An Extensive Guide To Purchasing Handmade Items Online
If you have an artistic nature and like owning personalized, exclusive things, handmade products are just the right thing for you. While they are on a bit of an expensive side it’s something that will serve you for years to come. Before you delve into this quite interesting niche, there are a couple of things that you should know.
Why Should You Buy Handmade Products Online?
– Attention To Detail
Behind each handmade product is a person, not a machine – a person who has put their effort and time into making the highest quality product possible. It’s a one-of-a-kind piece that only you own, which gives it even more value, and that’s something that mass-producing machines can’t replicate.
– Supporting a Good Cause
The artist whose product you bought is probably doing that as a side gig, maybe even using it to support a child or paying their bills. Buying branded things only fills the budget of companies that are already worth millions of dollars. You’re fulfilling your needs with the product, and helping someone else with theirs through the money that you paid for it.
– Saving The Environment
Standalone artists use eco-friendly practices during the process, which can’t be said for large factories and their assembly lines. These factories emit extremely harmful chemicals that aren’t environmentally sustainable. By purchasing handmade products, you’re automatically going green.
Best Places To Buy Handmade Products From
1. Etsy
With approximately 4 million sellers and over 60 million products available, Etsy is the largest platform that specializes in selling handmade products. On Etsy, you can find anything, from earrings and necklaces to stuffed toys and paintings. It’s a massive marketplace with lots of professional artists where you’ll surely find something to your liking.
2. Amazon’s Handmade
Handcrafted products are becoming so popular that even Amazon decided to branch off into the industry. It’s less popular than Etsy, featuring only 14 product categories compared to the former’s whopping 160 categories. Still, there are a lot of awesome unnoticed artisans out there, so be sure to check it out.
3. iCraft
iCraft seems to place its focus on providing customers with handmade gifts, first and foremost. The website’s front page shows different products categorized by, respectively: “Gifts for Her”, “Gifts for Him”, and “Gifts for Kids”. However, it doesn’t seem to limit sellers to only certain types of items. Also, it’s a lot cheaper to put items up for sale, so you’ll have a lot of choices.
4. ArtFire
Founded in 2008, ArtFire is one of the earliest established shops on the list. The website doesn’t lack in any of the product categories, and it also supports worldwide shipping. The so-called “Entertainment Boutique” section separates it from the rest of the platforms. It’s where only the latest, trendsetting products are shown, which will leave you looking through the interesting items for hours on end.
5. Storenvy
If you fancy the concept of ‘liking’ items and categorizing them by popularity, Storenvy is the marketplace for you. People vote on their favorite items by ‘envying’ them, which is the same as giving them positive feedback. Those envied the most are shown at the top of the platform, increasing the artist’s exposure. Additionally, there is a special editors’ picks area for the items that website creators like the most.
6. Cratejoy
Instead of focusing on selling individual items, Cratejoy works on the model of subscription boxes. By subscribing to a box, you pay a monthly fee and in return get a bunch of stuff that changes from month to month. There are a lot of different categories, suitable for both men, women, and kids. Unfortunately, some of the boxes are shipped only inside the US.
Remaining Safe With Spokeo
With every online purchase comes a certain risk. You don’t know who you’re buying from, whether you’ll be scammed out of your money or get a low-quality product. You might think that there’s no way to check the seller beforehand, but you’d be dead wrong.
Spokeo is a service designed with these exact purposes in mind. When you’re in a grey zone and don’t know who you’re dealing with, Spokeo is going to help you get an idea. It’s a mix of an email lookup tool and a phone number search utility. Most sellers leave either of the two pieces of data, which you can use to your advantage. By entering an email or a phone number, Spokeo couldl run an extensive search and return a detailed report containing the owner’s name, criminal history (if any), as well as social media accounts.
Once you’ve ensured that there’s no risk, you can safely continue with your purchase and enjoy a scam-free experience.
Maguire Haigh is a marketing manager for Spokeo. He is interested in the latest technology trends, marketing strategies and business development. He also prefers travelling, exploring the world and meeting new people. Maguire has great experience in creating and editing articles on different topics.
* Contributed content and may contain affiliate links.
