Christmas Markets, fayres etc: do you use them to buy your Christmas presents?

Former_MSE_Andrea

What's it about?

Christmas fayre season is almost here. Many school PTAs, community organisations etc hold Christmas markets and fayres to raise funds where small, local businesses have stalls.

They can be a great way to help local businesses and community organisations while finding interesting gifts that are cheaper than in shops.

Do you use them to buy stocking fillers or all your Christmas gifts?

Do you find them more expensive or are the products just items people wouldn't use or like? Or do you even get your own crafty ideas on things to make as presents?

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gettingtheresometime

I bought a Christmas tealight holders a few years ago which gets their annual outing but I haven't since.

Rubik

I work in the centre of a large town that has a Christmas Market - most of the stuff is mass produced tat which I wouldn't touch. Some of the stallholders are locally based crafters who make some really lovely items which are much more attractive to look at and often contain one-off pieces.

As a textile crafter myself, I tend to make my own gifts to send to people. I've just posted my mother a merino scarf I crocheted for her birthday, the cost of the wool was £30, my time was given freely and she will have a one-off bespoke item made just for her. If I tried to buy a merino wool scarf for £30, I know it would be fairly poor quality and there would be many others just like it.

There is a bit of a problem when trying to sell handmade items - the general public are so used to mass produced cheap tat that the real cost (including time and expertise) of producing something handmade is never recouped by the maker. I've been asked to crochet blankets for people, who expect me to make it for about £30 (including wool) - that's never going to happen. But, by buying something handmade you are buying something that is unique and made with great care and skill, as well as supporting artisans and crafters.

Personally, I would rather receive one handmade gift than a 100 mass produced gifts.

TBagpuss

There is a Christmas market near me - in the past I have bought some gifts there - however I have found that I am less likely to do so - the market local to me has become more popular (huge numbers of
people coming in on coach trips etc)so it is horrendously overcrowded, and it also seems to me that there are a lot more stalls selling poor quality stuff, so there is much less that i have any interest in, and it is much more stressful trying to get to the few stalls I might be interested in.

In the past I have bought hand-made jewellery, handmade Christmas decorations and handmade chocolates from the christmas market, but I didn't go at all last year, and have no plans to go this year, although if I happen to find myself in town while it is on I may take a look.

gettingtheresometime

Rubik wrote: »

As a textile crafter myself, I tend to make my own gifts to send to people. I've just posted my mother a merino scarf I crocheted for her birthday, the cost of the wool was £30, my time was given freely and she will have a one-off bespoke item made just for her. If I tried to buy a merino wool scarf for £30, I know it would be fairly poor quality and there would be many others just like it.

There is a bit of a problem when trying to sell handmade items - the general public are so used to mass produced cheap tat that the real cost (including time and expertise) of producing something handmade is never recouped by the maker. I've been asked to crochet blankets for people, who expect me to make it for about £30 (including wool) - that's never going to happen. But, by buying something handmade you are buying something that is unique and made with great care and skill, as well as supporting artisans and crafters.

Personally, I would rather receive one handmade gift than a 100 mass produced gifts.

I think you've hit the nail on the head - people are used to paying for mass produced items at mass produced cost that when they want a handmade item they baulk at the cost.


I can't knit but would love someone to knit me a jumper but I have no idea a) who to ask & b) what's a fair price to pay

-taff

I generally only buy if it's something that I can't make myself. I do tend to go round and think, I can do that, I can do that, I can't do that. If the 'I can't do that' is good enough, I'll buy it.

-taff

gettingtheresometime wrote: »

I can't knit but would love someone to knit me a jumper but I have no idea a) who to ask & b) what's a fair price to pay

You're payng for their expertise and knowldge and training, so a reasonable hourly wage including the price of the materials. If you calculate [ or they do] how long it will take to make something, say something will take 5 hours, then how much do you think they should be paid an hour?
I stopped doing things for people when they asked me to do ridiculous things, like an A4 oil painting for 15 quid, or a picture of three of their children from different photos, all melded together to look realistic/form a scene for twenty quid. I had an argument once with someone who wanted an oil painting of his girlfriend, I told him how much it would be and he decided that he wasn't going to pay that, he flat out told me he was only going to pay what he wanted to pay which would have been for me less than 6 pounds an hour, which was peanuts. Suffice to say he never got his painting.

sheramber

gettingtheresometime wrote: »

I think you've hit the nail on the head - people are used to paying for mass produced items at mass produced cost that when they want a handmade item they baulk at the cost.


I can't knit but would love someone to knit me a jumper but I have no idea a) who to ask & b) what's a fair price to pay

Have you got a local wool shop? If so , you could ask there.

I once ordered a jumper to be made for me at a craft show. The lady had samples and took orders for made to measure.

donnac2558

We have one every year in the grounds of the city. 99% of which food either burgers etc or cheeses and pastries. The rest is just overpriced tat, you too can own a reindeer skin for £100+



We do have a stall which sells lovely French soaps(think L'Occitane), I stock up for myself.

Silvertabby

“ I can't knit but would love someone to knit me a jumper but I have no idea a) who to ask & b) what's a fair price to pay
Originally posted by gettingtheresometime

-taff wrote: »

You're payng for their expertise and knowldge and training, so a reasonable hourly wage including the price of the materials. If you calculate [ or they do] how long it will take to make something, say something will take 5 hours, then how much do you think they should be paid an hour?
I stopped doing things for people when they asked me to do ridiculous things, like an A4 oil painting for 15 quid, or a picture of three of their children from different photos, all melded together to look realistic/form a scene for twenty quid. I had an argument once with someone who wanted an oil painting of his girlfriend, I told him how much it would be and he decided that he wasn't going to pay that, he flat out told me he was only going to pay what he wanted to pay which would have been for me less than 6 pounds an hour, which was peanuts. Suffice to say he never got his painting.

I don't know how it can be legal, but UK home knitters working for knitwear companies receive way less than the minimum working wage.

Even a super fast knitter could take a good 10 hours to make a relatively simple sweater - and 10 x NMW plus cost of the (good quality) wool plus the company's profit and you're talking way more than people will pay for a 'home made' sweater.

I'm one of these people who can't settle to watch TV without a piece of knitting on the go - but I wouldn't charge for my time because it's not worth the faff. However, even though many family/friends have initially seemed keen, they went off the idea when they realised that their 'cheap' cashmere/merino sweater would cost £80 to £100 for the wool alone.


How times change. When I was at school in the 1960s/70s the 'poor' children wore real wool home made knitted cardigans/jumpers whereas the 'rich kids' had M&S acrylic (?) stuff.

mmmsnow

I like wandering around the Christmas markets but I see the same stuff every single year. As the other comments have said, it's usually mass produced tat with an inflated price tag to make it look handmade.

I went to the Edinburgh market a few years ago and there was a stall selling London souvenirs in amongst the Edinburgh ones (they were all the same style, all made in China).

It's now getting more and more difficult to find real handmade goods - Etsy is flooded with items you can buy wholesale from China, same with most on-line shops. These fairs are Etsy in real life - a few little gems and a lot of overpriced junk.