Buy Handmade (etsy.com)

Member Name: apele

Product:	etsy.com
Date:	18/05/09 (21 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Ease of use, unique items

Disadvantages: Selling requires a bit of work (as does any selling!)

Etsy is an online outlet for people to buy and sell handmade and vintage wares. You'll find pretty much anything on there that fits the criteria (MUST be handmade or vintage, giving it a much more earthy and kinder feel than eBay). I use the site regularly, both as a buyer and a seller.

Etsy is an American-based company, so everything is listed in dollars. This isn't a setback by any means as the site welcomes customers and merchants from everywhere, and most sellers will ship internationally.

From a selling point of view, setting up shop is very simple. You first sign up for a standard account, and then upgrade to a seller's account. This is free and all you need to do is enter your credit card details (for security). It's best to set your shop up completely before you start listing any items as giving it a finished look will encourage people to stick around and hopefully buy. You can fill out your profile, your shop policies and upload a banner. After this comes listing your items, which is also very simple. It's a case of following the instructions, thinking of a suitable price for your items and uploading your pictures. It's important to get the best pictures you can to demonstrate your product, and you can upload up to 5 pictures per item.

There are listing fees and renewing fees. These vary depending on how many items you're listing at a time, but these fees cover your item's listing for a month. There's also a commission on all sales, a reasonable 3.5%.

To be very successful on Etsy, you really have to do a lot of promotion. There are plenty of guides on the internet for this. As of yet, I've only sold 2 items in my shop - but this is with zero promotion. I'm hoping to expand my range of crochet items this summer and hopefully promote a little more.

Buying on this site is also very easy. There's a search option and a tag-based system so you can find exactly what you're looking for. You can alternatively browse for something specific by looking through categories. There are also a number of more adventurous ways of finding items. These include searching by colour, seeing what's in the treasury - lists created by members usually on a theme, by 'pouncing', which takes you to items that have recently sold, or undiscovered sellers who haven't yet made a sale. You can even 'shop local' and search sellers by their location.

There are also forums and chat rooms on the site, which I haven't spent much time in.

The navigation of this site is extremely easy, each section of the site is clearly outlined and it's got quite a nice overall design.

I definitely recommend Etsy as one of the best community based shops on the internet. It's great for finding something unique and there's plenty of gift ideas. Generally speaking the prices are good. There are a few hefty price tags but that's to be expected. Sellers that have created higher demand can obviously afford to do this. Vintage items tend to be overpriced, and I wouldn't be willing to pay those sorts of prices because it's not something you know somone has taken the time and effort to make.

Summary: Excellent website for buyers and sellers