Shop Fair. Shop Smart.

There are now fair trade options for the deal-of-the-day shoppers! In late October, Global Crafts launched Just Sourced, a site that offers a deal a day for fair trade products at least 50 percent below retail price. And just in time for Christmas too! The retail branch of Global Crafts, Gifts with Humanity, is where The Welcome Mat gets a large percentage of our online merchandise.

Everybody loves a good deal. Americans are shoppers at heart. We like our quality high and our prices low. Unfortunately it doesn’t always work that way. The tendency is if you want something nice, you’re going to have to shell out the dough. This is why deal-of-the-day sites have gained such popularity.

But how can this happen? Don’t the artisans need that money that’s being taken away by reducing the price? Fair trade artisans are losing nothing through this. They are still paid in full. But just like every other market, the fair trade market has overstock. By buying overstock at reduced prices, you the consumer are still contributing to the fair trade cause. Selling overstock items at lower cost creates more cash flow than just sitting on the excess inventory, thus enabling companies to do more business with fair trade artisans. Therefore, this is a system that is beneficial to everyone. Another similar site is Fair Trade A Day, which also offers daily deals on fair trade items.

The Fair Trade Movement is a beautiful thing. When you buy a fair trade product, you are not just supporting a store, or a company, but people with families and talents who would otherwise not have such an opportunity to support themselves and their families, or use their talents in such a way. This isn’t just retail, this is humanity. And with more and more fair trade options for good deals, you won’t have to always sacrifice your ethics for lack of cash.So are you a penny saver? A coupon clipper, or a sale scavenger? Well then these deals are for you!