Between Google delivering groceries with its Express service and Amazon launching an Etsy-killer named ‘Homemade at Amazon,’ we cannot help but wonder if these tech companies are in the tech business anymore.
With 80,000 items from 50 states and 60 countries, Handmade at Amazon seems to have become a threat for Etsy from its very first day of existence. While not everything coming from the Seattle-based e-tailer was a success (remember the Fire Phone, anyone?), this new service does have a lot of potential, as there are plenty of artisans out there willing to promote and sell their handmade goods on more than just one platform. On top of that, Amazon has a much larger audience, being the 3rd most visited website in the U.S. and the 6th globally, while Etsy is on the 40th place in the U.S., and 143 globally, so the chance of selling their hand-crafted products on Handmade at Amazon will undoubtedly thrill a lot of artisans.
One of them is Jodi Kostelnik, a Washington, D.C.-based artisan specialized in food-themed, screen printed towels, who could barely withhold her excitement when Amazon approached her: “When I got a call from Amazon last spring, I couldn’t believe it. They came and filmed me printing and helped me put together the packaging. […] There are so many great makers out there. Amazon’s going to be a great platform for us”
Getting featured on Handmade at Amazon won’t be that simple, fortunately for the ones who are looking to buy genuinely handmade items.
“Amazon has gone through quite a bit of due diligence. They asked the sellers to apply, they went to their websites, they even ordered some items to ensure they’re actually hand made. From the point of application, it takes almost four weeks to be vetted by them,” pointed out Gil Luria, an analyst with Wedbush Securities in Los Angeles.
For the past 10 years, Etsy has been the place to go for hand-crafted items, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that they gave Amazon some feedback, after hearing of their newly-launched service.
“Etsy has a decade of experience understanding the needs of artists and sellers and supporting them in ways that no other marketplace can. Our platform attracts 21+ million thoughtful consumers seeking to discover unique goods, and build relationships with the people who make and sell them,” explained Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson, pointing out that his company remains the best platform for artisans. In fact, at the beginning of the week, Dickerson’s company announced that it would launch Etsy Manufacturing, a marketplace that focuses on attracting manufacturers and designers.
Handmade at Amazon will most likely turn out to be successful, as there are plenty of artisans out there who want to share what they are doing with the rest of the world. Not only that, but there are also plenty of people who are tired of buying something that’s also worn by hundreds of others.
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Via: USA Today
