Handmade at Amazon - coming soon?

Mmmm… Not sure I would want to sell my items through Amazon as it doesn’t have the same ‘feeling’ as selling through a dedicated artisan site such as Folksy, NOTHS, or Etsy.

It will be interesting to find out how you all find the experience though… :slight_smile:

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There are lots of markeplaces around and new ones open. It makes me wonder…is Handmade doing so great that there is need for more…? Or is Handmade doing poorly and some people / businesses trying to encourage sellers to sign up as they think they can help and add something different?

I think it’s best for us to really research and find out as much as possible before we leave one place and / or start something new. There is so much work involved in starting a shop, running, updating etc. As they say, find a new job first, before you leave your current one.

Just had an email saying it’s now time to set up shop. That soon came through after the initial email saying I’d been accepted.
I’m still waiting for a link though which they say will arrive very soon.

Me too. Just got the email.

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I shall spend the weekend getting photos ready for the various bits and pieces that they are asking for.

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Go carefully and check the terms, I’ve just seen a thread on Etsy about only selling in America, just don’t get caught out! It has made a few double think it.

H@A have happily accepted sellers from all over the world.

Has anyone actually pressed that “Register Now” button and if so was it easy to register. I received my email this afternoon to register but I’m a bit aprehensive to press the button. It’s only because I’m scared to get in over my head and maybe find I can’t cope with orders/sales.

But I’ve heard that although they are taking sellers from all over the world the idea is that they sell only to America. There is no Handmade amazon .co.uk only com.

I think you have to have a look at their terms and conditions of their new set up for handmade as there is going to be a problem with vat./import duties as the seller is responsible to pay it not the buyer how that’s going to work I don’t know.as it’s illegal to collect import duties from customers if you’re not registered to collect and then remit it to the correct countries.

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Good luck anyone who is signing up for it.

I don;t think I fancy selling on anywhere as huge as that, it just doesn’t feel so personal, and that’s what I love about selling through Folksy and my FB page - besides which, I don’t think I could cope with any more work at the moment lol!

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VAT: not a problem for me I am not VAT registered, so I don’t have to add it. Import duties: The US has a high import threshold, which would mean that an individual would have to buy a lot of my items to reach it. I will wait and see how it goes when I get the go-ahead to set up.

I am definitely going to give it a go.

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Interesting discussion folks(y)! I have also just had my invitation to register, although they have said the process is not up and running yet but they will let me know when. I don’t know whether you have to sell to the US only or whether, like any other site, you can choose where you want to post to. I do know that handmade@amazon uk is in the pipeline and I’m guessing it won’t be long before it is opening up for business. I’m all for as many outlets as possible, big or small. I think sometimes people can get a little too precious about small outlets like folksy which can become a bit like a secret society; only known to the chosen few! How many people outside of the crafting community have actually heard of folksy, and how many have heard of Amazon? You do the math! (ironic laughter)
Personally, I don’t have enough sales here to keep slogging on month after month for little or no return so any chance to get my stuff out there is a chance I intend to grab with both hands!

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Again! I’m with you there @moondaisies
Say something I can disagree with! Lol!

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Oh, I’m all for trying new outlets if what you are using doesn’t work for you :smile:

For me, personally, I know that I would be daft to take on another outlet - I’m only just keeping up with my orders via Folksy, so don’t want to over commit myself.

I’m certainly not being ‘precious’ about selling on here, and I’ve made sure that hundreds, if not thousands more people have heard of Folksy via my work - there are plenty of people who know about it and buy through here, and they’re certainly not all crafters :slight_smile:

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I’m with @DandelionsGallery - two outlets is enough for me.
Love Etsy, love Folksy.

Plus, I prefer creating one-of-a-kind items or varying items slightly with whatever fabric I fancy working with at the time, rather than making in bulk many of the same design/fabric.

I would also imagine their commission fees/listing fees would be much higher, and a larger outlet doesn’t always equate to more sales,

Sarah x

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I don’t think there is any suggestion that amazon will expect you to mass produce your work. The whole point of the new site is that it is handmade and one off pieces. So if, like me, you only produce one of each item (only ever make more if I am asked to) that is exactly what they are looking for. You don’t have to compromise your artistic integrity, just have a better chance of selling your stuff!

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Good luck to all who give it a go.
For me, two sites is enough, and I sell consistently on both.

Sarah x

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Has anyone read this in the Terms and Conditions of Amazon handmade it’s rather doggy.

"4. License.

You grant us a royalty-free, non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use, reproduce, perform, display, distribute, adapt, modify, re-format, create derivative works of, and otherwise commercially or non-commercially exploit in any manner, any and all of Your Materials, and to sublicense the foregoing rights to our Affiliates and operators of Amazon Associated Properties; provided, however, that we will not alter any of Your Trademarks from the form provided by you (except to re-size trademarks to the extent necessary for presentation, so long as the relative proportions of such trademarks remain the same) and will comply with your removal requests as to specific uses of Your Trademarks (provided you are unable to do so using standard functionality made available to you via the applicable Amazon Site or Service); provided further, however, that nothing in this Agreement will prevent or impair our right to use Your Materials without your consent to the extent that such use is allowable without a license from you or your Affiliates under applicable law (e.g., fair use under United States copyright law, referential use under trademark law, or valid license from a third party)."

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Bascially Amazon have a history of seeing what sells well then copy that design/item and sell it themselves undercutting the original seller.

They’ll be looking to do that with their new handmade section basically they’ll be stealing your designs.

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