A Crafter's Nightmare

One of the hardest things about being a crafter that sells for profit is finding a “good” product. A “good” product takes on different meanings depending on who you are in the process. This is what I aim to discuss: the different aspects and how it affects those involved.

As a crafter, I have to try to come up with product ideas that are appealing to customers. It must look good or serve a function (often times both), be made of quality materials and also have quality built in. To be a product that a crafter sells a lot of, it must be able to be made quickly and efficiently keeping costs down. I tell a lot of people that I can build pretty much anything I put my mind to. Unfortunately, that doesn’t translate into a profit because it doesn’t mean I can build it quickly or efficiently. A complete custom piece costs more because it is not something I am used to making, the steps are much slower. Taking something I already make and customizing it also adds to the cost but is not usually as expensive as a complete custom piece. A “good” product to a crafter is a product that can be made quickly and efficiently, keeping costs down with little to no scrap. It is also easily repeatable producing the same overall product each time.

On the other side of the equation is the purchaser. When they are at craft-fairs or craft-markets shopping, they are often looking for good quality products but are also looking for affordability. Sometimes they are looking for something unique, a one of a kind item. A purchaser does not consider the amount of work it takes to produce an item. They rarely check to see if the materials are of good quality. They are looking at the end product not everything it took to make it so the product has to be appealing but also have a good price. This often is where I lose customers. They will say things like “I can get that at (you fill in the store) much cheaper.”

I, as the maker, can’t allow myself to be swayed and compete with products that are generally inferior to mine and are way cheaper. My prices are set by the material cost, my experience and my time which I value as do all people. If I try to compete with the prices of products being made in China, I would be giving my products away. I could not continue to make and sell my products. I have encountered this problem even within the local community of crafters. There are some crafters that sell their products at material cost and pay themselves nothing. When they are asked why they are so cheap, they say it’s just a hobby and they are only looking to cover the material cost. They will sell a lot of product and generate questions to other crafters like “they are selling a similar item down there but they are half of your price, why?” I can only respond with the truth and that is, I am doing this to pay myself and they are not. I will lose those battles the majority of the time because as I stated before, the purchaser does not consider what it takes to make a product. It is certainly not their fault, we all are like this. We all shop around.

Just like everyone else, I am on both sides of this equation. As I get deeper into the crafting world, I find myself trying to look at the product I am buying, try to buy locally if possible and not just look at the price. As a crafter, I look for ways to reduce my costs so I can pass those savings onto my customer. I am not looking to get rich, I’m just trying to survive. I hope that we can all come together and support each other at the small business level. I know times are tough and money is tight but I don’t see the lines getting shorter at big coffee shops. Taking some of the money a person would spend on some expensive coffee (just as one example) and spending that at a local business means more to the local business than the big businesses will miss. Thanks for reading!