8.28.2008

Etsy 101

I was going to do this post in the next few days, but I've already had 1 friend sign up to take my course "Etsy 101". So, I figured there might be a whole a lot more people who needed to be enlightened as well. (By the way, two things: 1) I suggest reading this post fully from start to finish, then read it again w/ clicking on links... there's a lot of info & it's a lot to absorb and 2) Be prepared to hit "back" in order to get back to this post.)

I discovered Etsy almost a year ago. Here's what Etsy has to say about itself:
Etsy is an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade. You'll find a creative community of independent artists and designers and the very best in handmade goods, craft supplies and vintage. It's an excellent place to find one of a kind items, to give as gifts - or as gifts for yourself! Since you're buying directly from artists on Etsy, you have the special opportunity to form personal connections with the people who create your treasures.
After spending hours on end looking at stuff on Etsy, I passed along the site to my mom & sisters. Warning: if you love buying handmade gifts, it's addicting & you quite possibly will spend hours on end in your chair in front of the computer, looking for things you didn't even know you were looking for. And possibly forwarding funny links to your friends or family to make them laugh. :)

They make it so easy to search for things... it can be a little overwhelming. You can search by color, materials used, title name, items that have been entered today, sellers that are local, etc. Just click on one of the items along the left hand side & you'll be there quite awhile. {or here's a direct link to the "BUY" section here} The most fun way is searching by "COLOR". You'll see what I mean... click here. Move your mouse around to find the color you love & click! One of the neatest is by searching the "TIME MACHINE", click here. And then the easiest, more direct way is just by searching the categories, click here.

On the front page, you'll see a "showcase" which just gives a person a chance in the spotlight, to either show off things they like (many choose themes or color schemes just for visual effect), or things they have in their shop. Underneath that is "Recently Listed Items"... that is 12 little squares that fill up every 15 seconds with NEW ITEMS that have just been listed! You can click on a box that looks interesting (in a good or bad way) & it'll lead you to that shop to see more photos of that item, read the info, get a price, read about the seller & see more items that they have in their shop.

[Nikki & others... are you guys totally lost? This is a really hard topic to cover... I should've just googled or wikipedia'ed it. I still might, I still have time. If you're bored, just go to the bottom where I list fun stuff to check out...]

Okay... next topic - MY SHOP. You can find my little quaint shop here. At the time, I only have 8 items... I'm slowly adding things to my shop. Once you're in my shop you'll see some various categories. Starting on the right hand side at the top & working on our way down. I think everything seems pretty self-explanatory until we get to "FAVORITES", click here.

This is probably one of my favorite parts about Etsy! You'll see 2 tabs... "Favorite items" & "Favorite sellers". This is sort of my own showcase where I have flagged some of my favorite artisans/sellers or just some fun fun finds that I love, want to buy, have bought, or just want to spread the word on. I love it because it's so fun to look at other artisans, sellers & buyers favorite things. You can usually tell if you have similar taste (in which case you will love browsing things they've found) or not, but it's still fun finding some strange & interesting things people have marked as their "favorites". Trust me... there are some interesting things to discover, including this that my sister found. (Do not open around children unless you want to make up an interesting story on the spot, slightly Rated R... click here). Ummm yeah.  Okay, moving on.

Something else you'll see on the right hand side of my page (& every seller) is "Add seller to favorite". This is where (after you have a buyer or seller account) you can start flagging some of your favorite shops you've found along the way! Underneath that is "See who hearts this shop". Those are all people who have already marked that particular shop as a "favorite". This is another opportunity to click & see all people who like this store like you do... and go see their shops or the shops they like. [see what I mean? ADDICTING] When you click on an individual item, is when you have the chance to mark that particular item as a "favorite".

LOST? I'm bored with myself. So let me leave you with some fun finds just to give you a taste for what's out there (besides the crocheted gem I showed you above).

[Thanks Becky for the idea, I'm stealing it.]

They have it all... seriously... {click on the bolded phrases to see pics}

My mom, sisters & I almost had an all-Etsy Christmas last year... I think we changed our minds when we realized all we could find for the guys was a duct tape wallet. (No - gross, we were not going to get that crocheted thing) But it's not a bad idea... I might stick to it this Christmas for some of my kids' gifts, nieces & nephews. I love supporting fellow crafters & that's why I love Etsy. If you're not already signed up as a Buyer, you can read about it & sign up here!  

One more thought that I want to add here... is that I personally hate paying full retail price for anything, especially clothes.  I am one that goes straight to the sales racks, shops during sales or comes with my coupon in hand.  Somehow, I feel so differently about paying full price for a handmade item.  It just is a whole different playing field because I don't think you can put a price on someone's time & talent.  Paying $30 at the mall for a dress for Libby feel so different compared to paying $30 for a handmade dress.  Same price, same type of garment... but so much more pleasing knowing someone's loving hands tended to the stitches & took the time out of their busy day to make it.  And you don't have to worry about anybody showing up in the same outfit!  :)

I hope you enjoyed my whirlwind tour of Etsy. Sorry it was so helter-skelter, but I did the best I could do. Since this post was so visually unappetizing (unless of course you clicked on the links, which I hope you did!)... here's a cute photo below. If you have any questions about Etsy or anything I covered here, don't hesitate to ask. I hope you had fun & have found a new place to shop. :)

P.S. I really think it's one of those things that you never had heard of before... and now you'll see/hear Etsy everywhere!  

1 comment:

Unknown said...

i love some of your favorite finds!! hehe. etsy can be very hard to figure out but i think with patients...you can find a lot of wonderful handmade items!