Has Etsy killed off the generous crafter?!

I've recently started selling on etsy, mostly because I was making too much to give away, and in hopes of recouping some of my materials costs. I still give away *far* more than I sell, and IMO one of the most rewarding parts of crafting is exchanging ideas and techniques.

I bloody hate the business end of selling, especially online. Not so bad when I was doing wholesale with a couple independent shops--that was pretty fun and low-stress.

I think i'd just use ebay.

FAO Chelsea K

"I always find it funny when they have felties the size of your fist priced at $40 when your only worth about $2."

I was thinking about this earlier, let me break it down:

If I went to buy felt from my local shop, for a feltie, the cheapest priced piece of felt I could get would be fifty pence, and I'd probably only have teeny scraps left over, nevermind if i want more than one colour. So that's $1.

Now, I've got to get stuffing to put in it - I appreciate you could have some left over from a previous project, but I'd say I could get quite a lot for £1 (with a lot of shopping around - instead of polyfill, I use cushion inners from Wilkinson, the cheap shop.) So we're probably up to about $1 and 40 cents now.

Next is thread to hold it together and to decorate it with, and yes, I could have this in my kit already, but let's say I buy the cheapest embroidery threads I can get, which is 'Venus' for 35p- I'd cut off a length, and then split that length into two for a starters, but I'd probably end up using a quarter of the skein by the end of the project- So that's 7p more. Now we're up $1 and 52 cents.

Do you really think they only deserve a 48 cent profit?

Firstly the maker would have to travel to get all those supplies, then they'd have to spend some time creating this original, one of a kind, inspired piece, designing it, planning out all the pieces that'd need to go together to make it- Then they would actually have to make it. More time. All in all, from the word off, I'd estimate it would be at least two hours of plain time. The minimum wage is about £5 and hour, so that's $20 dollars of fair priced labour. But you're not just getting labour- you're getting something handmade and completely unique. I'd say $40 would be at the expensive end of fair, maybe, but worth every penny.

I do so love giving away the things I make, it makes me happy and hopefully others. I have put up creations without how to's mainly because if I am making jewellery, it just takes a mind of it's own and it's hard to take pictures as you go along and as m_m said sometimes you just have to look at the project to see how it was made. I think I will keep my creations to my blog in future though, I feel guilty just posting pics with no how to's

My friend sold a painting the other day for 20,000.kr which is... $291/£145.. I thought it was a lot, seeing as she is unknown and not really a professional. I mean she is an amazing painter and am proud to have one of hers hanging in my kitchen, but how do price something like that? How do you go from selling something for that price to making a million quid?!

I tend to just put up 'creations' because I just assume that most people already know how to make something similar and I never really use how to's anyway I just do it my own way.

I feel like I am part of the art world and it is incredibly pretencious. People will buy anything to impress their social groups and if it was expensive it's like 'look how rich I am'. My ceramics teachers sells stuff she makes in london for £400 each and they're very good and beautiful but its a lot of money for what it is. Tate just bought banksy's picture of kate moss looking like monroe in the warhol style for something ridiculous. You see these outdoor community sculptures in parks and cities and people don't like them because you can't relate to a pompus, pretencious, interpretation of someones thoughts when it's an abstract peice of shit.

Thanks Roma you are hitting the nail on the head!

Quote of rachel e. "I bloody hate the business end of selling, especially online. Not so bad when I was doing wholesale with a couple independent shops--that was pretty fun and low-stress." - I totally can relate

I think its cool to see other projects, especially with no how-to ;) gives my brain some work. if somebody needs help they will ask!

Regarding the pricing - to my mind it's OK when artists ask high prices - if somebody is willing to pay those price I'm fine with that. I am relying upon self regulation of the market at that topic - and that's why I'm out of business I guess ;)

I wouldn't mind 20 odd million for a painting or whatever, it's the people who buy it and the art critics that bug me, but without them there wouldn't be a market.

What's wrong with art critics?

Well- a lot really. I wish they weren't so pompous, they alienate the art world and it shouldn't be like that. If they were matter of fact about everything I'd think they were completely wonderful, but they, just like politicians, manage to spend an awful lot of time saying nothing.

I love metaphor and symbols and stuff but theres a pompusness that I feel when I describe my own work in sketchbooks and that's why I had to give it up, well that's why I'm not going to uni, I know how to please an examiner, that's not with my art either that's just with development work, your work could be shit but if you did the right kinda research and enough they'll give you good marks. Also I never said 'I'm going to be an artist' ever it all felt false.

But anyway, people just can't relate because they don't understand, art should be accessible, people don't know how to react to art, as if the whole thing is a trick question.

Art at college and uni seems like an institution. Craft seems like a rebelion against the snobbery. One day I will make my own studio or at least buy a kiln and some clay and glazes, it's not an easy hobby to do at home!

I so wish I had gotten to study art in secondary, but my mam forced to to give it up, even though i had shown an interest in art since a young age and my fave uncle who was an artist and architect was my fave and I wanted to be like him She made me choose music instead, look how far that got me!!
I watched a really good film a few weeks ago called " My Kid Could Paint That" about a 4 year old who painted and astounded critics. The documentary was pretty good, yet quite revealing as to possibly how the paintings were "really" done.

yeh I heard about that, didn't her dad help her out, like reeeeeeeeeeeeeeally help her out.

oh yes.. there were times in the film I was cringing, as the kid was saying" but dad, just help me a little, just tell me what to do" ahhhh How horrible for him!! I do think the mother was innocent of whatever the father was up to.

When that a recent documentary? I remember something like that when I was a lot younger, maybe 10 years ago and I was really jealous.

I agree with almost everything said here. I am always willing to post tutorials, but I do have limits. Well for the most part I sew clothes more than anything else, so tutorials for clothes can be quite long, but can be done. But I still make things for friends and family as gifts.

Don't hate me but I do plan to have an etsy to sell mostly clothes, but I am not big in saying 'it can be bought here' or something like that, I know there is a place for it. Even if I am selling something, I would still provide a tutorial so fellow crafters could make it.

For starters I am also an artist that sells from my home studio. I make paintings, crafts and jewlery and hold a show at my studio several time a year. I don't advertise for commercial profit, it revolves back into my art supplies. My pricing doesn't include labor, materials, sweat, tears or time. It does include love, joy, appreciation for life and accomplishments, heck it sells itself because it was given to me for free. I haven't paid for education or books, my supplies I've found from scraps, odds from garage sales and other studios or were gifts given to me so why shouldn't it be shared, gifted again to others?

So, I am at a great fault for being mental? over, not making a profit? of course I am, I hear it all the time as they walk away from my studio, "...it was a steal!" and they go away with my treasure and a huge smile.

They always go away happier then they arrived, and that is how my husband and me like it, not a person goes away empty handed! and if you don't have a penny, we will give it to you if you like it so much with the intent that if you don't enjoy it anymore, bring it back and we will give you another one of your choice.

Would it not crush the art world if museums trade and exchange art with other museums so that we can enjoy these things all over the world?

Art and Historic Treasures were meant to be shared with the world, not just one country or township for profit IMYO!