uAmazon Launches Marketplace Dedicated To Handcrafted, “Factory-Free” Productsr

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• Back in May, we reported that Amazon was dipping its toes into yet another marketplace venture, this one centered on handcrafted goods. At the time, the e-commerce behemoth was prepping for a showdown with the top site in the craft world, Etsy, by attempting to lure away its vendors. Fast-forward four months, and the launch of “Handmade at Amazon” is upon us. 

  The new marketplace, which features items crafted and sold directly from artisans, was designed to provide customers and artisans a tailored store filled with unique, one-of-a-kind handcrafted products, Amazon said in an announcement Thursday.

  All of the 80,000 items – ranging from jewelry, kitchen supplies to furniture and stationary – currently for sale through roughly 5,000 vendors on the site are required to be “factory-free” and made by hand.

  “We have designed a custom shopping experience for customers looking for handmade items by bringing together many of the best artisans in the world, and they’re adding thousands of items daily,” Peter Faricy, VP for Amazon Marketplace, said in a statement. “Knowing an item has a unique story behind it creates a personal experience that customers have told us makes owning handmade items special.”

  While shopping on Handmade, customers will find small location icons on listings, identifying where the artisan is based and linking to their profile.

  It’s unclear how many of the vendors featuring products on Amazon’s site came from Etsy or continue to sell on that site, as well.

  When Amazon began exploring its foray into handcrafted goods, the company sent many Etsy sellers invitations to sign up for the forthcoming marketplace and asked them to participate in a survey regarding the types of products they specialize in.

  “We’re offering artisans like you a first peek at Handmade, a new marketplace for handcrafted goods,” the Amazon email stated.

  At the time, several vendors said their interests were piqued after receiving the email, but they remained skeptical on whether or not they could produce personalized and made-on-demand products that would fit Amazon’s shipping guidelines.

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist