NiftyKnits Untangling the Web of Business and Belief

Today, in her blog, the ever-fabulous NiftyKnits decided to poke one of her knitting needles at the tangled topic of business and religion. It reminded me of my "How Mature is Etsy" rant last May.
There's a good discussion going on Nifty's blog comments, and you will notice this blog post copy/pasted there as well, but I wanted to make this bit about the business/religion tangle clear and in my own blog.

What matters most in the grand "Is it OK to mix belief and business" debate is CHOICE--is a business abusing a captive audience? Or does the consumer have a choice?

If there is only one plumber in town and she won't unclog my toilet unless I pray with her, that is NOT ok.

If the only way I can obtain food for my family is by first listening to a political candidate's three-hour stump-speech, that is NOT ok.

If 809 of 9,034 soap sellers on Etsy require a sacrifice to Apollo in addition to PayPal or check, I can go to one of the 8,025 shops that don't demand loyalty to the ancient Greek god.

Get rid of Meerkat Nativity and where will Christian meerkats go on Christmas?
Religion and politics are part of the lives of many people, and associated merchandise isn't inherently good or bad. Like the "mature" marketplace, it should exist for those who want it and be optional for those who don't.
Art: Meercat in Green Sweater by NiftyKnits
Apollo Vintage Cameo by grigrio
Ibn Arabi Scroll Necklace by Soul Song Creations

The Price of Starting Over

Moving the big stuff via actual movers tomorrow. Spent weekend in Madison. Head is so far up butt right now you wouldn't believe it.

NiftyKnits wrote a lovely little pricing/econ post this morning in her blog. For people who replace things in their shops when they sell (felted booger-makers), she poses a great way of looking at the lowest price you should charge:

A complete stranger asks you to create an item (something you currently sell in your shop). That's not all, they want you to photograph, list and promote this item as well.
Whew! "Is that all?", you ask.
No, they have one more request: package that item, print a shipping label and drop it off at the post office. Now imagine they want you to do all this for the price you currently have this item listed for in your Etsy shop.
Would you do it happily? Would you grumble? Would you deny this task altogether?

Now, keep in mind this mental exercise doesn't really apply if you make things when the moment hits and don't change your production (ie don't make more) based on what sells. But if you do, then sweet mother of monkeys! hurry up and ask yourself the "how much would you have to pay me to do it again from scratch?" question and use that as the lowest price you're willing to charge for your item! You can charge as much more as people are willing to pay.

Econ topic for another day: start your pricing by looking at the final product and judging what buyers would be willing to pay. (There's more to it than that, so don't jump down my throat just yet.)

Merry Christmas.