In Bolivia there are many artisan products of varying quality. NGO´s and private interests have helped many people get ahead. Many poor people have improved their economic prospects through the sale of handicrafts.

Many small groups of artisans work in an isolated fashion. They don’t pay taxes and they don’t receive much training. Rather they start up the best they can and sell their goods to large tourist shops which often triple the prices for selling. This may seem unjust at first, however, rents are high for shops in the tourist area and the shops have to pay taxes and commissions on credit cards, etc. This usually adds up to 60% of the cost of the product. 40% more goes for publicity and wages for store employees. There is no special tax treatment for handicrafts even though they account for the daily earnings of many poor families. The store must pay taxes the same as major capitalist ventures. For this reason, many artisans participate only at fairs in various parts of the city such as the Coliseo Cerrado, the fairgrounds in Seguencoma, the Christmas bazaar and other fairs at the Colegio Calvert (American Cooperative School), the Quipus fair and others which are organized by private entities. In order to participate in fairs, the artisans pay between $50 and $200. For this reason the smaller artisan cannot compete in many fairs. Taking into account that the minimum salary in Bolivia is Bs. 450 or $US59 and that the artisan may not sell much in the two week fair, you can see how it is quite possible for the artisan to lose his capital.

For all the reasons stated above, the poorest people, those suffering from some disability and mothers with many children, that is to say the poorest of the poor, do not have many opportunities to get ahead because few people buy their goods at a price which allows them to survive. Delinquency is the result in many cases.

In the city of La Paz there are stores where on can buy handicrafts at a price that is fair for both the artisan and the tourist like AYNI BOLIVIA