DIY Kits Are a Hit! How Jessica Poundstone creates and sells her line of DIY kits

© by Jessica Poundstone; all rights reserved

If you don’t currently offer a DIY (do-it-yourself) kit for your customers to make their own piece of jewelry, you might want to consider it!

I have been offering a DIY necklace kit for a few months now, and it has not only sold extremely well, but it’s also opened up a whole new market for me: kids!

My jewelry line, Jewelry By Jessica, is made out of polyshrink plastic, which I draw and paint on to make my designs.

For the past couple of years, when my daughter’s friends would come over, I would get out a few sheets of the plastic and help them scribble or draw their own designs to make necklaces or suncatchers.

Eventually I realized that a DIY kit might be a great thing to offer my customers.

I wrote instructions, designed the packaging, figured out which elements I wanted to include, and voila – a DIY shrink plastic necklace kit was born!

I also created two suncatcher kits – one in the shape of circles; the other in the shape of hearts.

I started offering the kits in May of this year, and have already sold more than 50 of them to individuals, and filled several wholesale orders!

My DIY shrink plastic necklace kit has been by far the most popular.

Parents and grandparents are buying them as gifts or party favors for their kids and grandkids; adults are buying them to make pieces for themselves or for friends.

If you’re considering
making a DIY jewelry kit,
you’ll want to:

1. Have a friend read your instructions to make sure they’re clear.

I asked friends who hadn’t worked with shrink plastic before to try out the instructions and give me feedback.

I made changes and updates that improved the instructions based on their experience.

2. Create attractive packaging that’s consistent with your brand.

The packaging on my kits is consistent in design with the tags I use for my necklaces and earrings, ensuring that they look like a natural extension of my jewelry line.

3. Think about how kits might expand your customer base.

For me, DIY kits opened up a new market – parents and grandparents love buying these kits for the kids in their lives.

It’s nice to offer folks who don’t wear jewelry an option for a DIY kit too!

Suncatchers, key fobs and wine glass charm kits are all great options that use jewelry components.

4. Solicit feedback!

I offered the first few customers who purchased my kits 15% off on their next purchase in my shop in exchange for their feedback. This worked out wonderfully for both of us!

I am also offering a discount for folks willing to send in pictures of the pieces they’ve made.

It’s wonderful seeing the result of other people’s creativity, and good for other customers to see the many creative possibilities of the kit.

I hope this has been helpful, and that you will contemplate offering a DIY kit of your own!

Author Jessica Poundstone’s work can be found in her Jewelry by Jessica shop and at her Etsy shop. Jewelry by Jessica is a line of colorful, unique, fun, handmade jewelry drawn and painted by Jessica Poundstone in her Portland, Oregon studio. She also sells her minimalist modern bead earrings and necklaces at her second Etsy shop Modern Beads.