Etsy are making moves over here in Europe which is really great news.
Location and currency make a big difference to buyers. It's great if the currency rate is in your favour, but if not then it's a sale lost.
When it comes to location, this is something that I myself consider when buying. How big is the shipping cost? How large is the item and is there a worry it could become damaged travelling that distance. Not to mention the possibility of customs charges.
Getting more European buyers on to Etsy would make such a huge difference to all the European sellers already on there, but it would also mean gaining new sellers. Thus giving European buyers a wider choice of 'local' handmade goods than we currently have at present.
It's still a fantastic community to be part of mind you, not only because of the amazing stats they generate ($20.1 million dollars of goods sold in January!) but it's just a fantastic hub of creativity and inspiration.
There are loads of other sites that sell handmade and even some European based ones (such as DaWanda) but it takes a lot to maintain just one site (plus fees) so you don't want to have to spend all your time updating websites. Plus I just don't think any of the others have as strong a brand or kudos as Etsy.
Etsy's
Postcard From Europe #1 >
Etsy statistics:
January 2010 Weather Report >
