Etsy alternative...Would you use this service?

I shop etsy for a lot of stuff. I have not bought anything wedding from them yet

Can I work with you? What an awesome idea.

DIY.....do. it. yourself. Or you're hiring someone, which is not a crime, but it's also not DIY.

Sarah, that's one of the things I'm struggling with. How do you get someone to trust that you'll figure it out and do a good job...? I am currently working on a website to showcase some projects I did for our wedding and possibly sell digital files of things like table numbers and menu templates. Hoping those things would speak to my skill and aesthetic while offering a range of service – i.e. print, cut and assemble these yourself on the cheap or tell me the type of frames you want, I'll find them, create custom numbers to match your event's vibe, assemble and deliver them to you.

So you're basically a middleman? You'll charge more then the product for your "fee"? While I'm sure some folks aren't crafty or decorators most people can use Google. I make invitations. Everyone said "get an Etsy shop!!" I thought about it. Then I figured it wasn't worth it. I usually get enough by word of mouth, however I don't know I want it as my "income" maker. I just enjoy it. Did this help?? Not busting your idea I always say if it's your dream go for it! Nothing to lose.

I would want to see some of your work and some reviews before I personally chose to work with you. However, it's a really neat idea and would be great as a small business. I would lean more towards etsy style where things are already made and ready to go, but customization is available

Celia, yes I realize my statement is quite the juxtaposition. Admittedly I don't really have a solid plan or service definition – really just trying to get some quick opinions on what other brides would have found helpful and wondering if I'm just saddened by the fact that my wedding is over and I don't have a readily available opportunity for making projects anymore.

Because I truly enjoyed the process of establishing and creating event décor it was surprising to hear everyone commenting things like "Oh, yeah I would have paid someone to do that" and "OMG are you going to sell these when you're done with them?!" Just made me realize that I forget not everyone enjoys doing that kind of stuff.

I would just call you a decorator. I like the idea.

I used etsy a ton! Especially for my wedding. My decor kinda went down the drain, so if someone like you was affordable I probably would've (could've) used someone like you!

I would totally pay someone else to do all of these things for me... I am NOT crafty and the idea of the DIY projects coming up stress me out already!! I would love to have someone who enjoys it and would do a great job handle all of it instead of piece mealing it together from various sites!

@OP

I think it's a great idea for local customers. I myself wanted to source out making bow ties, sashes, and monogrammed pjs. Trying to save money is my goal for DIY; if it costs more after shipping than I won't buy it from etsy.

Case in point the pjs. What would be $60 a piece plus shipping on Etsy will be $20 for Target pj set plus $5 to local monogram store.

That higher price is because of individuals having much higher material costs and doing things with human labor instead of machine. You are going to have incredibly tight margins. Your material cost plus labor cannot be more or equal to sale price. Do that research first please and save yourself from working for free ultimately.

I do wish you all the best!

Jessica, omg I know! Rustic is errywhere. The geometric/stone/metallic trend is starting to take over a bit more but I feel you. I searched far and wide for pieces that fit our vibe.

Cierra, when you say your decor "went down the drain", what do you mean?

Thanks everyone for the opinions so far!

Kirackle, thank you! Yes, margins are definitely a huge concern, which is why I'm trying to narrow down what needs other people may have so I can better identify what (if anything) I may want to offer. I have a couple of local wedding planners who have expressed interest in me as a referral to their clients, which is exciting but I'm still just tiptoeing into this as an idea. You did capture exactly what I was going for though with that pj example. There seems to be an area in between DIY and being totally hands off by hiring an established decorator, I'm just not sure if Etsy already fills that gap.

I think it has potential but you should develop your idea more in depth first.

It's hard to commit to make an idea come true and that can be tricky. People have different artistic expectations and also experience art in a different way, it's very personal so my tip to you would be that you make sure you specify that it's not a promise to make what is in someone's head exactly true to the t. You will develop their idea into something similar or close as possible to their request.

I have been using Etsy for a lot of things and I always go back, IMO when it comes to Etsy customer service is key to thrive

Great perspective, PBiazinha!

I totally understand this and love the idea. I thought about it myself. While DIY is do it yourself, not everyone has the resources, time and energy to create these projects. You can buy something in the store for $50.00 but make it for $5.00. If you don't have the resources to do this or the time, you can pay someone (who loves doing this kind of stuff) $25.00. You still get a great price and get the total outcome that you were looking for!

I am currently DIY'ing all of my Save the Dates! I can't get enough of them!

I obviously haven't priced it out, but my guess is for you to make things and sell them, you would have to charge as much as that thing would sell for elsewhere, so there's no real incentive for someone to hire you vs. buy the thing at a store.

Like, if a chalkboard sign is $50 in the store, maybe you can make one for me for $15, but by the time we factor in the cost of your labor, I doubt it'll actually save me any money.

I think at that point you should just open an Etsy, or be a wedding decorator. It's no longer "DIY" when someone decides to pay someone to do it for them.

That's like someone saying they want a specific die-cut invitation suite they saw on Pinterest and then just hiring me to make it for them. I'm not a "DIY Invitation Designer," I'm just an "Invitation Designer" at that point lol.

I agree with Jessica. I have seen so many things on Pinterest that I either don't know where to find or would have to make myself and I'm not that crafty nor do I have much time. I know my friends will help some but not expecting everyone to make everything lol so hiring you to basically make my stuff for me would be beneficial if your costs were reasonable. Maybe try it out? Need a guinea pig? Lol