Yes... they are expensive for Bulgaria, but having a handmade unique item in another EU country 34 Euro or 25 Euro is not outside the realm of possibility and if I am not mistaken Graphitine is not entirely based in BG but FR too. If this is a high quality item, then it will be with you for some time. Americans are used to buying stuff cheap. I bought a necklace for a friend's birthday at + Tova and my husband did the same gasp and looked at me like... seriously. I work with Slow Food www.slowfood.com and that is one of the ideas that people need to understand is that you need to pay more for quality, be it food or other goods. These artisan producers will not be able to compete with the mass markets, so they must charge higher prices to be able to afford a decent living. What incentive do they have to produce the crafts they do? If small producers quit creating what that they do... the world will be a worse place. What sends me to gasp in BG is the opulent luxury that lines the streets... forget pillow cases... what about Versace, Bentley, kids decked out in D &amp; G or Dior with 3 - 4 bodyguards... I think people need to stop thinking of Bulgaria as a cheap EU haven. I get the allure of low cost of living, but that will have to change. These cheap prices ride on cheap labor and in recent weeks the people are getting fed up with the poverty that they are subjected too. Sorry for my rant, nothing personal. I would purchase expensive pillowcase, if I could, but that is not in the cards at the moment, plus with 3 kids and 2 dogs, I am not sure who would destroy them first!