Amazon unveils Handmade portal for artisanal goods

PanARMENIAN.Net - Amazon is launching its site for handcrafted goods called Amazon Handmade on Thursday, October 8, hoping to capitalize on shoppers' appetite for homemade goods ahead of the holiday season, the Associated Press reports.

The move throws down the gauntlet to craft-selling site Etsy. But at least at the time of launch, the two sites will have a very different seller base, fee structure and stances on manufacturing.

Amazon started offering invitations in May to join Handmade, giving sellers access to Amazon's 285 million shoppers. The Seattle-based retailer says the site, which will carry everything from $30 walnut cufflinks from Australia to $325 handmade quilts from Wisconsin, sprang from customer feedback and site searches for crafty items.

"We had thousands of searches every day from customers looking for handmade or handcrafted items," said Peter Faricy, vice president for Amazon Marketplace.

That focus also pits it directly against Etsy Inc., which started 10 years ago as a marketplace for homemade goods and went public in April. But they're a bit different in size and scope.

At launch, Amazon Handmade will include about 5,000 sellers from 50 states and 60 countries offering 80,000 items.

Amazon takes a 12 percent fee from overall sales made by Amazon Handmade sellers and includes payment processing, discounted shipping and access to other Amazon services. There's no listing fee or monthly fee to start.