The Price of the Poke

With the current "economic downturn" that we are experiencing it seems that a lot of prices are falling. Generally this is a good thing. I'm happy that I can buy cheaper toilet paper and eggs and soap. Maybe the only time this is not so great is when you are an artist and the falling prices mean that other artists are dropping their prices to a degree that is simply ridiculous.

Needle felting is a relatively new craft that has only recently gained the kind of momentum as other fiber arts. When I started felting I couldn't find books on it. I had to order needles online and the wool I used was being sold for spinning. Now in any yarn shop there are books and supplies for felting. This discovery of the medium by the crafting public also happened to coincide with the boom that hit Etsy. The result is that there are a large number of needle felters selling their wares on Etsy now.

I would not be disappointed about this if it were about having more competition. I belong to several groups and enjoy seeing other work and bouncing ideas and techniques around with other artists. The problem is that a lot of these very new crafters who are also inexperienced Etsy sellers price their felt work so low that it makes the rest of us look like we are grossly inflating our prices. Whenever I show people my work if they are unfamiliar with needle felting they ask why something so small would cost so much. I kept a log while I was working on the Sleepytime Pip for an example. It took me over 7 hours to complete that piece. Selling him for $69 is not really a profit! I do it because I love it and I hope some day in the future that I might be able to cut back on my "real" job and make my art a more substantial part of my life.

People who are selling little needle felted pieces for $15 are damaging the work that the community has done in establishing the medium as a fine art. Other types of art dolls and artist bears don't sell for that cheap regardless of how small they are. I understand the lure of pricing items really low on Etsy to make more sales. You simply have to understand the value of your work and realize that selling something hastily thrown together at a very reduced cost it is hurting all of us. It makes needle felting look like something that is fast and easy (which it is not) and it makes those of us who are really taking the time to learn and perfect this craft look like we are just price gouging and pulling the wool over our customer's eyes, which we certainly are not.