I attended the Sabika Sale earlier this summer in Pittsburgh. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Sabika, it is a jewelry home party based business. I have to preface my review by saying I am not a huge Sabika lover. I do tend to like their classics line more than some of their other pieces. I went to the sale with an open mind, figuring what could it hurt. I’ve been to similar sales for other brands and some have been great and some have been ridiculously overcrowded. I thought if it was really crazy, I would just leave since the sale location was close to my house (versus some others where I have driven several hours and felt more invested in staying).
I arrived at the sale location about 20-30 minutes early to check in. It was not completely clear where to check in and I just kind of stood in a line hoping it was correct. I did note several people who just walked up to the desk and ignored the line. It was a little confusing and I heard many people asking where they should be checking in. I got to the front and thankfully it was the right line and I checked in with no problems.
There was already a line to get into the sale made up of people who (like me) had paid $5 to have a guaranteed entry at a certain time. I was surprised by the number of people already in line, but it wasn’t an insane line. I figured, so far, so good.
I chatted with the person in front of me in line, who was a veteran. She told me to be prepared for madness and to just grab anything I saw and figure it out later. I thought, “Hmmm, what am I getting myself into?”
We all waited in line until the exact moment the sale was to start and they opened the doors to let us in. This is a plus in my book. I absolutely hate when they make you wait longer to start the sales. Each person was given a plastic basket to put their jewelry in and make it easier to carry around to different tables. They do not allow you to take photos of the actual sale, so I unfortunately don’t have any to share.
The room is set up with tables around the perimeter of half of a ballroom. Each table has jewelry lying on the table in it’s plastic wrapper with pricing. It’s all kind of jumbled together on the table, with some pieces in baskets/bowls, but mainly all just laying there. There were a few round tables in the middle with the same set up.
Instead of making my way from the door to the last table, I decided to go to the last one and work my way backwards figuring most people would do the opposite. Apparently tables were set up by color, but I have to say, that wasn’t really evident. I personally didn’t see much organization of where things are, but I am sure it was apparent to Sabika lovers.
The prices were about half retail (I would guesstimate). I tried to check prices before putting things into my basket. Some things were in the $20-25 range and others were $90ish. I wasn’t willing to pay the $90ish prices unless I fell in love, so I was probably more particular than most of the attendees. Sabika is moderately expensive, so depending on what you were looking for, it could be a real bargain at $90.
I was most interested in finding bracelets and they were very few and far between. I saw a few stretch bracelets and that was it. Lots of earrings, lots of necklaces available though.
There was some questionable grabbing and stepping in front of people going on, but not anything crazy, just your basic rudeness. It did get very annoying after awhile, so I decided to take a seat and try on some of my selections before purchasing.
There were many tables set up with mirrors and chairs to allow you to see your jewelry on before making a decision. There were also trays on each table for you to return your unwanted items. Sabika reps circulated through the area and would return the items to the tables periodically. Many people also hovered over you while you were trying your stuff on, waiting to see if you were going to keep it or not. This was extremely annoying. I really felt like I was being hounded by vultures. I totally get why people do it, but it’s definitely not my favorite!
I took some time trying things on and confirming prices. I was entertained by a mother/daughter duo across from me who were modeling things for each other. The mom’s comments were killing me!
I ended up finding a Breast Cancer pink heart necklace which I did buy, as I had admired it a long time ago, along with the matching pink earrings.
I also found a long chain with some interesting colored pieces on it, that I have worn twice already. I don’t know it’s official name so if you are a Sabika junkie and know it, please let me know. I really like this necklace and it has become a favorite already.
Overall, I was pleased with my purchases, but I don’t think I would go again. I truly felt that there were people who attended just to find specific pieces to sell online and grabbed up all the premium items as soon as the doors opened. I did see reps searching for specific items for their customers, which is understandable, but gave me a bit of a bad feeling. There were signs up about limits on certain items, bracelets in particular, but again I never even saw any bracelets. It’s America, and people can do whatever they want at a sale, but it wasn’t a feeling I would be willing to pay for again.
I would think your success rate at the sale would depend on how early you get to the sale (or late) and how “into” Sabika you are. I chatted with one of the circulating reps and she said if you can’t make it early, go late as people tend to return things to the trays last minute and all of a sudden you can find many great pieces at the end of the sale. I had another engagement and couldn’t stay to the end, but that sounded like a great strategy to me.
My advice would be, if you love all things Sabika, this is a must do. There is a ton of jewelry, but it might be impossible to find something specific. If you are kind of “meh” about Sabika, then I wouldn’t put it on my list of to do’s.
Are you a Sabika lover? Did you attend the Sabika Sale? What were your thoughts?
