I'm afraid the short answer is he/she can't.

What's sad is that very often instruments of much lower quality fetch higher prices - sometimes because they come with a big company's name attached to them, or because they look more flashy, with flawless glossy finish and the like (some kinds of finish require a separate ventilated building just for that - few luthiers can afford that kind of set up), or just because the makers are good at selling things.

Nick is good at making guitars, mandolins and citterns. VERY good. He's getting better, too, and deserves to be compensated accordingly.

Dan