An Etsy vendor is vehemently defending pricing a miniature purse at $270 after TikTokers known as it a 'ripoff' and accused her of scamming

• Designer Stevie Lynn D’Andrea promoted her $270 miniature beaded purse on TikTok earlier this month.
• Nearly immediately, customers barraged her video with shocked reactions and feedback calling it a “ripoff.”
• D’Andrea has tried to elucidate labor prices for handmade gadgets, however TikTokers proceed to harass her.   

A handcrafting jeweler on TikTok is dealing with immense criticism for pricing one among her miniature beaded keychain purses at $270. 

Regardless of attempting to elucidate and justify the associated fee to her harshest critics — like arguing for a minimum of a $25 hourly pay for seven and a half hours of labor — 36-year-old Stevie Lynn D’Andrea can not seem to win them over. Lynn, who’s based mostly in Connecticut and has been beading for 10 years, advised Insider customers are persevering with to troll her in feedback, and a few have even despatched her alarming and threatening non-public messages.

The backlash began nearly instantaneously on June 3 when D’Andrea shared a video of one among her tiny purses that poked enjoyable on the premium value. 

“When individuals say my costs are too excessive for them, I simply smile at them and respectfully and say…'” she started, earlier than slicing to Ja Rule lyrics from the J.Lo track “I am Actual” that say, “‘Bitch, I ain’t doing this for nothing.” 

Her video went viral, with 4.1 million views, however for unfavorable causes. 

Commenters reacted viscerally and loudly after they noticed the value listed for the miniature pink purse at $270. “WHAT????” wrote a high remark, with a slew of crying emojis and 16,500 upvotes. “This HAS to be a joke,” one other particular person wrote. 

D’Andrea advised Insider she was shocked to see so many damaging feedback pouring in, and that her video was going viral in infamy. 

“I didn’t count on it to get this huge,” she mentioned of her preliminary TikTok. “I am very open with my pricing construction. I do not really feel like my pricing is unreasonable — some persons are saying I am a rip-off artist.” 

Earlier than the add one million views, she felt compelled to share one other video attempting to interrupt down how she calculates the ultimate value of those charms. D’Andrea advised viewers that the ultimate $270 worth level is from a selected calculation: The price of provides (which she mentioned was about $3.50), occasions 4, which is then added to her hourly wage. “I pay myself $25 to $30 an hour,” she mentioned, and the small purse keychains take her seven and a half hours to make. 

She mentioned she additionally elements in further prices, like the price of electrical energy, packaging supplies, and selling her merchandise on-line. 

D’Andrea has been working her small enterprise together with her mom for over 10 years. In addition to their Etsy retailer, they promote instantly from their web site, and their gadgets are carried in a number of specialty boutiques. She is adamant that her pricing is on par with different handcrafted jewlry within the US.

“In case you’re doing it as a pastime, it is a completely different pricing construction,” she advised Insider. “That is our job — my mom and I’ve lived somewhere else in Connecticut, which has a excessive value of dwelling. We’re doing it as a enterprise, not as hobbyists.” 

Sadly, D’Andrea’s rationalization TikTok didn’t cool the criticisms. Individuals continued to return down on her laborious for “overpricing” the merchandise. 

“I feel it is a HUGE ripoff,” a high commenter wrote; “$270 is insane,” one other added.

Some even questioned why it could take her that lengthy to bead such a small merchandise. D’Andrea mentioned she utterly understands why seven and a half hours of labor would baffle somebody who has no expertise beading. 

“Regardless of how a lot expertise you’ve with it, I’m hand-sewing 900 beads which might be 2mm thick. I am not a manufacturing unit. I am hand-stitching each collectively,” she responded. “If you wish to strive it out and see how briskly you’ll be able to go with out stabbing your self with a needle… That is simply my course of.”

The backlash has spun so out of hand that she mentioned she’s obtained a number of messages on her different social media accounts wishing that her enterprise fails, amongst different malicious sentiments. “Persons are direct-messaging me telling me I am higher off lifeless,” she mentioned. 

On a few of her most up-to-date posts, unrelated to the small-purse controversy, commenters proceed to troll her. A person known as her beaded earrings “ugly,” and one other mentioned nobody is shopping for her merchandise.

Whereas she has not bought any miniature purses since her TikTok went viral, she advised Insider she’s bought 65 to 70 of them since she began making them two years in the past. They’re hottest after they’re proven off in particular person, at boutiques or non-public distributors, she mentioned. 

“It is a specialty merchandise — it is positively not a necessity,” she mentioned. “This isn’t going to interchange your present purse. That is one thing enjoyable.”

D’Andrea mentioned total she does perceive why the excessive markup of such a dainty merchandise would flip individuals off — most individuals merely can’t afford it. However she needs her most vicious haters to additionally perceive that that is how she chooses to make her revenue and that she treats her work with loads of “love.”

“All small companies typically, all of us put loads of love and a spotlight into our craft,” she mentioned. “It is our blood, sweat, and tears. It isn’t one thing that is going to be produced in a manufacturing unit by a multimillion-dollar company. I perceive pricing; it is not for everyone. I am right here attempting to make a livable wage and assist my household.”