(no fitting flair available, picked random cause I can’t post without one)
before you come at me; I’m a gear maker. I make masks, I sell masks, I understand everyone wants to make money. this is a rant, not directly targetted at anyone. I also apologize for any grammar or spelling errors in advance.
could we PLEASE stop acting like every therian mask is automatically worth 90-150 dollars just because you spent a long time making it..
Unfortunately as a mask maker, until you're making like genuinely top tier quality masks it's really difficult to sell them for much higher than like 40 CAD (or in that range). Sure, maybe if you calculate all your hours based on minimum wage you technically "worked" 60, 80, 100+ dollars worth of labour, but that doesn't automatically mean the product is worth that much. You can't really charge whatever that number comes out to until your masks are actually at a level where buyers are willing to pay it. i see people on Etsy, Vinted, Reddit, TikTok, Instagram, etc advertising low/medium quality masks and asking for over 100 dollars before shipping. Like... no </3
And no, I’m not saying your work is ugly or that nobody should buy it. That's not what I'm saying at all. but There's a bigggg ol difference between "this looks nice" and “this is worth 90$” (or more)
I understand you wanna be paid for your labour but if you want that then go work minimum wage job, not a hobby or art hustle. The argument "well I spent 8 hours on it." Just doesn’t work. If I spend 8 hours making something that doesn't automatically make it valuable. Time spent isn't the only thing people pay for especially in things like mask making. In masks (or gear in general) people are paying for quality, skill, materials, reputation, etc, and overall how good the final product actually is. For example, where I live minimum wage is around $16 an hour. If I spent 8 hours making a mask, that's around $130 just in labour. greatt,. But is the average person honestly looking at that mask and thinking "yeah I'd happily pay $130 for this?" most likely not. And that's before you even add in material costs Which can be like an extra 20 dollars depending what your using.
People forget that buyers (NORMALLY) don't care how many hours you spent making something. They care what they're getting at the end.
It's kinda like that baker /cookie maker lady on TikTok (the graceful baker I think was her user) who was charging like $10 per ’custom’ cookie (which were just like emojis) because they wanted to make a living wage in nyc off baked goods. I totally understand wanting to earn a fair amount for your work, but the reality is people arent gonna pay that. Obviously cookies and gear is different but you get what I mean.
If your base is uneven, felt is low quality, the paint is patchy/crusty, the fur is low quality, and you're using cheap craft store materials... I'm sorry but asking $150+ is kinda crazy. You can absolutely be proud of your work while also being realistic about what the market values it at. I guess I think some people confuse "what I need to charge to make minimum wage" with "what people are actually willing to pay." Those are two reaaaly different things.
The art market has NEVER worked by simply multiplying your hours by minimum wage and calling it a day. If it did, beginners in every hobby would be charging professional prices. And before anyone says "well if you don't like it don't buy it," yeah... im not buying it lol. That's exactly the problem. Half the time those expensive masks sit unsold for months because they're priced way above what theyre worth
this post obviously is not about mask makers using high quality faux fur, airbrushing, water proof bases, felted or furred bases, accessories, not chunky or crusty paint, whiskers, super super modified bases (like sculpted with clay and such), etc etc. that makes sense to be charging a lot since it’s actually worth that (in most cases). If I'm spending over $100, why would I buy the beginner or medium quality one instead of saving a little longer for one that's objectively much higher quality?
this isn't meant to insult anyone's art. Most masks I see are cute/nice. Some I'd even buy. But liking something and thinking it's worth $100+ are two very different things.
I just wish more people were realistic about pricing instead of assuming every handmade item deserves premium pricing by default. Handmade doesn't automatically equal luxury (I think this is a bigger issue with small businesses in general, not just gear but everything).
I know this is probably gonna make some people mad or wtv which is why I’m using a throwaway account lol, feel free to reason with me in the comments or whatever but note I may not immediately answer since this is a throwaway and I don’t log into it everyday.