Handmade at Amazon from a Seller's Perspective

So a week into Handmade at Amazon, how is THIS seller faring?

Custom Pet Portrait by me
Golden Retriever

Very well, thank you.  Much better than expected.  I've sold 3 portraits, have one about to purchase (she's getting her photos for her custom house portrait this weekend) and several serious inquiries.  How did I do at Etsy, same time period?  One sale, one inquiry who balked when she realized I actually charge for my time and expertise.

Amazon quickly moved to give us a copy feature that we requested.  Nice.  

Am I leaving Etsy?  No.  The fees are cheaper and I'd rather sell there.  I'd rather sell from my own site robinzebley.com I charge myself no fees, lol!  But my goal is to reach as many people as possible so that if my style resonates with them, we can do business.

Am I scared about the bloggers who do not want me to sell there?  No.  I make money where I can.  I don't UNDERSTAND Amazon like I do Etsy, but somehow, people are finding my portraits and contact me.  There's a lot of fear of Handmade at Amazon, and I think it's from folks who Etsy has treated over-fairly who are worried that buyers will abandon Etsy.

More and more, the art category, that was demoted there as a main category, is inundated with mistagged, miscategorized and mis-titled reproduction prints, which flood the paintings and drawings categories so that buyers can't find originals.  Etsy's aware of this and doesn't even say a soft "now kids, that's a no-no".  Anything goes, apparently.

And I won't be shocked if buyers of handmade do abandon etsy, for the reason that it seems less concerned with showing buyers what they WANT To see than in partnering up big shops to manufacturing.

But Etsy gave Amazon the opening, and Amazon is running with it.  And I'm in that pack.