Etsy
Etsy is an online international marketplace for handmade goods that connects makers to consumers. Founded in 2005, Etsy taps into the thriving do-it-yourself community by creating tools that make it easy for artisans to share their wares. Etsy lets craft-savvy consumers buy anything from hand-knitted baby booties to jewelry, digital prints, and furniture. Products like Rachel Wright’s hand-embellished Maori tattoo shirt or Necklush’s looped scarf are one-of-a-kind products that combine skilled craftsmanship with visual invention.
From the beginning, Etsy has experimented with its online interface, offering diverse ways to find and compare goods. Users can search for products by color or geographic region as well as via basic categories such as knitting, clothing, or paper goods. Etsy’s “Time Machine” function pulls up recently listed items, while “Pounce” finds undiscovered shops or ones that have just made a sale. Once a buyer has made a choice, all sales transactions are made directly between buyer and seller; Etsy collects a small commission on each sale. Etsy’s Virtual Labs consist of multi-user tools for education and communication, such as online classrooms and galleries.
Etsy helps its sellers become self-empowered entrepreneurs by holding virtual seminars, classes, and community meetings. As of June 2009, Etsy had over 2.6 million members, including 250,000 sellers. In 2008 and 2009, a period that saw sharp declines in consumption throughout the economy, Etsy’s sales actually grew. Buying goods directly from makers turns out to be economical while appealing to people’s longing for authentic experiences with objects and the people who make them.
Location: united states