Handmade Market – New Site for Sellers

Damien, from Yaami and HandmadeMarket, recently shared information about his team’s new site, tips for handmade sellers, and what he thinks buyers look for online.

Why did you start HandmadeMarket.com? Who is your target audience for the site?

“We wanted to take the traditional way of browsing craft items (the local craft market) and today’s way of browsing craft items (online marketplaces such as Etsy and ArtFire) and mix the two together to create a more ‘real-life’ experience to browsing craft items online,” he said.

“Our target audience are buyers and sellers of handmade, art and craft items who want to buy or sell online while also experiencing the traditional craft market experience.”

What makes you different from other selling platforms for crafters (i.e. ArtFire, 1000 Markets, Etsy)? What does the site offer sellers?

“The market is unique in that it creates a more ‘real-life’ experience for the shopper,” Damien told HandmadeMarketing.org.  “HandmadeMarket’s role isn’t to provide a selling platform, as we think there are many great platforms out there already, but to provide a new and unique way for sellers to showcase their items – a shopper can then purchase via the sellers’ site of choice (such as Etsy, ArtFire or their own website).“

What does the site offer buyers? Why should those who love handmade buy from HandmadeMarket.com?

“The online handmade world brings many benefits to those who love handmade – browsing items from all over the world from the comfort of your home is one of the benefits – but in doing so you lose the experience you get from your local craft market. HandmadeMarket allows shoppers to browse from home, while still experiencing the craft market experience,” he said.

Tell us a bit about the team behind HandmadeMarket.com. Who is involved in managing the site? Why did they choose to work on this project?

“The market is managed by the small team at Yaami Handmade,” he said.  “Originally planned to be a feature of Yaami.com, we decided the idea deserved its own website. We’re hoping other sites in the online handmade world will become involved in the project to make the market even bigger and better.”

Where do you see the site going in the future – 6 months? 1 year? 5 years?

“In the future we want to continue to add features and implement improvements to make the market even better,” Damien told us.  “A chat feature is one of the features we plan to implement, allowing shoppers to talk with other shoppers and sellers, just like you would at a ‘real-life’ craft market.”

“We’re planning a themed market for the Christmas holiday season and more themed markets throughout the year,” he added.

What are some tips you would give crafters looking to break into selling online for the first time? What are your top three “musts” for all online craft sellers?

Damien told us the following three tips for sellers:

1. Create a brand for your shop and be consistent with the use of your brand image.
2. Market your shop and items – let your shop be known to shoppers.
3. Present your shop in a professional yet friendly manner, especially in communication – you want your customers to be return-customers.

Have you visited HandmadeMarket.com?  What do you think of the site?  What types of features would help you sell more handmade online?

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