You've heard of Etsy. You've gone to the website. You're even a little bit curious about shopping there or maybe even being a seller, but you just haven't gotten quite that far.
Here are some down and dirty tips. Etsy is an online marketplace featuring sellers from across the globe. It's like a big arts and crafts fair merged with a wonderful flea market merged with a supply shop - and you can buy those varieties of things exactly. It's more specialized than eBay in that it's specific to handmade and vintage and supplies whereas eBay might be more aptly described as a an enormous yard sale. Both are a great marketplaces, they're each just a different style of marketplace. Because there's a certain community-aspect to Etsy, it's also to some degree a networking site in some regards. So if it makes it easier in your mind to justify one more web login, think of it like an artsier alternative to Facebook.
Here's how you join. Go to the "register" tab on the main page. It should take you to a page that looks like this. (It's free to join!) For a more detailed explanation, click here and/or watch the video below.
Fill in the spaces, taking note of the cues on the right. (Note: your username will also be your shop name should you choose to become a seller.) A confirmation request of your account will be sent to your e-mail account. Once that is confirmed, you're all set. From here, you are able to mark items and shops as favorites - or "heart" them. (It's kind of like your own personal shopping list or merely things that you like. Who knows - maybe that's where Pinterest got the idea.) You can also make treasury lists of products you like, which is basically similar to a moodboard. For examples of treasuries, click here.
When shopping, be sure to take note of the seller's shop policies for information on payment, shipping, etc. In the left side bar in the shop's main page, you can find the "shop sections," info about the "shop owner," and details regarding the shop itself under "shop info." For more on making purchases on Etsy, click here.
Now that you're an Etsy aficionado, how about selling? You got your account all set up, so you're halfway there. Go to the "sell" tab on the main page. It should take you to a page that will prompt for personal and billing information. (Sellers must pay a small listing fee as well as a small percentage of your sale, hence the billing info. More on that here. You're getting a storefront without the hassle, upkeep, or expense of an e-commerce website, so ya can't complain too much on this point.) For a more detailed explanation of setting up shop, click here. For links to frequently asked questions, click here. Etsy also has a great seller handbook post on their blog with links to about every "how-to" you could think of.
Etsy will basically walk you through the steps you need to take. How was that? Was that pretty easy?
