The fifth and final (for now) story about traveling to Mexico under "Stories About My Importing Business".
I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't know the first thing about buying jewelry or knowing if it was real. I took a stone and acid test to make sure the jewelry was indeed sterling or .925 (92.5% silver) and hired the guide from the information center to take me to see sterling silver jewelry. He picked me up in his white Volkswagen bug, no air conditioner, none needed really - the weather was crisp and cool. Up and down we traveled through the steep, narrow cobble stone streets.
He took me to silversmiths in small, dark houses with small, old faded wood desks, huge manufacturers that had jewelry so old it didn't look silver and some newer silver jewelry wholesalers with clean, beautiful sterling silver bracelets, wholesale earrings, wholesale silver necklaces and more at good prices. I was in heaven - treasures of silver jewelry everywhere!
I found that the wholesale jewelry was sterling after testing random pieces with my acid test. Mexico has very high standards when it comes to silversmiths producing sterling jewelry. But I also found that the guide was charging me double the going rate and collecting commissions on everything I purchased. And I had grown up on the border of Mexico and the United States! I should have known.
Each supplier that I bought from bagged each piece of jewelry individually so as not to scratch. Then they gathered all my purchases and weighed them all together and charged me for the total weight. They discounted the weight of the plastic bags.
When I returned to the US, I had to weigh every single piece and figure out what it had cost. It was a nightmare sifting through hundreds of pieces. Eventually I asked my suppliers to bill me by style and price so that I could figure out the cost per piece. I still checked the weight and counted but it was so much easier. I didn't have to separate and sort anymore.
For years, I imported Mexican Silver Jewelry from Taxco until I started travling to Asia. I have learned so much about importing and buying sterling silver jewelry after being in the business over fifteen years. If you have any questions, please post them and I will answer them.
If you have any stories on starting your business, please post them. I'd love to hear them. Were you as naive as I was? We all have to learn, don't we?
