Once you're bitten by the Etsy/Handmade bug, it can be a lifetime affair. I'd love to hear some stories on how you got turned on to handmade, how you turned others on to it, and how you found it to be successful.
I find that sending people items I know they'll love is effective, or giving handmade gifts as well. Any other ideas to help spread the handmade love this holiday season?
Showing posts with label handmade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label handmade. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
The Handmade Crusade Part 2
Okay everyone, ready for reason #2 to buy handmade? You'll never guess what it is...
AFFORDABILITY. I know. You're thinking- seriously? This one's off her rocker. But it's true. When you buy retail, what happens is that a buyer for a store chain negotiated a discount from the manufacturer for purchasing wholesale. Then they shipped it and packaged it (potentially), and paid people to put it up on shelves and work registers and all that good stuff. So the price you pay only equates to somewhere between 10 & 30% profit in most cases for the store you bought it from. The rest is overhead.
When a crafter sells an item online at a site like Etsy.com, for example, his or her overhead is greatly reduced. You are paying them for the cost of the supplies and the time it took for them to make it, but most crafters end up underpricing work just to sell SOMETHING because some grocery money is better than no grocery money. It doesn't take a lot of looking to find something handmade that's surprisingly affordable.
AFFORDABILITY. I know. You're thinking- seriously? This one's off her rocker. But it's true. When you buy retail, what happens is that a buyer for a store chain negotiated a discount from the manufacturer for purchasing wholesale. Then they shipped it and packaged it (potentially), and paid people to put it up on shelves and work registers and all that good stuff. So the price you pay only equates to somewhere between 10 & 30% profit in most cases for the store you bought it from. The rest is overhead.
When a crafter sells an item online at a site like Etsy.com, for example, his or her overhead is greatly reduced. You are paying them for the cost of the supplies and the time it took for them to make it, but most crafters end up underpricing work just to sell SOMETHING because some grocery money is better than no grocery money. It doesn't take a lot of looking to find something handmade that's surprisingly affordable.
Monday, August 17, 2009
The Handmade Crusade Part 1
Welcome to any new readers who may have found this blog through my Etsy shop. If so, it's preaching to the choir to tell you why buying handmade is great, but that's not the idea. The idea is to tell everyone who isn't buying handmade -yet- why it's awesome. If there's someone you know who seems to be a retail junkie, feel free to share this post with them. Otherwise, for the members of my street team, I have a plan in the works for this holiday season on how we can spread the word. Stay tuned!
Why buy handmade?
Oh, where do I start? There are lots of reasons, but today we're going to focus on one of them-
QUALITY.
Ever watch Antiques Roadshow? Notice how the older something is, the better the quality of the craftsmanship seems to be? Some of the work I see seems near impossible to me, because the skills needed for these crafts have fallen off over the years. That's because as we neared the industrial revolution and the economy changed, it didn't make as much sense- profit-wise- to keep making things by hand. Machine-made is a good idea on some items, like cars. But when was the last time a button fell off of a new garment you bought after just a couple of washings? Or that you ripped a seam by removing a tag? Or that a piece of jewelry just broke, without any stress whatsoever?
Handmade artisans make their goods because they're passionate about it, and almost always, the quality of handmade work is exceptional, especially when compared to assembly line products. Part of the reason for this is that most of the time people who handmake goods also hand-sell those goods. People who buy them often look the maker in the eye, or talk to them directly. They're accountable. And they respect their craft, their work, and their buyers. They aren't going to look you in the eye and take money for a pile of crap. And most crafters give their goods as gifts to family and friends, and they aren't going to give a gift of poor quality. When I make something, I always ask "would I buy this? would I be happy with the quality, the design, the function?"And I don't sell it if the answer to any of those questions is no.
Every dollar I earn is hard for me to get, and money isn't coming easily for most people these days. So when you have the decision to get a $10 shirt at WalMart- or a $10 handprinted garment from a craftsperson through Etsy- go handmade. And support the handmade crusade by telling a friend!
Why buy handmade?
Oh, where do I start? There are lots of reasons, but today we're going to focus on one of them-
QUALITY.
Ever watch Antiques Roadshow? Notice how the older something is, the better the quality of the craftsmanship seems to be? Some of the work I see seems near impossible to me, because the skills needed for these crafts have fallen off over the years. That's because as we neared the industrial revolution and the economy changed, it didn't make as much sense- profit-wise- to keep making things by hand. Machine-made is a good idea on some items, like cars. But when was the last time a button fell off of a new garment you bought after just a couple of washings? Or that you ripped a seam by removing a tag? Or that a piece of jewelry just broke, without any stress whatsoever?
Handmade artisans make their goods because they're passionate about it, and almost always, the quality of handmade work is exceptional, especially when compared to assembly line products. Part of the reason for this is that most of the time people who handmake goods also hand-sell those goods. People who buy them often look the maker in the eye, or talk to them directly. They're accountable. And they respect their craft, their work, and their buyers. They aren't going to look you in the eye and take money for a pile of crap. And most crafters give their goods as gifts to family and friends, and they aren't going to give a gift of poor quality. When I make something, I always ask "would I buy this? would I be happy with the quality, the design, the function?"And I don't sell it if the answer to any of those questions is no.
Every dollar I earn is hard for me to get, and money isn't coming easily for most people these days. So when you have the decision to get a $10 shirt at WalMart- or a $10 handprinted garment from a craftsperson through Etsy- go handmade. And support the handmade crusade by telling a friend!
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