THREAD REGARDING BEADWORK PRICING:

1/x I won't call anyone specific out since there are so many. I recently got a comment about my pricing and how they could make it cheaper. I don't think they meant harm or to purposefully insult me. (cont)
#NativeTwitter #beadwork #BuyNative

2/x Before I break down pricing, I bead my own designs, occasionally my grandma's. I take the time to come up with these designs, spend many, many hours on trial and error, etc. I would certainly hope someone wouldn't steal my or my grandma's designs. (Cont)

3/x I am Alaska Native and First Nations. I'm enrolled in a federally recognized Tribe. My work falls under the Indian Arts & Crafts Act. Natives have already been exploited enough, that it's disheartening to think anyone would want to exploit us even further. (Cont)

4/x I use my bead work sales not only to help make ends meet in lean times, but I also help my 90 yr old grandma who lives alone in downtown Seattle and can't leave her apt due to virus threat. I send care packages to my young nephews. And (cont)

5/x I also donate a % of sales to MMIW charities, and organizations such as TGI Justice to support Black trans leadership. Despite selling a lot more, I resisted raising my prices of my "message" hoops, because I want my work to be as accessible as possible. (Cont)

6/x I did raise prices on items more popular with non-BIPOC a few months ago. However, I still kept resisting with my message hoops because of the importance of messages such as "DECOLONIZE." (Cont)

7/x. When The Virus became a "thing," the local business I got my hoops from stopped carrying them. I orderd some online and the quality was TERRIBLE. I try to stick with nickel-free/hypoallergenic so there's less sensitivity. These come at a higher price. (Cont)

8/x The most reasonably priced alternatives I could find to the original ones I had been purchasing were three times higher in price. At this point, I had no choice but to go up slightly, yet I'm still making less $ because I didn't go up 3x in price. (Cont).

9/x Each piece I make takes HOURS. I'm making nowhere even close to minimum wage. I bead to help others, I bead because it's medicine for me, I bead as a way to connect with my cultures and my ancestors. And I because I love it. (Cont)

10/x That said, I'll break down pricing. First off, I ship for FREE. This means free for the buyer, but NOT free for ME. I still have to pay for shipping & I pay for insurance as so much time is spent on each item. I sell through E/tsy- despite my issues with the platform (cont)

11/x It's safe for both buyers and sellers. But, this also comes with a price. E/tsy charges me up to 24% of my total- if I sell an item for $54, that means they take right at $13. Then packaging supplies which aren't cheap even when I shop for good deals (cont)

12/x as packaging has to be sufficient enough to protect the beadwork/jewelry, and withstand careless handling while in transit. Then, I have to pay for shipping and handling out of what's left. (Cont)

13/x Oh yeah, and I still haven't mentioned cost of supplies. With hoops, there are the hoops. There are earring hooks (again, I use hypoallergenic, nickel-free, stainless steel, etc.) There are beads, Nymo or S-Lon, Fireline, etc. (Cont)

14/x Then, there are listing fees- I pay a small fee for each individual item I list on Etsy. When I donate to charity, I donate a % of the whole total, NOT what's left over! For example, if I say I'm donating 10% of an item that sells for $54, I donate $5.40. (Cont)

15/x This leaves very little left for me. Believe me, it's a LOT of work and definitely NOT getting rich. I do it for the reasons mentioned above. I don't complain about other artists' prices. I know what is involved in the creative process. (Cont)

16/x I hope this leaves people with a better understanding of why it's insulting when non-Natives (i.e. the Ukrainian I called out), and others, try to say they can make my work for cheaper, or complain about my prices. Kukwstumckalap/qagaasakuq/thank you for "listening."