Amazon have launched “Handmade at Amazon”, a new store featuring thousands of handcrafted products sold by artisans. Handmade at Amazon features over 30,000 handcrafted products across Amazon’s five European websites.
Handmade at Amazon is unquestionably an attempt to capture some of Etsy and to a lesser extent eBay’s business. Amazon want your entire retail life from consumer electronics to fashion and from household items to groceries to be an Amazon retail experience. Handmade is just one more step in their aim to lock consumers in their ecosystem and stop them shopping elsewhere.
Handmade at Amazon features handcrafted products across 10 categories including Jewellery, Home Décor, Artwork, Kitchen and Dining, and Furniture. A third of items will be available for personalisation. The main shopping attractions are:
Shop for genuinely Handmade products
All items are factory-free and handcrafted with special care and attention.
Discover local artisans
Support the work of local artisans from across the UK.
Explore the world
Customers across Amazon’s five European websites can shop by country to find products from artisans in more than 40 countries. Every Handmade product page contains a location icon identifying where the artisan is based, along with a link to the artisan’s profile. International items include a Flour Sack Towel from Canada and handcrafted wooden lamps from Italy.
Have a personal shopping experience
Every artisan has a profile page which tells their story and describes how their products are made, giving customers the chance to appreciate the care and attention that goes into making each item.
Shop with confidence
Customers benefit from the familiar Amazon shopping experience when searching for Handmade products from artisans.
17 Responses
This actually seems quite good.
Found a few things I might be interested in buying straight away.
The pages loaded in nano-seconds without gremlins or issues.
Nice one.
Am I the only one who is getting bored of Amazon?
I really hope at some point in the near future we have “antique at Amazon “. We sell collectables and can’t wait for someone to step in an end eBay for good. So if any of you Amazon executives are out there……. Get on with it! ?
Most of the sellers on Amazon Handmade also seem to be on Etsy.
One seller has the same items on Etsy, but they’ve marked them up by 25% on Amazon, presumably to account for the fees.
If you go direct to their website, it’s cheaper still.
I searched and found the Etsy shop for a particular seller on Handmade, which saved me 25%, but their own website saved me an extra 5%.
So I bought there. Amazon price £330, Etsy £240, website £225
This could be a flaw for Amazon, as buyers are savvy enough these days to google for a seller, a product, or even just the product image, to get the cheapest deal.
It is not a flaw. It is violation of Amazon policy. You cannot offer cheaper prices on your website. All pricing has to be the same across channels. It is difficult but this is the policy.
That’s not true – policy was changes ages ago, there’s no requirement for price parity now.
Chris,
Your information is very out of date. That was investigated by the OFT and reversed more than three years ago. For the UK at least.
New welcome to artisans to sell on Amazon 🙂 Yes like Andy said, pretty fast in loading.
I’ve been waiting for this to come to the UK for ages. I’ve just clicked on the application form and it’s quite in-depth. They want photos of your work process and work room to ensure your items are truly hand made.
I also sell on Etsy and there’s a LOT of stuff on there that is bought from China that is listed as hand made when it’s really not, so it looks like Amazon are serious about it being genuinely hand made.
nobody see a conflict of image here?
it’s like buying “hand-crafted” unique items from a vending machine.
like when tesco offer their “home-baked” goodies; who’s home exactly were they baked in tesco?
– production belt 17 at the huangzhou protein and nutrient supplement factory. yummy.
Well, I have to thank Amazon Handmade for promoting some interesting craft products.
But in the end the price difference of £225 against £330 means I didn’t end up buying from Amazon, but direct from the website instead.
I suspect many will do exactly the same.
I have an Etsy account, so have been following the reports about Amazon Handmade in the US. The difference will be the type of customers. Fussy Amazon Prime folk wanting a deal and arriving next day and their negative feedback or the friendly customers of Etsy, patient and always leaving 5 star feedback. Etsy is eBay 15 years ago.
Amazon Handmade still looks like Amazon, it’s ugly and dated. Waiting for it to be flooded with Chinese tat. Shoppers will probably prefer NOTHS or Etsy for the experience. If I get accepted I’ll add a bigger markup. So customers will look for similar items in the main catalogue instead. At least there is no FBA.