There has been at least one attempt to launch an Etsy-style site focused on DIY and Maker goods, but it has yet to materialize to the extent that Etsy has. Another contender has stepped up to the plate and, though it is still in its inception, could prove to be a possible go-to site to sell Maker-wares and DIY products.
Doyourshelf.com is a Barcelona-based site where anyone in Europe can open up a shop and begin selling goods. At the moment, these goods consist of only a handful of shops. One sells Arduino products, like robot kits and LCD panels, along with stepper motors, while others are selling 3D printers. Of course, it’s only the beginning, but, as the site progresses, it has the potential to grow into something more.
I spoke with one of the site’s co-founders, Gustavo Goulart, about the site and where the idea behind it came from. It turns out that Gustavo has been an architect for more than ten years, but that he was eventually captivated by the Siren that is 3D printing. “I’m an architect with more than a decade of experience and a career that was/is going very well. Happy clients with beautiful and moderns houses, buildings, stores built with my designs and even a contest-winning design for a large university campus,” Gustavo explains. “But, since college I have been absolutely and unconditionally in love with 3D. But back in the days I could only render it, and when I saw this world of 3D printing and what would come ahead I decided that I had to be a part of it.”
When it came to launch a print shop, he says that he began to run into issues tracking down suppliers. “We had a pretty solid business plan to open a print shop and brand of hardware, that’s where the problems started to appear,” he tells me. “It was an insane search for suppliers, and, as we describe on our ‘About Page’, we changed our plan a bit to fulfill this need that we identified: The need for a marketplace just for 3D printing and the Maker community.”
The site is currently in beta, but Gustavo hopes that people will discover DoYourShelf.com and begin opening up their own shops. But he doesn’t want the site to be isolated to industrial resellers, but wants to include individual Makers as well. “We really would love to see our platform filled with stores – or as we like to call them “Shelves” – by small makers.” He continues, “This will be a home for three kinds of people that depend on each other these days: The Makers that have developed something useful, which can be desired and sold; The suppliers of everything needed by the Makers for their projects; And, last but not least, our development team, headed by Paulo Marinho, who is preparing the platform to accept selling services as well. With that, we can complete the circle of needs for this niche: Parts, machinery, services, and products that spring from those.”
Gustavo concludes by saying that they’d like to become the Shapeways for Makers, “Instead of a place where you buy a piece of 3D printed jewelry, you can buy a Maker-related product. A printer, a drone, a scanner… or whatever that someone designed, tested and believed it could become a good product.”
Still young, Doyourshelf.com has definitely hit on a great idea, but, because it’s a good one, they’ll have a lot of competition to face. For instance, Tindie, which we’ve previously covered, is steadily chugging along and there are sure to be others like it pop up. What Doyourshelf may have that Tindie doesn’t is a focus on Europe, as every region deserves its own niche focus. If you happen to be a Maker or Makershop in Europe, head over to Doyourshelf.com and check it out with the potential to reach a wider web demographic.
