Handcrafted Products Are Unique
One of the most prevalent, although least quantifiable, reasons people report for choosing to purchase handcrafted goods is that they just like having something that didn’t come from a big company. The nature of handmade goods means that there are fewer of them, so whatever you’re wearing or eating or adding to your home is as unique as you are.
Handcrafted Products Are Eco-Friendly
Work done by hand takes less energy than a mass production assembly line, which makes it more environmentally sustainable. This is particularly true if the commercial good is produced overseas and needs to be shipped a very long distance to reach the consumer.
Handcrafted Products Are Worth More
Handmade items are one of a kind and no two pieces are alike, that is why people value an art piece more highly. Handmade items take longer to produce and it takes a lot of passion, effort and commitment to come up with a masterpiece.
Handcrafted Products Support a Tradition of Skilled Work
We’ve seen that supporting your local artisan is good for the community, but it’s also good for the art. As technology makes it possible to replace skilled workers with machines it’s important to keep hand- making goods a financially feasible career choice.
Handcrafted Products Make You Feel Good About Your Purchases
And if you’re like most Americans, that’s something you prioritize. A 2012 survey found that 87 percent of American consumers felt that businesses should place at least as much weight on society's interests as they do on business interests. Supporting local artisans and their eco-conscious business practices
certainly fits the bill.
Handcrafted Products Meet Your Needs Better
Often with handmade goods, you have the option of customizing your purchase. Because you’re often dealing directly with the artisans when you purchase handcrafted products, they might be open to tweaking certain aspects of the product specifically to fit your needs.
Handcrafted Products Offer a Fuller Experience
A study researching cheeses in Vermont found that consumers prefer buying “artisan” cheese because they feel it provides a fuller “sensory experience.” This is a factor of both intrinsic properties, like better taste, and extrinsic properties, like the joy of finding something you really love. Even just the knowledge
that a product was handcrafted contributed to the feeling of a better experience because there is a relatable, knowable back-story.