Etsy Isn't Just Affecting Etsy Prices...
Here's something I don't think many shoppers realize.
When makers price their work, a lot of them look at what similar items are selling for on Etsy. That makes sense—it's one of the largest handmade marketplaces in the world.
But Etsy prices often have to account for marketplace fees, advertising fees, payment processing, and the other costs of selling there.
Those costs get built into the price.
Over time, those higher marketplace prices become the "going rate."
Then those prices start showing up at craft fairs, local markets, and small shops—even when the seller isn't paying Etsy's fees anymore.
In my opinion, that's one of the unintended consequences of relying on marketplace pricing.
I've chosen to price my work differently.
I don't start by asking, "What is everyone else charging on Etsy?"
I start by asking:
- What did the walnut or hardwood cost?
- How much resin went into this piece?
- What were my consumables?
- How many hours did it actually take to design, build, sand, finish, engrave, photograph, and package?
- What is a fair profit that lets me keep making?
Sometimes that means my prices are lower than similar items online.
Sometimes they're higher.
Either way, they're based on the actual piece in front of me—not on what an algorithm or marketplace says it should sell for.
I'd rather sell an honest piece at an honest price than inflate my prices simply because a marketplace requires it.
That's also one of the reasons I love meeting people at craft fairs. I can explain how a piece was made, where the wood came from, why one serving board costs more than another, and what makes each one unique. You're buying directly from the person who created it, not paying for layers of marketplace overhead.
I don't believe handmade should be the cheapest option.
I believe it should be the most honest.
So from now on, if you're looking for one of my pieces, you'll find me where I started—in my shop, at local markets, and in my workshop, making things one at a time.
Because that's what handmade has always meant to me.