AuthenticEtsy ?

January 1, 2025 10:14 PM

I'd like to find, or have made, a new case for my Kindle Paperwhite. I decided I'd look on Etsy to see if there were craftspeople who made those - but Etsy seems to have an awful lot of storefronts which appear to be just fronts for some overseas manufacturer, and they overwhelm the choices. If you have strategies for identifying small craftpersons from those sorts of vendors, I'd like to hear them, please.
posted by TimHare to Shopping (6 answers total)

Well I can’t help you with the bigger question - shitty dropshipped junk and faceless manufacturer fronts absolutely override Etsy these days; their browsing is atrocious and the search is SEO’d to oblivion - but I can help with the original issue. I highly recommend Oberon Design. They make gorgeous embossed leather items including tons of kindle covers, and cast metal accessories. I believe they are based in California and really focus on domestic sourcing, design, and production.
posted by Mizu at 11:00 PM on January 1 [4 favorites]

Best answer: I absolutely love this shop's kindle cases. I had purchased a model that they didn't make cases for, and when I inquired, she went out and bought my model so she could measure it perfectly, and made an incredible sleeve.
posted by bowbeacon at 8:58 AM on January 2 [1 favorite]

Brick-and-mortar and online gift boutiques that curate artists are my go-to for finding creators and makers.

-Larger cities usually have craft/art fairs worth checking out. The larger fairs have vendor lists on their websites. In my area Urban Craft Uprising is fantastic and Renegade craft fair are in many cities across the US.

-Search for local artists, or 'city+craft' example if I wanted a leather worked case I'd look for leatherworker Seattle which came back with Moxie and Oliver( I have never purchased from them but cute!)Some artists are open to consignment work.
posted by ljesse at 10:11 AM on January 2

If a handmade embroidered felt case would work, I suggest contacting Stitch Buffalo. They are open to commissions.
posted by Scout405 at 6:12 PM on January 2

I recently learned about the Etsy alternative artisans.coop which has a commitment to actually-handcrafted goods. I don’t know if what you want is there but it’s at least a hopeful entry in the “like Etsy used to be” category.
posted by rivenwanderer at 8:28 PM on January 3

Response by poster: I marked Filbert Fashions as the best answer. The other answers were good, too - but the craftsperson at Filbert worked with me to do a custom thing where it was a Kindle case, but had a zipper along the long side. I prefer the zipper because I can't accidentally turn it the wrong way and have the Kindle fall out, and because sometimes when I travel I put the boarding pass in the Kindle case. Thanks, bowbeacon, for the reference.
posted by TimHare at 12:04 PM on January 4