Michaels and eCommerce

[caeterle]

Michaels is going to join the game. It says nothing in the article about Zibbet, but maybe they are the mysterious buyer after all (my fellow sellers had been speculating about that a lot).
www.dallasnews.com/business/retail/2021/10/08/arts-and-crafts-retailer-michaels-to-enter-etsys-business/?fbclid=IwAR1L8giNy8w5mgMSacbsZ0JxkSjX0ZvXUJpZg9vpvjt6k76RVLGW2GJEWO4

[DawninCal]

Interesting.

Michael's is a very popular craft supply over here. Every time I go in one of their stores, they are packed with shoppers. If they can carry that popularity over to selling the creations of their customers they might give Etsy a run for their money.

Of course, since the majority of their customers are makers, they may have to target those who are not makers. I'm not sure how sustainable their model will be if they are hoping makers will buy from other makers. I know that happens to some extent - I buy things that I don't have the skill to make including jewelry, so we'll see.

Cat, how would you feel about your Zibbet shop if it turns out that Michael's is the buyer?

I'll be watching developments closely. We've been saying for a long time that Etsy needs some competition and we all know that there are a lot of unhappy Etsy sellers; Michael's just might have deep enough pockets and the name recognition to pull it off.



Dawn

[caeterle]

Dawn, I'm not really thinking about that without having more important information, like would Michaels even take on non-US sellers, what are the conditions etc.

[DawninCal]

Absolutely. There are a lot of unknowns at this point, but I sure would like to see someone challenge Etsy while treating their sellers fairly at the same time. Not saying Michael's is that someone, but one can fantasize about such things.



Dawn