I'm a big fan of the online site Etsy, an eBay-esque marketplace for art and other handmade goods. The site has been growing quickly and has received a fair amount of press lately, most recently for the additional $27 million in funding it just raised:
http://venturebeat.com/2008/01/31/etsy-online-market-for-handmade-goods-funded-fighting-mass-production/
What's admirable about the site is that it creates a low-cost, highly effective way for artists and artisans to sell their work to buyers around the world. It's great for them, but it's also great for their buyers, who now have a means to purchase quality, affordable art from their living rooms (vs. awkward strolls through intimidating art galleries). And it's fun to buy handmade knits from the person who did the knitting - worth paying a premium, even. For these reasons and others, I think it's a great (and overdue) business concept.
There are other reasons, however, that make me think the site's concept is somewhat silly. Mainly, it's founder, and many of its biggest fans, tout it as somehow more "green" and more environmentally (and commercially) sustainable than more traditional shopping, and particularly more so than eBay. “We believe that the world cannot keep consuming the way it does now, and that buying handmade is part of the solution,” says its founder, Rob Kalin.
There's no question that DIY is very in fashion - sales at craft stores like Michael's, and others, actually increased in Q4 of 08. But I don't think buying yarn from Michael's, spending 10 hours turning it into a sweater, and selling it on Etsy... is better for the world than reselling something you already have on eBay. In the long-run, I see Etsy as a fun, artistic, and high-end boutique within a larger online marketplace.
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