Items made by hand or items made by machine, which do you prefer?

Items usally made by hand tend to last 10 times longer if made right, machines just kinda slop things together. Although machine made things tend to be 10 times less expensive.. Things that are also made by hand, are usaully created by low income families or communities that make there living creating beuatiful works of art. So spending a little more money you not only are going to get something that will last and is beautiful, And not only you getting something your giving your money to small business owners or families instead of corporate america...

I also create handmade jewelry so I prefer to buy items that are made by hand. It seems that a lot more creativity and love are put into handcrafted items. I also like to support the handmade community. Due to the economy, a lot of people are having to tap into their creativity. I'd much rather support them than buy some mass produced item.

Thank you so much for your discussion. I make handcrafted jewelry and I don't really get enough feedback from the people who like handcrafted items. My designs are mostly one of a kind though I can duplicate a design like for a wedding party or a popular item. I prefer to make only one of a kind because I like it to be unique and because I don't like doing the same thing over again if I don't have to. It is nice to have people like yourself that appreciate the time we crafters take to make our products. A great site for purchasing handcrafted items is Etsy. It is like an Ebay but only for handcrafted goods, supplies and vintage items. I prefer to buy from a crafter and I also like to support small businesses.