I'm most of the way through a book called Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture by Ellen Ruppel Shell. It’s a great read about pricing, discounting, the glut of cheap (and cheaply made) consumer goods and how the retail landscape is changing dramatically around the world.
I work with many makers of handmade goods, and almost all of them have difficulties pricing their work. Due to economies of scale, handmade goods are seen by some as being unusually expensive compared to a similar mass-produced item. Therefore, some would argue, there is almost no reason to shop handmade. In a culture that prizes “getting a deal” above all else, handmade no longer makes sense.
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