Bargain vs Non-Bargain
I love a great deal so much that I get giddy when I find one. It doesn’t matter if it’s home décor, clothing, or craft supplies – I’m there for it. If I find a bargain, I’ll happily share it with my friends cause I want them to benefit too.
Today, we’re going to cover the “cost” of bargains, share a little story time, and face a few cold, hard facts.
“Bargain” Story Time
In several of these de-stashing posts, I’ve shared how broke I was when I started this not-so-cheap hobby – and how even throwing away scraps brought me to tears.
I was introduced to card making through Stampin’ Up! and placed a sizeable order. When I got home, I realised that even though I had spent a bucketload of money, I really hadn’t bought much. I had a stamp set or two on the way, one ink pad, a VersaMark ink pad, and some Old Olive and Real Red card stock. My plan was to use white printer paper – because I didn’t buy white card stock for several weeks. Big mistake!
How did I “fix” things?
And with no paper trimmer (I used a ruler, pencil, and scissors) and nothing to score card stock with (I didn’t have a clue what a bone folder was!) I was off to a shaky start. The order took two weeks to arrive after the “workshop” was closed, so in the meantime, I went to Spotlight.
Back then, Spotlight had bins of discounted stamps: flowers, leaves, birthday presents, a Christmas tree – all on little 1″ x 1″ blocks. I grabbed about 20. They also had clearance ink pads, envelopes, and cheap glue. I left with a long receipt and a lot of excitement – until I got home.
That excitement fizzled fast. My stamps were all the same tiny size and didn’t work together (the flowers, trees and leaves were the same size), the clearance inks lasted about a week and didn’t match any card stock, and the cheap glue… well, let’s just say it was barely holding paper together. Homemade glue paste might’ve been worse, but not by much.
So, off I went to discount and scrapbook stores, buying a paper trimmer, decorative scissors, and embellishments. The trimmer cut crooked because the guide was on an angle. The scissors tore paper instead of cutting it. And after another hundred dollars, I had more junk – The envelopes that weren’t even the right size.
The moral? I wasted hundreds chasing “a great bargain”
When my Stampin’ Up! order finally arrived, I didn’t know about their returns policy, so I decided to make it work. Christmas came, and my supportive family gave me more supplies – but they’d shopped at discount stores, thinking more was better than quality. I appreciated their thoughtfulness but felt that sinking feeling again.
And yes, I kept it all – even the dodgy scissors – because one day I might need them. Spoiler alert: I never did.
The day I cleared out all those bargain buys was the day I committed to quality over quantity. From then on, my tools had to work properly, my inks and embellishments had to coordinate with my card stock, and my tools had to last.
My Advice
If you’re holding onto “bargains” that don’t serve you, stop. Get a box or bag, go through your supplies, and remove anything that doesn’t help you create the way you want.
Ink pads that don’t match your card stock? Gone.
Ribbon you never use? Out.
Markers that are always the wrong shade? Into the box.
We often say, “I know I won’t use it, but I got such a great deal on it.” That’s not a reason to keep it – it’s a reason to “let it go” (I can hear you singing the song from Frozen again! 😂)
The Uncomfortable Bit – Online Bargains
Let’s talk about bargain deals online.
Wait, refill your coffee (or maybe you need wine for this?), and then let’s chat.
Warning, I tend to jump onto a pretty tall soapbox about online bargains. But if I am going to say it, now’s the time.
A couple of months ago, I was in a discount store in Florida and saw stamps with images I recognised – Stampin’ Up! designs. These were counterfeit copyright protected images! I was so sad!
It’s about more than just the stamps
I know people who own stamp companies. I’ve seen the blood, sweat, tears, and money it takes to bring products to market.
I will share that Stampin’ Up!, stamp companies, and my friends who own their own businesses…love knowing that their vision and drive to be a owner provides income for someone else. That having employees that count on them, drive them to work even harder towards their goals.
Being able to provide steady income to someone else is amazing! I LOVE my business coach. And I love paying her real money, not in stamps. The work that I do, gives her work to do to help care for her family, and I LOVE that! I LOVE my contractors that I bring in to help with things whether that be catering for events, fixing my IT issues, or my accountant. As for earning money to pay Brian to maintain this blog, well, I love that too..
However, when I saw those stamps in my local discount store, my heart hurt for Stampin’ Up! and for every employee there.
Sites like AliExpress, Amazon (third-party sellers), Temu, Wish and many others are notorious for stolen designs. Some small companies have closed entirely because of it. Owners lost their dreams, employees lost their jobs, and loyal customers lost the products they loved. Stampin’ Up! even has a team dedicated to fighting counterfeits. (You can report Stampin’ Up! knock-offs at infringements@stampinup.com)
The hidden price of “bargains”
Why would someone buy adorable stamps at $35/set when they could get them for $1.33 online?” is what business kept hearing over and over again.
Let me tell you another story…
In one stamp company’s Facebook Lives and people were commenting left and right that they bought the products that she was showcasing, but she was the owner, she knew that they didn’t buy it from her.
On her Facebook group, these same people would post their projects using those supplies BUT they weren’t purchased through her store.
So what happened next to this stamp company owner and her FB group?
I think you know. Those people that had found her stamps and dies from other places, privately shared with other members how they could get great deals. And then these stampers shared it with other crafters in the group, and so on, and so on. People bought the “knock offs” elsewhere.
While the stamp company owner had thousands of dollars in inventory sitting on her shelves, more and more projects are being shared in her own Facebook group. These so called bargains hurt her company, which hurts both the employees, and eventually her customers. As a small business owner she didn’t have the funds to fight the counterfeit operations either. Her dream was shattered.
There is always a price when some company steals designs from others. The price is huge. The price is so high, that this, all this right here, single handedly put some small stamp companies out of business. Businesses that fought to keep open during Covid when she couldn’t have more than two employees at a time at work trying to fill orders. Business owners who went months without any income to ensure that their employees got paid. And those businesses are now closed, all due to these counterfeit knock-offs.
So before you click on that bargain, please remember this:
Cheap knock-offs don’t just undercut prices – they destroy livelihoods.
Why Stamps Cost What They Do
So many times I hear “oh that product is expensive!” so let’s explore why.
Recently, I considered launching my own line of stamps. (This is the first time I have publicly shared this.) Instead of continuing to just dream about my eclectic collection, I decided to explore the viability of realising my dream.
I reached out manufacturers to get a rate sheets. The more you buy, the cheaper the price is. We had discussions.
If I ordered 100 stamps sets, that alone would have cost me about $7.50USD/set for a 4”x6″ sheet of photopolymer stamps. Sounds cheap right?
That’s just the start…
Then I reached out to a graphic designer who does amazing work. She sent me the her price list and let’s just say that we didn’t speak the same language. Minimum bill was $350USD plus more for each round of edits. So divide that by 100, that’s $3.50USD. We are now at $11USD/set (About $22AUD). Oh wait, there’s the branded packaging and because I wanted environmentally friendly options, the price increased. Don’t forget shipping cost to get the packing and stamps to my house.
Then there is the selling fees, taxes, international transaction fees, online store hosting costs, PayPal or Square processing fees and the list goes on and on…
And do you see how this goes up and up and up? That’s why stamp sets cost what they do.
Then there all the people paid along the way.
The designer, the sales person at the manufacturing company, the design person at the manufacturing company, the workers that make the actual stamps, the person who packages and ships them to me, the Aussie Post Delivery lady and a few more job that I haven’t mentioned . All of those jobs rely on customers ordering quality products!! These people are directly impacted by “knock off” sites.
I’d much rather my hard-earned cash goes to the businesses who invested in their product development than to sites who breached the copyright and stole the designs, wouldn’t you?
A Small Request
If you love paper crafting and stamping as much as I do, please:
- Never buy stamps and dies from knock-off sites.
- If you ask for stamps as gifts, request that friends and family order directly from the manufacturer.
- If you own knock-offs, don’t sell or donate them – throw them away. If you want to use them for a while, I get it, I’m not thrilled with it, but I get it if you already own them and didn’t know all about this, but when you are done with them, throw them in the garbage. Don’t gift them, don’t donate them, please put them exactly where they belong – in the bin!
Thank you, I really appreciate you supporting the companies that invest in product development. If you aren’t sure if a stamp set you’ve been “gifted” is a legit Stampin’ Up! product, please contact me and I’ll help you best I can.
Your Turn
I’ve shared my stories – now share yours. Which “bargains” have you cleared out? How did it feel? Your comments might just inspire another crafter to do the same.
Until next time… happy creating and decluttering.
Chrissy xo
