Business Matters: Why Buy Handmade?

Arounna of bookhou wrote a thoughtful post today on her blog about the how much is involved in making something handmade in response to a customer who left feedback on her etsy account complaining of her pricing.  I felt it important to give her post a mention here and to direct you to her blog, where she explains the amazing effort it takes into making something handmade.  About the care and hours she (and her mother) put into making her beautiful pieces and that her prices are not for just the material (which by the way she hand prints on) but for the massive hours involved from the screen printing, the dying of the leather or the waxed totes (each strip is cut from a larger hide, they don't buy the straps pre-cut), shipping, packaging, envelopes, paper, stickers, business cards, time factored into packaging, delivering to post office, planning, designing, the list goes on.  It's sad when ignorance leaves a negative message like that on someone's work, who's heart and soul goes into making something beautiful  that they love (and her things are beautiful).  For those of you making things - it's something maybe to read to support your pricing insecurities, and for those of you who buy things, it's something to take into consideration when buying and appreciating handmade.  Click here to read her post.