Are you wondering whether it’s a good time to start a crystal shop? You’re in the right place!
Natural crystals, stones, and minerals have been prized for centuries for their beautiful natural forms and colors. Many people believe that crystals have vibrational frequencies that bring balance to your body, mind, and relationships, and clear the effects of negative energies.
Crystals are more popular than ever – especially among people who value them for their aesthetic and metaphysical benefits. These days, you can even find crystals at chains like Marshall’s and HomeGoods.
Although mainstream retailers are getting into the crystal game, there’s still plenty of opportunity for crystal lovers to launch their own thriving online business.
You’re not too late!
You might have heard that this market is too saturated or there’s too much competition for you to succeed.
The data shows this simply isn’t true.
The market for online shopping is projected to grow 12.31% every year until 2024. In 2022, around $600 million more is predicted to be spent on ecommerce than in 2021.
How do we know that some of these additional dollars will be spent at online crystal stores? Let’s look at Google search trends for the United States.
Interest in the search term “healing crystals” has climbed steadily over the past few years. It reached its all time high in 2021.
The amount of money people are spending online is growing, and interest in healing crystals is growing too. As demand for crystals grows, more crystal sellers are entering the market.
New sellers will only stop entering when it stops being profitable – that’s basic economics. And so far, it doesn’t seem like we’ve reached that point.
I started my Etsy shop, Interstellar Crystals, in April 2021. I reached my first 100 sales in just three months. That’s more than one sale every single day!
Today, Interstellar Crystals has served hundreds of customers and generates thousands of dollars in monthly revenue. Here is the exact method that I used to start a crystal shop.
8 key steps to start a crystal shop
1. Define your niche
Don’t fall into the trap of trying to be a one-stop shop for everything and everyone. By specializing in a certain niche, you can directly appeal to customers with specific likes and interests – and start making sales!
Instead of defining your niche by WHAT you sell – first think about WHO you are going to sell to.
2. Find your suppliers
Find two to three suppliers to provide you with high quality items for your store, at a wholesale price that will allow you to make a healthy profit.
Definitely don’t resell crystals that you buy at retail prices. There’s just no room for you to make any money that way.
Not sure where to find wholesale suppliers? Get started with my blog, How to find crystal wholesale suppliers.
3. Know your crystals
It’s super important to research every single type of crystal that you purchase for your inventory. If you don’t know what you’re buying, you could easily end up with fake, mislabeled, or poor quality stock.
4. Order and price your inventory
There are many strategies for pricing crystals. Doing the math is necessary to make sure you are actually making a profit when the crystal sells, and not just breaking even, or even losing money. Learn how to price crystals for profit with my free pricing calculator.
5. Set up your online presence and store
These are some of the most important decisions you’ll make when launching your store. What will you call yourself? Where will you sell? And which social media platforms will you use to promote your brand?
Your shop name
You want to put a lot of thought into your store name. It’s difficult to change your name once your shop has loyal fans and customers.
Your logo
A logo will help you stand out from the crowd. It will appear on your website and social media profiles, and you should incorporate it into any inserts or business cards that you mail with your orders.
Your online selling platform
There are three main ways that online crystal sellers host their stores. Each one has pros and cons. Learn more about these options in my blog, Where are the best places to sell crystals online?
Etsy
Etsy is an online marketplace focused on handmade items, vintage items, and craft supplies. It brings buyers and sellers together on an easy-to-use, trustworthy platform.
Social media
Some crystal sellers choose to sell solely on Instagram or Facebook. You can list items in posts or stories, but the most effective way to sell large volumes of crystals is through live streaming sales.
Your own website
Launching your own website requires technical skills and marketing knowledge. If you choose to go this route, a popular platform for crystal shop websites is Shopify.
Your social media platforms
Even if you don’t sell crystals on social media, your shop should be active on at least one platform to build brand awareness and trust. Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest are popular options.
6. Stock up on packaging materials
Before you start adding listings to your shop, make sure you’re ready to pack and mail your first orders! Here are the key things to have on hand:
- Boxes and/or padded envelopes
- Bubble wrap (save this from your wholesale deliveries)
- Business cards or flyers with your logo (include them with your orders)
- Digital scale
- Packaging material (to fill empty space in your boxes)
- Printer and mailing labels
- Scissors
- Tape
Check out my blog, Supplies that crystal shop owners can’t live without, for more details.
7. Photograph your crystals
You need great pictures to sell crystals online. Good photos will showcase them in a professional and appealing way.
You don’t need to be a pro or invest in expensive equipment to take good product photos. Use natural lighting and a simple background, and make sure your photos clearly show the details, size, and true colors of the crystals.
8. List your crystals
Now you have everything you need to start listing and selling your items! Add plenty of listings to your store – the more items you have for sale, the more chances there are for customers to find and shop with you.
Start your crystal business with confidence
In this 16-page ebook, I share even more details about how to use this framework to grow your online crystal business.
Hi this great to have found such informative sit. Does a crystal reseller need a reseller permit? What about a business license, EIN, any other legal documents to form a business.
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Hi Carol, glad to hear you’re finding my site helpful! It depends on where you’re located. In the US, every state/county/city has different requirements. I’m in California and none of those things are required, you can sell crystals as a sole proprietor. But there are a lot of reasons why it could be beneficial to get a reseller permit, EIN, etc.
For example in CA, with a reseller permit you don’t have to pay sales tax on items for resale (like crystals and packaging). And with an EIN you can purchase from more US-based wholesale suppliers. I suggest researching the rules in your locality, and from there you can decide what the best next steps are.
Hi there!
I’ve gone through every detail that you’ve provided for a crystal business. It was really helpful. Thank you so much.
That’s great, Adil! I’m glad you’re finding these tips useful 🙂