which I am anyway.
I'm not entirely comfortable with putting a phone number and address as they are my personal details as I just sell from home. I have looked for these on other websites and nobody provides it, only proper businesses who have studios where they make their jewellery.
Can you link me to where it says this on TSI as I can't seem to find it.
If a website has no "human" details I would never order from it.
What address can I use though? I really don't feel comfortable putting my personal home address and phone number, it seems like a privacy issue to me. also I rent, and in my old place my contract said I wasn't allowed to run a business from it, not sure about my current contract but would imagine the same applies.
I use paypal cos a) it's such an easy payment method and almost everyone has an account, in fact I believe you don't even need an account to pay via paypal and b) I have no idea how to build an e commerce website and can't afford to have one done properly.
I do want to make earrings but with the materials I use I rarely get two of the same thing to make a matching pair
Will you be making any more of the turquoise pendants?
You need to describe each piece.
That was my first thought - even for only a fiver, I like a little bit more description about an item. (thinking Ring of Roses necklace, which I love) - like what length is the chain? What size is the bale, could I put it on a chain of my own?
Website is too bland, just black and white. You should get a more professional individual design. What makes your brand different from any others? Maybe think of creating some sort of signature style/symbol which can be incorporated into each item
You need to come up with an image/signature for the brand as well e.g sekonda, what would you think of when someone says that, links of london ? Etc (just the first examples I thought of). The image you create should be used to market e.g all over twitter, website etc
I do want to make earrings but with the materials I use I rarely get two of the same thing to make a matching pair
You could make that into a USP - make earrings that are mismatched pairs but loosely connected in some way, e.g. a flower and a leaf, a bird and a twig, an umbrella and a cloud.....the possibilities are endless. I once made pairs made up of one fairy and one toadstool and they sold like hotcakes.
With regard to your upcycled vintage pieces - at the moment all you say about them is that "some stones are missing" - which is a negative! Honesty is all very well but you must balance that with some positives: give it a bit of history - imagined if you don't know the truth - or flowery description, e.g. "this beautiful piece of 50's glamour" or "this was far too pretty to sit languishing at the bottom of my granny's jewel box", something like that.
Otherwise I agree with a lot of the other comments here - your home page needs brightening up, your prices are too low, and including postage gives an aura of desperation. If you don't value your own creations, why should anybody else?
I would also try to steer away from just adding a charm to a chain. Anybody can do that, and it doesn't suggest much time or thought went into the design. In my view the pieces that work best have a bit more than that to them, or are unusual, like the flowery print bird made into a ring, which I've not seen before. Are your rings adjustable? You need to mention that!
I hope you're not offended by any of my comments, it's just that I'm a fellow crafter and I always wish people would give me honest but constructive feedback, not just platitudes of praise, or worse - silence!
If a website has no "human" details I would never order from it.
Yes - and this relates to my first point. Your 'brand' isn't fleshed out enough. Saying you are a 21 year old student from southampton isn't interesting. Saying you are a X who loves Bette Davis, Earl Grey tea and quiffing her hair into a beehive every Thursday night for the Elvis karaoke at the Dog and Duck is.
People buy from people they like - and brands they like.
Who/what are Bijoux Dolly's interests and inspirations. Would Audrey Hepburn wear your stuff or is it more Dita Von Teese? What sort of woman wears Bijoux Dolly's jewellery? What does she like to do? I think you need to sit down and really think about your brand values - this will help you define you, your market and even help you at design stage. Get a load of magazines and get a mood board going. Rip out things that excite you.
At the moment the basics are there but you don't seem to be taking yourself seriously enough. Your brand seems a bit confused and this is reflected in the jewellery. I love some of the rings but, as other posters have suggested, your other stuff is too generic and could come from anywhere on the high street. Likewise there is such a thing as 'reassuringly expensive'. It's all too cheap and having stuff there that has a few stones missing immediately puts doubt in me as to the quality of your other jewellery. I'm sure this is unjustified but it's how consumers think.
On the plus side I think some of your stuff is great, you have the foundations of a great site, I love the name and you take paypal. I LOVE the offer of a bespoke service - excellent. There's lots of other stuff I could write but I fear I'm going on - in essence take your brand seriously and redefine who you are.
Somebody said that your jewellery isn't 'in fashion' at the moment but I definitely think it is. All of the pieces are unique which people love. I would say your pieces appeal to those who are willing to pay a bit more for nice jewellery, rather than those that buy from cheaper high street shops, so you can definatley afford to put your prices up. I would add a minimum of £5 to your current prices and as others have said, add more information about each of the items eg. sizing, close up photos, materials.
I think most of my feedback has already been offered by others. However, the main thing that I feel is missing is more of an item description.
For things like bracelets and necklaces, I would like to see sizing details before buying any jewellery online. Not everyone has the same size wrist or neck and I'd want to know the items that I am buying will fit me before I part with my cash.
I also agree with others about taking off the sold items. There's nothing worse than having an item catch your eye when you flick over to the page; only to find out it's already been sold.
Hi Malibu, I agree with pretty much all the feedback about the website so no point repeating it.
I know you think the website design is not the reason for poor sales but it absolutely is - You need a total redesign - also a close up image and full description of each item (like Ruby's glamsticks) is vital.
Your stuff looks nice, and I'm another one who particularly likes the turquoise pendant
I agree with the person a few pages back who suggested moving the pieces with missing stones/broken etc, to a different section maybe? That might put me off a bit as well, thinking that maybe the jewellery is easily breakable...
If you have a livejournal I would consider advertising on http://thriftstoreuk.livejournal.com/. They have a few people there who sell homemade jewellery as far as I remember Good luck x
I haven't read all the thread, but have you tried doing a shop on Etsy? http://www.etsy.com/
That's where I go if I am looking for handmade/something different
Comments
I'm not entirely comfortable with putting a phone number and address as they are my personal details as I just sell from home. I have looked for these on other websites and nobody provides it, only proper businesses who have studios where they make their jewellery.
Can you link me to where it says this on TSI as I can't seem to find it.
Rubbish website. Make it better, especially the home page.
The insurance thing is a good point. If someone hurts themselves (unlikely I know) on your jewellery are you covered? Being a limited company gives you limited liability that's why it is best to go down that route sometimes. Other than that you should take out product insurance.
I also have terms and conditions to further decrease my liability.
I'm just a person at home making stuff but there is such a lot to consider from a legal and liability point of view. Most liability things won't cover things sent abroad either.
I struggle with it myself...
What insightful, helpful, constructive criticism! :rolleyes:
Thanks
To be honest though most things have already been said, but if you really want some proper feedback...
One thing that hasn't is that your website is terribly coded. It used archaic table based layout with no consideration whatsoever to semantic markup or accessibility. Your going to have rubbish SEO because this.
This is really just scratching the surface, ideally you would remove all tables and replace with nice semantic valid HTML, but that's probably too much so here's a few quick tips...
Each page should have a unique header in a h1 tag.
All images should have alt tags
The header is a huge image with image maps. You should at least have images for the menu items.
If a website has no "human" details I would never order from it.
This, absolutely the first most golden rule of buying on the web!
LOL, didn't mean to have a pop at your post, but the advice to simply 'make it better' did made me laugh!
I do want to make earrings but with the materials I use I rarely get two of the same thing to make a matching pair
That was my first thought - even for only a fiver, I like a little bit more description about an item. (thinking Ring of Roses necklace, which I love) - like what length is the chain? What size is the bale, could I put it on a chain of my own?
Thanks for this. I've got a whole list of things to do from this thread so gonna sort all that out tomorrow
Thanks everyone
You need to come up with an image/signature for the brand as well e.g sekonda, what would you think of when someone says that, links of london ? Etc (just the first examples I thought of). The image you create should be used to market e.g all over twitter, website etc
You could make that into a USP - make earrings that are mismatched pairs but loosely connected in some way, e.g. a flower and a leaf, a bird and a twig, an umbrella and a cloud.....the possibilities are endless. I once made pairs made up of one fairy and one toadstool and they sold like hotcakes.
With regard to your upcycled vintage pieces - at the moment all you say about them is that "some stones are missing" - which is a negative! Honesty is all very well but you must balance that with some positives: give it a bit of history - imagined if you don't know the truth - or flowery description, e.g. "this beautiful piece of 50's glamour" or "this was far too pretty to sit languishing at the bottom of my granny's jewel box", something like that.
Otherwise I agree with a lot of the other comments here - your home page needs brightening up, your prices are too low, and including postage gives an aura of desperation. If you don't value your own creations, why should anybody else?
I would also try to steer away from just adding a charm to a chain. Anybody can do that, and it doesn't suggest much time or thought went into the design. In my view the pieces that work best have a bit more than that to them, or are unusual, like the flowery print bird made into a ring, which I've not seen before. Are your rings adjustable? You need to mention that!
I hope you're not offended by any of my comments, it's just that I'm a fellow crafter and I always wish people would give me honest but constructive feedback, not just platitudes of praise, or worse - silence!
Yes - and this relates to my first point. Your 'brand' isn't fleshed out enough. Saying you are a 21 year old student from southampton isn't interesting. Saying you are a X who loves Bette Davis, Earl Grey tea and quiffing her hair into a beehive every Thursday night for the Elvis karaoke at the Dog and Duck is.
People buy from people they like - and brands they like.
Who/what are Bijoux Dolly's interests and inspirations. Would Audrey Hepburn wear your stuff or is it more Dita Von Teese? What sort of woman wears Bijoux Dolly's jewellery? What does she like to do? I think you need to sit down and really think about your brand values - this will help you define you, your market and even help you at design stage. Get a load of magazines and get a mood board going. Rip out things that excite you.
At the moment the basics are there but you don't seem to be taking yourself seriously enough. Your brand seems a bit confused and this is reflected in the jewellery. I love some of the rings but, as other posters have suggested, your other stuff is too generic and could come from anywhere on the high street. Likewise there is such a thing as 'reassuringly expensive'. It's all too cheap and having stuff there that has a few stones missing immediately puts doubt in me as to the quality of your other jewellery. I'm sure this is unjustified but it's how consumers think.
On the plus side I think some of your stuff is great, you have the foundations of a great site, I love the name and you take paypal. I LOVE the offer of a bespoke service - excellent. There's lots of other stuff I could write but I fear I'm going on - in essence take your brand seriously and redefine who you are.
For things like bracelets and necklaces, I would like to see sizing details before buying any jewellery online. Not everyone has the same size wrist or neck and I'd want to know the items that I am buying will fit me before I part with my cash.
I also agree with others about taking off the sold items. There's nothing worse than having an item catch your eye when you flick over to the page; only to find out it's already been sold.
I know you think the website design is not the reason for poor sales but it absolutely is - You need a total redesign - also a close up image and full description of each item (like Ruby's glamsticks) is vital.
Best of luck
I agree with the person a few pages back who suggested moving the pieces with missing stones/broken etc, to a different section maybe? That might put me off a bit as well, thinking that maybe the jewellery is easily breakable...
If you have a livejournal I would consider advertising on http://thriftstoreuk.livejournal.com/. They have a few people there who sell homemade jewellery as far as I remember
http://www.etsy.com/
That's where I go if I am looking for handmade/something different