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 Some savvy shoppers would describe Etsy.com as an oasis of rare and unique individually-crafted items tucked away in the Net's otherwise vast desert of sales sites filled with mass-produced, often over-priced merchandise.
Others would say it's an edgy and arty showcase of thousands of handmade items in a cyber setting that's every bit as creative as the products available on its pages.
But the true Etsy devotees will tell you it's both of those plus a warm and welcoming virtual village that celebrates the talents of independent artisans and follows the philosophy that one-of-a-kind beats one-of-a-million hands down.
Launched on June 18, 2005, the site came about when Rob Kalin, a 27-year-old painter, carpenter and photographer realized there was no place online for himself, or other creative individuals to effectively exhibit and sell their work. It was his belief that most commercial sites were, "inundated with fraud, overstock electronics and broken appliances."
Three months later, with help from co-founders Chris Maguire and Haim Scoppik, Etsy went live online to fill that void. Now boasting a staff of nearly 50, Etsy has grown into a successful commerce site, well on its way to a million registered users with items made by more than 100,000 different craftspeople from across this country and around the world.
Buyers and sellers are brought together with the person-to-person real-time appeal of auction sites like eBay. But instead of a giant department store or electronics warehouse, Etsy offers shoppers the excitement of exploration and discovery normally associated with visiting an artists' colony or browsing through a bazaar. And in addition to the shopping itself, guests can ask a question in the Forum, view galleries of favorite items in the Treasury or get an insider's look at the community by reading Storque, Etsy's very own e-zine.
Each seller page also includes a profile making it possible for buyers to get to know a little bit about the individual artist. Some are brief and businesslike but many go into detail and include professional credentials, family facts and even artistic inspirations.
For all its uniqueness (and it IS unique) Etsy's onsite navigation is still quite easy. For those interested in direct searches, all items are divided into 30 main categories from Accessories (as in clothing) to Woodworking. Each category is then subdivided into anywhere from a few to a few dozen individual sections (shown under each head). And to make it easier still, each is further defined by a table of contents on its inside "front page."
For instance, the "Jewelry" category has eight sub-sections: anklet, bracelet, brooch, earrings, necklace, pendant, piercing and ring. Click on "earrings" to jump to a contents page for all earrings listed. Now the shopper can choose to search through all of them (which would be about 90,000 in this case) or narrow the search with one of 17 definers such as materials (such as wood, metal, glass or clay) or earring style (like hoop, post, dangle or clip on).
The site offers a variety of other ways to find an item - some simple and some slightly outside the box. Someone looking specifically for a pair of red glass beaded post earrings can simply key those words into the main search bar and only those items will pop up for consideration. Searches by individual artist, price (high or low), most recent listings (or oldest), most often viewed (or least) are all possible with just one click.
And for high-tech panache and pizzazz, there are nine wild ways to view the merchandise. "Pounce" features pieces similar to ones that have sold. The "Geolocator" section logically allows shopping by location. "Time Machine" pages bring up an advancing spiral or random float of recently listed and sold items. And the "Colors" section is simply too much fun. Need a purple piece for a pop of color but don't have an object in mind? Just click on your choice of hues to see floating thumbnails of every purple thing on the site - from violet baby shoes to lavender lampshades. Not what you need? Send it flying with a flick of the mouse. The design team deserves some serious kudos.
That said, it doesn't take a web wizard to set up a shop and hang out a shingle. It only takes a few steps to create a name and then "build" a store using the simple design guide provided. And there's no setup fee or monthly charges for maintaining it.
In fact, acknowledging the fact that cost might be a consideration for many interested artists, the fees for sellers are kept fairly low. It costs $0.20 per item. A listing may include five images and is good for four months. If an item doesn't sell in that time, it can be relisted for another $0.20. When an item does sell, the artist pays Etsy 3.5% of the final price (not including shipping).
Artists set their own prices, so buyers will find bargains as well as high-end merchandise included on the site. A bead and hoop earring may cost as little as 20 cents, while a recently listed pair of 18k triple teardrop earrings were $1,100, priced to reflect the time and skill required to make them.
Forget the mall, Etsy is a marketplace of all things handmade. It's a graphically pleasing gathering spot for like-minded individuals - a cutting-edge kaleidoscope of entrepreneurial creativity. And while it's possible to simply search, select, purchase and sign off, most folks that find Etsy seem to want to stay awhile and browse all the booths.
Visit the Etsy site:
http://www.etsy.com
Find out how to sell on Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/how_selling_works.php
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