Etsy… Ebay for Artists
My mother is an artist and makes gorgeous jewelry from beads, crystals, and other fun pieces that she picks up from flea markets and shops in Korea. She wanted to sell her pieces, but she’s not exactly a salesperson and prefers to focus on the creation of the jewelry. I found out about Etsy.com, and basically told my mother to create a bunch of new pieces so she can sell her pieces on the site.
And that’s exactly why Etsy is so popular and has 2.1 million registered users and by 2008, its sales have reached $87.5 million. Though people can sell their wares on ebay or other sites, etsy.com allows for users to get to know one another because you might know that creative, right-brained people tend to want to know odd facts. As a creative person myself, I actually want to know that the pair of earrings that I’m buying from a fellow etsy user is a student in Brazil who figured out her talent when working at a local shop. This type of information actually does make me want to buy that person’s crafts more because you’re finding out more about how that product was made. It’s personal.
In these rough Economic times, people are finding ways to make money and sites such as Etsy are doing just that. Considering that all you need is your talent, the raw materials, and then the rest is up to you. Rob Kalin, one of the co-founders of Etsy says, “The goal is to enable people to make a living making things.” It’s no wonder that the site continues to grow even amidst these turbulent Economic times.
