Inc. Magazine has published a detailed portrait of Etsy:
"Etsy has 165 employees and revenue of roughly $40 million. It has raised $50 million from some of the tech world's most prominent venture capitalists and is thought by many to be a prime candidate for an IPO."
"In 2010, Etsy sellers moved $314 million worth of merchandise—cuff links made from 19th-century shotgun shells ($50), knives forged by a master blacksmith in Albuquerque ($150), sweaters knit by a grandmother in Portugal ($225)—a 74 percent increase over the previous year."
"It seems fair to assume, using statistics the company has released, that there are fewer than 1,000 sellers who make $30,000 a year or more, and a mere handful who make more than $100,000."
Especially interesting is the described dilemma that comes with Etsys systemic constraints:
""Etsy has made it possible for a lot of small businesses to get off the ground," says Dale Dougherty, co-founder of O'Reilly Media and the publisher of Make magazine, which covers the do-it-yourself economy. "But even the most successful crafters run up against the limits of their own labor. Handmade can be a limited idea."
In other words, the very qualities that make Etsy so attractive to new sellers put the most successful Etsy sellers in an awkward position: They must stay small or abandon Etsy."
Related posts:
Comments