IS ESTY HELPING MAKERS

I wanted to talk a little about something I have noticed happening online recently, particularly around my wildlife water stations.

I have been making my water stations by hand in my workshop in West Wales for several years. They started as a simple idea to bring water into the garden for bees and butterflies, while also making something beautiful to sit amongst the flowers. They have become a really important part of Haywards Garden.
Recently, though, I have seen more and more very similar water stations appearing online, often using terms such as bee water station, bee waterer, bee water cups and pollinator watering station. Of course, I know that similar ideas can be created by different people. And That's not what concerns me now. What is difficult for a small maker like me is seeing what appear to be mass-produced products being sold alongside genuinely handmade pieces.
Selling Handmade takes time. Every water station I make goes through my hands. I spend hours allowing works to be found by Google searches, then hours working directly with steel to forge each individual piece, to paint and finish it before it is packed up and sent to its new garden. That takes time

Which also means that I can't make a genuinely handmade piece for the same price as something produced in large numbers in a factory. And when very similar products appear on etsy together online, it can be difficult for customers to know the difference. And in a crowded market, it makes it more difficult to find my original pieces.

I have noticed the effect this is having on my sales, as it is becoming harder for customers to distinguish my handmade work from mass-produced alternatives.

It can also make the market confusing. If something is described as handmade, customers should be able to have confidence that there really is a maker behind it.

I have contacted Etsy to ask them to look into the issue.
I'm asking that genuinely handmade work and commercially manufactured products are clearly distinguished, so that customers can make an informed choice. And I will keep you updated on whether they really do help makers.

In the meantime, while I wait, I will keep doing what I have always done — making my garden sculptures by hand, here in my little workshop in West Wales, and designing things that bring a little more wildlife into our gardens. And I will keep sharing how I make them, because I'm proud of the fact that when you buy from Haywards Garden, you are buying something that is from this little community, supporting a family and providing work for other local artists.

Thank you, as always, for supporting my small business and independent makers.

Tessa
Haywards Garden Handmade garden sculpture from West Wales