Goimagine is a US-based marketplace that’s dedicated to handmade businesses, and there are a lot of reasons to shop on their website instead of other marketplaces.
Even though it’s growing, it’s relatively new in the ecommerce landscape, so a lot of people might not have heard of it yet. Read on to find out information about Goimagine, and some reasons why you might want to shop there instead of other places this holiday season and throughout the year.
(At this point Goimagine is only available for US-based sellers and buyers.)
Some of the links in this article are affiliate links that will pay a small commission if they’re used to purchase something. To see the entire affiliate policy click here.
Goimagine is a marketplace with a mission.
One reason why you might want to decide to shop on Goimagine instead of larger marketplaces is that it has a mission that’s different from other websites.
Goimagine donates the company profits to charities that support children, and because it’s a privately owned company, it can continue to do this. This makes your purchase from Goimagine into something that actually gives back.
A lot of companies that are larger are publicly owned, so their focus is on profits for shareholders, not on the community.
Unfortunately, this leads to those types of publicly-owned companies focusing on things that will drive profits at the detriment to the sellers on the platform.
The founder of Goimagine has said many times that he has no intention of ever going public, because the mission of the platform is to support handmade artists and give back to the community with a charitable component.
When you buy from a seller on Goimagine they keep their full profits from their products, so they’re making money and you’re supporting a small business.
But the company’s profits are donated, so not only are you supporting a small business, you’re also creating good for people who need the help.
Shopping small helps people directly.
When you shop on Goimagine you’re directly supporting a handmade artist who is creating their own products themselves.
Because of the rules of the platform and the involvement that the community has in those rules, the people who sell on Goimagine do actually create their own products.
This means that when you buy a product from a Goimagine seller, you’ll get something that was created with their own hands.
You’ll get products that are more unique, and that you know were actually created by someone who isn’t working for a big company.
You’ll also be supporting a small home-based business and allowing the owner to earn money that helps directly with their family finances.
It also gives people who might not be able to work outside the home because of physical limitations the ability to earn an income based on their talent and creativity.
Want to start your own Goimagine shop? Click here and use referral code Y94KVX for a free month.
And read this article about why you should sell on Goimagine.
There’s no manufacturing of generic items allowed on Goimagine.
At this point the rules on Goimagine don’t allow print on demand products, so that means that there’s no mass-manufacturing component at all, and that question is taken out of the equation.
If in the future POD is allowed on Goimagine in some form, it will be with restrictions that make sure that the person who is selling that POD product actually did design it themselves.
You might not know it if you’re a customer and not a seller, but there’s a big problem these days with people claiming that they designed things when they actually didn’t, and then having a POD company manufacture that for them.
This usually ends up with the marketplace being flooded by a bunch of products that look exactly the same, and that the person who’s selling them has never touched or designed themselves.
POD is useful for a lot of different artists, but Goimagine is committed to making sure that it’s used in the right way, as opposed to being used in a scammy way.
Goimagine verifies that listings really are handmade.
The rules to sell on Goimagine are that the products all have to be handmade by the person selling them.
Even though other platforms claim that they have the same rules, that might not be true because they’re publicly traded and have to make high profits to satisfy shareholders.
Goimagine actually does screen people in with an application to join, and if the shops are seen to be listing things that are not handmade later, the listings are removed and the shops can be closed.
No marketplace will ever be able to catch everything, but Goimagine is committed to maintaining the authenticity of the handmade products that are sold on the platform.
One way that they do this is by having a Handmade Integrity Team, which is made up of sellers on the platform who volunteer to monitor questions that come from other sellers.
Full disclosure, I’m currently a member of the Goimagine Handmade Integrity Team, so I’ve seen what the conversations around these questions are like.
I’m happy to report that Goimagine’s Handmade Integrity Team is made of people with a wide range of experience and knowledge of different types of crafts and experience about regulations around things that can and can’t be legally sold.
Because of that, we’ve had a lot of very thoughtful conversations about questions surrounding the definition of “handmade” already, and the team is committed to maintaining the integrity of the marketplace.
At the same time, we also want to work on making it as accessible to as many people as possible as far as what can be sold within the definition of “handmade.”
That definition can get a little tricky, but unlike other companies, Goimagine is committed to actively maintaining the integrity of the handmade products on the site.
Supporting artisans is supporting people.
With the increase in manufacturing and cheap goods being imported from other countries, people are craving the personal connection that you get from buying directly from an artist who has actually made their own products.
Goimagine gives you that option, and you can be assured that if you buy something there, it will be a handmade product that was made by a person, not a production line.
Every Goimagine seller has a profile where they can put information about how their products are made and tell you a little bit about themselves, so check those out before you buy.
Buying on Goimagine lets you help a person directly, as opposed to filtering your purchase through the many layers of corporate America, so it’s a more one-on-one experience.
It doesn’t cost extra to shop on Goimagine, but it does guarantee that you’re supporting someone to make a living with their talent.
For me personally, I prefer this instead of shopping at a giant Mega Mart where the product designs are probably stolen from someone, and are now being sold in bulk at a cheaper quality then you can get from the original designer.
And since Goimagine is based in the US, you don’t need to worry about buying a product that is imported from a country that may or may not be using forced labor or child labor. It’s an uncomfortable subject, but it’s something that we all need to be aware of, because it’s just getting worse and more pervasive.
Goimagine is growing.
I mentioned that Goimagine is a relatively new platform in the e-commerce space, it’s only a few years old as I write this.
The number of sellers on it is definitely smaller than on other platforms, but it’s growing every month, and the selection of products that you can find on it already is pretty extensive.
As it gets bigger, that selection will only get larger as well, and it will be even easier to find things that you want for yourself or for gifts on Goimagine.
Some of the categories that Goimagine includes are things like jewelry, home decor, clothing, greeting cards, artwork, and cake decorations (that’s what I sell!)
It’s not limited to those categories, though, so go on over to Goimagine.com and check it out.
You’ll be able to find gifts for everyone on your list, treats for yourself, and you’ll also be supporting small businesses and children’s charity.
It’s a win-win for everyone.
