Someone pointed out to me in the comments that the mug is actually $80 USD since she was an Australian artist! Just wanted to pin my mistake 💕

Im an etsy shop owner. The same people who fight for a livable minimum wage want what I make at a price that puts me far below minimum wage. Hand makers dont get wholesale prices on supplies because we arent big enough for wholesalers to bargain with. People want to pay $10 for a cute pair of ghost earrings that took me 3 hours to make. instead of the $30 that pays me $10 an hour, which isnt even a livable wage. I occasionally do live events where people complain about a $20 print, then go spend $80 on booze. It beyond disheartening to be an artist these days

I get a lot of joy/pride from being able to say where I collected my things from when they're NOT from huge companies like Amazon. Everything has a story and a background to tell and it makes my home feel more unique and fulfilling

Love a solid rant! As a small artist/shop owner, I really appreciate people who take a minute to get perspective on this situation. Small businesses aren't trying to rip you off, luxury brands are, and it's okay for not everything to be immediately affordable. Quality matters, especially these days!

The past year I’ve been supporting small businesses!! I love it ! Especially when I need something unique and costumed made 😊

There is a major difference between something that was cheaply made in an exploitative factory and something being made thoughtfully by hand. However, another thing about the strawberry debate people are saying, is that she acts like it was painstakingly molded by hand when it wasn't and maybe it was overpriced for that reason.

I saw the strawberry drama and I'm so glad you are talking about it. I agree with everything except one thing you said. I think your snowman is totally worth $30. I canceled my amazon account this January 1 as a year long conscious spending challenge and I am THRIVING!!!!!!

While I do understand mostly where you are coming from , I believe it’s a privilege to be able to shop most small businesses, im disabled and very broke , I can’t even afford a roof over my head , a lot of other broke people also have the same issue and can’t shop small because we know small businesses have to charge more since they pay more for the materials and spend a lot more time making sure they have quality products, for middle-high class it’s more reasonable to expect to shop small most of the time but for broke people it truly isn’t an option for us

Every time I buy from a small business the item lasts my whole life, when I buy from Amazon I’m lucky if I get a few years from it. Paying more is always worth it in the long run. Both ethically and financially

I’m just always in a constant state of guilt. As a consumer, I don’t have the disposable income to buy all my cute stuff locally/handmade. As a creator, I feel guilty charging a lot for what I make. (Part of the reason I don’t sell my crochet items).

I totally understand, small businesses charging what they do , I started making my own wreaths a few years ago and just buying the supplies were insanely expensive!

"My mug is $200 because it's HAND MADE!" ok Susan its still a MUG 😂

Your point came across great! I am glad you are putting yourself out there so that maybe more people will do the same. The quality of Amazon is a joke compared to small businesses.

I love supporting small businesses. I've become really disappointed in Etsy shops over the years because I'll purchase something that says it's homemade, but I see it later on Amazon or Temu or something. I do some research and confirm it's some mass produced item. I want hand made items made with passion. I'll pay the full price! 💔

I definitely agree with the comparison between luxury or designer brands. No one can ever explain why they are worth $700 more when they are made in the same fast fashion factories. I will say that sometimes I I look at those "why it costs so much videos" And they will be allowing themselves 60-70+ dollars an hour in labor. As a crafter I have to laugh sometimes bcause im aware that the skill is not worth $70 an hour. Like the strawberry mug girl, I want to see a breakdown of profits. I want to know how much she is giving herself for that mug.

idk who you are, idk what channel this is, but I loved this video and I love your makeup sm ty for the inspo and fun watch 💛😊

The mug was $125 Australian dollars, which is $80 US dollars. In Australia, handmade ceramic mugs go for $45-$85 (US). Yes, Shelby is on the higher end of her market, but she is still within the price range of other makers that sold ceramic mugs at the Finders Keepers fair. She has also sold out that fair twice now, so she clearly has an audience. Price is a negotiation; if the customer doesn't like it, they don't have to pay it; a handmade mug is not a necessity. However, that doesn't mean the maker needs to drop their prices if they have other customers who will pay that price. I think a big issue with this is expectations. People have been conditioned to unfair prices and the idea that everything should be in their price range. Buying from an artisan is a different experience than buying mass-produced. Artisans can't match commercial prices without harming themselves or you.

So I have one issue with a lot of our local small businesses. Maybe it's a common thing...but i find a lot of what they carry is bulk stuff they bought and are reselling. Resellers. I have bought things like little mushroom salt & pepper shakers, and they werent expensive, but again I just ask, were these thtifted then resold to me. Because while they do have a few handmade things in their shops, 80% of the rest is filler. I hope that made sense, hard to explain howI just feel like im rebuying things a lot.. (again, adorable and not too expensive)

It’s a good topic that definitely needs revisiting as often as possible bc we should have a mix of small, mid, and these bigger box store companies. It’s interesting how easily some people shell out top dollar for certain brands (which means you have a certain amount of disposable income) but then for a local artisan they snub their nose it’s not nice. I get saying I don’t want to invest my money it in but don’t act like you don’t get something handmade means that person gets to charge whatever they feel like their labor is worth. people do the same with tattoos as well they want to haggle. You can’t haggle certain things you either want to invest/ support or you don’t. Why make a video about the mug is my q ask for prices she didn’t want to make it awkward by changing her mind but went on tik tok 👀 she was better off saying omg I didn’t realize it was so expensive and for wasting your time but I can’t afford it .. don’t want it etc

I get excited when you upload 😂❤ love this take, couldn’t agree more

I would spend $30 on that snowman.

Oh I just wanna point out that amazon is now doing a handmade business side thing. There's a whole section now where you can apply your store and sell your handmaid stuff there

Sarahhhhhh can we get some info on the necklace you’re wearing? I need a matching one.

A lot of people really underestimate how long a handcrafted piece can take, not including material, the skill of the person, etc. it’s completely understandable when people can’t afford hand crafted items. I’m pretty sure anyone who MAKES handmade things completely understands that it’s.. really a luxury to be able to afford some handmade things. ((Some can be quite affordable depending on the crafter from my experience)) It’s just disheartening when something you’ve put time and care into is trashed because you can’t sell it for factory prices. I don’t sell my art because I like to keep it a hobby and the time it takes me would make the price.. insane even if I was just charging my states minimum wage for the hours I put in ((7.25$ here in good ol PA)) so. I just don’t 🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️ I make them for myself or for gifts n that’s it

thats like what 90$ usd ? thats a higher than mid price and fall into lux pottery which is fine though I wont buy that, nor lux items, but the owner didn't need to attach her self for that. I'd say personally I'd go for more 40-50 USD for a mold cup. After that, I'd go for other things that are not meant for use and something less 'common hold' . The point of high end lux at this point is for bragging, not quality. no, I don't compare to walmart nor amazon (to which the prices has gotten high so no point), and yes you'll find bootleg versions there so yeah keep to your prices as each person find different set of values. the original TT post didn't name the shop, but also, she could have just not buy the item and go about her day

Im on the fence. I love to support small businesses. Wish I could do it fulltime. But than with some pieces im just like where did you get the ridiculous price from. You can not tell me that time etc etc goes into it. I mean, I get that, but with some pieces, I feel like are you for real. Feels like ripping off or something. I don't know. it's a tough topic.

The women working in overseas clothing production are EXPLOITED AND HIGHLY SKILLED LABORERS and they are better at sewing than anyone who makes handmade, period. More individual skills and industrial machines are no freaking joke. As a sewist and southeast asian femme, i will die on this hill.

Etsy is an awful platform for small businesses now :( drops shippers have ruined it

See, the problem with your disdain for people who buy from Amazon instead of an independent seller is that unfortunately nowadays, you cannot fully trust someone who says whatever they’re selling is handmade. Drop shippers are a HUGE problem and that contributes to the ill will that real artists experience. If someone sees something in a small business shop and can immediately find it elsewhere online of course they’re not going to want to buy from the small business

43 Seconds in and I can already tell this video is not for me…Small businesses often do have insane prices. The meme about them charging $800 for a candle in the thumbnail is tragically true for a lot of these businesses. I’ve seen some where if you calculated the time they’re putting in and the cost of materials and how much they’re charging they’d be making more than a heart surgeon. And that is objectively ridiculous. I get the whole you gotta charge minimum wage and I’m okay with them even charging a bit more than that depending on the product and the effort that went in to making it. But often times the prices are ridiculous. And I say this as someone who supports small businesses more that any other kind. I buy almost all the stuff I get online from small businesses on Etsy. And I do have to be careful not to get ripped off by some of the small businesses on there. Not all of them are. A lot of them have fair and reasonable prices. But I never see anyone complaining about those shops. The shops people clown on are the ones charging more per hour than what a doctor would make. And they DESERVE to be clowned on. And not enough people are clowning on them. You open the video as if there’s all this small business hate when it’s the OPPOSITE! All I see are people DEFENDING ridiculous prices and chastising ANYONE who calls the prices out. There’s a few like minded individuals like me who think there’s a balance to everything and that a lot of these businesses do astronomically overcharge, but more often than not I see people defending these small businesses ripping people off and attacking people who don’t want to be ripped off. That’s what I see more than anything else.