So. Etsy. I became a member about a year ago. My first impression was it has lousy pictures. The tagline is ‘Your place to buy and sell all things handmade, vintage, and supplies’. My first thought was crafty stuff: paper, like, and maybe yarn. Turns out it sells lots of things from geekery, wedding, dresses, and cupcakes. My, do we make things and sell them on Etsy!
Discovering stuff on the site can be tricky if you don’t know what you’re looking for. The range of goods can be overwhelming, if not confusingly categorised. I mean, ‘reading’ can be everything from ‘reading glasses’ to the ‘mystical lottery divination’ reading. I swear I stumbled on oils with special uses once – I’d report them, but I’m not even sure it’s banned.
Discovering stuff on the site can be tricky if you don’t know what you’re looking for. The range of goods can be overwhelming, if not confusingly categorised. I mean, ‘reading’ can be everything from ‘reading glasses’ to the ‘mystical lottery divination’ reading. I swear I stumbled on oils with special uses once – I’d report them, but I’m not even sure it’s banned.
When I first signed up, they gave me the Taste Test. It’s supposed to get you started on the stuff you like. It worked for me, if only for just one item. You can try the search bar, but the results can be quite far from what you’re looking for. But, do forgive the product shots. Turns out sellers are encouraged to use natural light. I guess it’s a good thing that what you get won’t differ much from what you see.
My suggestion when browsing Etsy, is to go with something you’re effortlessly drawn to. It doesn’t have to be something specific like “scrapbooking” or “knitting” – it can be your favourite animal or even colour. I think you’ll find some items you’ve never thought you want until you see them. Next, think about a shop that always piques your interest, if only to browse, when you’re travelling somewhere, anytime you go out for shopping or on the way home. Is it the home appliance shop? Or maybe the ice cream shop? Submitting to my natural tendencies, I’d fill mansions with blank journals and memos in every form. I never tire just looking at the stationery shop, even the office ones. So it was a pleasure to find several unique items that I’d like to buy, you know, someday. Meanwhile, I just hit the ♥ favourite button so I can find them again easily. And you want to keep doing this, because, on your feed, Etsy will suggest stuff you might also like according to your preferences. Also, ♥ing shops will let you know about their newest listings right on top of your feed.
Sometimes, the exact same item can be resold by several shops. So make sure you know your choices, and buy from the most reliable one. Check out their reviews by other customers.
P.S. They updated a bit of their look at the start of this month, maybe to make it easier for them to facilitate mobile users. I think it’s ‘last century’, but as long as the main functions aren’t disturbed…
My suggestion when browsing Etsy, is to go with something you’re effortlessly drawn to. It doesn’t have to be something specific like “scrapbooking” or “knitting” – it can be your favourite animal or even colour. I think you’ll find some items you’ve never thought you want until you see them. Next, think about a shop that always piques your interest, if only to browse, when you’re travelling somewhere, anytime you go out for shopping or on the way home. Is it the home appliance shop? Or maybe the ice cream shop? Submitting to my natural tendencies, I’d fill mansions with blank journals and memos in every form. I never tire just looking at the stationery shop, even the office ones. So it was a pleasure to find several unique items that I’d like to buy, you know, someday. Meanwhile, I just hit the ♥ favourite button so I can find them again easily. And you want to keep doing this, because, on your feed, Etsy will suggest stuff you might also like according to your preferences. Also, ♥ing shops will let you know about their newest listings right on top of your feed.
Sometimes, the exact same item can be resold by several shops. So make sure you know your choices, and buy from the most reliable one. Check out their reviews by other customers.
P.S. They updated a bit of their look at the start of this month, maybe to make it easier for them to facilitate mobile users. I think it’s ‘last century’, but as long as the main functions aren’t disturbed…