I’ve gotten a ton of leads on fantastic online and local shops, and even have a date with my photographer friend Sarah to go shopping at the Pike Place Market this Saturday. I have had some trouble with one new site, though, called MadeItMySelf.com.

MadeItMySelf boasts an Etsy-like intention while offering its sellers a cheaper way to hauk their wares. Instead of charging to list AND sell their items, MIM only takes a percentage of the final sale price – so it’s cheaper than Etsy. However, I’ve found that their current Beta, in a word, sucks, and I can’t seem to find a thing I actually want to buy.

There are some decent artists, don’t get me wrong, and a friend of mine directed me to a few hats and scarves I could see myself wearing, but the trouble is trying to find these artists on my own. Where Etsy has featured sellers and a “Treasury” feature (which shows off some of the best pieces as rated by other members and separates the true artists from the tacky stuff) MIM has…nothing. Where Etsy a sidebar that easily directs you to your “favorite items” and “favorite sellers,” MIM has a complicated navigation system that eventually leads you to your “bookmarks,” which contain oddly-resized photos that make that beautiful piece you found look like a five-year-old’s art project.

Needless to say, so far it doesn’t impress me.

Am I missing something here? Have you learned any tricks on navigating MIM? Can you link me to the items in your favorites list? (That’s another thing: I can send someone a link to my Etsy favorites…not so with MIM. I have to link each item, because my bookmarks list can’t be made public.) Is MIM a flop, or a goldmine that just needs more time to grow?

Tags: questions, Websites