the cost of crafting...

i was just reading some very interesting articles this morning and wanted to take a minute to share them with my fellow artists/crafters/etsians and friends...

i for one know that every time i list a new item on etsy, the part that takes me the most time is figuring out the cost at which to sell it. you have to take into account what you pay for materials, the time it takes to make it, somehow put a value on your creativity, then also the things that most buyers don't think about like, cost of promoting and advertising, and cost of living because for me this isn't a hobby, it's my full time job, and also what my wholesale cost would be. because my etsy prices are retail i have to leave a little wiggle room to discount for wholesale while still making a profit. on top of all that, you can't help but compare your items to what similar items are going for on etsy. with so many folks using it as a site to just sell the things they make in their spare time, and therefore not looking to make a living wage, it really drives down the price of what a buyer may think handmade goods are really worth.

all of this started with an etsy facebook link. megan auman makes these incredibly cute, impeccably made, eco friendly cozy cuffs. she was lucky enough to get a shout out from etsy on their facebook page, which started quite the conversation about costs. take a second to check it out here!

this then led megan to try and explain her pricing and what exactly goes into the cozy cuff. read her blog article here! she was so good about keeping a cool head in her explanation. i know that if i read all the things that people posted on that facebook link about overcharging and other nonsense, i might not be so kind. kudos to you megan!

she then wrote another article here! this goes into the topic a bit more, stating that many etsy buyers, for the most part, are driven solely by price and then poses the question, what is the artist who is looking to make a living here to do?

i'm not sure what the answer to this is. i believe that if you have a well made product that you're passionate about, you won't feel the need to compete with the undersellers. that will come across in your product and the buyers who understand that will be loyal. that is my hope at least, i think megans too. as you can see on her etsy page, she's found many buyers who do understand the value of her work. the items in my shop are not at a very high price point and even i have had buyers asking me to give them a deal. it's tempting to do so just to make a sale, but those are not the buyers that i'm interested in marketing to. i want someone who understands the value of handmade and is willing to support it, not take advantage of it.

i'm sure many other sellers have their own thoughts and opinions on the matter and i would love to here more about it. feel free to leave comments or links to other articles on the subject...

here's one book i know i'll be looking into...

thanks!