Amazon Debuts Handmade Product Line

And though Etsy’s sales remain strong, hitting $61.4 million in the most recent quarter, its mounting costs have given investors cause for concern.

The successful applicants will get instand access to Amazon’s 285 million customers, far more than Etsy’s 2 million. Amazon is vetting seller applications to determine whether the products are indeed made by hand, and makers must outline their manufacturing process, including the tools they used. Handmade at Amazon accepts handcrafted-only products across such categories as jewelry, artwork, kitchen and dining, and furniture. Handmade gives users a platform to buy unique, tailor-made and specially hand crafted items from around the world. Amazon has been working on building out Handmade for about two years, she said.

CEO Chad Dickerson rejected the notion that Amazon’s new product posed a threat, telling Reuters that Etsy’s sellers want to be in an environment where their creativity is respected.

Much like Kindle authors, artisans can set up their own Handmade Amazon store to showcase their products and related experience.

The Amazon Handmade store is available here.

Etsy might seem a big vulnerable as it sputtered from the gate since April when it went public and has been tweaking a few of its rules to allow its sellers to make a few goods using manufacturers that are larger scale.

Buyers can shop by country to find products from around 60 countries. Amazon will then ship out those products as part of its Prime service, which offers members unlimited free shipping for an annual fee. If you’re wondering why this sounds so familiar, it is because back in May this year, there were reports that Amazon was planning such a website. For sellers who wanted to depart the marketplace after the update, alternative places to peddle their goods were limited.

Newsweek adds that Amazon’s announcement is an offensive against Etsy, an online artisan bazaar. Before Amazon’s launch, Etsy staked the claim as the premier marketplace where artists could sell directly to consumers, but the Brooklyn-based company must now contend with Jeff Bezos’ massive business.