How To Shop On Etsy

Etsy is one of my latest obsessions. I've bought a few things from them in the past, but I recently downloaded their app on my phone and since then I've been hooked. Ever since I upgraded to the iPhone 6, with it's larger screen, I've enjoyed shopping on my phone so much more. Usually I find shopping apps pretty poor (living with a boy who develops software and apps for a living makes you an app snob), but the Etsy app is really well designed and easy to use, i.e., easy to spend all your money on.

However, Etsy can be something of a minefield, there are so many people selling so many different products, it can be hard to sort through and find the gems. The gems are there to be found though! I thought I'd share a few tips for getting the most out of Etsy, I've definitely found my fair share of gems over the last couple of months!

1. Follow the Etsy Blog. For a good place to start, check out Etsy's own blog. Here they share their featured stores and editors picks, which you know are gonna be good. They also have what they call their 'Tastemakers' tab, where you can see favourites from different artists, brands and designers.
2. Check Pinterest. Particularly if you're in the market for illustrations, so many amazing Etsy finds can be found on Pinterest. I found this adorable Valentine's card on Etsy just by searching for Valentine's cards!
3. Make use of the favouriting feature. On Etsy you can favourite shops and items that take your fancy, saving them for later. It'll also bring up similar shops and items in your feed, as well as any new items added to your shop.
4. Check out other people's favourites. When you find a shop you love, there's a little button in the left task bar that lets you see who else favourited that shop. From there you can look through their favourites, to find shops people with similar tastes love.
5. Clever key words. Not only can you search specific key words on Etsy, but by putting a hyphen before a word will eliminate that key word from your search. For example, if you search 'illustration -printable', any illustrations that just give you the file to print will be eliminated from the search. Clever stuff.

 

And if you're still struggling, here are some of my favourites!

ROOM 121 - For pretty notebook planners, I bought my blog planners from here!

CROSSBOW PRINTABLES - For instant downloads of  meal planners, daily agendas and inspirational quotes.

APPLELATTE - For cute and dainty jewelery.

HEY CHARLIE - For anyone who loves their planner or sending snail mail, here you can buy super cheap packs of mini stickers and post-its and other adorable stationery bits.

SHOPLUCA - Seriously pretty jewelery, that's a little different.

 

Are you an Etsy fan?