Pricey Vintage Sewing Patterns

I came across an old, but interesting post at A Dress a Day dated July 17, 2008, discussing pricing of vintage sewing patterns.

In the post an anonymous commenter wrote in response to a seller (kind in explanation), whom indicated her time, labor, costs associated with acquiring patterns including crowds, filth,packaging, rarity, availability and other costs associated with starting and operating a business affected pricing:

Plain and simple, the price of patterns is based on supply and demand.  How early a vendor gets up in the morning doesn’t really concern me.  We all have some drudgery associated with our jobs, no matter what they are.  You are selling something that 99.9 percent of the population would toss into the rubbish bin without a second thought.  We KNOW you didn’t pay much of anything for it, and that’s okay.  But please, let’s not make excuses for the outrageous prices of some patterns.

Yeah, that’s like someone finding a Picasso for $1.00 then expecting the finder to turn around and sell it to a buyer for $1.10.  Not going to happen.  Yes-time, expense and labor are important factors in pricing and that’s outside of what you “just want” for your merchandise.

Another anonymous commenter wrote:

People expect to be paid well, but balk at paying anyone else well.

In the end the following suggestions were offered by the heated seller:

1.  Don’t buy

My input:  Of course this is always an option.  Shop around and buy what you can afford.  Some sellers offer lay-away plans, discounts for buying in bulk or will accept reasonable offers.  Ask the seller.

2.  Search for less expensive patterns

My input:  Not all vintage sewing patterns are expensive.  You might not be able to get that a high-end Pucci at the moment, but there are otherwise very affordable vintage sewing patterns available.

3.  Buy modern patterns

My input:  You can do that.  So-called “modern patterns” aren’t cheap.  Vogue offers a limited selection of vintage pattern reproductions.  Original prices on those average about $25.00.  Purchase moderns during sales or search for them online just as you would when looking for vintage.