E-commerce giant Amazon wants to be your go-to retailer for handcrafted goods.
In a move that would put it in direct competition with Etsy, an online peer-to-peer website that specializes in handmade goods, Amazon is planning a new marketplace called “Handmade,” The Wall Street Journal reports.
The Seattle-based online retailer is reportedly sending emails to select Etsy sellers, encouraging them to sell their goods on Amazon Handmade.
“We’re offering artisans like you a first peek at Handmade, a new marketplace for handcrafted goods,” the email reads.
Handmade marketplace specifics, including a launch date and merchant fees, are not known.
Etsy charges a 3.5 percent commission and 20 cents per listing. According to the WSJ, Amazon’s commission varies, although it typically charges sellers a 15 percent commission on the price of each sale. That may make it a hard sell to artisans.
Dar Garfield sells her handmade jewelry solely on Etsy. She recently received an email from Amazon asking her to consider selling her jewelry through its new Handmade marketplace.
“Amazon has such huge traffic numbers on their website already, it’s pretty appealing,” Garfield told the WSJ. “I am probably going to do it.”
While Amazon has 278 million active accounts, Etsy has 20.8 million active buyers. But “analysts believe its growth is hampered by the spread of mass manufactured and counterfeit goods, as well as items that infringe on intellectual property,” Business Insider said.
Do you shop on Etsy? What do you think of Amazon’s plan to offer shoppers handcrafted goods? Share your thoughts below.
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