Esty.com, a Hidden Jewel among Jewelry Sites
Designer jewelry pieces can drain your bank account faster than they come in and out of style, so how can you keep up with current fashions? Since 2005, Etsy.com has been around assisting creators of all things handmade get their items on the market. It’s a combination of an online storefront and eBay, with the elimination of the auction factor. Designers and creators can create their own store, upload photos of their pieces, and sell to the masses. Etsy.com is home to handmade goods like jewelry, accessories, art, clothing, edible goods, beauty products, house wares, and more; offering the opportunity to consumers to purchase unique pieces. The benefit; dealing direct with the seller can have its financial advantages. By eliminating the middle man, there is less price inflation, so you get a great deal on a possibly one of a kind piece.
If vintage is more your style, Etsy.com also offers sellers the opportunity to sell items 20 years or older as vintage items. Considering that fashions from the past are making a comeback, this is a chance to score unique items to update your wardrobe or home. The site has explicit rules regarding the sale of vintage items, so you know you’re getting something legit.
Items on the site are categorized on multiple levels in order to ease search functions. I was able to search for a butterfly necklace and narrow my search results easily. Their “favorites” function allowed me to narrow my search further by saving items I liked to a folder to better compare them later. This ease in searching also allowed me to compare prices of items as well as the shipping prices offered by each seller. It’s important to note that some sellers offer shipping discounts if you purchase multiple items from their online store. This can save money if you are looking to purchase multiple pieces, but don’t get sucked in to buying more than you need in order to save on shipping or you can spend more money than what is in your budget.
Not only is Etsy.com ideal for the fashionista within, but can be a great side business opportunity for those with creative minds. Etsy.com offers a platform that can turn an everyday crafting hobby into a money maker. You can browse through items without creating an account but I suggest that you should create a free account. It is simple and offers access to create lists so you can bookmark your favorites to compare costs later. With your free account, you also receive a free storefront where you can list your own items for $0.20 per item. Your listings will remain on the site for up to 4 months (or until your item sells, which is even better for you!) The only additional fee you pay is 3.5% of the final sale price before shipping; so take that into consideration when you price your items.
About the Author
The preceding is a post from Anessa Gross, our resident sale diva and a Certified Personal Finance Counselor who works for Consolidated Credit in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Central Florida and is a current graduate student at the Huizenga Business School at Nova Southeastern University.
