Interesting site for buying and selling handmade jewelry
Dec 16th, 2006 by Lynne
Actually, you can buy and sell all kinds of handmade items on Etsy, not just jewelry. I have no idea how much volume a reasonably talented artisan can expect to sell, but for jewelry, it looks like a better marketplace than eBay. Etsy doesn't allow any mass-produced items — everything must be handmade. On eBay, there's just so much JUNK in the jewelry category that I don't think better quality works of art stand a chance. They're competing against brand name designer jewelry and numerous forgeries thereof, along with hundreds of low quality mass-produced items.
This Etsy policy reminds me of something a Granville Island soap artisan once told me. Granville Island is an arts community in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, and one of my favorite places in the world. The soapmaker said that only items hand crafted in Canada may be sold in the Granville Public Market. (That policy may apply to the entire island, but I don't know for sure.) If you're ever in BC, Granville Island is a must-see.
I'm still too busy right now to do much poking around on Etsy, but maybe when things settle down a bit I'll have a closer look. I'm all about supporting independent artists whenever possible.
I like Etsy. I have a shop there, though there’s not much in it at the moment.
Thanks for the tip! This is definitely a place to watch. They’re showcasing some really nice pottery right now.
I’m a sucker for artisan-crafted stuff. :)
Hi, Sara! I’ll probably set up a shop sometime in January. What kind of items are you selling in yours?
Same here, James! I’m glad there are people who still want to buy handmade things.
So when do we see your original work for sale? Honestly, if I buy any jewelry, you’ll know I’ve gone and gotten myself into a relationship, but it would still be nice to see it. :)
Interesting! I’ll have to wander over and take a look at the site. I just purchased some earrings, bracelets, and a charm for my cell phone from a woman that sells at my beauty shop.
I’m sure my husband is thinking “oh, great, something other than books for her to spend her money on!”
Hi, James! Most of my jewelry is very feminine-looking, but I’ve played around with some things a guy could wear.
I’m so swamped right now that I probably won’t be able to post anything until January. I’ve come up with an easy way to photograph things, thank goodness, so it’s not going to be as huge a deal as I feared.
Hi, Pam! Jewelry-buying can be quite addictive. Unlike book-buying. ;-)
I make beaded jewelry and medicine pouches of various sorts. I’m also going to start making a line of collectible doll type things, as soon as I figure out how to connect the pieces. Things that you can swap clothes on. Like these:
http://shadowwings.com/doc.jpg
http://shadowwings.com/daisy.jpg
I make stuffed critters too.
Heh. I meant I’d be buying jewelry for a woman. ;) I don’t wear jewelry myself. For that matter, my dad just sent me a bottle of cologne and I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it: I don’t wear that either. I suppose it couldn’t hurt to slap some on every so often. At least it’s a nice cologne.
Thanks for the links, Sara! What are those made from?
I’ll definitely have to check out your Etsy shop.
I figured that’s what you meant, James! But I could make you and John and Phil some guy-bracelet-thingies.
I promise they’re very masculine-looking. :-)