Austin artisans sell on Amazon
E-commerce giant unveils marketplace for handmade items.
E-commerce giant Amazon. com on Thursday unveiled a new online marketplace featuring handmade items from more than 5,000 artisans, including dozens of Austin vendors.
Handmade at Amazon will sell more than 80,000 factoryfree, handcrafted items from more than 60 countries, executives said. The marketplace lets artisans sell their handmade products much as online marketplace Etsy does.
Austin was one of four cities — along with Seattle, New York and Philadelphia — chosen to have local artisans featured in a pictorial and video project introducing the new site.
“We actually spent a lot of time down there as a result of this project,” said Handmade at Amazon spokeswoman April Lane. “Austin has historically been a great, creative town.
The new marketplace will start with 5,000 artisans, and the list of vendors is growing quickly, Lane said.
“We are adding artisans every day,” Lane said. And “we are adding thousands of
products.”
Amazon began accepting applications for potential vendors in June, and applicants see a fourweek turnaround time, Lane said.
Every application is reviewed by an Amazon team in Seattle, she added.
Amazon built its database of vendors by connecting with players in various craft markets around the world. For example, in Austin’s case, Lane said Amazon reached out to Austin Craft Riot, which offers a summer event, and from there built a list of potential vendors who could join the site.
Vendors were then invited to complete a “lengthy application” process where artisans were vetted to ensure they met standards for the new site, Lane said. Other artisans applied as word of mouth grew.
“We have been excited by the responses rate,” Lane said.
Products needed to be made entirely by hand and not from a kit, Lane said. The business also must have fewer than 20 employees.
Items will be sold from across several categories, including jewelry, home décor, artwork, stationery and party supplies, kitchen and dining, furniture and baby items.
Amazon has been working on the project for about two years. The idea was born after Amazon saw customers increasingly searching for handmade products, Lane said. Amazon has more than 285 million customers. The handmade products will range from walnut cuff links from Australia to handcrafted wooden lamps from Italy to music-themed artwork from New York.
In addition to usual search filters, shoppers will also be able to refine searches by artisan locations, such as states and countries.
Of the items, 600 will be considered eligible for Prime shipping. The artisans are expected to add thousands of new items every day, Amazon said.
Austinite Leah Duncan will be one of those artisans launching her items Thursday on Amazon. Duncan, who sells art prints and other items, is a Clemson University graduate who moved to Austin in 2008.
Duncan, 32, said she and her husband, a chef, found Austin to be the perfect creative outlet to grow her business.
“Everyone here is so open-minded and accepting it makes it easy to find your way,” she said. “I love nature, I love to go outdoors.”
Duncan, an East Austin resident, started out selling prints on her website and Etsy. Jumping to Amazon, she says, is a big step for her business.
“I think having a big brand like Amazon get behind my name is a big deal,” she said. “They have such a huge demographic.”