Amazon’s purported Handmade store is about to rain on Etsy’s parade

Since 2005 Etsy has been the go-to place for online shoppers to buy handmade and vintage items. The online marketplace offers one-of-a-kind Jewlery, furniture, decor, clothes, and more. You can even find some insane items like this giant PlayStation controller table. But if a report by The Wall Street Journal is right, Etsy’s reign as top-dog in the online arts and crafts scene may be about to get some big-time competition from Amazon.

Jeff Bezo’s company is apparently reaching out to select Etsy sellers via email in an attempt to forge its upcoming craft marketplace, which it calls Handmade:

We’re offering artisans like you a first peek at Handmade, a new marketplace for handcrafted goods…

The email points potential Handmade sellers to a survey on Amazon that dives into general business and product information.

Etsy is known for having seller friendly fees: $0.20 to list and 3.5% for sales. On the other hand, Amazon charges its sellers 15% for most product categories. It’s unclear whether or not Amazon will buck these figures to lure in more craft sellers.

Since many of the items Etsy sells are created once an order is placed, shipping times tend to vary greatly. If Amazon can promise anything near Prime shipping for its Handmade store, then Etsy may not stand a chance.

Other details like a potential launch date aren’t available at this time, but with Amazon already reaching out to potential sellers we shouldn’t have to wait too long to get the full story. There’s no way Etsy is welcoming this level of competition in light of its poor first quarter earnings since its IPO.

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