Kevin Carson would be proud of me

Now, when Kevin Carson waxes rhapsodic about the P2P economy, I have a feeling he is alluding to weightier goods and services than handbags and ironic-cute crocheted animals. But lately I have been very into etsy and it seems to be an example of how technology is making very small scale P2P economies possible, much as eBay came and turned millions of garages full of junk across the land into mini merchandise depots.

The idea is simple: make something by hand and list it for sale on etsy. It can be anything from a screenprinted T-shirt to handmade soap to jewelry...as long as you made it. I'm stunned by the craft and the creativity people have on display, and the ridiculously low prices...I just bought lovely crochet bag that must have taken quite a few hours to knit for $15 dollars.

Despite the fact that I'm in a period of transition from one country to another and taking on another project is not a good idea, I've put up a couple of items on my own to sell, more to participate in the spirit of the thing than for the monetary gains. Considering the paltry amount I'm selling my "merchandise" for, they're made with sweatshop labor!