I’ve been making cards to sell on etsy lately, and have run into an issue with pricing. Let me first state that this whole card making thing is new to me and I do most of the work all by hand (that is all going to change as of Monday when my CRICUT expression gets here). The cutting takes the longest, but the planning, sketching, and assembling times also add up.
As an artist, for commission work, I charge between $15 and $20 per hour. This is assuming that the piece being commissioned is very specific, and that my role as an artist is limited to technique. However, when a commissioned piece leaves more room for artistic expression, it is not possible to charge by the hour. If I were to do that, I would have to include all of the hours of thought and decision making that went into creating the piece, and the painting’s cost would be outrageous. I’m not saying that I don’t take time-spent-thinking into account, but it is only one aspect of many that go into pricing a piece of art. There are other things that need to be considered: material costs, size, amount of detail in the piece, unique attributes that the piece has, and time spent creating the piece.
After I make a card, I try to price it using the above-mentioned guidelines, but I also have to take into account the handmade card market where I am selling, which, for now, happens to be etsy. I just recently looked through the easter card selection, and was so disappointed in what I saw. First of all, most of the “handmade” cards are designed by the creator, and then PRINTED FROM THEIR COMPUTER. I have news for you: you DESIGNED it, the computer MADE it. Although I would not necessarily dub these cards as being handmade, I do like the fact that these cards are reasonably priced and more personal. Plus, when you purchase cards from a shop that sells these, you are supporting a small business, which is very important, especially given the present state of the global economy, as well as local economies.
The other thing that really disappointed me about the handmade cards on etsy, that were actually handmade, were the prices I saw. It’s really the same situation with all handmade goods on that site. People rip themselves off. I saw a set of beautiful, “limited edition” handmade easter cards. The woman had included several papers, hand stamped “happy easter” and placed the small embellished paper in a metal frame. She is selling them for $14.99......for a pack of 6. When I first saw the listing I thought the price was for ONE card. I thought it would have been pretty reasonable to sell one for $14.99 (maybe a tad less), considering the amount of embellishing and the type of material used (metal).
What is the matter with these crafters? Do the creators of handmade goods, specifically handmade cards, not realize that a Hallmark card is priced anywhere from $1.00-$5.99, and that is just on-line. I’m sure if you walk into a Hallmark store, you can find some boutique card for $10.00. Did I mention that most of these cards are mass-produced by machines, which are manned by people in China somewhere? Or, take a look at "American Greetings". Their products cost between $1.00 and $7.99 (they actually sell a card for $19.99, but it has a digital slideshow built into it). This company also outsources to China. I find the fact that this company outsources more appalling than Hallmark because of the company's name. How can you have the word American in your company's name and then have ANY of your product made outside of the United States?
This is a quote from the American Greetings history page: "The success of American Greetings Corporation began in the heart of Jacob Sapirstein, a young Polish immigrant. Jacob believed that with ambition, ethics and hard work, anyone could achieve the American dream." I didn't notice any mention of GREED being a part of the American dream. Jacob Sapirstein is probably rolling over in his grave.
Based on this information alone, crafters should realize the value of the products they create. This is my message to card-makers (change a few words and it is a message to all artists and artisans): You are a unique individual, who is creating a unique, individual product. Each card you design is an original, one of a kind (or a set of several-of-a-kind). This factor, alone, drives up the price of the product. Also, you are not some factory assembly-line worker, pumping out hundreds of cards, if not thousands, in a matter of minutes. This too drives up the cost of your HANDMADE ITEM. Your cards are made by you, which means that you handpick the materials you use. You know the quality of the materials, and, if you are a smart consumer, you are buying products made locally, in your own country at least. To sum it up, HANDMADE is a novelty; it is not generic, it does not take several seconds to make, it was not created by a nameless, faceless individual or machine. People expect to pay more for handmade goods, so why sell your cards for so cheap? You need to talk to yourself, assuming you are your own boss, about fair wages. Based on what I saw on etsy, most people are paying themselves WELL BELOW minimum wage. It is really truly degrading to sell your handmade goods for pocket change. I can NOT wait to have enough product to attend craft fairs, where crafters price their goods based on what they are actually worth. They know their product is a quality, handmade, piece of art, and should be sold for more than your standard greeting card purchased at the local pharmacy.
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