Amazon Flexes Its Muscle In Online Handmade Goods Market

(RTTNews) - Beware Etsy, It isn't an itsy-bitsy rival you will be up against! Online retail behemoth Amazon.com (AMZN) has rolled out its arts-and-crafts bazaar online aiming to snatch share in the growing handcrafted market.

Amazon Handmade, a marketplace with more than 5,000 sellers and 80,000 products in 60 countries, will start out with six categories, such as home, jewelry, artwork, stationery and party supplies, kitchen and dining, and baby.

In order to be part of Handmade, sellers have to apply and be vetted to check on the materials they use and make sure all products are made by hand.

About 600 Handmade products are available for Amazon Prime shipping. The company delivers items to customers in two days with no added cost.

As per reports, Amazon has been sending out invitations since May to artisans, including those on Etsy, asking if they want to apply to sell on Handmade. Amazon said it has no plans to allow Handmade sellers to work with manufacturers.

Another feature offered by Amazon is displaying the artists' picture along with an icon revealing the state and the country they are from.