Handmade crafts are totally on trend

Hello everyone,

we had our hobby and artists' market again over the weekend.
It was wonderful to admire all the handmade creative works.
Everyone was very enthusiastic and bought plenty :-)
Here are pictures of my own booth
(@Josefa --> these are my own pictures and my own booth) :-)



Best regards,
Birgit

You’ve been really busy. So many beautiful things, and I can see your little hoodie in the back.

We’re also having a hobby and arts fair this weekend. I’ll be there again and am really looking forward to showing my work. I’ve already got some regular visitors, and there are nice conversations and lots of praise for me. 

@Petra, yes, that’s the best part—when you get compliments and all your hard work is appreciated.

Oh yes, that’s the little jacket, haha — it sold within the first 10 minutes.
But I’m doing this for a good cause, and I’m donating part of the proceeds.

Best regards,
Birgit

Wow, Birgit, that looks really beautiful and professional. You’ve really been hard at work. I love markets like that, too. There’s a market like that here in our town in November, too. I could stand there for hours just marveling at everything.

There’s also a woman there who sells socks and hand-knitted children’s clothes. For example, a little jacket costs 50–60 euros—which I actually think is still too cheap, considering the labor and yarn.

@mowi, wow, that’s a hefty price — not even half that for me, haha

Best regards,
Birgit

Birgit, that looks great! And you’ve been incredibly hard at work! Our Advent and Christmas market will take place on November 29. In addition to two booths featuring handmade items knitted by 13 women, we’ll also be offering wreaths and floral arrangements, as well as Christmas cookies and yeast pastries. The proceeds will allow us to make donations to various—primarily local—organizations.

Thanks for your praise!

@Baerli --> Yes, we also had some great handmade, crocheted, sewn... things there.

It’s incredible how many creative people there are.

I wish everyone who still has one market or another ahead of them lots of success and a wonderful day!!!

Kind regards,
Birgit

Good morning,

sorry, I’m probably going to step on some toes here, but pricing like that, dear Birgit—if that little jacket costs “not even half” of 50–60€, it makes life unnecessarily and increasingly difficult for those who want to or have to earn part of their income at markets.
All due respect to your commitment to “a good cause” and “donations.” But I really don’t see things your way on this one.
It’s just like selling patterns… it’s price dumping of the worst kind…

Nevertheless, it’s a lovely booth with great merchandise.

Best regards

And €50–60 for a handmade cardigan isn’t really such a “steep price” at all.
Just compare it to the prices of machine-knitted cardigans made in some low-wage country that you can get at H&M, for example. You can easily end up paying €30 for those...

@Nina
Yes, you’re basically right. But I only have one-of-a-kind items, and as I said, for a good cause, I decided to offer a few pieces at a lower price.
With the socks, for example, I set my price just like everyone else—I’d never stab anyone
in the back, and I’m not profiting from it anyway since I’m donating the money.

But thanks for the suggestion—I’ll give it some thought.
Best wishes
Birgit

Dear Birgit,
no, I would never accuse you of having any ill intent. On the contrary!

The problem in a case like this is the customers. They simply don’t care whether the price is so low because you’re donating to a good cause (and that’s exactly when customers should actually be more willing to pay a little extra...) or whether the price is so low for some other reason.
These people go to other booths and complain about prices that are supposedly way too high—after all, they only had to pay half as much there.

Sending you a hug from afar (and thanks for not misunderstanding me 😘)

All good, Nina :-) Hugs to you, too!

Best wishes,
Birgit

I’m heading to my exhibition today. Yesterday I set everything up and decorated it nicely. After that, I walked around to see what’s on offer this year.

I think this is especially true for knitting and crochet, with the low prices. I saw scarves for 8 euros. Of course, there was no information about what kind of yarn was used, but 8 euros—the yarn alone costs me more than that. Little bunnies, really cute, for 6 euros. Prices are significantly higher for porcelain, jewelry, and woodwork. Of course, I don’t know what their purchase prices are.

I’m curious to see if there’s any interest in my work. I don’t sell much at this exhibition, but by now there are customers who come every year to admire my work, and there are lots of nice encounters and conversations. When people talk about my prices, I ignore it if I can. 

Dear Birgit, I agree with Nina on this too. Especially when it’s for a good cause.
How about donating 60 euros instead of 30?

We really do live in a small town. And I noticed that the woman selling the baby jackets here sold them within two hours at the stated price. I also think the price should be much higher to cover the labor and the yarn, especially since they’re one-of-a-kind pieces. You can’t even begin to calculate the hourly wage for that.

I know plenty of people who really think it’s worth it—people who can’t knit themselves but love to give such handmade items as gifts. 

Here’s another example:
My neighbor knits children’s sweaters and jackets purely for the joy of it. She also started out selling them for 25 euros. She’s now up to 45 euros. And she’s amazed that the demand is still there—in fact, it’s actually grown even bigger. Because everyone who buys something like this wants to get something valuable. And as the price goes up, so does the sense of greater value.

Just something to think about. Because I think your lovely creations are far too valuable to diminish their worth with a low price.

By the way, I’m sending you a hug too. :)

Warm regards
Monika

Yeah, you’re right—I need to have more confidence. I’m always worried that I won’t
sell anything otherwise, but I’ll adjust the prices next time. Thanks for your feedback!

@Petra
I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you—you have beautiful products!

...and now I’m keeping my fingers crossed for EVERYONE, because you’re all so nice here!

Best wishes,
Birgit