Etsy, Home of the Handmade, Takes on a Wholesaler’s Role

Etsy's site now has over a million sellers of goods, generating $1.35 billion in sales last year, the company says. Still, although e-commerce is a growing market, more than 90 percent of retail commerce still takes place in-store, and like many retailers that started online, Etsy wants a piece of that action. Instead of opening locations, Etsy wants its sellers to take wholesale orders, so that through them, Etsy can be in thousands of stores at once without ever cutting a rent check. After spending a year in beta, Etsy plans to make its role as a wholesaler official.