That cute little handcraft-driven marketplace called Etsy has become a retail monster – a two-headed one. The 92 million active shoppers that the company drew in the third quarter of 2023 certainly made the company's bottom line fat and sassy and the import’ish Temu and Shein-like low-cost products are good for consumers looking for a deal.
But quality, customer service, and the fact that Etsy is no longer just handmade goods have become a concern for both its original customers and sellers.
Etsy will have to depend on its internal sources to fix whatever problems it has with service, but Michaels has decided to step in and gladly take any of its customers who are dissatisfied that it moved away from its humble, maker beginnings.
To do that, Michaels has launched MakerPlace by Michaels, which in its terms, is “the only online marketplace offering handmade goods, artist-led classes, how-to guides, and access to Michaels’ assortment of supplies and componentry all through one platform.”
The company said that wasn’t a knee-jerk decision, but that it came out of a three-month beta test to find a way where it can provide an improved experience for both shoppers and sellers.
“Our research found that nearly three in four makers believe there’s a void in the online marketplace landscape today, and that existing platforms come with pain points like high upfront costs, increasing fees for product listings and competition with an overflow of mass-produced goods,” said Heather Bennett, executive vice president of Marketing and Ecommerce at Michaels.
What artists and consumers who want to move from Etsy will find
The two primary advantages for artists to move from Etsy to MakerPlace are the free product listings and low fees, a pain point that many felt at Etsy. For example, sellers can save 1.5% + $.25 per transaction if they use MakerPlace over Etsy.
Makers/sellers also can sell seats for virtual classes or post revenue-producing how-to guides. When those classes or guides contain supply lists, the maker/seller will earn a commission when those materials are purchased on Michaels.com.
As for consumers, the two basic advantages that MakerPlace will afford them is that they don’t have to worry about wading through a marketplace crowded with items that probably aren’t made by an artist or craftsman doing their artsy thing out of their second bedroom.
Want to shop for more original crafts?
It’s too early to tell if Michaels idea will find enough artisans to make the consumers who want those type products happy, but in the meantime, there are several other maker-driven sites that cater to buyers of handmade goods or items that people have bought and added their own creative twist.
Here’s a list that ConsumerAffairs compiled that offers the closest thing to being original arts and crafts.