Estwickring

As the popularity of home and micro businesses rise, it's refreshing to see platforms give Etsy (once, and some may say still, considered the paragon of indie handmade business) a run for its money. And if any platform is equipped to pull it off, if for no other reason than the number of its sellers, Amazon would fit the bill. But the unanswered question remains: do we want it to?This summer, amidst constant discontent experienced by Etsy sellers, Amazon announced plans to open its own Handmade at Amazon marketplace featuring items defined, by Amazon, as "handmade by you (the artisan), by one of your employees (if your company has 20 or fewer employees), or a member of your collective with less than 100 people". Unfortunately, this definition, (mostly) shared by Etsy, has been the center of constant consternation between seller and platform as artists continue to list products created by cheap foreign labor, despite a ban on manufactured goods. Etsy couldn't police it, so there's no reason to assume Amazon can. Or will.

Though not ideal, with exceptionally high fees unfavorable to the micro business, Amazon may prove to be the competition needed to bring Etsy to heel. Yet, despite my personal distrust and dislike of the Etsy platform, I believe it's still a better fit for most micro businesses than the new proposed Handmade at Amazon.

So, tell me... what are your thoughts on the new platform? If you are an Etsy seller, will you be ditching its much lower fees for the Amazon audience. http://www.freemasonmart.com/