If you’re looking to buy someone a unique gift, many people know that global marketplace Etsy is the best place to go. Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Brooklyn, the e-commerce site connects millions of buyers and sellers around the world through its mission to keep commerce human. Small business owners on Etsy definitely enjoy being their own bosses, but sometimes all of the work can pile up – who’s got time to design and create when you’re busy taking care of paperwork all the time?
Luckily, there’s a solution for Etsy shop owners who specialize in 3D printed products – today, Shapeways announced the launch of its new Etsy E-commerce Integration, which will make the lives of these small business owners just a little easier.
“Our mission in launching the Etsy E-commerce Integration is to create a seamless experience for the entrepreneurs using Shapeways. Small business owners are already juggling multiple hats, and we are excited to help make Etsy Shop Owners’ lives easier by enabling them to seamlessly grow their businesses and helping current Shapeways’ customers not currently on the platform expand their customer base by offering a new place for them to sell their designs,” said Greg Kress, CEO of Shapeways.
Shapeways is the world’s top manufacturer of 3D printed goods for small- and mid-sized businesses, with over 1 million creators and more than 10 million 3D printed products. Offering over 40 3D printing materials and finishes, Shapeways has offices in both the Netherlands and New York, and the platform provides services from the partners with its global supply chain network, along with its own factories.
The new partnership between these two online marketplaces will offer a seamless integration for Etsy shop owners to manage their orders and fulfillment right from Shapeways, at no charge for current or new customers of both sites. The platform is easy to set up: an API plug-in creates a channel for direct ordering and shipping from Shapeways, which negates all of the bothersome administrative steps and gives designers more time to focus on creating their work.
Ola Shektman, Creator and Designer of the Etsy shop Cityscapes Rings, said, “Etsy is one of the easiest ways to open a small business and offers an incredibly large market of ready to buy customers. Before the Etsy E-commerce Integration, it took 5-6 minutes to place an order for my Etsy customers. This integration is magic, orders are placed automatically so I can spend more of my time working on new ideas and designs.”
Shapeways’ customers enjoy using the Etsy platform as a way to showcase their products for a larger audience of consumers, and with today’s news, the creation, selling, and shipping of 3D printed items on Etsy will be much easier. This new integration, which was created after listening to feedback from community members, will give Etsy shop owners the ability to easily sync their products, 3D printed by Shapeways, to their shop. In turn, they can then automatically push their orders right to Shapeways, and then ship them directly out to their customers. In addition, the integration offers multiple delivery choices, so that shop owners can easily customize their options.
Finally, this new partnership will allow Shapeways community members who don’t already have an Etsy shop set up the chance to create one, which will help increase their visibility and allow potential customers to easily find them and purchase their 3D printed products.
Discuss this story and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.
