[Leica] Re: Depression

[abridge at mac.com (Adam Bridge)]

On Thursday, June 3, 2004 Teresa299@aol.com thoughtfully wrote:

> talk about inexpensive....  I've seen folks selling their photos on ebay 
> for 
>$5 and $10.  And then there are the folks selling (what I assume are 
>stolen) 
>images for 2 to 4 times that.   This happens in the crafts industry as 
>well.  
>In the days before NAFTA there used to be a much larger number of potters 
>who 
>hand made functional items such as water crocks, planters, dinnerware.   
>Now 
>having to compete with 3 cents an hour workers, many functional potters 
>(unless 
>they developed a fervent following) have had to abandon 
>those areas to imports or amateurs who can afford to sell their wares at 
>import pricing.

Riiiiiiiight. NAFTA doesn't have diddly to do with it - they compete in 
totally
different markets although they perceive themselves competing in the same
market.

You're telling me that a hand-thrown, hand glazed pot is a direct competitor
with a molded piece of production made in the zillions. If  you and your 
potter
think that then you deserve the results. Or your potter may make inferior
products.

It's like weavers complaining they can't compete with machine-made frabrics.
Well DUH, of course they can't - directly because the economy of scale, at 
the
very least is against them.

But I don't notice a lot of Hopi and Navajo potters and weavers going out of
business because of NAFTA. That's just knee-jerk thinking.

Adam