Looking to give a gift from the heart, but are not so arts and crafts-inclined? Well, then, chances are Etsy is your website of choice.
Now, New Yorkers who are looking to bring that thoughtful, yet last-minute gift to a friend's birthday bash at that hipster bar out in Williamsburg can look no further than Etsy without having to worry about when it will be shipped.
Etsy has partnered with the delivery company Postmates to test same-day delivery to customers in New York City.
Dubbed Etsy ASAP, lucky New Yorkers can have all their Etsy favorites, from that feyoncé mug to a handcrafted wooden coffee table, delivered to them the same day they make their purchase. Etsy sellers located in Manhattan as well as select parts of Brooklyn and Queens will be able to include same-day delivery options to their products. Customers will be able to see the express shipping in both search pages as well as when they select items for checkout.
While the same-day delivery option may allow Etsy customers to get their items the day they need them, the service does come at a price — an extra $20 express shipping fee, to be exact. Then again, don't expect a personal watercolor painting created just for you or that intricate beaded necklace to be shipped the same day. Still, Etsy sellers who have inventory in stock will be able to take advantage of the quick transaction.
Despite the fact the express shipping won't apply to made-to-order products that take time, the service is Etsy's attempt to step up ts game as it competes with other online retailers. Amazon is preparing to launch its very own marketplace that will sell handmade items, properly titled "Handmade at Amazon." Amazon Prime members receive two-day shipping, but the online retailer also rolled out Prime Now, its two-hour or less delivery option that is available in 14 metro areas in the U.S., which also launched in London.
Amazon is also testing out a delivery pick-up program in the Washington State area called Amazon Flex that allows customers to directly pick up their packages from an Amazon facility instead of having them delivered.
This is just one of the new partnerships the delivery company Postmates has made in the past year. A deal with 7-Eleven was announced in July that would allow California customers in select locations to get their slurpees and other treats and goods delivered to their doorstep. Postmates also had delivery service deals with McDonald's, Apple, Starbucks and Chipotle.
Via: Re/code
Photo: Jazz Guy | Flickr
