Chapter 3
Buy, Buy, Buy: Finding and Buying Items on Etsy
IN THIS CHAPTER
Finding items on Etsy and assessing a seller
Understanding transactions and leaving feedback
Resolving issues when a purchase goes awry
If you’ve done everything the first two chapter cover, you’ve set up your Etsy account, explored your account settings, and gotten your bearings on the site’s home page home. After all that work, you deserve a break!
You know as well as we do that there’s no better way to recharge than to engage in a little retail therapy. And there’s no better way to engage in a little retail therapy than to shop — you guessed it — on Etsy. In this chapter, you discover how and why to buy on Etsy.
Gimme One Reason: Why to Buy on Etsy
Why buy on Etsy? Simple: Where else are you going to find a handmade bracelet featuring images of The Golden Girls cast in resin? Even if you don’t maintain a shrine to Betty White in your foyer, you can find plenty of compelling reasons to buy on Etsy. Here are just a few:
- Etsy features loads of unique, one-of-a-kind handmade and vintage items — goodies you simply can’t find anywhere else.
- Etsy offers an incredible breadth of items for sale, from accessories to ceramics, from jewelry to quilts, and everything in between.
- If you’re in the market for craft supplies, Etsy is for you. At last count, Etsy’s Craft Supplies category listed more than 18 million items, including beads, buttons, fabric, yarn, paper, stamps, and more.
- Many sellers on Etsy are artists and craftspeople. When you buy directly from them, you’re supporting their efforts.
- Buying on Etsy can make you a savvier seller. As a customer, you’ll develop an eye for which selling practices work and which don’t.
Needle in a haystack: Finding the perfect item
Asking how many items are for sale on the Etsy Marketplace on any given day is a little like asking how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop. That is, it’s hard to say, exactly. But sources indicate that the number of Etsy items is somewhere around 120 million.
On the one hand, that’s great! It means that no matter what you’re looking for, you have a good chance of finding it on Etsy. But it’s also bad — because how do you locate that one, unique, perfect item when you have 45 million to choose from? Talk about finding the proverbial needle in the proverbial haystack!
Fortunately, Etsy offers myriad ways to find stuff. You can use the site’s robust Search tool, browse item categories, peruse personalized picks, or view items curated by Etsy’s editors.
Using Etsy’s Search tool
If you’ve landed on Etsy with the idea of finding a specific item or certain pieces that relate to a particular theme — say, rainbow suspenders or a reclaimed barn wood unicycle — you’ll be grateful for the site’s robust Search tool. You can also use it to locate a particular item as well as a certain shop. To use the Search tool, follow these steps:
Type a keyword or phrase in the Search field that appears in the header bar of every Etsy Marketplace page.
As you type, Etsy displays links for items or shop names that may constitute a good match (see Figure 3-1).
Source: Etsy.com
FIGURE 3-1: Type a keyword or phrase in the Search field.
If one of the search suggestions matches what you’re looking for, click it to view a list of relevant items. Alternatively, click the Search button or press the Enter or Return key on your keyboard.
Etsy returns a list of items that match your criteria. (See Figure 3-2.)
- To refine your search, click the All Filters button near the top of the page.
Select options in the Filters pane that appears to narrow your search and then click Apply.
You can view items in a certain category (more on those in a minute), in a particular price range, or of a specific color, style, or type, and so on.
- To sort the search results, click the Sort By down arrow and choose Relevancy, Lowest Price, Highest Price, Top Customer Reviews, or Most Recent.
Source: Etsy.com
FIGURE 3-2: Etsy displays your search results.
Click an item in the list to view the item’s listing.
Etsy opens the listing, as shown in Figure 3-3.
Source: Etsy.com
FIGURE 3-3: Open the listing.
If your search efforts fail to yield useful results — for example, Etsy returns too many matches — try using multiple descriptive words together to yield more specific results. (Etsy’s example is green knit scarf.)
More often than not, the items that appear at the tippy top of your search results are ads. That is, sellers paid extra to ensure that their goods surfaced for your search. You’ll also see ads sprinkled throughout your search results. (All ads are clearly marked “Ad by Etsy Seller.”)
Browsing Etsy
Searching is great when you know what you’re looking for. But what if you’re trolling for ideas or you just prefer to browse? Enter: Etsy categories.
Items listed on Etsy are organized into several broad categories: Jewelry & Accessories, Clothing & Shoes, Home & Living, Wedding & Party, Toys & Entertainment, Art & Collectibles, and Craft Supplies. You’ll also see a seasonal link, which changes throughout the year. (At the time of this writing, it’s Gifts for Every Valentine.) Every page in the Etsy Marketplace, including the home page, contains links for each of these categories. (There are also Home Favorites and Gift & Gift Cards links in the same area as the category links; we touch on these a little later.)
If you want to see listings for items in one of these broad categories — say, Home & Living — simply click the category link along the top of any Etsy Marketplace page. If, however, you want to browse in a more granular fashion — for example, you’re in the market for some throw pillows — hover your mouse pointer over the category link (Home & Living) to view a menu of subcategories, and then click the subcategory link for the type of item you’re looking to buy (Decorative Pillows, for example). (See Figure 3-4.)
Source: Etsy.com
FIGURE 3-4: Drill down to the type of items you want to see.
Etsy displays a page that contains listings for items of the type you selected (see Figure 3-5); you can click any listing on the page to open it.
Source: Etsy.com
FIGURE 3-5: Etsy displays listings in the chosen category, subcategory, or sub-subcategory.
The Etsy Marketplace home page also features a Recommended Categories for You section, with a personalized set of links to categories you may like. To access a page containing links to every category and subcategory on Etsy, click the Sitemap link in the Shop section of the footer area at the bottom of any Etsy Marketplace page.
Perusing personalized picks
The Etsy Marketplace doesn’t just sell one-of-a-kind items. It generates a one-of-a-kind home page, too — displaying listings picked just for you, based on your site activity and on your favorite listings and shops. Your Etsy Marketplace home page may include any or all of the following sections with unique-to-you listings:
- Sponsored by Etsy Sellers: A custom collection of listings sponsored by Etsy sellers appears here.
- Your Recent Activity: This contains recently viewed listings. It also suggests other listings based on your recent activity.
- Shops We Think You’ll Love: Based on listings and shops you’ve already favorited, Etsy generates a personalized catalog of shops that may pique your interest.
- Based on Your Activity: Fresh listings from shops you’ve visited, favorited, or purchased from appear here.
- Recommended Categories for You: As mentioned, this section of the Etsy Marketplace home page contains a personalized set of links to categories you may like.
- Deals: Etsy unearths deals that are likely to pique your interest and displays them here.
Some of these areas may not appear on your Etsy Marketplace home page, depending on whether you’ve favorited any listings or shops (see Chapter 20), you’ve cleared your recently viewed listings (see Chapter 4), or you’re not signed in (see Chapter 2).
Viewing Editors’ Picks
As you scroll down the Etsy Marketplace home page, you’ll notice that it devotes considerable real estate to Editors’ Picks. These are curated collections of listings assembled by the editors at Etsy — a.k.a., in Etsy’s own words, “the most discerning and best-dressed people who work here.” These intrepid editors search “one-of-a-kind shops far and wide” to dig up all the choicest goodies on Etsy.
If you’re new to the Etsy Marketplace, perusing the Editors’ Picks is a great way to see the very best the site has to offer.
Some Editors’ Picks collections may focus on new listings (see Figure 3-6). Others may highlight listings in a particular category, like weddings, jewelry, pets, home goods, and more. Still others may be seasonal — for example, holiday themed.
The Home Favorites link to the left of the category links offers quick access to Editors’ Picks for home goods. And clicking the Gifts & Gift Certificates link to the right of the category links directs you to the Etsy Gift Guide, which contains Editors’ Picks for gifts organized by recipient, occasion, and price, as well as top-selling and top-rated gifts.
Source: Etsy.com
FIGURE 3-6: See listings hand-picked by Etsy’s editors.
What’s Up? Confirming That a Seller Is on the Up-and-Up
You’ll find that the vast majority of sellers on Etsy are stand-up people. Still, no one likes to get burned by a bad sale — even if Etsy does offer a Purchase Protection program (discussed later in this chapter).
One easy way to assess a seller’s standing is to check their shop’s rating. If the rating is at least four stars, you can reasonably assume that the seller is on the up-and-up — especially if they have a lot of sales. You view a shop’s star rating and total sales near the top of its main page. (See Figure 3-7.)
Source: Etsy.com
FIGURE 3-7: Check a shop’s rating.
Reading reviews is another good way to gauge a seller’s reputation. If a seller’s reviews glow like J-Lo, you can probably proceed without fear. If not, you may want to reconsider your purchase. To read a seller’s reviews, click the star rating on their shop page or any item listing.
Finally, Etsy offers one more easy way to separate the wheat from the chaff: badges. Anytime a seller meets certain criteria, Etsy adds a special badge to their main Etsy shop page and to each of their listings, to increase buyer confidence. The badges are as follows:
- Smooth Shipping: Sellers who consistently ship on time receive this badge.
- Speedy Replies: Etsy awards this badge to sellers who reply to messages quickly.
- Rave Reviews: Sellers whose ratings are 4.8 stars or higher earn this badge.
- Star Seller: This is for sellers who pull a triple-triple, earning a Rave Reviews, Speedy Replies, and Smooth Shipping badge.
Figure 3-8 shows a shop with each of these badges.
Source: Etsy.com
FIGURE 3-8: A Star Seller badge inspires confidence in the seller.
If you’re still not sure, read up on the seller by clicking their name or avatar in the upper-right corner of their shop page and then clicking the About Seller Name link in the upper-left corner of their profile page. Also take a gander at the shop’s policies to make sure they seem fair. To do so, scroll down to the Shop Policies section of the shop page or click the View Shop Policies button below the item description on any of the seller’s listings.
Transaction Oriented: Delving into Transaction Details
As you browse or search the gazillion items available for sale on Etsy, you’re bound to find a thing or two (or 7,968) that you simply can’t live without. To purchase any item on Etsy, follow these steps:
Click the Add to Cart button found on the listing page for the item you want to buy (refer to Figure 3-3).
Etsy displays your shopping cart (see Figure 3-9).
Note: When you purchase some items, you’ll be prompted to supply additional information, such as size, quantity, or color, before adding them to your card.
If you are absolutely, positively sure you want the item, you can click Buy It Now instead of Add to Cart to speed up the purchase process.
Source: Etsy.com
FIGURE 3-9: The item appears in your shopping cart.
Got cold feet? No worries. You can remove the item from your cart by clicking the Remove link in the shopping cart page. If you think you want the item, but you’re not a thousand percent sure, click the Save for Later link. The next time you open your shopping cart, you’ll have the option to move the item back into it. Or if you’re pretty sure you want the item, but you have some questions about it, click the Contact Shop link (above the item price) to send a message to the shop owner. (Flip to Chapter 15 for more on messages.) And, of course, you can always add the item to your Favorites.Click View Cart & Check Out.
Alternatively, if you want to continue shopping, click the Keep Shopping link. You can return to your cart at any time by clicking the Cart link that appears on the right side of the header bar at the top of every Etsy Marketplace page.
- Do any (or all) of the following:
If the item is a gift, select the This Order Is a Gift check box under the listing photo to remove the prices from the packing slip.
When you select this check box, a second check box appears: Add Gift Message for Free. If you select this check box, too, a text box appears where you can type your message.
Some sellers offer gift wrapping. If your seller does, a third check box will appear: Add Gift Wrapping for $Dollar Amount. Select this check box if you want the item to be wrapped.
Type a note to the seller in the Notes section.
You may do this if you want to make a special request or you have a unique specification. In addition, some sellers may ask you to leave certain details about your order here — for example, personalization information.
Check the estimated delivery date, to the right of the Add a Note box, and perhaps choose a different shipping option.
Some Etsy sellers offer different shipping options. If your seller does, you’ll see a drop-down list under the Apply Shop Coupon Codes link. Choose the shipping option you prefer; the estimated delivery date changes based on your selection.
Click the Apply Shop Coupon Codes link, enter a coupon code, and click Apply.
Some Etsy sellers issue coupon codes for their shops. For example, you may obtain a shop coupon code from a seller’s blog or newsletter, or from their shop page. Or it may appear in your Updates menu if you’ve shopped with that seller before.
Click the Apply Etsy Coupon Code link, enter the coupon code, and click Apply.
Sometimes Etsy offers its own coupon codes. These are different from shop coupon codes. They are funded completely by Etsy.
Click Proceed to Checkout.
This step assumes that you’ll use Etsy Payments to settle up. If you want to use PayPal instead, click that button and follow the prompts.
- On the Choose a Shipping Address page, choose a shipping address. Alternatively, click Add a New One and enter the requested info. Then click the Ship Here button.
On the Choose a Payment Method page, click a payment option.
Optionally, click Add a New Card to add a new debit or credit card (Etsy accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover). Alternatively, select a card you’ve already added. For sellers who accept Etsy Payments, you can also pay using an Etsy gift card or Etsy credit (click the Redeem a Gift Card or Etsy Credit link), with PayPal (click the Pay with PayPal button), or with Google Pay (click the Pay with Google Pay button). Note: Sellers in some countries cannot use Etsy Payments, however. These sellers accept PayPal only.
If the order costs more than $50, you can divide payment into installments using Klarna (if you’re eligible, and if the seller lives in a country where Klarna is supported — currently Australia, Spain, the UK, the U.S., and Canada). To find out whether you’re eligible for Klarna, select it as your payment option, click the See If You’re Prequalified link that appears, enter your personal info, and click Submit. You’ll find out right away whether you can use the service.
If you have a gift card balance or Etsy credit, that payment option is selected by default. You can deselect this option in the cart if you don’t want to use your gift card for this purchase. Or, if the gift card balance doesn’t cover the entire purchase, you can make up the difference by using another form of payment.
Do one of the following, depending on what payment type you chose:
- Credit or debit card: Click the Use This Card button.
- PayPal: Click the Continue to Pay with PayPal button and follow the prompts.
- Klarna: You will be asked to create to sign in to your Klarna account. Once you do, you can review the order and submit it.
- Google Pay: Click the Review Your Order button and follow the prompts.
Gift card or Etsy credit: Enter the code for your gift card or Etsy credit in the box provided and click Apply.
If your balance is sufficient to cover the entire cost of the item, click Proceed to Checkout. If your balance is not sufficient to cover the entire cost, you’ll be prompted to select a second payment type.
If you haven’t signed into Etsy, you have the option to continue checking out as a guest or to sign into your account. If you check out as a guest, you’ll need to enter all the necessary info manually.
What if your shopping cart contains items from multiple shops? As long as those shops accept Etsy Payments, you can complete the checkout process just once.In the Double Check Your Order Details page (see Figure 3-10), review the order summary.
If you need to make any changes — to your shipping or billing address, payment method, shipping method, or anything else — now’s the time!
At the time of this writing, the Double Check Your Order Details page contains a check box that you can select to round up your payment and donate to Etsy’s Uplift Fund.
If your order details check out, click the Submit Order button.
Etsy displays a confirmation screen and emails you to confirm your order. All you have left to do is install yourself in the proximity of your mailbox until your item arrives.
While you wait for your purchase to arrive, you may need to review your order information. To do so, open the Your Account menu and choose Purchases and Reviews. Your item will be listed on the Purchases page.
Source: Etsy.com
FIGURE 3-10: Double-check your order details here.
As shown in Figure 3-11, this item listing includes some helpful info. For example, if the seller left you a note about the transaction — how long the order may take to reach you or what have you — you’ll see it here. You can also see whether the item has been shipped, and if so, track its location and status. Finally, you can click View Receipt to view other transaction details.
Source: Etsy.com
FIGURE 3-11: This screen keeps you apprised of the status of your order.
Mobile Order: Shopping in the Etsy App
Shopping on Etsy’s mobile app is similar to shopping on the Etsy Marketplace website. You search for specific items or shops, applying various filters as needed, or you browse by category (although the main categories on the app vary slightly from those on the website). You tap listings that look appealing to find out more about them. And you pay for the item following the same basic steps as you would otherwise — but with two extra payment options: Apple Pay (which also works on a regular computer if you’re using the Safari web browser) and Google Pay.
There is one notable difference between the website and mobile app, though: It includes an Explore feature. Using Explore, you can scroll through short-format videos produced by Etsy sellers, similar to how you might scroll through videos on TikTok. You can like a video, comment on it, or send it to someone else; or you can tap the seller’s shop name at the bottom of the video to access their shop.
Oh, one more thing: At the time of this writing, the Etsy app is beta-testing an augmented reality feature that enables you to preview how products in the Paintings, Photography, and Prints category will look in your space. Listings that support this feature contain a hexagonal icon (it looks a little like a snowflake) in the top-right corner. When you tap the icon, the app accesses your smartphone’s camera and instructs you to point it toward the wall where you plan to hang the painting, photo, or print. The app then displays an image of the painting, photo, or print superimposed over the wall on your phone screen.
Under Review: Leaving a Review After You Buy
After you receive your item, take a moment to leave a review about the transaction. It’s easy! All you have to do is rate the sale on a scale of one to five stars (with five being fantastic and one being, like, the worst). You can also leave a comment about the transaction or submit a photo with your review to show the seller (and everyone else) your new item “in the wild.” (If you’re using the Etsy app, you can add a video, too.) Other Etsy users can view this feedback to determine whether a particular seller is reliable.
Your review affects your seller’s feedback score — and, by extension, their reputation on the site. It’s super important that you issue reviews consistently, fairly, and honestly. If you’ve had a negative experience with a seller, see whether you can hammer out whatever issue is bothering you before you toss the bad-review grenade their way. (See the next section for more on trying to work things out with the seller.) Often, conflicts on Etsy are simply the result of a misunderstanding.
Although leaving a review is purely optional, doing so is a good idea because it helps ensure that everyone feels safe shopping on Etsy. Note: You cannot leave a review until the estimated delivery date has passed. After it does, you have 60 days to leave a review.
When you are eligible to leave a review, follow these steps:
Open the Your Account menu in the header bar and choose Review Your Purchases.
The first of a series of review-related dialog boxes opens.
- In the Leave a Review dialog box (see Figure 3-12), click the number of stars you want to leave as your rating. Then click Next.
Source: Etsy.com
FIGURE 3-12: Choose a star rating for your purchase.
In the Great! One More Thing dialog box (see Figure 3-13), write a review about the item, transaction, or seller (or all three), and click Submit Review.
Etsy prompts you to upload a photo of your purchase. That way, other buyers can get a gander of it, and your seller gets to see their product in its new habitat. (If you’re using the Etsy app, you can add a video, too.)
Source: Etsy.com
FIGURE 3-13: Leave a review about the item, transaction, or seller.
Click the camera icon to upload an image or video; then follow the prompts. Alternatively, click Skip.
Etsy thanks you for your review and asks if you want to follow the seller.
- Optionally, click the Follow button. Click the X icon to close the dialog box.
First Aid: Getting Help from the Seller
Try as you may, not every transaction will be as smooth as Mick Jagger with the ladies. Maybe the item never arrives. Maybe the item arrives, but it’s damaged. Maybe the item arrives but it’s not what you ordered or it’s different from what you expected. Maybe you need to change or update our order. Or maybe you’ve got some other beef you need to sort out with the seller.
Your first move in the event a transaction goes south is to reach out to the seller to see if they can resolve the issue. More often than not, you’re just on the pointy end of a simple mistake or misunderstanding — one that’s easily rectified.
You could contact the seller by sending them a message. That certainly works. But in situations like this, where you need the seller’s help, the best approach is to submit a help request. Here’s how:
Open the Your Account menu in the header bar and choose Purchases and Reviews.
The Purchases page opens.
- Locate the purchase for which you need help.
Click the Help with Order button. (See Figure 3-14.)
The Submit a Help Request to the Seller page opens.
Source: Etsy.com
FIGURE 3-14: Get help with a transaction.
Under Your Help Request Details, choose the option that best describes your help request.
Based on your selection in Step 4, Etsy displays additional options. For example, if you select My Order Hasn’t Arrived, Etsy displays options that pertain to how you want the seller to resolve the problem: Refund My Order or Send Me a Replacement. (See Figure 3-15.) If you choose An Item Arrived Damaged or An Item Is Different from What I Expected, you are also prompted to upload photos of the item so that the seller can see what you mean.
- Specify how you want the seller to resolve the problem and upload photos (if prompted).
- Share any details you want the seller to know about your help request in the box provided.
Source: Etsy.com
FIGURE 3-15: Supply the relevant info.
Click Send Help Request.
Etsy forwards your help request to the seller by way of a message, and any replies you receive from the seller will arrive through Etsy’s message feature. (You find out more about messages in Chapter 15.)
Case in Point: Opening a Case Using Etsy’s Purchase Protection Program
Usually, submitting a help request is enough to resolve any problems you may have with a seller or an order. But if the seller hasn’t resolved your problem to your satisfaction within 48 hours after you file a help request, you have one more tool in your shed: Etsy’s Purchase Protection Program.
Here's how it works: You file a case with Etsy that outlines your grievance. Etsy reviews the case. You’ll receive a full refund, including shipping and handling costs, if Etsy determines that your case has met these criteria:
- The item never arrived, the item arrived but was damaged, or the item arrived but didn’t match the listing description.
- The item cost less than $250.
- You paid for the item using Etsy Payments, and your account is in good standing.
To file a case, follow these steps:
Open the Your Account menu in the header bar and choose Purchases and Reviews.
The Purchases page opens.
- Locate the purchase for which you need to file a case.
Click the Help with Order button. (Refer to Figure 3-14.)
If at least 48 hours have passed since you submitted your help request, you see the screen shown in Figure 3-16.
Source: Etsy.com
FIGURE 3-16: Open a case from this screen.
Click the Open a Case button.
The Open a Case with Etsy screen appears. (See Figure 3-17).
Source: Etsy.com
FIGURE 3-17: Open a case against the seller.
- Specify your reason for filing the case.
- If you are reporting an item that is not as it was described, upload one or more photos of the item to show the difference between it and its description.
Click Open a Case.
The Tell Etsy What Went Wrong with Your Order page appears. (See Figure 3-18.)
Source: Etsy.com
FIGURE 3-18: Say how you want to resolve the problem.
- Indicate what you would like to do to resolve the problem.
- Add more details either about the reported item or how you’d like to resolve the problem.
- Click Submit Case.
To view the status of your case, follow these steps:
Open the Your Account menu in the header bar and choose Purchases and Reviews.
The Purchases page opens.
- Locate the purchase whose case you want to review.
Click the View Case button.
A page opens with information about your case. (See Figure 3-19.)
Source: Etsy.com
FIGURE 3-19: View your case here.
- Scroll down to the Case Log section to see updates about your case and to add more details. (See Figure 3-20.)
If you and the seller come to an agreement that is amenable to you, you can close your case. To do so, simply click the Close Case button (refer Figure 3-19). Etsy asks you to confirm that you want to close the case; click the Close Case button to proceed. When you do, both you and the seller will receive an email confirming that the case is closed.
Source: Etsy.com
FIGURE 3-20: View updates on your case.