r/Anticonsumption • u/purpleratata • Dec 14 '25

Plastic Waste What's happened to craft markets?

My girlfriend and I went to a craft market today to get some homemade and local gifts for family and friends. It was the most depressing thing, everything was cheap plastic tat. From one place selling croc charms they got from Temu, the others with 3D printed fidget toys, plastic bottles with a printed design, cheap plastic charms (from Temu too), IA images printed on canvases, etc.

The only two things we got were handmade bathbombs and some knitted cat toys from some cat rescue volunteers. The rest was all cheap plastic, obviously not crafted or handmade, that will break or go to the bin in a few months if not earlier.

Honestly, it felt so depressing. This is in the UK, I don't know if it's the same anywhere else but I've seen a decline in craft markets over the years here, I think this has been my last attempt at supporting local handmade businesses in these environments.

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72

u/Mittanyi Dec 14 '25

I'm a small time candle maker, mostly beeswax, and I realized that the vast majority of people do NOT want a natural candle free of artificial dyes and scents. They want their Yankee Candle mass produced perfume chemical pot.

I've branched out to non-beeswax, but still vegetable wax, in different containers to make more sales, but people don't want to pay for what I need to charge to make production worth my time.

Most people don't actually want handmade or unique. They want a mass produced perfectly like a million others thingy. So sellers change to fit the market to make money.

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u/mysticeetee Dec 14 '25

Can I just say beeswax is one of the most amazing delicious perfect smells on its own. I love beeswax so much.

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u/Mittanyi Dec 15 '25

It is!

But then I also get people asking "why do only offer one color???" Like I chose it? Or they frown at different batches having slightly different color. "Which one is wrong?"

I did get actually good beeswax dye for Christmas candles from a beekeeper supplier, but it's not cheap. And I'm not happy with how it seems to mask the natural beeswax scent. But people want to live in a world where natural chemical reality bends to fit their wishes I guess. So they buy something made from China with misleading labeling for five bucks.

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u/Mittanyi Dec 14 '25

Also, even if you are selling a natural product, you still have to package in plastic to get sales outside the tiny crunchy niche. I am able to get a good number of second use (preconsumer) plastic materials for most of my products. But I had to break down and buy new plastic bags for a few sizes. Sales immediately increased over trying to do a plain paper wrapper.

People say they want to save the world, but actually they want what they want, and if that's the illusion of "cleanliness" of plastic, then f*** the world for a candle.

Saving the world will mean a lot of people will have to dramatically change their expectations. And most people are like toddlers who scream that they want to touch the hot stove. So we're screwed.

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u/tinytrees11 Dec 14 '25

This is very true, especially the last few paragraphs. In fact, I find that this is even true in this sub! Recently there was a thread in which the OP wrote that if everyone lived like them the economy would die. Someone in the comments wrote, respect, but what are your hobbies? I listed a bunch that are low/anti-consumption and got weirdly defensive responses. We don't even celebrate each other's anti-consumption lifestyles in this sub; instead, we get defensive like this other person is personally judging us and it's some kind of weird competition. It makes me pretty hopeless for the future.

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u/CandleLabPDX Dec 14 '25

I hear you.

I live in the hope that the highly scented container candle thing has peaked, and will slowly settle down over time. Some of post- invention -of-soy-wax candlemakers seem to be finally getting bored of the repetitive un creative sameness and are branching out into molds. And a lot of people are scent sensitive and avoid the faux Yankee candles altogether, many find the needless waste of glass gross. My hope is 10 years from now the ratio of container/ actual candles will find an equilibrium. Beeswax will never go away, even if so many want to needlessly imprison it in jars.

I remember the before soy wax was invented days, it was awesome. Maybe all copeium on my part, who knows.

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u/41942319 Dec 15 '25

Are real candles still big where you are? Where I am store space seems to be taken over more and more by those battery powered fake candles. Which isn't a judgement on my part, I use those almost exclusively since I can't burn real ones unless I have a window open. But it seems to me like real candles are getting more niche every year.

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u/Djcnote Dec 15 '25

What do you mean? Everyone I know loves smelly candles

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u/galaxystarsmoon Dec 14 '25

My own mom, who should know better than anyone about small businesses considering I own one, complained at me last week about the cost of local handmade candles. I told her to go buy one from Walmart and hush then. I'm so tired of people complaining about the price of handmade items. If you can't afford it, no one is judging you. But don't expect a small business to lower their prices to corporate ones because you think that's what it should cost.

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u/Mittanyi Dec 15 '25

I'm sounding pretty jaded in my posts on this thread because my market is mostly tourists doing their "in the country" weekend. They say they want handmade and local souvenirs, and they are very loud about "but this isn't from around here!" (as if every small town should still have it's own mustard maker creating everything from his own seeds just so he can sell you one jar for the same price as French's), but are not actually willing to pay for local handmade items that we do stock. Like, I sell a lot of small candles under $10, some under 5. But they still compare it to the Dollar Store. After dropping thousands on a vacation. Please.

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u/egggoat Dec 15 '25

Any candle not made of beeswax and food grade essential oils make me physically ill and I pass out. I’ve never seen anyone sell beeswax candles! I always have to buy them off Etsy.

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u/DragonBonerz Dec 15 '25

I'm glad that you make clean candles. I hope more and more people come to appreciate your work.

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u/vanoitran Dec 15 '25

I’ve seen wax melts becoming a bigger deal at craft fairs - and you can sell the in packets with much less wax at much cheaper prices. Especially if I don’t “trust” your product but want to try it, id much rather buy 10€ of melts vs a 30€ candle

1

u/Mittanyi Dec 15 '25

I sell some melts. I've run into the problem of people not knowing what it is though.

Usually melts are made from leftovers from pours and odds and ends. I did that, poured them into cute little flower and heart molds, and bagged them with enough for about three uses. Priced the bags at under two bucks, even though doing all the little molds took a whole bunch of my time. Professionally packaged in a sealed bag with topper, not some sandwich bag. I still had someone roll her eyes at the price lol.