Amazon Readies Handmade Marketplace, Etsy Sellers Abuzz

by: val2525

I think it might work IF (big IF) Amazon makes it a separate site.  A separate site under the Amazon 'label' would allow Amazon to set rules and listing practices that might vary from the main site regs, but be more accomodating for hand and custom designed items.  It will be interesting to see what Amazon actually does.

by: maxmad

yes, I was reading all the stupid sellers at etsy signing up for amazon handmade, too funny, just wait until amazon woo's all these naïve sellers, and destroys etsy, amazon will put the screws to them all once they have the market.

What on earth is the matter with sellers, this is 2015, find business with your own website, and leave these greedy corporations

by: Orwellwasright

Amazon Innovates and expands

Ebay continues their death spiral , with phony surveys, and figuring out ways to further devalue their remaining seller base .

Re-thinking feedback! Are you eefing Kidding? 20 years and you're "rethinking FB" ?

Six years ago ebay was ahead of Amazon in sales and views, now they are close to 50% behind, yet they continue the same policies which crippled them

If they would leave their sellers alone and devote their energies to IMPROVING the site as opposed to tormenting the sellers , things might pick up.

A sad slow death of what was close to becoming an iconic American Business

by: Watching the Wheels

Amazon has ALWAYS understood the importance of quality and HIGH STANDARDS. That doesn't necessarily mean that a given seller is going to be thrown under the bus. Maybe said seller just isn't "good enough".

by: Orwellwasright

Hey EBAY!!!

while you were devouring your loyal sellers for breakfast, Amazon ate you for lunch!

And its just about Dinnertime!

Ding Ding

by: Sierra

I've requested more info from Amazon. Not interested in paying $39/month or using FBA.  

by: ajeweler

now sellers will leave etsy with all the issues, go to amazon, then when amazon sees the huge margin in jewelry will start mass hysteria on the sellers, not to mention trademark rights that will be a large issue, and used goods not wanted hmm could be entrusting for craftsman that make to order custom design items for sure, ANYTHING is better than E**Y slow death with "if we wish to show your items" at least amazon will show them and bring higher standards to the venue

another issue is the returns once worn items when the newness wears off I wonder how they will handle that issue or this does not fit me I ordered a size 6 but my finger is size 9 will you size for free?

this will introduce a whole different set of problems for amazon

by: Bad Hair Day

Oh let's just keep ''muddying the waters'' between these 3 sites! Eventually they *will* become just carbon copies of one another. eBay want's to be Amazon. Etsy wants to be eBay...and now Amazon wants to be like Etsy! I personally would never go to Amazon for anything handmade.Possibly Amazon got the drift about all the problems with Etsy and figures they can do it better? It's doubtful.Just like eBay thought it could do Amazon better. They can't.The only thing that eBay still has going for it are the auctions. Hopefully they won't be foolish enough to get rid of them in the future.These 3 sites need to focus on what they do best and be happy with that!!! However not only are there BIG bucks involved here...there are also *HUGE* ego's involved here!A very destructive element indeed!  

by: Shop and Ship

"Bad Hair Day" nailed it ... eBay obsesses over its "rights" when it should be focused on getting it right.  

by: gizmo

Everyone wants a piece of the action. The action ebay had before greedy corporates took over, & tossed green salad everything. Hey , I love salad , I just don't want it on every search I do.

New , used , & handmade should be separate entity , with rules that apply to each.

Having your own website , depending on your experience with computers , ecommerce , can be too much for some. It requires more, than just listing. Educated people find it easier , where at home mom struggles with attributes , links , & such.

I just see amazon taking advantage of a ever changing market , with ever changing needs. Go with the flow.

by: Rexford

I'm guessing Chad isn't very happy today.  Any insider trading going on at Etsy today?

by: Basset

While these guys duke it out is Bricks and Mortar becoming more competitive?

I found myself looking for an item I had seen in a market.  Came home and searched the web, Amazon and eBay.  The item, which is slightly over a pound was either at a higher ''free ship'' price or a lower price with shipping cost in the $8-10 price range.  

No matter which way - free ship or separated - even the lowest prices did not compete well with the market's regular price.  This item was not on sale.  

Sooo...  I went back to the market and bought four of them.  In effect, I ended up reverse-showrooming.



Shipping cost and profit are necessary item sellers must account for.  But  the math made the bricks & mortar store a bargain.  This has been happening more often lately. And I LIKE to shop online.  


Also, like others here - I always thought ''used'' ''new'' and ''handmade'' should be separate or have a filter for such.  If I look for something used - I want to be able to filter out new and handmade. And vice versa.

by: askalice59

Whoa GIZMO! Are you serious? That's quite a sexist comment you made there. ''Having your own website , depending on your experience with computers , ecommerce , can be too much for some. It requires more, than just listing. Educated people find it easier , where at home mom struggles with attributes , links , & such.''

Maybe YOU need to get out of the house more. There are many very educated stay at home moms who are well equipped to manage a website. LOL OMG

by: The End

Amazon ?
NOT IN A MILLION YEARS!
They've proven themselves to be Buttinskis on steroids.
They (like Ebay) don't know their place in the eCommerce landscape.

by: fashionista

@Watching the Wheels
I don't know what Amazon you're talking about, but we find it awful.
I sold there around 2000 for a few years, it was great, we used to purchase lots of items there also.
Then it began to be "everything to everybody" they got sloppy, horrible cs for sellers, searching for an item is a nightmare, thousands and thousands of results.
We ordered a DVD set, I think it was Akira Kurasawa, well, 4 times it came incomplete.  This was new, from Amazon directly.
I have a thousand complaints about Ebay, but Amazon is not better.
Hopefully Etsy will survive.

by: Mr. Me

Amazon treats its sellers like crap!
They short change shipping, charge high fees, and have a one-sided conflict resolution process, seller always loses. Why would anybody list their hand-made goods there ?

by: Troy Stiffler

I really like Amazon for who they are.  They have their flaws (the biggest annoyance is how ''algorithm based dropshippers'' manipulate their catalog, duplicate catalog listings, work on 1% margins, etc).  

They can roll out this new platform.  They may be able to find a mainstream who's interested.  It's definitely good for the Etsy artisans to reach more people.

However, Etsy is the first to do what they do.  And the kind of people who buy those kind of products generally are the kind of people who are conscious about who they support.  It's kind of like Wal-Mart's ''organic'' products vs ''Whole Foods''.  There's a culture of people who will never shop at Wal-Mart for reasons deeper than price and availability.  So just because Amazon is entering the marketplace doesn't mean it'll be a runaway success.

There's also a very hard-to-pinpoint factor of ''what's cool''.  Etsy products are largely based on what's trendy and neat and cool.  And those sort of products need to stay out of the mainstream, or else they lose their appeal and the subculture moves onto the next cool thing to make them standout.

by: RKTOYS

Whatever Etsy's problems, I don't see how Amazon taking 20% of every sale could ever be a more attractive alternative.

by: Ebay Seller-Ebay Buyer

This article seems to mostly be talking about Amazon and Etsy, but this might not only hurt Etsy a lot, but also Ebay.  Ebay sellers are sick of listing fees and the games with waiting for promotions and the blocking of relistings which have to be sell similiar and all the other fee games ebay does.  So no sellers of collectibles on ebay might have a new home at Amazon. Ebay's horrible changes each year, which see some fees rise as much as 500%, has many ebay sellers who have quit, but might try Amazon. Amazon is in position now to take over completely.

by: The End

Amazon = run O' the mill new junk.
Ebay = auctions of Good Old Stuff.
Etsy = Special American hand made goods.

It's O.K. NOT to step on the other guy's toes.