A Rant: Etsy Economical?
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore Etsy, and I understand that Handmade objects tend to carry a higher price because you are paying for skill and time. However with out drawing attention to any particular seller or item, I have to wonder if there is really value for money.
As someone who hopes one day to proudly open an Etsy store and display my items, the price of things is rather of importance to me. I think everyone wants to recoup the price of their materials and if you are serious about profit put a price tag on your labour.
No one wants to be undervalued, I understand that but I also believe and maybe this makes me silly that as a person who has a steady job, I don't want to make a living from my crafting; I want that gratifying feeling of sharing my work and having it honestly enjoyed.
Surely there is some medium between making money and giving your customer a true value for their money? I can understand that as a designer who perhaps went to school to get to your current level of design acumen you believe that it is time to recoup the cost of your tuition and I am sure that there are lots of people out there who can very well afford a 340 dollar pair of shoes or a scarf for 120 dollars. However, my feeling is that craft is for the people, the everyday person who saved and wants to buy something nice that will last.
Now there are lots of things on Etsy that you can find to get a good deal.. not everything but some things and finding them may be a challenge but it feels good to support artists with sensible prices and a great attitude.
I'm not knocking anyone, but that's just my opinion.
As someone who hopes one day to proudly open an Etsy store and display my items, the price of things is rather of importance to me. I think everyone wants to recoup the price of their materials and if you are serious about profit put a price tag on your labour.
No one wants to be undervalued, I understand that but I also believe and maybe this makes me silly that as a person who has a steady job, I don't want to make a living from my crafting; I want that gratifying feeling of sharing my work and having it honestly enjoyed.
Surely there is some medium between making money and giving your customer a true value for their money? I can understand that as a designer who perhaps went to school to get to your current level of design acumen you believe that it is time to recoup the cost of your tuition and I am sure that there are lots of people out there who can very well afford a 340 dollar pair of shoes or a scarf for 120 dollars. However, my feeling is that craft is for the people, the everyday person who saved and wants to buy something nice that will last.
Now there are lots of things on Etsy that you can find to get a good deal.. not everything but some things and finding them may be a challenge but it feels good to support artists with sensible prices and a great attitude.
I'm not knocking anyone, but that's just my opinion.
Good thoughts there. But it's also good to remember that those high priced items may or may not actually be selling. They may be making a point, but not an income!
ReplyDeleteI am a fine/mixed media artist, and put a fair price on my artworks, including barter, where I explain the dollar sale price and the other person sees where that fits into their service or materials charges, etc. But my prices are reasonable, the kind of thing that people can actually buy if they love the piece.
I've been known to let people have artworks on easy terms -- payments over time! because if they want the work, they need it.
My crafted items, that is, the useful sorts of things, I typically give away as gifts or to use as fundraisers. but my fiberwork wallhangings and tapestries I don't give away, since they are serious artworks with a serious commitment of time and focus on my part.
So them's my 2c!
And, I love this blog! very very interesting stuff every time I dip into it.
Thanks very much for your comment which was interesting and very topical. I think everyone needs to make a determination of what they consider a fair price as a seller. As a consumer I will pay what an item is worth, and some-things are simply expensive no question and often, very worth it.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see one of your tapestries some day!