For those of you not immersed in the world of arts & crafts this might be a new word in your vernacular, but Etsy has been around for a good while now, in fact since 2005. Etsy is the premier online seller of handmade goods connecting makers from 150 countries with buyers all over the world. For a small fee makers sell items in their virtual shops, much like Ebay or Amazon. Etsy also allows the sale of vintage goodies and supplies for makers.  Each seller determines their shop terms, shipping methods and charges. Sellers can list one item or pages full of cool stuff.

A plethora of handmade items call Etsy home: some beautiful, some practical and some just plain bizarre. For extra fun, visit Regretsy, a collection of oddball Etsy items and crafts gone bad. Each day the front page of the Etsy website posts a selection of items from the makers and an artist profile. There is also a running feed of pictures showing all the new items being currently posted…

Etsy has lots of other fun features too: you can search for an item by color, by category or seller location. If you’re feeling like killing some time or looking for inspiration, Etsy provides lists compiled by makers and buyers, called treasuries group items, that they think are interesting or are grouped according to a self-selected theme. Another fun feature is pounce, which randomly selects items by makers that have not yet had their first sale ,or who have just made a sale.

When a customer wants to make a purchase there is no haggling or bidding, all items are sold at the listed price. However, many makers will offer discounts for multiple item purchases, shop sales or may reduce shipping costs for each subsequent item purchased. Quite a few sellers offer free shipping. One my favorite things about shopping on Etsy is the opportunity to buy not only handmade, but custom items.

Buyers can place item wish lists in the “alchemy section” and sellers compete for the request by posting bids, or they can contact makers directly. I’ve bought supplies, vintage ephemera, a custom made skirt and a vintage knick-nack or two. I’ve been purchasing items on Etsy for a couple years now and have had a nearly flawless experience.

Each seller has a rating based on feedback from other customers, something I would suggest looking at before purchasing. Sellers are highly motivated to keep their customers happy since each transaction can be rated by their customers. Sellers also rate the customers, so it works both ways.

For makers and buyers alike there is a supportive community on Etsy available at your fingertips through the forums. As a maker, I review the forums from time to time to stay current on the latest and greatest industry info as well as to continue learning ways to improve and grow my business. There are also tutorials, virtual labs, chat rooms, a blog and more. Etsy is a veritable playground for the creative-minded.

Here’s a sampling of some of my favorite local Etsy sellers:

DownZipper
Sew Good & Trendy
C. Bunny Binx
Miss Lemon
Twisted

Go support these locals and get yourself something sassy!

Holly is the Arts & Crafts Editor for Girls Guide. You can check out her site, South City Studio, to see her handmade jewelry, read about her upcoming craft shows and learn more about her artsy self. You can contact Holly by Emailing her – holly [at] girlsguidetothegalaxy [dot] com, and you can follow her on Twitter – @southcitystudio.