The idea of artisans, artists, and crafters having their own online services to sell goods is very encouraging. Etsy certainly found a way to put a "face" on every product, with a custom-designed entry page for little companies like Cosmos Curiosities. I found most of the prices to be on a high side, but this is probably reasonable given the hand-made non-commercial quality of goods. I also appreciated honest allergy disclosures, e.g. "this product comes from a home with a cat" - somehow it makes you respect the craftsman even more. I liked the recycling approach in the tins and boxes, and the the fact that you could ask for a particular design and color. I will be ordering my holiday cards from Lulu.com this year and was absolutely thrilled by a possibility to publish my own cook book here. Something for my next life to consider: right now those recipes are sitting in a folder on my kitchen counter, some are quite battered. And all illustration I could provide... Well, back to earth now. Coincidently, I've recently ordered some election sweatshirts from CafePress - very nice company with many smart choices. Slogans like "barack, paper, scissors", "omerica", and "joe the plumber meet barack the president", "barack and roll" and "polar bears for obama" made me smile and think of the times when we all wear self-designed t-shirts. Mine would have a quote from a contemporary Russian writer saying "Everything good in me is owed to sleep".
Well, on a related note, I've recently discovered another excellent buyer-seller service, which might help libraries with their book sales. It's called Biblio.com and it specializes in rare and used book sales. You could find anything from out-of-press to first editions here, and many local book stores are participating. I will try to find out how a library can join in. If any of our fellow librarians have used it for work, please let me know!
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