People are always looking for a deal, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. If you’re an artist or some type of creator, you’ve probably already heard, “Oh, this is nice, but I can’t afford that.” However, some people will definitely pay a high price for the love, care, and time you put into your creations. But some people are incredibly cheap, even if they have the money to spend. As one jewelry maker in California found out, some people are cheaper than Mr. Krabs.
Hara Jewels (@harajewels on TikTok) posted a video captioned, “Does anyone care about the quality of their jewelry anymore?” She recorded her art booth at what appears to be a craft fair in California and panned to herself wearing a piece of jewelry she made. An overlay reads, “This girl asked her friend to take a picture of earrings I handmade so she could ‘image search and find them on Amazon for cheaper.’”
Now, for the uninitiated, this is the equivalent of a slap to the face for an artist. Yes, when you buy handmade art from somebody, it may cost a little more. On the flipside, you’re usually paying for that extra attention to quality. As opposed to Shein or Temu, where the products are so cheap, they’ll break or tear within days. Personally, I’d rather have something that lasts, so I support artists as often as I can.
One commenter stated, “If your product is truly handmade and unique, you have nothing to worry about. Right?” However, another person pointed out, “Companies like SHEIN will literally steal designs.” A third commenter shared her own story, “I work at a renaissance faire and we sell handmade clothes and it’s insane how often I hear ‘I can get it cheaper online.’”
From a personal standpoint, artists already have a lot of competition. Being up against big companies like Amazon and Temu can become tiresome indeed. On top of this, artists struggle to find their footing and now have to compete with AI images left and right. I’m married to an artist and, in selling handmade portraits of people’s pets, she’s come face-to-face with AI versions. And people actually hang that garbage up! If you can’t afford an artist’s prices, the least you can do is move on.
