In case you aren't familiar, Etsy is an online market filled with handmade goods. Some things are not handmade and instead are really old and/or unique. I love shopping on Etsy and have never had a bad experience. I love browsing through all the unique things I can find there. I've bought everything from potholders to handmade soaps and deodorant. Have you tried Etsy?
I have bought a few things from Etsy and I own an Etsy shop. The only thing I fing a negative about Etsy is there is too much to choose from! When looking for certain things, the amount of sellers can be overwhelming. It' hard to know which shop to purchase from!
I've never bought anything there, but I have thought about selling or opening a store. But like Mrsalphabet said, there's so much to choose from; I'm afraid I'll get lost in the mix. Have any of you ever had a good selling experience?
I have bought from Etsy before and have even sold some stuff on there. I love that I can find homemade items and am able to contact the sellers to see if they can make me something custom. I also like being able to find something that matches my style perfectly. My only problem with the site is that some of the stuff is so expensive! Some people charge a lot of money for their stuff! I understand that they work hard for it but at the same time, I can easily go buy a purse at the mall for less. Although it may not be as personalized as what I can buy on Etsy. Lately I have been buying birthday party favors and decorations on there. I would rather pay someone else to print this stuff out for me or create it rather than me doing it myself. I love the site, I check it weekly just about.
I am actually contemplating purchasing a wall decal from Etsy for my daughters room. I have seen many of them and the one I want is currently seeling for $65 but I am not too sure of the quality I will be receiving. Do any of you have experience with their decals? I would like to feel confident in this purchase as it isn't one of the most pricey decorative purchases I am making for her room.
I've never purchased anything from Etsy, but I've seen many products on there. They have a lot of unique things of course.
I have bought from Etsy, yes! I usually find either really great deals or super over-priced items. Just because something is hand-crafted, doesn't mean it should cost over $100!
I haven't tried it yet, but I do have a friend who posts her stuff on there. I'll have to go check it out one of these days...
No, I haven't bought anything from Etsy. At least, not yet. I've seen a ton of awesome and creative things on there (like bars of soap shaped like PS3 controllers). Hopefully I'll get around to buying something from there in the next month or so. Maybe I'll even make some of my own things to sell, too.
I use Etsy so much! I buy some beauty products on there as I like putting organic things on my body. The stuff from the store breaks me out; however, I don't have time to make my own stuff so I usually just buy from different owners. Had nothing but a pleasant experience.
As much as I would want to try Etsy, the stuff on there seems way too "girly" for me. Plus, it can be pretty expensive. If I see a good videogame related thing on there, though, I might buy it.
I've bought a couple of items from Etsy, mostly some necklaces from the Keyper's Cove (check them out by the way, really wonderful necklaces!), and I have to say that I'm satisfied with the service. I'm planning to open up a shop soon there, as well!
The reason some products seem high-priced on Etsy is because they are handmade, and often take many hours to create. The artist also has to figure in the cost of the raw materials in the price. Etsy also has very low listing fees, so the seller can afford to leave the item listed for a longer time until the right buyer comes along. I know handmade, one of a kind items seem expensive compared to the cheap, poorly made items we are used to buying. But if you buy things directly from the maker, you are helping that person earn a living rather than padding the bottom line of some giant corporation.
There's actually one more reason some things on Etsy are so expensive - and it's not because they're "handmade". I'm sad to say I've noticed some sellers there who aren't exactly... honest with what they're selling. For instance, there's one seller there (I'd rather not mention who) who sells these necklaces made up of multiple pendants. Yeah, they're pretty, but they're certainly not supposed to be worth $25, especially since the exact same pendants are being sold locally for a dollar each (we're from the same country). All she ever really does is buy multiple pendants (2-4) and string them together into one necklace. And it really saddens me that I see reviews for her saying "Oh this is such excellent work!" Uhm... NO.
I agree with others. I have looked at Etsy and saw some really nice things . Unfortunately most things are too over priced for my budget. Especially when I see hair bows that you can make yourself for a dollar to two dollars priced at $10.00. That is a little out there for me. It does give me some nice ideas for things to try myself though.
Yeah, that is one unfortunate thing about Etsy. Some things are not reasonably priced at all. However, I did buy some natural deodorant cream from there that, while it did cost $10, it has lasted a year because a little goes a long way. So in my opinion that was worth it, especially considering that all-natural products are expensive to begin with.
But like I said, not everything in Etsy is "fair". Even if it's Etsy, there are still some deals there that are actually pretty shady, or rather, overpriced. I'm willing to pay a high price for people put a lot of effort and creativity in - not for something like a bunch of pendants put together as one necklace.
I've personally never shopped on Etsy, but I've seen a ton of products reviewed and bought from by other people. So far, they've given back great reviews on things from felt plushes to video game shaped soap to gorgeous laser cut necklaces! I'd love to shop and buy from them more often, but I usually don't have the money to.
We've been so conditioned to think everything has to be cheap. I understand people have their budgets, but the items made on Etsy are handmade, one of a kind items. They are more expensive because they weren't made in a factory that pays hundreds of people a dollar a day to assemble them.
I have never purchased anything from Etsy, but I like to window shop there. I love bakery candles and soaps. I love to look through the sellers that offer those types of products. Some of the items seem a little high in price, but I have seen some items that are really reasonable for what you are getting.