I know there are no companies churning out automobiles on Etsy like Detroit did back in the day. At least I don’t think so anyway! I guess I should confirm that fact. No, Etsy is for small time folks making simple products, often one item at a time. I know that folks from countries other than the United States are selling on Etsy, but I want to focus on the U.S. based sellers who are making a dent by actually “making things” here.
The creation of things used to be a staple here in the good ole USA. Cars, steel, and even TVs were manufactured here in the States. Kids today probably think China has a direct pipeline under the ocean to our country since most everyday items seem to be made there. Makers of real things on Etsy are at least making the effort to change some of that. Who knows, these tiny efforts could be the flapping of a butterfly’s wings that creates a major hurricane of change.
As I drive throughout my region of the country, I certainly don’t see much in the way of manufacturers pumping out goods for sale. Seemingly the only businesses resembling manufacturing plants are these giant distribution centers for shipping out stuff made elsewhere. From the outside, these huge facilities appear to be the source of many jobs. In truth it takes very few people to unload and load trucks that bring in shipments to be divided up and sent off for sale. A manufacturing facility the size of some distribution centers would take many more workers and some highly skilled, thus adding more money to the local economy.
I hope Etsy continues to grow by leaps and bounds. I have always felt good about buying something on eBay from an individual. Knowing that my money went in the pocket of Joe Homeowner and not Walmart, makes me very happy. I’m not mad at Walmart or any other big corporation. I just wouldn’t call them a friend and I certainly disagree with some policies they have. I wouldn’t protest against them or anything, but I do try to keep as many of my dollars out of their hands as possible.
Etsy is known for crafts and artsy items, but if it continues to grow perhaps there will be more everyday items for sale there. If not, maybe another website will pop up that allows U.S. citizens the opportunity to carve out a niche in with items for consumers like me who would love to give my money to an individual who made her product right here in my home country.
