Rumours that Etsy is planning to IPO in the first half of 2015 has got tongues wagging about the progression of social media companies. Etsy is an online marketplace in much the same way as Amazon. It sells handmade and unique trinkets from independent retailers out of an office in Brooklyn, New York.

If the public offering were to go ahead, it would be the biggest technology IPO to come out of New York since 1999. It may also be 2015’s first e-commerce listing after the industry raised $29bn last year.

Etsy belongs to a group of modern companies; such as Airbnb and Uber, that have recently taken off due to their personalised style of service that provides freelancers with a platform to work from. Airbnb and Uber are yet to IPO but are also potential candidates for 2015.

Etsy’s investors include Union Square Ventures, Accel Partners and Acton Capital Partners. CEO is Chad Dickerson, former Yahoo! Inc. executive. Chad Dickerson told the Associated Press in May, “An IPO is a possible outcome for Etsy. We don’t have any plans in the next year. We’re focused on building a company. We do want to stay independent. We think it’s really important to continue to serve our community and we think independence really matters. We’re not the traditional Silicon Valley type of company, where we just have this blood thirst to go public, but it’s definitely a possible outcome.”

As of yet Etsy has declined to comment on its plans to IPO but Bloomberg reported that the IPO could take place as soon as the first quarter when the company could be expected to raise as much as $300m. Etsy is reportedly working on the IPO with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley.