Ok, so I read this article on Phototgraphy Businesses and it just really hit home with me when I compared it to the small buisness I am trying to run. One of the sites that advertises for me, also does so for other boutiques. Someone posted a skirt for $16 and a rude commenter said, "This is ridiculous. I can get a better quality skirt for $9 at Walmart". Yes, custom made clothing is expensive (even though $16 is not, I usually charge $20-25 for skirts). But you are gettting CUSTOM items. The fabric you want, the design you want, the size you want. If you want a skirt at Walmart, get one. But don't come online to any seamstress wanting a custom item for "free". I'm not in this buisness to make a million dollars. By the time I pay for fabric, thread, shipping, I probably make less than minimum wage on most of my items. Which is fine. I'm not trying to charge a million dollars for my outfits. I want everyone to be able to enjoy handmade items at a reasonable price. I do it because I love doing it, and I can support my hobby with it.
Take for example a pair of ruffled pants that I charge $20. A yard of fabric is $6-10 depending on what kind you want. If you want ruffles in a different print, then that adds more fabric I have to buy (I usually do overbuy yardage because I can use it later for another customer and make more profit than I did on the first go around). Then there is elastic, thread, a labor. Do you see where I am going with this? Not to mention the time away from my family, the hours on the computer keeping my books and doing designs, electricity, cell phone, internet, buisness cards and the list goes on and on.
Now I'm not trying to be crabby or say look at how little I make. It's just hard to see people complain about how pricey handmade items are, when they don't realize all the time, effort, and money that is put into making them. Phew, I feel better getting that off my chest.