![](https://digiday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2015/10/amazonhandmade.jpg?w=1030&h=439&crop=1)
You can finally buy artisanal-sourced, 14-carat gold hashtag stud earrings on Amazon.
Amazon Handmade whipped opened its cherry-wood doors today, aiming to be a formidable Etsy competitor. The idea is similar to the Brooklyn-based startup: a marketplace full of kitschy items sourced from small retailers from 83 countries.
Handmade is sorted into several categories, including Home Decor, Furniture and Jewelry, selling everything from a $2,000 coffee table carved from Southern Yellow Pine to a $3.99 seahorse cookie cutter. In total, Handmade has roughly 80,000 items for sale. That’s a far cry from Etsy’s 35 million products, but it has a 10-year head start on Amazon.
“You can think of it as a factory-free zone, a mass-produced-free zone,” Peter Faricy, the head of Handmade, told The New York Times.
The launch of Handmade comes five months after Etsy’s IPO debuted at $31 a share with a $3.5 billion valuation. It’s fallen on hard times since April, losing nearly 60 percent of its value with shares trading at $13 today.
With Etsy’s stock floundering, Amazon smells blood in the (locally sourced) water. On top of its massive reach (285 million visitors to Etsy’s 22 million), Amazon is using its logistical prowess to send items for free as part of its express Prime service, to further entice people to skip Etsy’s varying shipping prices.
News of Handmade’s launch today was a major talking point on Etsy’s message boards. Overall, sellers said they like it because of its reach, one person saying “millions of eyes are a great thing.” Another seller added: “I hope Etsy counters with its own advertising campaign to get BUYERS here.”
More in Marketing
![](https://digiday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/diverse-crowd-digiday.jpg?w=439&h=277&crop=1)
Why Riot Games is leaning into DEI as other brands pull away
Riot views its partnership with the nonprofit as a DEI initiative due to its focus on expanding access to gaming and esports within lower-income classrooms.
![](https://digiday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/07/road-merge-digiday.png?w=439&h=277&crop=1)
How Ben & Jerry’s has found the balance between activism and advertising
Ben & Jerry’s in-house marketing team and its external agencies have figured out how to balance more traditional brand advertising efforts with social activism — a core part of the brand’s history.
![](https://digiday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/06/magic-eight-digiday.png?w=439&h=277&crop=1)
The cases for and against the CMO role
With the CMO under the spotlight once more, let’s dive into the pros and cons to see why a top marketer can be an invaluable asset for some companies and an outdated figurehead for others.