How the hell do cardmakers make any money?!?!

I'm sat here watching QVC, whilst doing other things mind, and i'm blown away by the amount of money it costs to put a card together. There's so many products available to cardmakers I'm surprised they ever break even. Is it just me?!

Crafteroo

I think QVC massively inflate their prices, and a set of Sakura pens for say £8-10 will last for a couple of years if looked after I suppose..... With cards though, it's hard to command such a high price as a lot of people see them as disposable, for one day only. I choose not to buy cards unless they're really personal for this very reason.

pennydog

I would also say that QVC doesn't sell to the people who make cards, but to the people that do it as a hobby. The real cardmakers who want to make money would probably never buy from them. They're just tapping into the "hobby" market, which does cost a fortune. Hobbycraft is also like that, and whenever I go I am amazed at the things they sell. Most of the stuff is basically a big jigsaw and doesn't require any real craft skills, but if for the person who is quite interested in doing something creative with their time and therefore the stuff is not as good quality, but still costs alot.

*Please note that I do shop at hobby craft for a few things and that I don't want to offend anyone else who shops there too!*

SheDraws

LOL I cringe if I have to buy from an actual shop. I have 3 main haunts, eBay, PJ beads and East Coast Fibreglass. If they haven't got it I ain't interested!

pennydog

I just watch QVC for the odd idea. I make my own embellishments etc, so can make a card for no more than 25p if I am careful. Obviously this doesn't include my time. I sell at £1.75 per card. If I sell a lot in one go, say at a card party, I make money  - otherwise I just spend what I have made on new crafting things!

chickadee cards

One of the items I saw today was 6 packs of rhinestones for £18.85, not including p&p....I mean that is just a silly expense to pay if you're trying to make any extra cash. Half of the things they flog during crafts hours on these shopping channels are pretty much ready made stickers....you just stick them onto a piece of card and you're good to go! It's a shame really because there's plenty or geniune 'crafters' who specialise in cardmaking who really make an art of their work.

Crafteroo

i want to comment here but am afraid someone might take offence.

vInTaGe VioLeT

Oh dear.... 

I think the idea is that the people who make cards buying their bits from QVC are making them without selling in mind, they're for personalised gifts...

Oh and I do believe in supporting the high street, but if you're a business you have to get the best value supplies.

*hides from vV*

pennydog

Yeh that's what I mean, there is the real crafter and the hobby crafter, and unfortunately places like QVC and Hobbycraft take advantage of those who do it as a hobby. 

It annoys me when I have to go to hobby craft, if i might need something desperately and they don't have it because it's all hobby stuff like stickers and ready made things.  There is definite lack of good art materials shops on the high street, but like kerry I get my stuff from ebay, or a the local spell bound bead shop. And don't even get me started on trying to finding really good quality but large sheets of paper!

SheDraws

VV???

I agree re stickers. I abhor those cutesy ones you  can get. When I first started making cards, I used a lot of peel-offs but soon realised that they were not highly thought of in the hand-made world!

chickadee cards

i just mean that Dawn Bibby and Stephanie? on ideal world have a following i wouldn't want to offend anyone if they like their style!
 i think it is overpriced but if you watch home shopping you can start to believe it when they tell you what a "bargain" you're getting . . . . .

i charge a lot for a custom card but i put a lot of effort into them,the last custom card i did was personalised with a name - i made my own stamp for it and decorated two inserts for it and decorated the envelope too BUT i bet it was still cheaper than a so-called hand-made card from clinton cards - Now that makes me cross how they can call it hand-made just because someone peeled a sticky pad and added another printed layer!


rant over . . . .hope no-one is offended at me not liking the style of Bibby!

vInTaGe VioLeT

I think some of their items are ok as they're are classics, I suppose like rhinestones, but when they're offering stickers and papers that are very stylized it defeats the object of something being handmade.

What gets me though is that you can actually buy A6 sheets of paper with verses on to put inside the card! They're white, with grey or black type on them. My mum was looking at them and I was absolutely flabbergasted that they could even sell stuff like that. They are so easy to make on the computer, even for the person who never goes on! They'd be better off selling or giving free guides to help people make they're own!

SheDraws

I have nothing original to add but just wanted to agree with everything that's been said already. There are some shocking things on QVC and at some of the big 'craft' exhibitions where they're charging exhorbitant prices for a sheet of thin cardboard teddies or bunnies or something equally irritatingly 'cute' with a sticky mount on the back.

Hobbycraft gets me really annoyed - there was a lovely little art/craft shop in my town, a real treasure trove, you could get anything in there, silk paints, resin, polymer clay, canvas, water colours and the staff were really knowledgeable...unfortunately it closed down in June because it couldn't compete with the range of stock in Hobbycraft 10 miles away. Tragic.

Lilylola

I kind of think the fact that this thread has been viewed over 150 times in a few hours speaks for itself!

Crafteroo

I spend quite a lot on card-making etc (not from qvc, they are ridiculously priced!) and I dont sell my cards myself, I give them to charity shops and use them myself. I just enjoy the making and dont want the hassle of selling at the moment. But if I was selling my cards, I guess I would see the money as covering the costs of my hobby rather than actaully making me a living. So maybe that is what a lot of people do, and that is why they are prepared to spend more on one card than most of us think is reasonable?

Actually, I bought a robo in the summer - if I shared out the cost of that between the cards I have made using it, that would make them very expensive cards lol!

raspberrycupcake