The Price of Handmade

Last week, a fascinating conversation about Etsy, the price of handmade, and the culture of cheap was taking place over on Crafting an MBA. Before you read this post, I strongly encourage you to go read Megan Auman's thoughtful post: Etsy and the Culture of Cheap, as well as all the comments. I know, there are a lot of them. But trust me, they're well worth the read.

All done?

You'll notice I commented on Megan's original post, so why am I writing this entry? Well, I couldn't get this topic out of my head all week, and I thought it was worth the time to craft a more thoughtful, hopefully more eloquent response to such an important topic. So, here goes.

In my comment, I may have made it sound like artists shouldn't get angry about having to defend their prices. So to be clear, I don't think we should lower our prices to appease the masses. Pricing handmade is a balancing act; you want to pay yourself a fair wage, but you also need customers to purchase your item, or you'll just have a massive amount of stock and no customers. Not the best business model. So we should be thoughtful about our pricing, and re-evaluate it every so often to ensure that we are achieving this balance. Just because we're crafters and our businesses are small doesn't mean we shouldn't be answering the 5 Ws of business like everyone else. It's important to keep asking questions like: Who am I? Why is my work valuable? What do I hope to gain by selling it to others? Who is my customer? Where will I find them? How do I get there?

While performing these periodic evaluations, we also need to be realistic. Just as not everyone can be doctors and lawyers, we can't all be the next Martha Stewart; heck, we probably can't all even quit our day jobs to be full-time crafters, as sad and unfortunate as that might be.

And yes, it's okay to get angry that our culture as a whole still doesn't value handmade, that someone who will shell out $40 for a name-brand t-shirt won't spend the same amount of money for a lovingly handcrafted item. But we need to focus our anger in the right direction. Walmart and Etsy are just small pieces of the overall puzzle. We; that is, Americans and American culture, created these marketplaces, for better or worse. It's fine to get mad that big-box retailers are perpetuating the culture of cheap, but we need to also point that finger back at ourselves. What do we need to change to make big-box retailers irrelevant? Is it possible? How can our society start dismantling this culture of cheap?

For one, we need to reteach and relearn, as a society, the value of handmade. How is this done? By reaching out. By telling our stories. When a customer asks why our prices are so high, we can calmly and kindly explain the work and care that goes into each piece. The hours spent, the quality of the materials used, the special techniques employed.

Yes, it sucks to have to tell this story again and again. Why can't people just "get" it? I think we forget that not everyone had mothers or grandmothers or aunts who crafted. Who sewed us school clothes or knit us afghans or taught us their favorite embroidery technique. When I'm at a craft fair, I can pick up an item and appreciate the time it took the artist to make. I might recognize a technique similar to one I use, or one I've seen my mom use, and I understand why the item is priced as it is. But for a lot of people who don't craft themselves and who didn't grow up surrounded by crafters, all they can see is the difference in price between that cotton tote at Target and the cotton tote at a craft fair.

Because money is personal. People, really nice people, can get awfully judgy awfully fast where their pocketbooks are concerned, especially during a recession. After all, if Connie Customer has a right to know why she's shelling out $1,000 to her mechanic, why doesn't she have the same right when she's buying handmade?

So we must keep telling the story. Only through this type of education and outreach can we start to open eyes. Start to affect change. But it will be slow. It will take time. I think many of us, myself included, become frustrated with the pace of change. This may partly be a bi-product of our instant-gratification culture, but I think it's also partly anticipatory: I thought it, why can't it be true?

But just because we've managed to shift our thinking doesn't mean that others have done so, or that it will come as easily to them as it may have to us. A bitter pill to swallow, I know. Patience is definitely not a virtue of mine, and I once had a mentor tell me that life would be much easier for me if I didn't expect everyone to be at my level. So I'm learning these lessons right along with everyone else. Telling myself to be patient, to keep teaching others. 

We need to shift our thinking from the superficial to the real. What do we value? What is the real cost of our $5 morning coffees or the cute sweater at Banana Republic? What do we want, and what do we need? Where can we trim costs so we have more money to support handmade? What can we get locally? Can we trade goods or services for some of our wants, or even our needs?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this matter. Do you believe the culture of cheap is real? Do you think a societal shift toward valuing artisans and their work is unattainable? How do you balance supporting handmade and putting food on the table?

By engaging in the community and continuing to have these conversations, we can overcome the culture of cheap. It won't be easy, and it won't happen overnight, but I believe we'll get there.

Comments

[Bill Weaver]

Very excellent and timely discussion, and I must say right on. The culture of Cheap took hold a long time ago and we are now seeing the extreme results. Ellen Ruppel Shell's excellent book "Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture" really covers the issue. Also Dan Ariely's book "Predictably Irrational" provides new insights through research he and others conducted at MIT and elsewhere.

After studying this issue for years I think the solution at least for us creatives is a need for a fundamental change both on our part and in our culture. While resolving the problem seems almost like a chicken and egg thing I feel that we as creators need to take a stand and start valuing our work by shifting the focus from the work to us and the value we instill in the work. It won't be easy and it won't likely be short but the shift needs to happen.

A side issue is the democratization of both the production/creation process and the sales process through sites like Etsy. I think in the long run we may find a stratification in the handmade/creative world where the lower price points are covered by entry and or amateur creators and the mid to high price points dedicated to the experienced artists.

Another factor in shifting things is the role experienced skilled and experienced makers can play in educating and mentoring less experienced on the pitfalls of underpricing by helping them learn how to market themselves and not their work.

[Jessica]

Thanks for weighing in, Bill. I haven't seen Dan Ariely's book; I'll have to check that out.

You make an interesting point about the democratization of the production/creation process, and I think as a general rule it's true that newer sellers tend to price lower than more seasoned makers. I know I really struggled with pricing at first, and am still learning how to market myself properly.

There are so many different philosophies about both pricing and marketing in the craft community, and it's hard to know whose advice to listen to. So I definitely agree there's a great opportunity here for the more experienced sellers to mentor and educate the newbies. But it can be tough to connect mentees to willing mentors. . . . Hopefully this is something Etsy will address under its new leadership.

[Christina]

It's funny. I've thought about this same argument as it applies to writing. When new young writers enter the market, they're so willing to do it for cheap to nothing. The value of a good writer seems to have plummeted since I entered the market 10 years ago and I work harder and harder to convince people that they should pay for it.

As it relates to what you do, I think you're absolutly spot on. Being able to get mass produced things so readily and so cheapily is making us lose sight of the care and quality that goes into handmade. I work really hard to limit what I think I need and when I buy home items or gifts, to think about supporting local businesses and people who are doing it themselves. I find that you do have to work at it and you do have to tell others. Conversations like this are part of the education process - so go you for putting so much thought and time into this post! :)

[Jessica]

Thanks, Christina! It's interesting that this affects the writing industry as well. But again, it's a creative process, just like painting, or sewing, or sculpting. It takes time and care to craft a good story.

There's something to be said for "having to work for it," so to speak, when you enter the marketplace with your craft, but there's a fine line between working to get recognized and completely devaluing what you do.

More food for thought. . . .

[Amy]

Excellent post Jessica! I'm not sure if we can move away from the "culture of cheap" and especially not in this downturn or whatever you want to call it. Well, let me rephrase that. I think the overall masses will continue to perpetuate the "cheapness" but I think there is a very strong, albeit small counter culture of people that love handmade items.
Most these people are crafters themselves though - I feel like we just pass stuff back and forth (I love your paintings, he loves my totes, you love his jewelry - let's all trade inventory!).
I'm hoping though more and more people will tire of all having the same cheap goods, and want to purchase or craft their own unique items.

Not as eloquent as your post, or other's comments, but my two cents.

[Jessica]

Thanks for your thoughts, Amy! I think it's true that right now it seems that only makers are supporting other makers, and I think that's part of the problem. We need to get better at marketing ourselves, and bringing our message to the masses. I think we *can* move away from the culture of cheap, but it will take a lot of hard work and probably won't happen in our lifetimes. But that doesn't mean we should stop spreading the word! But like you said, the tide is turning, albeit slowly. . . .