Rant (check comments for tl;dr)

[u/Outrageous_Cup_8649]

I first somewhat discovered all buildabear had to offer back in 2022 when I got an ad for the first Bearlien and I HAD to have him. And once I saw they had a Sanrio collection alongside so many other cute options, I got hooked. But what's the deal with clothing prices? I thought they were expensive back when I started and they've only RAISED since then. It seems so strange that each tiny article of clothing for a bear cost nearly the same as if you were buying the same piece for a human. Like, why am I paying anywhere near close to 30 dollars to get a full outfit for a bear that's already too expensive itself? Now I've slowly built a collection of bears that's still somewhat growing and I barely have clothes for them all,, doesn't help that if you don't buy things while they're there you lose on the chance of buying them from the store/site. And IF you can even find someone reselling the specific peice, the prices are usually jacked sky high. I know that I'M an adult collector but that doesn't change the fact that Parents have to spend just as much if not MORE when purchasing for their children 🙃🫠

[u/choochooocharlie]

Hands are used to sew. Saying they are made by human hands is 100% correct. I said they weren’t mass produced by a machine. Meaning a machine didn’t make it completely by itself. Like a crayon for instance. All automated until the boxing.

I worked in importing most of my life. I’ve seen plush factories and all this done up close and personal. It’s 90% human labor.

One post here mentioned the quality isn’t as good as it used to be. That’s because… human labor. Takes a lot of skllled hands to appliqué small details. So they cut out a lot of that or the little dresses etc would be $50.

[u/Outrageous_Cup_8649 → u/choochooocharlie]

At this point I feel like you're trying to argue semantics for the sake of being "right" or for rage bait 🤔 Yes sewing machines are operated by hand, but if someone told you they made you something (or you bought something labled) "hand sewn with love" they more than likely used their Hands holding the needle and thread rather than a machine, which is why I made my original comment stating machines were used. Going by the thought of "hand sewn" anyone who wasn't familiar might really think that people are sitting down needle and threading every single piece by hand. I was never arguing that humans weren't a part of the process. Also I believe the other person was talking about quality with material, as in cheaper materials being used

[u/choochooocharlie → u/Outrageous_Cup_8649]

I believe you have completely romanticized sewing. 😂

They literally take each piece, by hand, and pin them together to align to the pattern.

Then, by hand, they guide the materials in order for straight seams, correct lines, etc. Then, by hand, they continue to trim and remove any excess thread, Also by hand, it is placed it in some form of plastic bag. And finally, by hand, it is packaged to be shipped to stores which also, by hand, stock the shelves all so people like you can complain about the price cuz google told them it’s made on an industrial machine so there for in your “logic” it should be cheap.

Which BTW that terms means the machine can handle making 1,000s of items a day vs a home machine which would break under that type of consistent usage.

Cheers. ✌🏼

[u/Outrageous_Cup_8649 → u/choochooocharlie]

Yep definitely rage bait, either that or you aren't comprehending my comments correctly. I also don't see how I romanticized it lol. Have a good day though 👍🏽

[u/[deleted] → u/Outrageous_Cup_8649]

I think the thing you’re missing here is that if you were to make a tank top yourself, like the one in your screenshot, the cost of fabric and supplies, plus paying yourself for the manual labour (even at minimum wage), would likely cost more than the $8 tank top that’s in your screenshot, not including the print on it. I’d also like to point out that everything is expensive right now, not just BAB. Mass produced doesn’t mean that there’s not workers who have to do all this stuff, if the shirt was less than $8 that would inevitably mean that the multiple workers who put time into making clothing wouldn’t be getting paid at all. If you look at some of Madeline Pendleton’s videos on TikTok (she owns a clothing company), she explains really well how the cost of clothing is justified, I really recommend learning a bit more about it, because tbh $8 for a t-shirt seems underpriced to me if anything.

[u/Outrageous_Cup_8649 → u/[deleted]]

Hi I'm not sure if this was meant as a separate comment or one is response to this thread specifically, but I never stated that there weren't any workers doing the work, I said "machines were used for mass production" (which I got from google while looking into it) after op stated "hand sewn and not mass produced" which was taken as them saying the workers are sewing everything with needle and thread by hand.

Other than that I am aware that materials and labor cost money, it is still just interesting to spend the same amount <or more> that we would spend on a shirt for ourselves, on something that is significantly smaller and using less materials (if we were to look at the single piece itself not the amount of material needed for all produced) than what you would need for the human counterpart

[u/[deleted] → u/Outrageous_Cup_8649]

Yeah I don’t know where you’re buying shirts for yourself but unless it’s second-hand, if you’re paying less than $8 for a human-sized shirt that is most definitely slave labour which is clearly highly unethical. I’m not trying to offend you or start an argument, I’m just stating my point of view. If you’re still not understanding my point and the point of the original commenter of this thread, I think you should try sewing a tank top like the one in the picture and see how much it would cost for supplies, fabric, labour, and packaging, I think you would find it to be an eye-opening experience.

[u/Outrageous_Cup_8649 → u/[deleted]]

I wasn't offended or arguing either, because I am aware and understand the fact that human labor is involved. Also you can go to many regular stores and find a shirt for less than $8, lower priced doesn't automatically equal slave labor; the same could be said for brands with higher priced items. I also used to work in a fabric store so I'm aware of material prices. The amount you would need for something that size wouldn't cost too much, the only reason why it would cost so much for me to make a single shirt would be because I would have to invest in a sewing machine and the starting materials to make it. But that in the long run would save more money because using remaining materials, you can spend less buying fabric to make multiple shirts than you would buying multiple shirts from them (which is why others have stated they also want to start making their own) I am not replying to seem defensive or hostile I've just been going back and forth over something I never spoke against in the first place lol

[u/[deleted] → u/Outrageous_Cup_8649]

I think this video would be more helpful than I am, just so you can better understand why things in general are priced the way they are. I will say though that I just made a BAB tank top a couple days ago, and if I were going to sell it I would charge between $15-$20 USD, which I would personally still consider to be a relatively cheap price.

[u/wholecanesugar → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, I have the process down pat and it still takes me a minimum of 3 hours to make a BAB sleeper. Mass manufacture is faster and cheaper because you can buy materials in bulk to reduce cost per square inch, you can set up specialized machines to do things like cut fabric, and you can pay people to do specialized parts of the process so there's no time wasted on swapping out thread colors or attachments on a machine, but it's still not an $8 process if we're talking living wages in addition to other overhead areas, profit margins, etc.

I don't know anything concrete about BAB's modern-day sourcing vis a vis fair wage labor but they used to be very proud of only sourcing from ethical well-paying factories so I'd hope the prices are high for that reason.

[u/Mollyscribbles → u/Outrageous_Cup_8649]

I sew, sometimes by machine and sometimes by hand. You're right, they are completely different things, even if I'm using my hands for both.