Wednesday, November 27, 2013

You Paid What?!

Woven Wraps are expensive. They are and although it might seem crazy for someone just entering the babywearing community there IS reason for it. 

  • Woven Wrap companies use very high quality material. These pieces of fabric are weight tested far beyond the weight limit of your child at home. Most use only organic fibers (like Didymos) and all use SAFE dyes. Would you want yucky toxic dyes next to your babies skin? Neither do the wrap companies. They truly care for the safety of your child. 
  • The price of fabric is expensive. ANY type of fabric. It isn't cheap, and when you think about how much fabric it takes to make a wrap the cost adds up. The most common size wrap is 4.6 meters long (Which is LONG!!)
  • Wraps are going to be set under extreme regulations and safety tests coming up in 2014. Most companies are already compliant. This testing isn't free. Its actually thousands of dollars. 
  • The wrap companies care about their employees. They pay them fairly. They pay the farmers fairly. They make sure that they are paying what the material is actually worth. Which is why most of them are apart of the fair trade act. 
Some wraps are more expensive than others. Sometimes it depends on brand. Sometimes it depends on the material blend of the wrap.
  • Cotton compared to other types of material is relatively cheap. If you wanted a wrap with different blends of material (like silk, hemp, and linen) then the price of the wrap is going to go up because those cost more. 
  • Size makes a difference as well. You're obviously going to be expected to pay more if you're getting a longer size wrap. 
  • Some wraps had limited quantities of them made. If this wrap is sought after that causes a problem. What happens when a bunch of people want the same wrap? The price goes up. 
  • Some wraps are handwoven and one of a kind. If I were a weaver putting in 20+ hours on a wrap I would want a decent amount of money for it.
Sometimes its personal.
  • One time there was a wrap that I HAD to have. I couldn't find it anywhere and I knew this would be the wrap I would carry my grandbabies in. Well I found it eventually and I knew it was over priced. Not by much but by about $40 making the wrap a total of $240. At the time that was a lot of money for me to blow (it still is) but I paid it anyways and I'm SO glad I did. Its our favorite wrap. 
  • Some woman do it because they know they can resell it for pretty close to what they paid (normally). I have done this many times. When an unexpected bill comes up I know I can quickly sell a wrap or two and not have to worry. 
  • I have many wraps. Not as many as I used to but still a good amount. I use them everyday and I use different ones for different things. I have one pair of tennis shoes and a pair of boots and get my hair cut about once a year. that's all I need. But some woman need 10 different pairs of shoes and get their hair dyed every 6 weeks. Its the same thing. I spend money on whats important to me.
At the end of the day a wrap is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. Why would they want to pay more than they have to? For a lot of reasons, but they shouldn't have to justify why. Just like its not my business if you want a $500 bag or an expensive pair of shoes. You get to choose what you spend your money on and you don't have to justify it to anyone. 

Babywearing doesn't have to be expensive though! There are great DIY ways to make a wrap and I personally help admin a babywearing swap were ALL the carriers are $100 or less (here). Most of the time when we are talking about wraps that are hundreds of dollars they are for the collecters. You don't have to be a collector to enjoy wearing your baby =)


No comments:

Post a Comment