SELLING - Specialized Handcrafted Silver BLOG GUEST

A good friend of mine sent a long a very well done blog submission with some photos for you to enjoy! Check it out!

Silver Lotus
Handcrafted Sterling Silver Jewelry and Other Brilliant Buys
http://stores.ebay.com/silver-lotus

While living and working in Kathmandu, Nepal, I fell in love with locally handcrafted silver jewelry. I thought the jewelry was so wonderful that, in the mid-1990s I began a small part-time business exporting it.

Nepali silversmiths are masters of centuries-old techniques who create an incredible range of styles using silver, gold, gems, and other materials. Unlike the workers in factories in most other countries, artisans in Nepal still work with simple hand tools and use the traditional techniques handed down in their families. Much of the jewelry they create is unique, and all of it is distinctive. The raw materials come from all over the world – Kathmandu has been an active trading center since ancient times, when Nepali, Tibetan, and Indian traders traveled throughout the Himalayas and across Asia.

Because of a deteriorating and increasingly dangerous political situation in the once-peaceful Himalayan kingdom, our family decided to return to the USA, and of course I brought back jewelry to sell (and continue to import it from the same people). In Nepal, one of the world’s poorest and least developed countries, eBay was something I was vaguely aware of, but we were lucky to have internet access, let alone the ability to do business on eBay – the infrastructure was not really suitable for running an eBay business. So when I first arrived in the USA, eBay wasn’t even on my radar as a business possibility.

That changed soon enough, and my first auction began on May 13, 2004. I had no feedback and was amazed that anyone would actually buy from me. It turned out that the gemstone in the pin I was selling is not commonly available in the USA, and the buyer happened to be in love with it. I will always remember that first sale, not only because it was the first, but because the buyer went out of her way to send me an email to let me know how much she appreciated the customer service she received. It reinforced everything I’d ever learned about good customer service, and I decided there and then that customer service would be my highest priority as an eBay seller.

Once I saw that I could sell the jewelry on eBay, I decided to add other merchandise. First came Wild Earth products. One job I had while living in Kathmandu was as manager of Wild Earth, a small business that contributes to women's and rural economic development in Nepal. Wild Earth produces handcrafted Himalayan herbal products based on ancient local traditions. I had a role in developing a number of their products and know how good they are; I thought others would enjoy their products too. I sell some of my favorites, including what I believe is the world’s only yak milk soap!
By mid-fall of 2004 I realized it would make a lot of sense to open an eBay store, so I did. I decided that handcrafted jewelry from Nepal would be the core of Silver Lotus, but it would be fun and profitable to add other great finds – what I call brilliant buys – to the mix. I’ve been able to offer good deals on new merchandise such as Swiss watches and designer/brand name handbags, and I always have my eyes open for deals at garage sales, thrift stores, liquidations, and, well, any place that might yield a “brilliant buy” for a customer. Repeat buyers have made it clear to me that they come back not only because of the merchandise and the prices, but because they value a seller who values them. Some lessons take a while to learn on eBay, but the role of great customer service is not one of them!

eBay User ID: the-silver-lotus
Visit my eBay store - Silver Lotus
http://stores.ebay.com/silver-lotus