Your Turn / Comments
I'm primarily a fused glass artist making functional art work.Jewelry is only a side line - so my comments may not be as important to you as a full blown bead fanatic. I used to buy a lot of beads but have since changed my artwork.
Curious
I'm just finishing up an online shopping cart for Beyond Beadery - due out in a couple weeks. I find I return time and again to sites that offer a wide "depth" (as you call it) of certain types of beads. For instance, I shop Caravan because th
good luck with your endeavor
I still do no direct web buying - worried about secure servers. I will do a paper order from a web site, all other things being equal. I use a web site mainly for a "quick look" to see whether a supplier is worth investigating in detail
I buy beads to resell as well as to use in my own creations. I have a small gift/craft shop in a small town. Please send survey results to email below. Thanks. This survey is a very good idea.
Good luck with your venture!
I'd like to see the results, be on any list that you might send out to. Good luck!
It would be nice to be able to trade and get patterns from other beaders willing to share
Good survey. The market resarch part of the business plan is the reason why I did not go further with my plan. Your survey has given me hope that I can create one of my own.
I would rather see a store specialize in a generall type of bead (such as "best quality seeds" in a variety of colors and sizes. Stores with just a tiny bit of a huge variety seldom have what I want. Quality counts!
Most important things left out were: Manufacturer's color numbers used Japanese beads carried delicas, Matsunos 11s 14s, Tohos Czech seed beads "just say no" Good selection of crystal beads in a wide range of colors Visible prices and bags to label and put the stuff in.
Please send a catalog (yes, a snail-mail catalog) if you have one available.
are you going to post the results?
I'm not really sure why I am responding, since I potentially would be in competition with you, but you're just starting out and I've been doing this for 20 years. I didn't put down purchasing sources though, have to be some things that you have to work for :-)) Good luck with your enterprise.
What a fun survey!
Could you send me info on the magazines that are list above?
My biggest pet peeve about the bead insdustry is that there are no standards across the board! One company's tube of beads is 2-inches long while another's is 6-inches! Or a trim bead will be calle one thing at one place and something else a
It would be beneficial to have different types of seeds, manufacturers, sizes and colors. When I see a site has a range of seeds, most of the time it's a wonderful company. BULK PACK AGES!!! Cannot stress this enough... I do not use 5 grams of Delicas at a time... or seeds for that matter. I LOVE out on a whim because Beki sells seeds by the OUNCE! I don't recommend going into beads and findings. only having a small selection of each is a disservice to each of these fields. specialize in ONE field, and offer referrals for the other. Try to offer incentives for shopping with you. Buy a bag of seeds, get the other half off kind of deal. Also, offer TONS of books. Usually, if you have lots of books other stores don't have, you build a small niche.
Live in a small, isolated mountain community. Travel is difficult, especially in winter (it snows...a lot)so doing shows off the Hill is neither practical nor economical. Internet is my best chance for exposing my work. Unfortunately, most people, who are not themselves beaders, have absolutely no idea how expensive and labor intensive beading is and are unwilling to pay a fair price. Tough way to make a living, no matter how good you are!
I make pony beaded projects for local fundraisers. I invest alot of money in beads and hooks and keyrings..I don't see any money from the fundraisers because it is on donation only. The free beads you are offering would be an extreme help to me. Thank you
Since you now have experience on creating a survey it might do you some good to do a survey on the kind of products that people want to buy.
Love beads would like a local store, beading group, etc.
If I can't tell exactly what it looks like, I won't buy it even if it appears to be a good buy. This goes for both a printed catalog and a website. Good luck with your venture.
Hi Jerry, As an Orlando resident, I look forward to having another local bead store choice. IMHO, having a broad inventory level is more important than inventory depth. If a buyer is looking for a large quantity of an item, you could order it for them. In addition, many hobbyists-to-profesionals will mail order to take advantage of price discounts on large single item purchases. Good luck in your venture. C.
Being an overseas purchaser, I'd be very interested in a site that provided clear pics of product, reasonable prices and reliable delivery times.
Interesting idea for obtaining information for a business plan. I hope you wouldn't mind if I used it some day to gather information for my bead business.
As a hobbyist - of course i seek out places that cater, at least in part, to the amateur. It is hard in certain areas of the country to find good bead shops, and hence - in my situation - I have sought online sources. However, many web sites don't show the product, or if they do, not in any detail. Why buy if you don't know what you're buying? I love the way Eclectic Etc. run their business. That includes their web page set up, complete with ideas, their prices, the ease of ordering, the product selection and quality. They make it easy to buy, they ship quickly, and they generously make each order important.
Like to buy at shows where I can see what I'm getting. Glad this survey and your research are providing you with good information. Thanks for sharing. Enjoyed your "rant" on bead.rec newsgroup. Good Luck.
I would love a local bead store. Only buy what I can see and feel.
I am not typical and do not conform well. Most of my sales are pieces I create from my own pattern and are sold locaLLY to previous buyers.I have many repeat buyers who are ready to buy before I am done with the next piece. I also do commissioned work.
There is a large number of male beaders who specialize in american indian beadwork items and techniques. They are very selctive and want hard to find beads such as old time colors in 13/0 and 16/0 sizes. These beads are being reproduced..
I am just beginning to try and sell this year. I am also just beginning to set up a website for my work. Please let me know if I can be of further help with surveys, etc.
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