If you make jewelry, you have lots of it to spare, I bet.  I know when I get into a jewelry making mood, the stuff piles up like crazy around here.  You may have considered selling to family and friends to get rid of some of the excess, but you may be missing out on a fantastic selling opportunity – Etsy.com.

I have been selling on Etsy for several years.  I sell sporadically because I frequently fall in and out of love with making and selling jewelry.  When I do sell there, I really enjoy the process and the extra income it can bring.

Selling on Etsy is ridiculously cheap.  For 20 cents, you can list a single item for four months.  When it sells, you pay a small sales fee of 3.5 percent.  For a $10 item, that means your total cost for listing and selling it on Etsy is $.55.  Listing is very straightforward and easy – you just need some basic information and a good photo of your jewelry.

Of all the markets on Etsy, jewelry is definitely the most saturated.  It can be hard to break into the market, but if you provide quality work and write good descriptions to help people find your jewelry, you can be very successful.  I have made several hundred dollars per month there when I spent some time promoting it.

So if you are drowning in finished jewelry, consider selling the extras on Etsy.  You can make a nice little side income and a way to support your bead spending habits.