Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by chrisbro 2474 days ago
My wife and I have been slowly buying furniture for our house, and Etsy is our go-to. I don't know where else I can search for such a wide array of styles for things like desks and coffee tables, find exactly the style I want, and THEN get it custom-made to the dimensions I want. I really like the way it opens up smaller shops like that for higher-end purchases like furniture, and I've never had a bad experience despite buying items in the 4-digit range.

That being said, complete dumpster fire on the lower-priced items like this article is getting at. I really enjoy Etsy when it can deliver on its promise of opening up a marketplace of skilled artisans who otherwise would've have had a hard time getting started. Hope it can get back to that.
1 comments
kamarg 2474 days ago
There used to be a site for exactly this called custommade.com. Aside from a list of items that others have already made for you to browse, you could also put up a description of the project and let craftsmen contact you with questions or bids for the project.

I'm not entirely sure what happened but they ended up refocusing on strictly custom jewelry instead of custom whatever you want that someone else can make. It's really unfortunate because it was an excellent service with very talented makers and I haven't been able to find anything similar to replace it.

link
chrisbro 2474 days ago
That sounds (sounded) awesome! As I was typing up my previous comment I was wondering if there are any other services out there that does this same sort of thing. Fingers crossed.
link
technotarek 2474 days ago
If you're near one of our current 11 markets, you can find some local, custom makers: https://attic.city. Or ff you're in the DC area, see https://attic-dc.com/custom-furniture for an expanded offering.

Sorry if you're from outside of these markets; we're working on building out to more. Feel free to put in a vote for a particular one :)

link
kamarg 2474 days ago
Looks like a great service. Sadly none of your current markets are near me and the closest city I could vote for is an eight hour drive away. I'll check back periodically and see if you've expanded to anywhere within driving range. Thanks for letting me know about the service!
link