To be fed up of people trying to hawk their 'craft' wares

[Goldenhandshake]

Over the last couple of years there seems to have been phases of craft/homemade items being hawked by loads of people, en masse, particularly over facebook.

There have been cards, cupcakes, personalised converse trainers and now hair bows seems to be the latest.

AIBU to be sick of the sodding 'Please like my FB selling page' requests, stalls popping up at DD's dance class, school fetes etc and then having people I know almost guilt tripping you into buying because you know them?

I know I don't have to buy anything, and I mostly don't, but have felt obliged to a couple of times. and have mainly been left disappointed

I thought the "bilingual Converse" had a double tongue!

As for: "obviously, someone IS buying them, or they wouldn't bother making them up"

...not necessarily, thanks to the inventiveness of the human spirit, in deforming markets, for example:

• shilling: a "shill", in league with a seller, will buy or bid up items, to simulate a market
• non-transparent pricing (discounts and free samples to "brand ambassadors") give a misleading impression as well
• and, once a misleading impression (great saleability) is in place, sellers can try to get others to "buy in": at its most innocent, this is franchising, at its most insidious, it is pyramid-selling.

Awimba - yes declare everything to the inland revenue. It's unlikely you will have to pay tax on it especially if you add the cost of materials as expenses but all income must be declared

Awimba yes you'll need to inform them and do a tax return but its really straightforward. Set up a spreadsheet and put any incoming/outgoings on it straight away, you're yearly return will only take 15 minutes to complete. You'll also need to fill in a small earnings exemption so you're not liable for NI.

I knitted my first scarf recently proud and the wool was very expensive. I have no idea how people knit jumpers and other big things.

I don't mind when people do something that takes skill and create something truly well made or unique.

I just wonder how much money they actually make per month/year.

I'm shocked someone would try to flog stuff at work!

I'm a crafty people who ALWAYS gets told I should sell stuff I make by non-crafty people (muggles) who assume that £20 is a good price for a handknit, made to measure jumper - hmm, perhaps more £200?

My favourite was that this year I have designed and made a crochet Animal (from the Muppets) for my Dad's Christmas present - it was due to be his birthday present in June but it genuinely took me that long to make. After seeing me slave over this for MONTHS, a colleague asked if I'd make one for her teenage son for £15!!! I finished laughing long enough to give her the link to the pattern that I'd posted online...

Unfortunately I find muggles equate everything homemade with cheap tat, and lots of people with skills and patience end up getting tarred with the same brush!

I'm torn about this - I'm an illustrator with many years of being skint training and experience behind me. I design and sell my own range and it's not doing too badly but because anything decent takes time and because of printing costs etc I don't make a lot out of it - I'm really doing it as an outlet for my creativity because my day job is so boring.

I know of several people - mainly through Facebook - who are producing the most Godawful tat but making a decent amount at it (whether HMRC are aware is another story). Mis-spelt wooden plaques (x sleep's until Xmas ), hideous 'cupcakes' and those bloody sweet trees are a few that spring to mind. It pisses me off that my stuff is tarred with the same brush as some of this crap.

But on the other hand I know how hard it is to find work that fits around family life and I appreciate people are just trying to make ends meet - and why not sell this sort of stuff if some mug one wants to buy it? But as others have said, it does feel insulting to people who are actually talented or have worked hard to build up a business.

Don't get me started on those bloody selling parties either, glorified Avon lady is about right!

Cambridge - as a fellow illustrator I agree with you on how annoying it is to have my work lumped in as a 'hobby craft' by ignorant relatives when several years at St Martins cost way more than a 'hobby' would !
That's why I now haven't even mentioned that I sell prints online as I refuse to hear the daft comments.

It does piss me off immensely - mainly because I've learnt my craft - university, then lecturing & without sounding up my own arse, I know what I'm doing & I do it well.

Craft fairs are bloody dire too unless you get one that is organised by people who know what they're doing - the utter shite I've seen at some is appalling.

And the prices people charge just devalue the whole idea of hand crafted items - some people must be working for absolute peanuts..

I'm always stunned by the cost of yarn. I love knitting and crochet and do a fair amount of homemade gifts for Christmas and birthdays. I'm also learning to quilt and the cost of fabric is ridiculous. I would never ever dream of trying to sell stuff I have made, mainly because I take too long to make them.

moonface I think some people are actually working for cost. I've seen knitted items selling for what must be almost exactly, or even less, the cost of the yarn.

I keep meaning to find the time to make stuff to sell as I am a good knitter and sewer, but I fear that the pricing would have to be too high to make it worth while and that I'm too much of a perfectionist and therefore nothing would ever reach my personal high standards. I'm very critical of my work.

I'm very impressed by the genuinely talented people out there but I get annoyed by all the badly made tat appearing on FB at the moment.

Is there a way to tell whether a craft fair will be proper skilled professionals or hobby types with sweet trees? I love buying handmade and will pay for it - but more and more I am confronted with Molly Makes subscribers....any tips?

My Dad uses this as his job. He is unable to work set hours due to severe depression and physical health issues.

Crafts he can do in his own time, from the comfort of his own living room when he is well enough.

And he could make that wooden sleigh a million times better than the one on E-Bay

This is why I get so annoyed, because I genuinely like home made/hand crafted items when they are good, it's just so many aren't good, or aren't actually home made (as people have mentioned on here, the melt and pour soaps, jewellery imported from china and sold on as 'handmade' etc).

My Dad's are handmade and he pays tax (or rather he doesn't, as he doesn't make enough, but he has been a registered business owner most of his working life, so does do things properly)

I don't mind other people's efforts, nor does he, what we do mind is people linking their own, similar products on his FB page, as he's well established now, with a good following of regular customers. I mean how cheeky is that?

He has worked hard and has invested (well, mainly, I have invested, in tools etc he needs for his craft) into his business. It's not something you could just do as a hobby on the side, it would cost far too much in start-up costs.

He does annoy me by using his own personal FB page and not the business page I set up for him and I'm sure he'd do much better if he was more professional in both his advertising and the way he manages and uses his page, however, as he points out, he mainly does it just as something to do, since he can't work, the bonus being it pays for his pet's day to day care. That's all he needs it do.

If people are willing to stump up the start up costs and the time, fair play to them. You don't have to buy their stuff.

I love and appreciate quality home made goods, such as a beautiful handmade patchwork quilt I purchased for ds. I hate fecking cellophane wrapped poundland goods that are currently all over fb. Along with sweetie cones and stupid plastic sweetie carts available to hire for all occasions sparcely decorated with cheap toot wrapped in enough cellophane to wrap around the entrie world twice.

Annie That kind of thing is rife on Etsy, they don't give a toss on there. There was one particular case of a guy who sourced is lovely driftwood furniture from a wholesaler overseas. Etsy said that as it had been lovingly handmade by somebody that counted for the purposes of his shop on their site

expat Me too :) And decoupaged stuff, my old landlords daughter decoupages shoes and bags, she's really fucking good at it and does it for fun. I've seen people selling similar in really bad condition, it amazes me.

My current landlady is an amazing artist but has moved to drawing on clothes now as people don't seem to be buying artwork at the moment, some of her pieces are stunning I want them and it's amazing how many people offer her pittance for them. Landlady actually graduated from uni having specialised in jewllery making, but found it impossible to sell as people would just copy her designs and sell it for cheaper from more cheaply made materials.

There are so many people on etsy selling work to cost price, it's depressing as you know that if you try to compete with them, they'll get the sale every time.

I made a sweetie tree for my own DC. It cost me £30 in total (including all the lollies, oasis ball, dowel, plant pot, clay to steady the pole etc) so I can see why they might charge £25 for that, but I wouldn't buy one premade like that.

I did however used to sell my handmade cards. I wasn't pushy, though I did have a website and FB page. I sold quite a few - but generally they were to friends (mostly old school mates I hadn't seen in years) who wanted a custom made card that no where else sold. I did pretty well to say I only had 3 customers (before I had to stop)- all came back a few times, and seemed genuinely sad when I had to stop for health reasons.
If I am ever well enough again I will start it up again, though I will stay with subtle selling. I hate having things pushed in my face.

I haven't done craft fairs for a few years as they wind me up so much - the ones round here seem to consist of hideous knitted tat that nobody in their right mind would pay good money for, a selection of sweet trees, nappy cakes and jewellery/candle 'makers', several Pampered Chef/overpriced cosmetics stalls and a few people selling nice stuff that I could buy in any high street gift shop.

There are usually several women selling high end stuff that looks unlikely to make any profit too, who I'm sure are being bankrolled by their rich husbands but have convinced themselves they're running a successful business.

at Mollie Makes subscribers, that magazine has a lot to answer for!

I went to a craft fair at the weekend, and every other stall was homemade knitted tat. I can admire the work and skill involved but I don't want any of it in my house. Who buys this shit?

I'd love to buy the blinged up Converse this one gal does, her commissions are REALLY good. They are costly and should be!

I make cards and a few altered items (keepsake boxes, frames - papercuts - the kind of thing you actually see on Not on the High Street. Everything I do is handcut and designed by me I do this in addition to my job. I'd actually love a little page to sell on but I work by commission only at the moment. I have to turn down some of those.

I hate the thought of friends feeling they HAD to buy from me. I can live without that. I hate the idea of people on the net questioning the amount of time and effort these items involve.

The way I see it is people who make things shouldn't EXPECT friends to buy from them, if their wares are good enough your friends may ask you to (and not expect a cut down price) but if they weren't asking I'd find hawking my wares a bit shameless. Craft sellers have to accept that their work may not be to everyone's taste and craft buyers should be aware that it may look like it shouldn't cost as much as it does but craft resources even before the considerable time took to make it can be very expensive.

I have my own jewellery business but I do it properly. I've been on courses and spent months perfecting my skills, nothing is ready for sale until it is just so. I spend extra buying quality findings from reputable companies so I know they are lead/nickel compliant and won't break. Even my fucking invoices are beautiful.

Milkybarbuttons you sound like the kind of person I buy from. Some shops present everything beautifully and I am aware of how long it takes to even find some of the items used in the making. I always appreciate how much time and effort goes into a handmade item.

Cambridgeblue
I'm torn about this - I'm an illustrator with many years of being skint training and experience behind me. I design and sell my own range and it's not doing too badly but because anything decent takes time and because of printing costs etc I don't make a lot out of it - I'm really doing it as an outlet for my creativity because my day job is so boring.

You sound more like an artist than a crafter to me.

I agree with you to some extent if people can make money out of these things then someone must want to buy them.