That's a toughy. I think that any fabric once washed looses it "new" look and feel. If I was buying something, even handmade, I would want it to look new!
But I wash everything after I am done making it. I want it to bleed or get destroyed or whatever else may happen while I still have it. Once you gift it or sell it, it's theirs. I want the bad stuff to happen while its still mine.