Sad about Etsy

[badrhinogillett]

I was just on Etsy looking at an adorable graph pattern that I may buy (because I evidently don't think I have enough WIM's). I then started looking at all the beautiful items people have crocheted and are selling.

 

I got very very sad.

 

I saw beautiful baby ghans that were being sold for $15-$20. I saw wonderful afghans for adults being sold under $50.

 

I don't sell my work - so this isnt' that I'm being undersold. I just am seeing so many people think that their art - that took countless hours to make is only worth a few pennies an hour for their time.

 

I wish that people realized that handmade items should be costing MORE than an item you see for sale in the store. Not less.

 

Does anyone else feel this way, or is it just me?

[craziebunny]

It's just a shame that poeple dont get what they have put into there beautiful work!

[SmoothFox]

I hadn't thought about it until you brought it up. Yes it is very sad. So very sad.

 

Donna

[Chiscrochetcrazy]

It really is sad Of course then there are those who sell a kids hat for $30 and those work up very quick :thinkIt's really all about the cute factor

[CroJulee]

I was just on Etsy looking at an adorable graph pattern that I may buy (because I evidently don't think I have enough WIM's). I then started looking at all the beautiful items people have crocheted and are selling.

 

I got very very sad.

 

I saw beautiful baby ghans that were being sold for $15-$20. I saw wonderful afghans for adults being sold under $50.

 

I don't sell my work - so this isnt' that I'm being undersold. I just am seeing so many people think that their art - that took countless hours to make is only worth a few pennies an hour for their time.

 

I wish that people realized that handmade items should be costing MORE than an item you see for sale in the store. Not less.

 

Does anyone else feel this way, or is it just me?

I've noticed the same exact thing and felt the same exact thing. It's so sad. That's just pennies and hour sometimes. Everyonce in a while something in me is like "Just convo them and tell them that there work is beautiful and is worth so much more". But I don't want to come across bossy. So sad!!

 

Julee

[CroJulee]

It really is sad Of course then there are those who sell a kids hat for $30 and those work up very quick :thinkIt's really all about the cute factor

I know. I can make a beanie in an hour and sell them for $10.00 and some people sell the same type of beanie for 20 or 30 dollars. Not complaining. I'm happy with making $9.00 an hour when I sell a beanie.

 

Julee

[DebbyQ]

I think the problem is that most people are not willing to pay what a handmade item is worth, so if they want to sell anything, they have to under price it. Just my two cents!!

 

 

Debby

[e.ldelgado]

I only make things for people I care about. I don't want to put a price on My work. It's worth more than money! I've had people offer to pay for some things and I'll just tell them to buy the yarn. I love to crochet, so I intend to keep it that way. Getting paid for it would make it a job. Doing it because I have to, not because I love to!

[eurolyons]

Well you know what's really sad, having someone charge what a handmade item should be worth and no one BUYING it!!!!!

 

Suppy and demand. It's really tricky to set prices and actually make a sale.

[e.ldelgado]

you are so right my mom bought this 600 dollar table cover *mantel** in mexico and i saw a similar one on the web selling for pennies if you ask me. Crochet is more appreciated in other countries.

[Chiscrochetcrazy]

I only make things for people I care about. I don't want to put a price on My work. It's worth more than money! I've had people offer to pay for some things and I'll just tell them to buy the yarn. I love to crochet, so I intend to keep it that way. Getting paid for it would make it a job. Doing it because I have to, not because I love to!

 

I have trouble selling anything including patterns. I just want to give everything away. People ask me to make things & they'll pay me but I won't let them Not even for shipping & supplies I think it has alot to do with my self esteem thinking things aren't good enough to sell then also I just feel guilty making people I like pay for things. Maybe that's a crocheting thing we love to give Crocheters Rock

[e.ldelgado]

I used to always look on etsy...I don't anymore. The times I have told people to pay for yarn I can count in one hand. Most of the time I give it away, not because the item is "worthless" but because it's worth that smile on the persons face when it's received. Washed and basically dipped in Fabric Softner!!

[peggytoes]

I COMPLETELY AGREE! That is why I stopped selling handmade items

and started selling the patterns. Why pay big bucks for handmade

American items when you can pay pennies for MADE IN CHINA?

Don't know what's wrong with this country but I think we ought to

start SUPPORTING OUR OWN BUSINESSES AND NOT CHINAS!

[mythunderbird]

i too am in agreement but am one of those etsy sellers who has her things underpriced. i tried pricing my items at a decent rate and no one and i mean no one wants to pay the decent price, which is why i only have a few things up there, heck no one even wants to pau a discount on yarn , they simply want it all free. i hate it but what am i suppose to do, even a little money is better than nothing when you need it so bad:(:(

[squirrel]

My mum used to sell her crochet at craft fairs and everything had to be priced to sell, not by the amount of work and effort.

 

"Made in China" is a problem in the UK too.

[crochettreasures]

I think its all in where you sell, who you work with, etc. I only make things for people by word of mouth. Sure I can make a ton of hats and probably sell them for cheap, but I am not a machine

 

I usually don't charge, but many of my friends and coworkers all argue with me and DEMAND that I get paid. So this is usually what I do, if the project is something relatively simple, I just tell them to pay me whatever they feel is appropriate. I have had folks who are particular about what they want and I've actually brought them to the yarn store to pick out their yarns and spend time with them running through patterns. I find that if you can get the buyer involved in the process, it means even more to them when they see the finished piece.

 

In addition, we have a few "high end" art stores in town who let you either rent space or will take items on consignment. I was to embarrassed, or maybe didn't think high enough of my work to place in one of these stores, but one of my friends - the sneaky person they are - did Actually ordered something and then placed it in the consignment shop. A few weeks later she handed me a thank you card. I thought how nice of her - well I opened it and there was a check.

 

In the correct environment, people will pay what the art is worth.

[EEE_mom]

I COMPLETELY AGREE

 

I can't understand how or why some people sell their beautiful things for such little compensation - don't get me wrong...I don't crochet for payment, I crochet because I love it and I find it extremely theraputic.... but when it takes me a few MONTHS on and off to complete an afghan ( as a present) and then see one on etsy that is so obviously more involved than the one I just completed selling for dirt it DOES make me sad - thats why I don't sell blankets - I stick to hats and barrettes - fast and affordable and doesn't strip me of my feeling of satisfaction with the completed project when I don't get what I feel it's worth...

 

I've made several baby blankets for friends that they've requested and offered to pay for and I just can't seem to take their money - i'll take the price of the yarn ( and may actually buy slightly more expensive yarn because of that) but I wouldn't even know HOW to price my time....

[Ninn]

You're not kidding! I was setting up my work for a congo sale and got ripped 8 ways to sunday because the other participants thought my pricing was undercutting them. I had to make it very clear that my prices are lower because I am working in acrylics right now, not wool. When I begin using wool for winter baby items next month, my prices will definitely go up. The way I figure it, the prices I have posted don't really reflect my time yet. I can whip out a soaker in 3 hours, but I used yarn that was given to me and tried out a new pattern. Therefore, it's only $12ppd. See what I mean?

 

Now, when it starts to cost me 40 bux for 4 skeins of wool, you can bet your boots my prices will go up. But, my patterns will have all been tested, my quality will be better and my production time will go down a bit. So, it evens out in the end.

[Crafty_Mel]

I only make things for people I care about. I don't want to put a price on My work. It's worth more than money! I've had people offer to pay for some things and I'll just tell them to buy the yarn. I love to crochet, so I intend to keep it that way. Getting paid for it would make it a job. Doing it because I have to, not because I love to!

 

 

I am totally with you!!!

[Craw]

These are lean times and handmade items with their price tags are a luxury, so yes, most people want them cheap or they simply can't afford them. Personally, I wouldn't bother to try to sell my work at this point if I was looking to make money. It's got nothing to do with China. You gotta have what people need and apparently, people don't *need* handmade items. They need food, gasoline, heating fuel, a roof over their heads... Some people still have money. They would be your target audience for handmade items, not the average Joe.

[mellybelly]

I think people just don't realize how much time and work goes into hand-made items. I remember going to a crafts fair with my mom when I was in high school, and seeing a beautiful afghan for sale along with other things in one particular booth. I was floored at how much they wanted for it - and I mentioned that I thought it was rediculous. My mom has always sewn and crocheted, so she QUICKLY told me that I just didn't realize how expensive the yarn probably was, and how much time and work actually went into it, and how it really wasn't too bad a price. (Of course, when I asked her why she wouldn't buy it, she just smiled and said 'Well I can make one of those myself if I want one )

Now that I've taken up crochet, I can see EXACTLY where she was coming from! Guess I had to 'walk a mile in those shoes' before I understood.

[HollyzHobbyz]

I always think of it as the "Wal Mart mentality". Too many people look just for the lowest price. And I admit, I do much of my shopping at my local Walmart. But, at the same time I have no problem paying for quality. Something I think of as absolutely beautiful are Longaberger baskets. Yes...they're pricey, but look at the work that goes into them. The people who make them are artists! Can't get that at Walmart!

[Evelyn1]

Well you know what's really sad, having someone charge what a handmade item should be worth and no one BUYING it!!!!!

 

Suppy and demand. It's really tricky to set prices and actually make a sale.

 

I only do things for family.. You make something to sell and they will pick it apart, they buy it off the rack and never take a second look and it may be falling apart at the seams.. just my

 

E1

[candycook]

I think people, most of the time, don't realize that when they buy things handmade from an American - they are buying from a free person who prices their stuff according to what a free person needs to earn to survive in America. When they buy things from China, they are buying from slave owners who price their things to make them rich - rather than to provide a decent living to the workers. To me, a "made in china" label basically reads "made with slave labor."

 

Folks just don't get it.

 

Also, some folks under price their items in competition with slave labor.. when, really, they should price their items in competition with other fair trade items and tell folks.. hey, when you buy this, you can rest assured that you're not supporting and encouraging slave labor. What I've seen on sites like Etsy, is people selling stuff like folks already know that buying "Made in China" is exploiting hard working folks. They don't know.. they are blind. You have to tell them.... "Handmade in America means no SLAVE LABOR." It seems to me that many people think that because slavery is outlawed and almost non existant in America, that it no longer exists in other places in the world which is dead wrong. But, nobody comes right out and says, "Hey you, do something about putting an end to slave labor and don't buy stuff with a slave labor label on it. Buy stuff that was made by people you know are not being exploited by the rich or the government.

 

People don't understand the "Buy Handmade Pledge," when they see it on a blog. What comes to mind is a group of folks who are making things and banding together to sell them with a "buy handmade" sticker on their blog. What it should say is "DONT BUY SLAVE LABOR GOODS," because folks cannot read between the lines.. they ignore the gray area.. like many of our husbands, do not expect folks to take a hint or you'll end up disappointed!

 

That's my opinion, anyway.

[Vickietoria]

I think a lot of it has to do with big chains like Wal-Mart, that sell things so cheaply... I mean, when you can walk in, and buy a fleece blanket that has a little bit of an edge on it for about $8, and the cost of 1 yard of that same fleece is about $9 (still at Wal-Mart) not counting the time to put the edging on it, it's just a shame! It's so hard to make any money on crafts, that it's become a challenge to me. I'm going to do a craft fair, and I try to price my items based on a little more than what I think they'll actually sell for. That way, if someone wants to offer me $1 less or something, I will be able to take it and still make money. Things like afghans, that take so many hours to make, I usually only make to have something to catch the eye of the buyer. Then, I try to make things that you wouldn't find at Wal-Mart like cradle purses, or wrist warmers, and even heat wraps. This way, someone might go "Oh! That's unique!" and perhaps buy it.

 

It's aggrivating to live in a small town, and have Wal-Mart put so many small buisnesses out of buisness because of theyir lower prices.

 

On the other hand, sometimes, it's just hard to know how much to price your work. However, when you go to ebay sometimes I see snowflakes or other small items that must have taken a while to make, sold for pennies! It's frustrating... Those people are successful in selling their items, and don't realize that it can sometimes hurt others who are trying to get the item's worth out of the work... Oh well...

Victoria