Have You Met Etsy?

July 9th, 2008 Daryle Dickens Posted in Art on the Web, Business of Art, Resources for Artists |

If you make things by hand you may want to introduce yourself to Etsy. (Rhymes with Betsy.) Etsy.com is an online store for buying and selling handmade items as well as some of the supplies needed to make them. 

I am starting to see Etsy pop up in more and more places. And more and more artists are using it as their online store. And I can understand why. Etsy is more than just an online marketplace, it is a community. A place where the things you buy have people behind them. And a buyer and seller can make a connection.

The idea of bringing more handmade items into our lives is something I can appreciate. We live in a culture of manufactured products. Cheap disposable things made in far away places by people we will never know. Through a place like Etsy we can put a face on what we buy, make a connection that will stay with the item for as long as you use it. And also request custom made products if that is what you need.

You can be that face, that person making the sale. Many artists are making their living by being an Etsy seller. It cost only 20 cents to list an item for up to 4 months. And when the item sell Etsy takes only 3.5% of the sale. Not bad. At those rates the cost of taking Etsy for a test drive is very low.

Maybe this where I should let Etsy explain itself to you via this video:

I have not set up my Etsy account yet but I plan to. How about you? Is it a place to sell your art? If you have a set up a shop or have a shop let me know how it is working out for you.