Amazon’s Latest Dagger To Etsy’s Heart

Amazon announced news on Tuesday (Dec. 5) that Prime Now, its one- and two-hour delivery service, and Amazon Handmade, its handcrafted items marketplace, are teaming up to offer handcrafted products from local artisans for last-minute delivery through the holiday shopping season.

In a press release, the Seattle, Washington-based eCommerce giant said it marks the first time Amazon Handmade Artisans will take advantage of Prime Now to extend the holiday selling season through Christmas Eve. The products will be available via Prime Now starting Tuesday (Dec. 5) in Austin, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Portland, Raleigh, San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle.

“Amazon is thrilled to continue expanding on our commitment to small businesses and artisans who can leverage Amazon’s last-mile delivery technology to get their handcrafted items to Prime members in an hour or less,” said Stephenie Landry, vice president of Prime Now. “This holiday season, customers can shop an even greater selection of handcrafted, giftable items and have the products delivered through Christmas Eve — the ultimate solution for those procrastinators who still want to get a unique, quality gift for their loved ones.”

The new holiday selection includes products such as handcrafted pottery, necklaces, skincare, tote bags and candles from local artists. All products available from Amazon Handmade artisans are genuinely handcrafted. With Prime Now, Prime members get Amazon Handmade retail items with one-hour delivery for a fee and two-hour delivery for free.

According to a report in Bloomberg, the holiday shipping move on the part of Amazon is aimed at stealing customers away from Etsy, an eCommerce marketplace that is also working to ensure last-minute shoppers can buy items cheaply and quickly. Etsy’s Chief Executive Josh Silverman has said in the past that shopping on the site declines around the middle of December when other eCommerce sites are busy, because consumers are afraid they won’t receive their orders in time for the holidays.