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Why are Your Handmade Crafts Not Selling as Well as You’d Like?
I’ve been receiving inquiries from some crafters saying their work isn’t selling as well as they would like others are reporting increasing sales. So, what’s the difference?
Since I do individual and group consulting to crafts people and galleries, I can’t answer each of these artists individually but I decided it was time to take a look at what some of them are making. Maybe I’d find a common product factor among those who were not making money with their craft. Bingo! Those who were reporting slow sales mostly had well designed pieces of admirable quality. But their products all had one thing in common.
They were handmade versions of what the importers are selling for a fraction of the price. Of course they have to charge fairly for the hours spent beading, hand knotting and sewing up a storm so they can’t possibly compete with what the importers are paying laborers in a third world country to knock out similar products. I also understand the American consumer well enough to know that they aren’t likely to pay several times more for something they perceive as the same item they can buy at the uk hot deals.
Sure, WE know it’s NOT the same product. I’ve spent years supporting and promoting hand made crafts and enough time in retail to know that even discriminating buyers of handmade are savvy consumers and are willing to pay more for something green or handmade if they perceive the product as different enough to be worth the increase in price. So, what’s the solution?
You can’t price your work like an import, paying yourself about a nickel an hour, and I’m also not suggesting you have your work produced oversees. (The latter is an option if you have a design that someone is willing to pay you to license and have made by fair-trade companies, but that’s a topic for another post.)
I recommend you do some homework. Spend some time shopping around at those awful big box stores and look for items similar to yours. How are they priced? (We know, they are not handmade or of quality materials like yours.) Now put yourself in the place of the consumer.. She goes to Target to purchase a pair of jeans and on the way out, spots a really cute beaded necklace, scarf and felted handbag. They’re priced about $19.95. She thinks “maybe I’ll come back and buy that. “
The following weekend this same consumer goes to a local craft show where you and your fellow artists are showing your handmade jewelry, scarves and totes. She sees a similar piece to one she liked at the big box store but yours is marked $59. Of course you need to cover your differentiate time, materials, booth fees and still make a profit. And yours is handmade and of better quality. She obviously values handmade craft but can’t justify spending three times as much for what she “perceives” as a similar product.
The answer isn’t to lower your prices but to ask yourself this question: How you can tweak your work so that discriminating buyers recognize the value of paying more than they would for the the import?
Written by Terri Belford
Tags: Handmade, handmade art, Handmade Artists, handmade purse, handmade scarf, pricing handmade, selling tips
Posted in Handmade, Selling Tips
15 Responses to “Why are Your Handmade Crafts Not Selling as Well as You’d Like?”
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Thanks for sharing this Teri, you put out some good suggestions. I personally think many artists move straight to under pricing their work to handle this situation. So I’m glad you mentioned this, as I think it is a huge mistake to under price your work. If you get too inexpensive, then potential buyers think it is cheap, they don’t realize you are trying to be competitive. You should price your work according to you materials, labor, and OH plus a little profit and stick too it. If you’re not making a couple of bucks on your efforts, you’ll most likely not enjoy what you’re doing.
Just my 2 cents….
Great article, Teri. Pricing is always hard for artisans. I agree that it’s a mistake to under price our work. After all, importers do not make one of a kind items. They can produce at lower cost because they mass produce. If you want a unique and one of a kind item, buy handmade!
Thanks, Marilyn, for your comment and feedback. I think it’s our responsibility as artists to educate the public on the value of handmade and also to price our work fairly . If we underprice our handmade work, it hurts all craftspeople.
Nice point Teri,
I think the handmade market is really full right now because so many folks are out of work, it is great to have a way to make ends meet,but if you make things you learned from a tutorial thousands of others have too you put yourself in to competition with the big box stores,it can’t be unique.
I think we all need to reach higher and do extremely good work and use our creativity to the max,and always strive to keep improving.
I agree, Nancy. The fact that there are more artists our in the market place right now shouldn’t be seen as competition, though, because the more handmade out there, the more the buying public will understand the value. I DO agree with you that we need to stay ahead, always fresh and original. If someone is going to make something they learned in a tutorial, they need to be sure and change it up enough that it looks unique.
Teri – point well-taken and true on everything you stated and shared with us all. Thank you so much! But I also think advertising to the public is of major importance also in getting our product recognized and sold! That’s what really is hard to compete with. Even Etsy has major advertising (i.e. One day The Martha Stewart Show this past week was all about them!) and obvious connections with some biggies! We all need to keep posting and passing out our business cards (tooting our own horns, so to speak) about the advantages of the Homemade, and in particular, this website. I am one of the Crafters that has yet to sell anything – but I remain hopeful and keep on truckin’ – I am always patient when I believe in something as strongly as this!! Thanks again Teri!!
Thanks, Sewnsewsister for the reminder of PR. We are fortunate that this is a time when social media and online networking makes it possible to get your name and work out there without having to purchase pricey ads. Also, there are so many face-to-face options now without having to pay big booth fees at craft fairs. (If you haven’t read the posts and tips on craftbizblog, you should because it will give you some great pointers on many ways to sell your craft.) It does need to be a constant, ongoing effort. I believe you WILL sell your work if you continue to toot your own horn. Hooray for your wisdom and effort.
Great Teri. This is precisely the reason why I stopped selling crochet on Etsy. I do believe if you have a large fan base it can still work but it is that ‘Work’. You have to constantly be putting yourself out there and creating new and unique pieces. I did find that I did better as a pattern designer though and I may decide to return to selling online again. You are so right when comparing the two – a big box item vs a handmade item – people just want a bargain and it really is in how you present your piece and your product.
YOu are correct, Momwithahook. Thank you for reiterating that we need to constantly put ourselves out there with new and unique work. Note the replies to above comments as well. So wise that you are selling patterns. There are so many ways to leverage our work and talent.
Also remember, your photo is all the potential customer has to see. At the brick and mortor store, they can pick it up, try it on, etc. Take several pictures of each item, from different angles and make sure that your background is not distracting from your photo. We also need to assist each other all the time.
great tips on the photos, gemlover. Also, you are correct about the advantages of someone seeing your work at brick and mortar. That’s another reason I highly recommend doing some in-person selling as well.
Good points in this article. I run into this often at my B&M store since each artist prices their own merchandise. Some are quite inexpensive and really should be more in my opinion, but the artists insist that they are happy with the prices on their things. AS for my own things, it’s a constant struggle. It is a fine line.
trusk4u, it is difficult to convince the artists in your shop to up their prices but it’s so important and only fair to the other artists. What percentage are they getting of the retail? Maybe that could be re-evaluated.
Putting a higher price on your items is a great method of inventory control as well. Selling one item at the higher price, gives you the same amount of money as when you previously sold 2-3, but now you still have 2 left to sell! Again for the higher price. And people do wonder what’s wrong with it, if you price too cheaply.
Underpricing also makes things difficult for your fellow artisans. Let’s not undercut each other, but support each other. I may have what your customer wants, but next time you may have what my customer wants – let’s share. It’s makes sense financially, the customer is happy and we’ve both made sales. If we keep an eye open and see what others in our genre are selling, we can either take a custom order or recommend another seller. Hopefully, that seller would pay it forward in the future.
YES! Karen, you are so on target. Great point on the inventory issue. And, you are correct that we need to view other crafts people as complimentary NOT competition. Cooperation is a huge key in this industry.