I want to start by saying I think Tindie is awesome and that I've known about it for quite some time. There's a reason that I don't sell my products there and it's because I literally do put them together by hand. I don't use a pick and place machine, reflow soldering techniques, or order in batches of 10,000. I build unique instruments for unique people.
I don't mean to draw a comparison between my skills and those of the Haute couture sewers and needlework types or even suggest that we should install some kind of massive institution for overseeing what is and what isn't "hand made," but only to say there is a line and for the most part it's pretty obvious who's on what side.