The Beauty of Buying Fair Trade and Handcrafted Items

Fair trade items involve a unique certification process, that once obtained, allows artisans of all cultures and countries to sell their hand crafted items through a Fair Trade cooperative to an audience hungry for such unique products.

While we're familiar with fair trade food products like coffee, tea and chocolate, there're more and more items being sold through fair trade to beautifully decorate your home such as candles, garden ornaments, metal wall art, and hand felted woolen items from as far away as Nepal!

A growing number of ecommerce stores on places like Etsy and Folksy, as well as independent brands like Bonsai and Bear, are assisting buyers in making these unique and gorgeous hand made products more widely available.

Or maybe you might consider joining the hand crafted upward trend and turn your passion into a side business.

Doing so not only acts as a type of therapy, it's always a sweet spot to do something you love and see income from it. It's no secret that doing what you love offers joy and helps to relieve stress in your life.

Handcrafted products assist you in cutting down on household expenses. For example, people that produce things like mats save money because they don't have to spend the extra money on rugs for their homes.

Just Because Its Handcrafted Doesn’t Mean Its Easy

Handcrafted product design adventures assist to hone skills and talents. Some handcrafted items, such as clothing or beadwork, may be the result of such ability. It's critical to devote time and practice to this talent to ensure that you create high-quality results.

If you were on the fence about giving handmade presents, just dive in. Anything made by hand stands a better chance of being truly well received as a genuine expression of the time that went into giving a hand made gift.

If you don't make such things but still want to buy or give as a one of a kind gift, here are the top 19 reasons why buying Fair Trade items is a beautiful thing:

Why Choose Fair Trade?

There's nothing else like it

One of the key reasons people buy Fair Trade is for its uniqueness. Unlike machines that output products by the masses, Fair Trade items are all unique, one of a kind due to each item being made by hand. When it comes to handcrafted goods, the individual doing the work is meticulous and pays close attention to the smallest details. These items are crafted using techniques that have been passed down from one generation to the next for centuries, in many cases, preserving cultural skills and techniques.

Support the artisan and his family

By purchasing Fair Trade items, you are helping to support the artist's family and also their local community. These artisans devote a significant amount of time to their creations.

Buying something is one way to show your appreciation for the time, energy, and resources that went into its creation as well as making a statement to anyone receiving such items as a gift that you took the time to select something unique.

Made with skill and love

Each handcrafted present is made with love and a good deal of time and effort, giving it the personal touch. People can work while bonding and sharing nice times, resulting in goods with a significant emotional value. The artists really like coming up with design ideas, and their excitement shines through in the final creations.

This brings us to the next reason why people should buy Fair Trade items.

Handcrafted presents are handcrafted especially for you: These are the nicest gifts; purchasing a handcrafted item leaves a lasting impression on the recipient.

The attention to detail in the present, as well as the time and money invested in its creation, make the gift unique and precious.

The cost, durability, and quality of a product are all elements that we consider while creating something. Remember that the artists design a product and then participate in every element of its creation, ensuring that it is durable and long-lasting.

Online gifts: Craft has become more accessible as the number of people who enjoy internet products has grown. Through online gift shops, you can get them from anywhere in the world.

Reduced carbon footprint

Many products are created from recycled materials, which is excellent for the environment.

They also utilize less energy, which has aided in environmental protection. So please support and buy from a local artisan shop to help preserve the ecosystem for future generations, or think about sourcing Fair Trade items from online ecommerce stores that are bring the idea of a sustainable future to the forfront.

Support local employment by purchasing handcrafted items. After you've spent your money on produce, you've helped the economy by creating jobs.

People adore the online marketplace, according to statistics, and are increasingly using and establishing a gift shop with Folksy or Etsy to fulfill rising demand for things that are unique.

Contribute positively to communities by supporting the local economy. According to recent research, many craftsmen spend their money in their local communities, supporting local businesses like restaurants.

Supporting local crafts will have a direct impact on society and the economy, but it will also have an indirect impact on community progress.

Heirlooms from the family

Handcrafted things are highly valued, even in past years, because of the creativity involved, as opposed to mass-produced goods. Paintings, for example, are extremely precious, so if you want to own multiple valuable things in your homes, such as one-of-a-kind wooden jewelry, paintings, or even clothing, consider purchasing handcrafted items.

Quality lasts a lifetime

While handcrafted items last a lifetime, certain items on today's markets lose their value after a few years. Handcrafted goods, on the other hand, have a long shelf life and retain their value for many years.

Supporting the dream

Buying Fair Trade items makes us like part of a larger community. We've talked a lot about how artists help the community, but wouldn't it be good to do the same for yourself? By buying Fair Trade items, you may get that "do good" feeling knowing your purchase has helped keep ancient cultures and skills alive.

Maintains the industry's viability

By buying Fair Trade items, it's fair to say it aids in preserving the cultures themselves, from the African woodcutters, to the hand made felted cutures of ancient Nepal.

The individuality we find in each group of people is the joy of cultures and traditions. By buying Fair Trade items, helping preserve a culture is a real thing as Fair Trade cooperatives give these artisans a much wider spread customer base than just their local village streets when working as street vendors.

Buying Fair Trade items also fosters innovation because you are paying for years of mastering the craft. Every human being desires to be valued, and as a result, our lives improve.

This is no different for craft creators who, when they feel supported, may concentrate on improving their craft every day while also encouraging innovation.

You can have it made to your specifications

When buying gifts made by individual artists, the options of getting your item personalized are increased. Etsy is a good example of this. 

And while you may be able to buy Fair Trade items on Etsy, there are even more choices for personalized gifts with initials, names and/or special dates.

To meet your preferences, you can also alter the size, color, or style of specific personalized items.

Personal service

Once you've purchased a handcrafted item, you may easily obtain repair services from the creators.

When items such as jewelry are broken, you can always seek repair from the original maker, ensuring that you maintain your original item.

Meet the craftsperson and have a conversation with him or her which lends itself to a fuller understanding of who they are as a person and how they came to making a business from their skill.

Authenticity is ensured:

Buying handmade goods prevents counterfeiting, a not so small problem in today's mass market production methods, especially on online platforms selling from unverified sellers from around the world.

The possibility of duplication and counterfeiting is one of the challenges of mass production.

When you buy Fair Trade items, however, you're always guaranteed individuality.

It is less expensive and of higher quality

Buying Fair Trade items ensures that your money is well spent. When you buy Fair trade products, you can be sure it will be one-of-a-kind, durable, and of high-quality. So, even if you've spent your last coin, keep in mind that the object has value written all over it.

What Are The Best Products To Sell?

If you're considering entering the hand crafted market as a seller, the best products to sell will, of course, depend on your artistic and craft abilities. 

Consider the seasons when making your one-of-a-kind product for craft fairs. When it comes to selling, having a unique spin on something the market wants is easier.

And remember to include "your story" with your brand. After all, people LOVE stories!

Toys, mats, cardigans, scarves, earrings, and other jewelry are among the the best sellers on say Etsy for example. 

Marketplaces for Handmade Goods

Handmade goods merchants can list their wares on specialist marketplaces. Merchants may connect with potential clients as well as a community of like-minded producers and dealers there.

Here's a list of handcrafted goods marketplaces. Handcrafted items are the focus of some of the marketplaces.

Others concentrate on items with a distinctive, high-quality design.

Etsy

Etsy is the go-to site for millions of artisans selling handcrafted goods, antique items, and creative supplies. Etsy provides a variety of options for sellers to build a following, increase visibility, attract new consumers, manage inventory, and communicate with customers. Etsy's total merchandise sales in 2018 were around $4 billion.

You can also buy Fair Trade items on Etsy, but compare prices first, as they aren't always the best price for the same items.

Handmade at Amazon

Amazon's Handmade Shop is dedicated completely to handcrafted items. If you already sell on Amazon, once you've been approved, Amazon will provide you instructions on how to add Handmade to your account.

To make it easy for customers to find your shop, your Artisan profile includes a distinctive URL.

Fulfillment by Amazon is a convenient way to ship your orders. It's completely free to set up your shop and add products to it. The cost is 15% for each transaction.

Aftcra

Aftcra is a community-based marketplace where you can purchase and sell one-of-a-kind, American-made handcrafted goods.

Its goal is to help local artists and artisans in the United States by linking them with fans of handcrafted goods all around the world. Aftcra was created in Milwaukee in 2013 and began operations in 2014. Per transaction, the cost is 7%.

IndieCart

IIndieCart is a network of individual stores that sell handcrafted things for the home and family. IndieCart does not accept vintage items or supplies as sellers. Products can be sold via auction, custom sale with a deposit, or first-come, first-served basis. The monthly cost is $7.50.

Storenvy

Storenvy is a marketplace for indie companies and small enterprises to sell their unique products. The Storenvy marketplace and a bespoke shop are used by merchants to offer their products.

The marketplace functions similarly to a retail social network. By "envying," members of the community vote on their favorite products.

Your business will gain greater exposure on the trending feed, category pages, and search results the more envy your items generate. Price: A free marketplace with up to 1,000 products is available. Monthly premium plans start at $14.99.

Zibbet

Zibbet is a platform that allows artists, crafters, and creative businesses to sell their items on the Zibbet marketplace and other sales channels while also managing everything from one spot.

When you make a sale on the Zibbet marketplace, inventory numbers across all of your connected sales channels update in real-time. The cost is $5 per month for each sales channel.

Society6

Society6 is a platform for independent artists to sell their original creations. It sells about 30 different types of premium artist-designed products, ranging from wall art to apparel to tech gadgets and home decor. Artists can also participate in the affiliate program to earn an extra 10% on sales. The cost is ten percent of each transaction.

Cargoh

Cargoh is a curated social marketplace for indie creators that connects buyers and sellers of indie goods from all over the world. Cargo is primarily interested in providing buyers with a broad selection of items, notwithstanding its preference for handmade items.

Creating a store is completely free. There are no setup fees, no listing fees, and no monthly expenses. The cost is ten percent of each transaction.

World Wide Arts Resources

Through Wwar.com and Absolutearts.com, World Wide Arts Resources provides a marketplace for aspiring and experienced artists to showcase and sell their work.

At Absolutearts.com, you can create a free or premium website that contains tools to market your portfolio site.

World Wide Arts Resources and Absolutearts.com, in addition to their search engine, send out weekly international arts information to their subscribers.

Price: Up to 20 pieces are free with a free account. The cost of a premium account starts at $55 per year. There are many levels of sales commissions.

Cratejoy

Cratejoy is a subscription product marketplace. Cratejoy could be a good fit for you if your handmade product encourages repeat purchasing. Cratejoy has a marketplace as well as custom shops.

Access powerful renewal, shipping, and customer management features to personalize your subscriber experience.

Using responsive web layouts and different app integrations, create a unique website. The cost of doing business in the marketplace is 11.25 percent each transaction.

iCraft

Craft is a marketplace dedicated solely to handcrafted goods. To entice buyers, create coupons, discounts, deals, sets, and collections. Add a marketing widget to your blog or website, and connect social feeds to your store. There are no sales commissions. Plan prices begin at $10 per month.

In summary, the next time you find yourself needing to buy a gift or fill in that empty space on your wall, try to remember to buy Fair Trade or handmade items, both for their beauty and uniqueness, as well as supporting the small, independent businesses and artisans that bring these items to market.

You'll get a higher-quality, one-of-a-kind item. You're helping to support the lives and work of a handcrafted company owner. You're also preserving skills that would otherwise be lost, as well as making a more environmentally friendly purchase! 

All good reasons to think Fair Trade or Handmade next time!