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Amazon's 'Handmade' section takes aim at Etsy

There's a lot to love about Etsy -- it's one of the best places on the internet to find all sorts of stuff like minimalist Captain America prints or laser-cut Deathly Hallows earrings, but shipping windows are kind of a crapshoot. That could change because Amazon is apparently emailing some of the hand-crafted goods emporium's sellers and offering them to peddle their wares, according to The Wall Street Journal. The forthcoming section on Bezo's ecommerce behemoth is called Handmade, and invites lead to a survey asking about what categories the wares would fall under (11 total, including baby, apparel, pet supplies) but there isn't any word about when the section will go live.

WSJ notes that anything regarding fee structure is missing in action as well, adding that there's a pretty big disparity between what Etsy charges its sellers versus what Amazon does. For example, Amazon's cut of sales ranges from 12 percent to 45 percent per item, with a $1 minimum per item sold. Etsy, on the other hand, takes $0.20 for every item listed and 3.5 percent of the selling price. The trade-off for sellers would be a much higher potential for sales, but at a possibly lower profit. It's worth noting that these talks are all presumably very early and nothing is set in stone just yet. What's it mean for those of us who just want a super-cool Calvin and Hobbes stuffed Hobbes, though? Convenience and hopefully guaranteed shipping for the tiger. That's something I can get behind.

[Image credit: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images]