Had to give up after 25 years

My partner and I first started making silver jewelry as a hobby and then as a business over 25 years ago. We first did shows and markets, sold to tourists from a covered table, had our own shop, traveled to Thailand and India to buy gemstones every winter for 20 years, took classes in smithing and stone grading/appraisal and became very adept as artists and designers. I taught myself how to do my own casting, wax carving, stone setting, and I invented my own style of filigree. My partner became an amazing wire worker, doing everything from wire weaving and chainmaille to elaborate wire wrapping. When Covid happened and the tourists stopped coming we decided to close our store and focus entirely on online sales. It was pretty good for a couple of years, most of our sales were via Amazon "Handmade" but we also sold on Etsy and our own website. Then we started seeing very poorly made knockoffs of our designs, right next to ours for half or 1/3 the price, then lots of cheap plated junk from Ali Express labeled "solid .925" or "14k gold". We were unable to raise our own prices to keep up with the cost of making it due to pressure from the fakes and knockoffs, plus the cost of living, shipping, etc. So we had to sell higher volume at lower profit just to make enough to keep our lights on. We were working 16 hours a day,shipping 20-30 items/day and still barely getting by. After a a couple years of that we were both so burned out, exhausted and frustrated we decided to just get normal jobs and give it up. It's heartbreaking to spend half a lifetime mastering a craft only to be run out of business by fakes, knockoffs and cheap junk being misrepresented by unscrupulous resellers and drop shippers. We reported hundreds of outright fakes to Amazon and Etsy but they of course do not care at all as long as they're getting their cut. I'm pretty sure if I went door to door selling fake silver or gold bars I'd be thrown in jail within a few days. But somehow it's all ok with the big online retailers. I'm still doing a few custom pieces here and there but my partner is so heartbroken by the whole thing she can't even look at her tools. The tourist industry has come back in full swing now and i would like to start selling via a gallery or some shops in my town, we are very well known and respected as artists here so it won't be hard to find a venue, but with the metal prices now I can't even afford to buy a bunch of new metal to get re-started with. It's a conundrum. Until then I'm just hoping something will happen to make it all possible again. If anyone has had a similar experience and found a way out I'd like to hear it. Best wishes for the holidays to all.