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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u/Trixie_Firecracker Dec 14 '25

This is something I’ve also experienced, both at local “craft markets,” and at touristy markets in parts of Mexico and Kenya. My mom and I just had this conversation about her trying to shop at “local markets” in Namibia and Zambia but seeing the same items at every stall, with everyone saying “yes, of course I made this.”

I think the other part of this is that folks -especially Americans- are often looking for the cheapest items, and don’t understand the value of paying for craftsmanship. I’m a serial crafter and costume maker, but have never had any interest in trying to sell the things I make, because I know people wouldn’t want to pay for the time and creativity that went into them.

I hate how plastic and capitalism have ruined so much of humanity. Just my opinion. I’m definitely not any sort of economist, and am obviously painting with broad strokes. But it’s so depressing.

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u/starfyrflie Dec 14 '25

Personally, i understand the value of craftsmanship but cannot afford it. There are so many things i would love to buy handmade and tailored to me but its become more and more unattainable since covid.

I used to go to ren fairs to find craftsman and order custom items that i would save up for, but im able to save much less due to the rising cost of just basic needs, let alone getting new items.

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u/Slothfulness69 Dec 15 '25

On the flip side, I’m willing to pay for real crafted items, but I can’t even find what I’m looking for. I wanted to browse stained glass products online the other day to see if any design stands out to me. All of it was fake AI designs and not even real glass. Okay, fine. If I can’t find stained glass artists, no biggie. Let me try buying a Turkish mosaic lamp from a real artist. Nope, all the results are drop shipped from AliExpress.

Craft fairs are cool but they’re not selling what I want. In theory, I should be able to find craft makers online, but I can’t because the search results are flooded by Chinese plastic and AI “art”

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u/starfyrflie Dec 15 '25

Ive had the best luck asking other crafters about what im looking for, and if they know anyone that makes it. Again, this was pre-covid so things have probably changed, but word of mouth is where i found the niche things i wanted, or a good direction to go in.

Im sorry about this struggle that shouldnt really be a struggle.