ThingsAmongMany

Yup, we all know Etsy is one of the greatest places on the web. But there’s a new player in town that adds a big twist to the system. And it’s a twist that might just prove to give Etsy some competition…

Welcome Ponoko. Now before you roll your eyes at yet another oddly named design website, stop and have a look at these guys. Based in San Francisco, they’re much like Etsy. Small-time designers can sell their products in an easy-to-create store setting. But here’s the twist: Ponoko also offers on-demand creation services.

Stop and think about that for a second. You know that flat-pack chair that you’ve been kicking around in your head for a while? All you have to do is upload the plans. You get back a price, and if it looks good, you get your chair in the mail. Boom, done. Plus, when your friends start going ga-ga over it in your living room, you can put it on your own Ponoko store where they can buy it as well. Here’s how it works:

So, basically it’s Etsy, but the difficulties of the creation process fall into their hands rather than yours. All the glory with none of the trouble!