Short, sweet, and WTF.

[spark]

Just had somebody call a price quote I gave them expensive because it was "quite similar" to the pricing of the mass-produced version of what they wanted.

Yeah.

Uhm.

Newsflash: HANDMADE IS ALWAYS MORE EXPENSIVE, YOU IDIOT!.

Seriously. The only reason that my quoted price wasn't TEN TIMES what a mass-produced version costs is because the item in question is a severely over-priced trendy fashion item, so whoever is making them is totally making a killing with them. Well, and they do use nicer materials than the usual mass-produced crap, so even reasonably priced they wouldn't be cheap exactly.

But there is NO universe in which you can get any hand made item for cheaper than it's mass-market equivalent. Which is what this person seems to have been expecting!

(Edit: I felt like adding, the "ten times" thing is literally the case. A cheap small plush at Walmart costs about $5, a small custom plush from me starts around $50. Those made-in-China terrible mascot suits run around $100-$150, a good custom made fursuit is around $1,000-$1,500. It's actually not a bad rule of thumb for what to expect when ordering hand made work compared to buying the very cheapest mass produced versions of things.)

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Are you sure you weren't contacted by one of Seraph's customers?

This dude sounds like one of many who just don't get it at all. Of course handmade is more expensive - your time and labor ain't cheap and it's not like you're doing it out of the goodness of your heart either.

He sounds so bright he probably played with matches as a kid, lit his hair on fire and wondered why it burnt his scalp.

[Merriweather]

I think some people have that attitude because their only reference to anything hand made are the old depression era stories, the poor kids wore clothes their mom made cause the parents couldn't afford to buy new. Which, if using fabric/old clothing etc. that they already had, and not counting a penny for the time it took them to sew, then, that was true, making the kid's clothes meant less cash outlay.

They don't get that actually buying something hand-made is an entirely different thing, which includes actually paying the person for new materials and for their time (what a concept). I think that's why so many people who sew or craft use the term "custom made" rather than "hand made".

[Seshat]

Merriweather,

that's the only explanation for the phenomenon that I've heard, that actually makes sense. Thank you.

It's good to have AN explanation that makes sense. Whether or not it's correct for the individual in question, at least my brain is no longer going

[PepperElf]

indeed. people always think that if they buy from a local source they'll somehow get it cheaper

like how the mom & pop veggie stands are usually cheaper than the grocery store, because they're trying to compete.

what they don't understand is that with handmade goods the sellers know their product is usually better made and they're not as interested in competing.

[spark]

indeed. people always think that if they buy from a local source they'll somehow get it cheaper

like how the mom & pop veggie stands are usually cheaper than the grocery store, because they're trying to compete.

what they don't understand is that with handmade goods the sellers know their product is usually better made and they're not as interested in competing.

Yeah.

And the veggie stands can often only be cheap because they knock out a middleman, they're selling their own stuff direct instead of selling to a store that then sells to you, but me I don't sell to a store in the first place, nobody who does custom bespoke plushes does, so it's a very apples and oranges thing, my work and what you'll find in stores.

[Aethian]

A coworker of mine had a huge garden and got enough out of selling just a single patch of sweet corn to pay for all the seeds for next season. They even have enough profit to get some new top soil brought out for their front lawn where it got washed out. Not to mention all the stuff they put up that will last through to the next season.