I don't usually top-post, but I think this needs to be said again....

Mavis



On Wed, 11 Feb 2004 02:40:45 +0000, DreamBeadr wrote:

Wow, I have so many issues I could bring up about this concept. =o)

First, I would like to comment that I am offended when people use the
term Nazi lightly. There is nothing even remotely similar to
lampworkers and a Nazi.

Second, while I feel the concept of people placing a personal value on
their own work is a good one, determining an industry standard, just
because you happen to produce a product within a certain category, just
won't work. That would be like asking all beadweavers to charge at least
X amount of dollars per hour for their work. Their lives may be so busy
that their hourly worth is tremendous, but they may not yet have all the
skills to produce a quality piece of beadwork.

Third, I have been involved in the beading world for over 30 years now.
I started creating simple beaded pieces with my Grandmother at age 8.
By age 12,
I was selling simple beaded jewelry to friends, at the beach and at
small
craft shows. By 18 I was selling beads. By 25 I had an established
retail store.
While I am not the most experienced person in this industry, I am very
experienced. I have made it my life to learn as much about beads in all
their forms as I can. Along with that self-education comes a bit of
understanding on how the market (as it relates to beads and beading)
works. There will always be the person who feels they need to "undercut"
the next guy to stand out. There will always be the person who feels
the "value" of their time is worth more than the average market will
bear. There will always be the person who understands their worth, and
is willing to work with the market demand to find that happy medium.

That being said, there is such a tremendous influx of lampworkers at
this time, that the market will be thin. This is the progression of any
industry. As the market thins, your competition increases. You can
compensate for that by looking within ones self and determining what it
is you as an individual can do to change. You can use your competition
to better yourself. (which, I feel, is what should always be done)
This same set of standard rules of business apply to any field.
Beadmakers, beadsellers, beaders, etc. Your service, your reputation,
your style, your adaptability, your personal input into the industry,
all of these things are what can help set you apart from your
competition. This is what will raise the value of what you have to
offer. Not what others choose to sell for. The value of the beads I
sell are in direct relation to their quality, my service, my reputation,
and the volume I sell them in. They are not, nor will they ever be, in
relation to what others sell theirs for.
I do however, work under a standard industry guideline. I do not
intentionally undercut others and I do not overprice. Were I to make my
own beads for sale, I would again follow along those same guidelines. I
would understand what the market can bear, I would learn where and who
my customers are, and I would supply them with what they want at the
prices they demand. If I were really lucky, I would be some of the very
few who know how to escalate themselves to the top of that imaginary
list of the best of the best.. =o)
If the online auction places are not bringing you the dollar amount you
feel you deserve, then find the location that will. It works better to
locate your customers rather than try to force yourself upon them.

While the entire bead industry can and should be viewed as one big
family, it is the individuals within that family that make it what it
is.

A think a revolution to help others learn to value themselves as
artists, craftspeople, creators, sellers, business people, etc would
garner much more worth.

Beki
http://www.whimbeads.com