What are job-lot beads?
The term “job lot” is fairly well known, but I’ll define it anyway. Job-lot goods are goods which could not be sold through regular retail channels, either because the manufacturer made more than it could sell, the goods had defects, or the goods simply didn’t sell well. Job-lot goods can also come from retailers or wholesalers who are going out of business. By definition, job-lot goods are not the most desirable items. Job-lot beads are usually plain, unattractive or defective. However, I have found some gems among job-lot beads, and in late 2004 I started to carry them. The savings that I get from buying job-lot beads are not huge, somewhere between 30% to 50% off the normal wholesale price. Because of the weak dollar, the cost of Czech beads is going up, and this is true for job-lot beads also. I am able to pass some of the savings on to my customers, but I still have to count them and package them like other beads, so the discounts aren’t dramatic. As a matter of fact, whereas norm
