[throwaway61891]

i dunno, people like those centralized solutions because managing communication, payment, reputation, shipping, etc. are a huge pain in the ass.

i mean even if you look at major alternatives to etsy (like shopify), they still are "centralized" in that regard.

buyers also need some sort of discovery platform - even if it's just google, then google becomes the centralized platform, no?

[subpixel]

> buyers also need some sort of discovery platform

These platforms exist in all sorts of places outside of marketplaces. Pinterest is essentially bookmarks for shopping. Ditto Wanelo (and other similar sites for different demographics/verticals). Certain Instagram networks are all about products. Babylist is to baby showers what The Knot is to bridal showers. And these are just what I can think of off the top of my head.

Greenhorn merchants love marketplaces b/c they want to market themselves at any cost. But I'm close with several former Etsy sellers who, once they achieved traction with their products, decided to build their brands on their own and not compete toe-to-toe with copycat sellers (which drove them bezerk, btw). Shopify + Facebook ads + Instagram can go a very long way.

[throwaway61891]

> Pinterest is essentially bookmarks for shopping

except they're trying to capitalize on the marketplace part too: https://about.pinterest.com/en/shopping-pinterest

> Certain Instagram networks are all about products

ditto: http://blog.business.instagram.com/post/152598788716/shoppin...

> former Etsy sellers who, once they achieved traction with their products, decided to build their brands on their own and not compete toe-to-toe with copycat sellers

yeah, this is etsy's real problem - they do a bad job of keeping top sellers on the platform. i haven't seen much attrition because of copycats, but more that etsy is just a really bad platform for managing a big shop. the fact that your sellers went to shopify is, to me, just evidence of that.