# Anybody Heard of etsy.com?



## jasoncarpentry (Feb 18, 2011)

My daughter just told me about this site (www.etsy.com). It appears to be a free "marketplace" for all kinds of craftspeople.

Has anybody used the site? Good feedback? Bad feedback?


----------



## RVroman (Nov 9, 2012)

There was a recent thread discussing etsy vs. e-bay that had some good information. A search for etsy brings up a lot of threads.


----------



## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

and its NOT free


----------



## johnstoneb (Jun 14, 2012)

I've never used it. If you do a search there are several threads on it.


----------



## JNP (May 6, 2011)

yes. There is also custommade.com that is an interesting site.


----------



## MrsN (Sep 29, 2008)

I have a page on the site. It is convienent because the cost is relativly low, $0.30 per listing. There are lots of people who know about the site and it has decent traffic. To be really sucessful you have to promote your site with their forums and facebook and stuff. although you can get lucky hits now and then. 
some of the catergories are massive, jewelry is an example, you have to really work to stand out. The site also has a fair amount of laser/cnc types of things that the average person can't tell the difference and only checks the price. 
When on etsy it is really important to remember the audiance and sell to them. It is like a big craft fair on the computer and you can't use your winning smile to get the sale. You have to sell them the story behind the project with out them realize what you are doing.


----------



## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Jasoncarpentry, when I (or you) do a LJ search of etsy there are almost 9,000 results found.


----------



## brtech (May 26, 2010)

I've purchased from it several times. It's very legit. Most, but not all of the listings are from real crafts persons. It allows you to send email to the seller without revealing your email address until you are comfortable. It handles the actual purchase. They get a cut, of course.


----------



## jasoncarpentry (Feb 18, 2011)

Folks, I'm sorry I didn't do a LJ search on this before I shot off my mouth. I also apologize for assuming that the site is free when it's not.

Usually I fact-check things before I post or email them, but I got lazy this time.


----------



## tyskkvinna (Mar 23, 2010)

It's free in the sense that you can open up a shop for free, be a member for free, post on the forums for free. Listing is not free. But I figure any place on the internet that truly IS free for selling things is not worth it-to obscure, too many hoops or the ever present "catch".


----------



## DKV (Jul 18, 2011)

Tyskkvinna, craigslist is free and it works great. Just thought I'd say. Got my jointer and planer from there.


----------



## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

I set myself up on etsy, eBay and Craigslist. Quickly figured out that I can't keep up with orders here yet so stopped everything on those sites. I need to have better stock on hand.


----------



## RVroman (Nov 9, 2012)

Monte, what did you do for marketing so your stuff did not get lost in the sea of other things on those sites?

Jason, IMHO, no worries, sure there are other threads, but every time a topic comes up new information and ideas are shared, many that may not be obtained from reading "dead" threads.


----------



## Madwood (Jan 17, 2010)

Jason, I've had my Etsy shop for a few yrs now. It's only 20 cents to list, but your should renew your listings fairly often if you want to sell, another 20 cents. I haven't done bad there, but am not getting rich, for sure. Put up alot of listings, take good pix, a nice writeup for each item and above all, have unique items. Do some research on Etsy to see what's on there and if there are 1000 cutting boards on there, DON'T sell cutting boards cuz the site is saturated. Keep your items different from everyone else.

In 4 yrs, I've sold about 140 items, mostly around holidays. Not a millionaire, but not complaining either.
HTH,
John


----------



## nate22 (Jul 12, 2010)

Jason I have a etsy account. I have sold one thing on etsy but I don't renew my post on etsy like I should. It does cost .20 but if you keep it updated then you should do alright with it. I have been on etsy for about 2 years.


----------



## pashley (Mar 22, 2008)

I've sold a few things on Etsy, but it's more of a site by women, for women, in my opinion. Jewelry, knit crafts, these kinds of things. Basically, stuff you'd see at your local craftshow. Proof can be found here: http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/3608-30-Top-Selling-Shops-on-Etsy


----------



## WTCTDF (Jan 13, 2013)

I highly recommend Etsy personally. I have sold more items via my etsy shop than anywhere else (excluding craft fairs).


----------



## lathman (Oct 25, 2012)

i have a couple shops on etsy…..one for my handmade stuff and one for "vintage" where i sell stuff i have recycled etc…..had decent results although it is not automatic….takes a bit of work but that's usually the case for anything worth doing…...


----------

