Podcast Summary: Built Online with Cody McGuffie

Episode Title: Etsy Sellers: Don’t Put All Your Listings In One Basket | ft. Jessica James
Air Date: January 27, 2026
Guest: Jessica James (Co-founder of Madeline James)
Host: Cody McGuffie

Main Theme

In this episode, Cody McGuffie sits down with Jessica James, the co-founder of Madeline James, a new e-commerce marketplace. They dive deep into Jessica’s entrepreneurial journey, balancing family and business, strategies for sellers (especially Etsy sellers) to diversify sales channels, the core vision for Madeline James, and practical insights on building a community-first platform for creators and resellers. The conversation offers motivation for aspiring entrepreneurs, advice for multi-platform sellers, and a peek behind the curtain of launching a new online marketplace.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Entrepreneurship in the Family Context

• Both Cody and Jessica open with reflections on raising children and noticing entrepreneurial traits in them.
• Jessica describes her two sons as having starkly different personalities—one more collaborative, the other fiercely independent.
  • Jessica on her youngest:

    “He gives me all the trouble...but he's incredibly engineer minded, very smart, can create anything from anything. Um, so I laugh and am amazed by him daily while also just, you know, nursing my headache.” (03:00)

2. The Motivation Behind Madeline James

• After selling a previous business, Jessica and her husband wanted to build something leveraging their experience while offering flexibility for families and creators.
• Purpose of Madeline James:
  • A marketplace for a wide range of sellers: decluttering individuals, resellers, and creators (artists, designers, etc.)
  • Identified the gap that current platforms often pigeonhole sellers or come with ongoing costs and management burdens.
  • Jessica:

    “Why can't we...create a platform that is great for various users?...because I truly believe everyone can be their own entrepreneur.” (06:38)

3. Belief in Universal Entrepreneurial Potential

• Both Cody and Jessica express strong conviction that everyone can be entrepreneurial if given accessible tools and low-risk opportunities.
  • Cody:

    “I think we're all entrepreneurial, like in our heart, like deep down, even at our roots...” (00:10, 06:52)

  • Jessica:

    “It’s amazing to take your survival...and put it in your own hands...the beautiful thing about providing this platform [is]...they can just get on and try it and there’s absolutely nothing to lose.” (07:26, 08:32)

4. What is Madeline James? Who Is It For?

• Type of Marketplace:
  • Two-sided: Sellers (from casual declutterers to established creators) and Buyers (from high-end collectors to thrifty shoppers)
• Diverse Inventory:
  • Pre-loved clothing, luxury items, art, fashion collections, and new goods.
• Sellers’ Pain Points Solved:
  • No upfront costs, transparent commission (7.5%), buyer covers shipping unless otherwise specified, direct human support.
  • Jessica:

    “Everything seems so complicated and the hidden fees that you try to uncover...so the other thing was just keeping it really black and white, really simple.” (18:41)

5. Building and Funding the Platform

• Jessica and her husband (now co-founders) self-funded Madeline James after selling a previous company.
• Assembled a global developer team for fresh perspectives.
• Officially launched about a month prior to recording (late 2025), with a full app release imminent.
  • Jessica:

    “We went live...about one month ago now. And the app...the official app will be launched in about two weeks.” (14:25-14:44)

6. Marketplace Dynamics: Supply vs. Demand

• Early focus is on seller acquisition:
  • “We want the inventory...let’s make a big push to get our inventory up and attract the sellers...then from there, I think the buyers will come.” (16:54)
• Importance of variety and quality to attract buyers.
• Community-first approach: direct support, personal interactions, and openness to feedback.
• Jessica on support:

  “There’s also a phone number, there’s email addresses...They can email and they will get a live person...or they can call the number and actually be transferred to my phone directly.” (23:47)

7. Etsy Sellers & Multi-Channel Strategy

• Cody advocates not to put all eggs in one basket:
  • “You absolutely should open up sales channels...Etsy being one of them, Amazon...Madeline James...there’s not really any downside to it.” (17:53)
• Jessica highlights the minimal risk and opportunity for early adopters—fixed low commission, no other seller fees.

8. Fee Structure and Growth Plans

• Current commission: 7.5%, no listing or signup fees.
• Early sellers “lock in” this commission rate.
• Jessica does not have a hard target for seller numbers but emphasizes community support over scaling too fast.

9. Branding and Storytelling

• Jessica’s experience in branding with her business partner has shaped Madeline James’ authentic approach:
  • “My big thing from day one was I’m just not here to sell people something...it was how do we empower people to want to do their own thing and make them realize we're not here to just sell them something?” (21:57-23:03)

10. Platform Features & Forthcoming Opportunities

• Open to print-on-demand sellers and considering support for digital products/downloads.
• On digital products:

  “Yes, that is on the developments to do list.” (26:25)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Entrepreneurship’s Roots
  Cody: “I think we're all entrepreneurial, like in our heart, like deep down, even at our roots. Probably historical, like way historical level.” (00:10, 06:52)

• On the Seller’s Opportunity
  Jessica: “That’s the beauty of getting on the site early while we’re still trying to attract the sellers is you can lock in that 7.5%.” (19:25)

• On Community & Customer Service
  Jessica: “We always answered the phone. We always went above and beyond in customer service...It's about the work you're doing, but it's about that, the customer service and the connection with your clients.” (24:55)

• On Platform Philosophy
  Jessica: “I just think that's the beautiful thing about providing this platform where they can just get on and try it and they're absolutely nothing to lose.” (08:32)

• On Product Diversity
  Jessica: “There's a ton of pre-loved stuff...things that, that are brand new...and then there's a lot of artwork.” (11:24)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–05:12 — Personal intro & raising entrepreneurial kids
• 05:13–08:52 — Jessica’s background & the founding story of Madeline James
• 09:18–11:38 — What Madeline James offers; audience fit for sellers and buyers
• 12:27–14:44 — Funding, team-building, launch timeline
• 15:54–17:23 — How to balance acquiring sellers vs. buyers (inventory first strategy)
• 17:37–20:52 — Multi-marketplace selling, early adopter benefits, fee structure
• 21:16–21:38 — The power of focus groups and feedback in platform building
• 21:57–23:03 — Branding, storytelling, and authenticity in business
• 23:47–24:18 — Hands-on customer support; accessibility differentiator
• 24:55–25:58 — Customer service as the brand's backbone
• 25:58–27:31 — Support for print-on-demand & plans for digital products

Episode Takeaways

• Diversify Your Sales Channels: Even if you’re an Etsy seller, branching out to new marketplaces lowers risk and opens new opportunities.
• Community Matters: Early adopters at Madeline James benefit not only from a simple fee structure, but also hands-on support and a real sense of community.
• Start Simple, Iterate Fast: The Madeline James team advocates for launching lean, rapidly collecting feedback, and iterating features to match users' needs.
• Everyone Can Be an Entrepreneur: With the right support and platform, anyone can try their hand at e-commerce—even with minimal startup capital or technical know-how.

For more information, visit Madeline James or connect with Jessica on the platform’s social channels. Early engagement gets you the lowest fees and personal support as the platform grows!