I am making handmade products and have been often asked, how can I compete with the mass produced items. What it is that makes handmade worth the additional cost?
First of all it is unique, even when you follow the same pattern at the end 2 products don't come out the same. It depends on the mood I am in and the way I hold the hook. what the product will look like, because I am a human and leave my trace on the things I make.
Here we come to the second advantage I am person who makes things for people. The items can be customized to suit the individual stile and personality of the customer. How amazing it is to get an accessory, which is just what you imagined! Just like this happy customer showing off with her new mittens:)
The quality of the product is also higher, a craftsman wouldn't work with low quality materials, because he/she takes pride in the product and relies on the happy customers, who come back again and again, unlike mass producers who want the product to look good in the shop and once sold it often doesn't last long.
Buying handmade items is a good way to support the well being of your local community, the local handicrafts people are eager to spend on local materials and generally spend the profit they make locally, doing so they accumulate the profit of many other small businesses. /I am an economist and can't help clearing out economical theories/
And last but not least, it is environmentally friendly, buying local handicrafts means you avoid the shipping of products made else where and reduce your carbon footprint and handmade methods are generally greener than mass production ones.
