Crystals have become the popular metaphysical item where people are told you would achieve enlightenment and peace within your surroundings.
It’s also a great piece of aesthetic to have in your home.
TikTok Shop, has become the new “QVC” if you will for anyone who’s like me, reaching a wider audience to sell their products. This is a great concept for small businesses who do not have a budget for marketing and advertising.
In the scope or “pyramid” of a business model, on each tier, there’s a budget for each part of the business.
Some of these will include buying the products for the consumer which is considered a wholesale market. For those who shopped in house, back in the day, if you did not have some form of identification, which includes an EIN number or some other form showing the status of your corporation set up, you were not allowed to enter the store. People who shop wholesale, depending on what they are purchasing, buy in bulk with the intent to sell retail.
Some wholesale establishments allow free reign of how much you can spend, while others can be restrictive, only allowing a minimum dollar amount to spend. So, if the restrictions are a minimum of $300, you can’t spend less than that. What wholesalers bring are the large quantities of products for the business who doesn’t have access to that type of wholesale to be able to make purchases to sell retail.
Wholesalers do not impose to independent resellers what they should price their retail products; however, they so offer an MSRP which stands for “Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price”.
Ultimately, the reseller/retailer are the ones who will determine their prices.
How resellers base their decision in pricing their products at retail value will include some of the following factors:
the reseller has a physical location
lease or rental expenses
any technical and hardware equipment
employees
Insurance and/or health insurance
Other expense factors that may not be included on this list, i.e. extra storage expense, household needs such as cleaning products, supplies, etc.
Due to these expenses, prices may be a bit higher than a person who runs their business from home. This doesn’t mean the person working from home has less value in retail, it just simply means the small business owner has a preference for working from home as opposed to having the responsibility of running a physical location.
People who work from home can or may have considerably less expenses, and because of that, they can either buy more products or save that extra cash to either set up a shop through a physical marketplace, like a flea market or a popup shop, which are seasonal shops, normally set up by the cities within the states they live.
This is viable for someone who may not be interested in managing a location and/or hiring employees, however, gaining exposure to the public of their stores by participating within the marketplace. In turn, they are also helping the city by hiring day workers, if needed to run the booth. This also gets people to come out and support the marketplace, with purchases and of course food purchases.
Pop up shops and marketplaces are a great way for small business owners to sell their products through a marketplace to people coming in to buy new products things without having to wait or pay for shipping.
With all this in mind and understanding a bit of the business concept, we have TikTok Shop.
A great way to sell your products from home, answer questions directly to those who join your live and be able to make sales on the spot.
There’s just one problem.
Scams.
Unlike QVC, HSN and other online live shopping, there are people on TikTok who abuse their customers by overpricing their own products, taking advantage of consumers who may not be familiar with prices on crystals.
I have passed many of creators, right here in Arizona who have priced their crystals extremely high to unsuspecting TikTokers who are young and inexperienced when it comes to the retail value of crystals and polished stones.
In the world of the metaphysical, we all want that piece of lovely stone to grace our lives with peace and serenity. But if you see that one crystal you must have, valued at $600 and when it arrives, it’s nothing what you expected, and probably not even worth $10, the disappointment you feel is an understatement because why would someone in this “spiritual world” rip you off.
Fake tarot readers do it all the time. So, it should not be a surprise if a person selling crystals rips you off for the sake of a dollar and throw their ethics out the window.
My viewpoint, and this is my own perspective, people like this, view TikTok as a group of vulnerable individuals they can prey on, jack up their prices so they can make a sale. They don’t care if you will come back or not to make a second sale, all they care about is bilking you as much as they can.
And don’t think they don’t come with help. First off, there aren’t a lot of people on their lives, since the chat is slow going.
And if you’re reading the fine lines, watch the one person or two who’s sitting there advocating for the store and how much they love the last crystal they purchased, and the prices aren’t ridiculous.
I asked one such person how much she knew about crystals being she had no problem spending $400 or better and I didn’t get a response.
If anyone remembers the game, three card monty, (I grew up in the Bronx, so Fordham Road was filled with them), think about the person who was always winning. That $10 or $20 going back and forth, was only because the winner and the dealer were in it together and waiting for an unsuspecting person to make a bet, guaranteed to lose so the dealer and the “customer” can walk away with your money.
It's sad we live in times where people will use almost anything to scam people and make their bank accounts larger while leaving you with nothing.
Keep in mind, people who are selling on TikTok aren’t always practicing business ethic and some may not be educated in business 101 or have the licenses to sell certain products.
That’s like a person who says they are a therapist but have no license or education to back that up. You cannot say you are a doctor of any kind unless you have the education and the license to practice. Saying you are licensed for a specific profession, when you are not, is a crime.
Always refer to your gut and also do research on certain crystals you are interested in and make sure they work with the intentions you are looking for.
All in all, crystals benefit your wellbeing, if you allow them to.
You can visit the Enchantment Box Shop | Servboxx for the best box that serves your needs.
I am also available to answer additional questions with regards to crystals and which one can work best for you and reach me directly on my site, marabelleblue.com - if you are looking for a custom box.
Know any purchase you make on Servboxx will be the best investment you will make for your personal wellbeing.
Stay well and remain vigilant!