Premier Jewelry vs Cookie Lee?

[robynec]

Originally Posted by liz.jewels

Yes, it does. A few things:

Silpada is handcrafted jewelry made with sterling silver and natural stones. It is more expensive than costume jewelry because it is not plated or dipped. Most of my customers are willing to pay a bit more for a piece of jewelry if it is made with sterling silver. I do know reps that have been very successful even in places like Michigan, which are very economically depressed, because people spending money want to get good value. (And, women hosting parties want free jewelry!)

The price point for Stella and Dot and Premier is, in my experience, pretty similar. Both lines are costume jewelry (S&D has a few sterling pieces, but not many), so they are great for adding an inexpensive piece of jewelry to your wardrobe each season, not expecting to wear it much beyond that.

I have some Premier from before I became a Silpada rep, and it was my opinion that, while I liked the funky styles, most of it looked cheap. I also had the plating wear off of a necklace I wore frequently. I have a nickel allergy, so there were pieces in their line that I liked, but that I couldn't wear because nickel is one of the metals they use.

I am not personally familiar with Cookie Lee's line, but if you are looking for something with a lower price point than Silpada and Stella and Dot, why not look at companies like Just Jewelry, where the jewelry is costume, but the price point is very low?

Liz I'd just like to mention that there is not 1 piece of jewelry over $47.00 in our Current Spring/Summer catalog. To me that is pretty affordable as well.

[liz.jewels]

Originally Posted by gajewelrylady

When "crunching" the numbers on potential commission, be sure you take into account any costs that you must cover out of your commission as the consultant. Typically any company that promotes a commission of 50% passes on at least some, if not all, of the costs for their hostess program to the consultant and that makes your net commission much lower. Also, ask if you commission is paid on full price or wholesale and if you get paid on any half price or hostess purchases.

I would also recommend looking at the average party sales of each company and calculating how long it will take you to make your investment back because you aren't making money until you've accomplished that. You'll also want to take into account the normal expenses of doing business such as catalogs, order forms, etc. Another important thing to consider is whether you can accept credit cards for payment and who incurs that cost, as well as a website for your business.

These are great points. The average sales from a typical party plan company are $450 per party. The company I represent has a national average of $1000. You can see that if two companies pay the same commission, the one with the higher national average will result in more income for you.

Then you need to consider quarterly minimums, hostess reward costs, supply costs (and how frequently they change), how much of the line is retired annually, whether the company discounts pieces on its corporate website, etc. All of those things influence your costs and can have a big impact on your bottom line.

[jandamom]

Liz and Harriett make some great points in this thread. The only thing "crucial" is being able to actually make some money selling jewelry.