Our motto is: "Individually Handcrafted -- designed to last a lifetime." Furthermore, we don't use cheap bonded leather, but only the best genuine cowhide available. We are not set up as a discount superstore where we can offer super cheap prices.
Consider: As a boutique business, we handcraft our products with high quality materials rather than mass-producing them. Each of our handcrafted pieces may involve upwards of two hours of meticulous manual labor, utilizing tools such as leathercraft hammers, stitching awls, edge bevelers, and foil stamping machines, along with hand-sewing techniques to produce a finished product of exceptional quality. This naturally reflects on the cost. The pricing of our items is based on the quality of materials, the time it takes to create each item, and the artisanal skill involved. Our products are actually individually handcrafted by our artisans and not mass-produced on assembly lines. Also, we use very high-quality cowhide leather and not cheap “bonded leather” or imitation leather. Even our less expensive vinyl covers are individually hand-sewn with a sewing machine and high-quality materials and are not mass-produced in large factories. Please view the following video about our artisan at work: Ministryideaz.com/Handcrafted
It's so nice to see the craftsmanship that goes into your work. Sometimes we look at only the final cost of the product we order and think, "why does it cost so much?" True craftsmanship will cost a little more, but you will not find such quality at your local mall. Would we rather pay once for a high-quality product, or pay many times for products that fall apart soon after we purchase them? We really save in the long run. Thank you!
Please review the following articles for more information regarding our quality:
Regarding our other products such as games, greeting cards, and activity books: Many of these are indeed made on machines and are not individually crafted. (One exception is the coils on notebooks which must be coiled manually, one at a time, after they are printed.) However, consider these points:
- we are a small company
- our customer base is small
Therefore we can only manufacture limited quantities. This causes the unit cost for us to go up considerably. If you're comparing our prices to your local dollar-store or 'Walmart,' please understand that these companies produce things by the millions and the unit price is dramatically lower than what we would pay.
Finally, please also consider that we do offer free shipping. Of course, free shipping for the customer means that our company has to pay the shipping provider and these costs are necessarily incorporated into the product price that you pay on our website. The cost of shipping from our warehouse in Ecuador to your doorstep, is a significant expense.