aftcra’s handmade guidelines

aftcra's Handmade Guidelines

 

 

Due to policy changes at other handmade marketplaces, we want to clarify what qualifies as handmade on aftcra as we journey into 2014 with aftcra’s Handmade Guidelines.

First and foremost, aftcra only promotes handmade goods made in America. All of the products on aftcra are made by hand in the USA.

aftcra knows that artwork comes in a multitude of forms. We understand that it is crafted in a variety of ways. We appreciate the creativity that comes from our sellers and the methods that they use to create something spectacular.

What is hard to do is to put very specific boundaries around what is and isn’t considered handmade. So, instead of providing you with a list of what constitutes as handmade and what doesn’t, we want to share what we believe is a general rule for something being considered “handmade”.

aftcra’s general rule is that the product should be made – or enhanced – by you. When shoppers come to aftcra, they are looking for items that are handmade in America. We want to keep this as pure as we possibly can. Products that do not fit within this concept (products that are manufactured, reselling of another seller’s products, etc.) will be removed from the site. Sellers that offer products that are handmade, upcycled, reclaimed, screenprinted, embellished, etc. are warmly welcomed to join our aftcra family.

aftcra does not allow the reselling of items where the seller did not have any input into the concept or development of the product. The aftcra team will do our best to patrol the site for non-handmade items, but as we continue to grow we will rely on the community to help us keep the site American handmade only. If you spot something that doesn’t seem to fit, please send an email to [email protected] with the shop URL and name. The aftcra team will decide how to move forward with the request.

Our goal at aftcra is to be inclusive. We know that some of our artists own every step of the production process. They start their work with a piece of raw material and turn it into something unbelievable, like a potter. We also know that this isn’t feasible for all of our sellers. Everyone has different ways to be creative and the last thing we want to do is place limitations on this process.

We believe that this is an inclusive way to allow our artisans to express their creativity without restrictions. We ask that you use your best judgment and, if we feel that the product doesn’t fit within our requirements, we will let you know.

If you have any questions about aftcra’s requirements, would like to make sure that your products qualify as “handmade”, or have a concern please send us an email at [email protected].

the aftcra team