What makes Etsy Special? IMHO it is:
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Community: The community is loyal and does not compete with itself like Amazon does with it’s 3rd party sellers. It’s clearly carved out a defensible niche as it strives to “keep commerce human.” In a sense, it is the anti-Amazon.
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Omni-Channel Potential: It sells much more than arts and crafts. Homewares and furnishings sales were up 128% YoY and Beauty and Personal Care Items were up 187%. Last year it purchased Reverb, an on-line seller of musical instruments, which were included in last quarters numbers.
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Adaptability: Self-employment fueled by the internet is on the rise and Etsy clearly empowers its sellers. For example, Etsy was able to mobilize a large chunk of its sellers quickly to quickly sell $133 million dollars of masks in April alone.