I was going to post a photo of a new shoulder bag, but due to the lack of sunlight I couldn't get a good enough shot. I'm sick of the white stuff, aren't you?
Meanwhile I've been dealing with a sensitive issue -- how to price a handmade bag. My new line of
fashion bags are all one-offs. There are a lot of clever details on these bags inside and out and this should obviously be reflected in the price. It's difficult for me to estimate my hourly rate, since I couldn't possibly compare it to the work I used to do out in the corporate world. My husband thinks I'm undervalueing my own efforts, and I do agree that my profit margin for
Dunibagz items is pretty small. Well, I've put that down as a learning experience, and I confess that I was a little overwhelmed with the masses of similar items that I was competing against (and which cost less too). I think having my own website is a step in the right direction. Yeah, it's coming along :) There's a certain giddy excitement that comes with creating a whole new collection. I also don't feel so much pressure to churn out one bag after the other in order to remain visible (on the new items page) day after day. Where's the joy in that? Not that I actually
did churn them out.
I have also been studying the bag categories on both
Etsy and
Dawanda and to my great disappointment I've come across quite a number of shops that sell perfect, cookie-cutter
handmade bags. Sure, handmade by an assembly line in Bulgaria or Vietnam! Enormous genuine leather bags, each one identical, that sell for less than 100 Euro? Come on. A real handmade bag exudes the artisan's touch. It has personality and each handmade bag - although of impeccable craftsmanship - is never exactly the same. That is what makes a handmade product personal, charming and unique. And what I hope my future customers will fully appreciate.
