The Choice to Buy Handmade

[buttonhead]

Today, I had a small success with making the choice to buy handmade instead of mass produced.

So, I need a custom rubber ink stamp. Of course, my first instinct is to go online and order from one of the many many many large printing shops, because like everyone else, I want my purchase quick and I want it now. Plus, I want a good price, and small businesses often have the stigma of bring more expensive. Anyway, did you know that typing "custom ink pad" into a Yahoo search gets you 100s of pages of crap? Yes, of course you did.

Then I asked myself: Can I buy this handmade? So, I typed "custom ink pad" and "handmade" into my Yahoo search, and Voila! An etsy shop offering cool custom ink pads (much more original than anything I would have bought at Kinkos) appeared at the top of the search. Oh yeah, and the price was very reasonable. In your face, Kinkos!

So, what's the point of this story?

1. Every time you spend money, ask yourself, "Can I buy this handmade or from a small business"? It's easy! Just be conscious about who you would like to support with your dollar.

2. When you shop online, include the keyword "handmade" in your search. ie: instead of typing "buy a dildo", type "buy a handmade dildo". Trust me, it works! ;)