Why Handmade seems so expensive.... by Dino Dust

My good friend, Vicki from Dino Dust, shared her latest blog post with me just a few moments ago. It's a fantastic read and I really think it is well worth the time.

Before my handmade hobby came into being I remember looking at the prices of some of the handmade items out there and almost having a heart attack at the prices.  In my mind there was no way the items were worth the $$$ they were asking for.  As I’ve been sewing for 20+ years, I knew that I’d be able to make those clothes for less.  I did, and I enjoyed it, and I saved a lot of money!  When the requests by family and friends started coming thick and thin, along with offers of payment, I had to sit down and think about what to charge.  THIS was the eye opener for me.  So let me try and explain why a $4 T-shirt from Best n Less, all of a sudden costs $24-30 once an appliqué has been added to it!

First off, you obviously have to pay for the T-Shirt.  You then also have to factor in the cost of a Fat Quarter of fabric, yes you mightn't have that much material added to your shirt but in a lot of cases that fabric can’t be/won’t be used on anything else.  There’s the glue/bonding agent that holds the appliqué on and interfacing is used if it is sewn by machine.  The final ingredient in this recipe is the thread.

T-shirt $4

Material $4

Bonding $1

Thread $1

Subtotal $10

Still seems so cheap, so why do we sell for so much more?  Profit?  Not in the handmade world.  

To continue reading please head over to Dino Dust's blog... http://mydinodust.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/why-handmade-seems-so-expensive.html 

Introducing Neck Art

Introducing Sally from, Neck Art and Australian Handmade Sharing. If you'd like to have your business/hobby featured on a blog post, please use the Contact Us tab on our blog and send us your article! For tips on writing your article please read; Writing a Blog Post. It's completely FREE!

Hi, I'm Sally and I'm the face behind the online presence of Neck Art and also the creator of Australian Handmade Sharing. Along with volunteering my time to AHS, I also hand make unique pieces of jewellery and gifts along with my Mum and Grandma. We decided to take the next step and open an online store in June 2012, we will be having a huge celebration in June 2013 to celebrate our one year online anniversary (visit our facebook page for more info).

Our most popular product is our pendants, each pendant is unique and individually handmade. Our items can be purchased through our online store: www.hand-made.com.au/neckart with more items pictured on our facebook page: www.facebook.com/neckartjewellery to keep up to date with product releases and news we also have a blog: www.neckartjewellery.blogspot.com.au/

Custom orders are welcomed, a time frame will be given upon receiving details of what you are after. There is also a 20% deposit required before custom work can be commenced with full payment required prior to posting.

We also offer a layby service, just contact us with what you'd like and we can get it set up for you. A 20% deposit is required and full payment to be completed within 2 months. 

Thanks for taking the time to let me introduce myself :)
x

About Australian Handmade Sharing

I started the Australian Handmade Sharing Facebook Page in December 2012. At the time I was aware of quite a lot of like pages, wahm sharing pages, etc all over facebook. However I was unable to find one that offered completely FREE services for Australian handmade hobbies & businesses.

As a WAHP myself I know how hard it can be to get your business started, especially with the way facebook runs these days. Australian Handmade Sharing is dedicated to helping all Australian handmade hobbies & businesses get there voices heard and their beautiful creative items seen.

Any Australian handmade hobby & business may post photos, shares links, sales, etc on the facebook page at any time. In addition; myself along with a few volunteer admins may share your products photos and post like ladders, etc. For the best chance of having your page shared I suggest interacting with our page frequently. Those who share our posts with fans/friends (publicly) will get priority when the admins share. As the page grows so will the chances of getting your products seen by potential customers.

The blog is set up for any handmade business to run competitions (as there are very tight rules on facebook!), do guest blog posts (telling us more about you, your hobby/business and your products) and to further our fan base.

Advertising spots will be rotated frequently, call outs will go over our facebook page when a position becomes available. To increase your chances of being provided with a FREE advertising space I suggest interacting with our page and sharing where possible :)

The motto of the page is:
Share ~ By sharing your page, products and our page we can all help each other iuncrease our potential customer base.
Support ~ Show your support for all handmade hobbies/businesses, it all starts with us afterall!
Like ~ Like any pages wish take your fancy and you may receive a like in return ;)
Have Fun! ~ This is the most important one.... we all have to have fun!

Thanks for reading :)

Sally (Admin Smily)