Kansas City makers look forward to Etsy’s renewed focus on handmade goods

KSHB 41 reporter Abby Dodge covers consumer issues about personal budgeting and everyday spending. You can email her story ideas .

—

Industry expert eMarketer predicts ecommerce sales will surpass $6 trillion in 2024, with Amazon making up 40% of U.S. sales.

After layoffs and stock price drops, online retailer Etsy is shifting its focus back to handmade goods.

"I think when buyers are paying handmade prices on Etsy, they deserve to get something that was handmade, not factory made and repackaged," said Merry Maker, owner Mary Lynn Iskak.

KSHB 41 News staff

Iskak’s business is a side hustle, with less than 20% of her sales coming from Etsy.

She said users likely struggle to find her items online because of the large amount of re-sellers on the site.

“It’s really hard,” she said. “When you try to search even your own items on Etsy sometimes you have to go pages and pages.”

Etsy’s new plan for sellers included adding tags to items like "built by," "designed by," and "crafted by" to discourage resellers on the app.

KSHB 41 News staff

Iskak sells some of her items to Made in KC, a store with its own loyal following.

Co-Owner Keith Bradley said they remain competitive with ecommerce giants through quality items and access to neighborhood stores .

KSHB 41 News staff

“We really want to be in places where it makes it easy to compete with Amazon, to be honest," Bradley said. "That’s what they provide, a level of convenience. And we think that the same level of convenience should exist with supporting local artists and makers.”

Made in KC’s makes sure each product is vetted through in-person meetings, a process the giants can’t compete with.

“We like to know that the product starts and ends in the Kansas City region,” Bradley said.

He feels customers continue to shop at their store, even with cheaper online options, because the backstory of each item is clear.

—