Move Over Ebay, Make Room for Etsy!

As a part-time crafter, I always enjoyed selling my creations to the public. I have found craft shows to be the easiest way to sell my items and make a profit. To me, arts and craft show have always been a lot of fun, both as a vendor and a customer. However, these shows really aren't all that popular from January to September and it's very tough to show a profit during those months. I often researched Ebay in hopes of finding a niche at the world's largest auction site, but breaking even was a shaky proposition. Even though I've had an Ebay account for many years, I've never once listed one of my hand-made items on their site. The fees and the chance of my item selling for far less than it cost me for materials just wasn't worth it. The chances of making money on Ebay vs losing money on Ebay, made listing an item on Ebay a gamble. And considering the odds, it was a wager that didn't justify the odds, considering the odds were clearly not in my favor.

Then by chance, I was shown part of an article from the Sunday paper (The Philadelphia Enquirer) and my recreational hobby changed in a big way... I found Etsy, an on line marketplace for buying and selling anything handmade!

Etsy was created in 2005 by three former NYU students Chris McGuire, Robert Kalin & Haim Scoppik, along with artist Jared Tarbell. McGuire & Kalin came up with the idea after helping to create another crafting website and their intention was to offer an alternative to the Ebays of the on line world. Mass-produced items and cheap knockoffs were in abundance in the on line stores and auction sites and McGuire and Kalin sought to fill the void when it came to handmade items. According to their website, Etsy.com, a large part of their mission was to attempt to make consumers aware of the social and environmental implications of their purchases and their sellers responded by offering upcycled, and recycled handmade items.