Amazon has ventured into the niche but fast-growing market of handmade items in a direct challenge to market leader, Etsy. On Thursday, the online retailer launched a new market place named “Handmade at Amazon” with over 80,000 items from 5,000 sellers in 60 countries.

“We have designed a custom shopping experience for customers looking for handmade items by bringing together many of the best artisans in the world, and they’re adding thousands of items daily,” said Peter Faricy, VP for Amazon Marketplace in a press release.

Handmade at Amazon should prove to be a huge boost for artisans since it will showcase their products. Users can shop by country and select the artisans’ location in various parts of the world, including Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, UAE and a host of European nations.

Each artisan has a profile that vividly describes the procedure for making his products. Items like three arrow solid walnut cufflings from Australia and handcrafted wooden lamps from Italy are gaining prominence on Handmade.

The handcrafted goods site will sell products in six categories: Home Decor, Jewelry, Artwork, Stationery and Party supplies, Kitchen and Dining and Furniture. Customers can also choose from unique products like music-themed artwork from New York artisans; handmade heirloom baby products from Wisconsin artisans and much more. To make shopping easy, Amazon has made 600 handcrafted items Prime eligible for the convenience of users.

Credit – YouTube Video

The Seattle-based e-commerce giant is said to be sending out invites to artisans to apply to sell on Handmade, which is essentially factory-free and made by hand. Handmade gives users a platform to buy unique, tailor-made and specially hand crafted items from around the world.

“Knowing an item has a unique story behind it creates a personal experience that customers have told us makes owning handmade items special,” added Faricy.

The marketplace for handcrafted items has long been dominated by Brooklyn-based Etsy since its inception in 2005. In the last 10 years, Etsy’s sales have grown to over $2 billion a year. Amazon is also eyeing regular sellers on Etsy. Amazon’s active 285 million customer base vastly dwarfs Etsy’s 22 million, reports Wired.

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