Not just another online shopping site

Etsy is just like the weekend markets — only virtual by Briony Bennett, 18

As a kid I always had a thing; for markets: the brightly coloured stalls selling tie-dyed T-shirts and candyfloss on the boardwalk in Surfers Paradise; the Sydney flower markets at 7am on a Saturday where you could buy dozens of roses, gerberas and sprigs of baby's breath for less than $20; or browsing for a new hoodie or eating mini donuts on a sunny weekend at Auckland's Aotea Markets. Modernise, broaden and project this atmosphere into a creative, digitalised, global community and you get Etsy.com.  

In this decade called the ‘noughties’ it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t use the net. But when the internet was launched to the public in the eighties, it was mostly a scene for business or nerds — and mostly for males. This has changed. The internet has become a means to communicate, share ideas, be entertained and learn — and it has also caught females in its web. Etsy was launched in June 2005 and describes itself as ‘your place to buy and sell all things handmade’. It reminds me of those weekend markets.

Females make up 90% of those using Etsy, and what’s special about it is its sense of community. Etsy is a supportive and creative environment. It has tens of thousands of sellers, and has allowed imaginative people to broadentheir market so much that many can now dedicate themselves full-time to being artistic. That’s because there are almost five times the number buyers on Etsy as sellers. For the less creative, the site is full of little wonders, with many thingsto explore, buy, view and play with.

Amongst the most desirable and cute of the many delights on the site are Mandy Sutcliffe’s ‘Belle and Boo’ drawings and Kenoiseke’s (which means ‘Eskimo kiss’) ‘Space Invaders’. You can find these by just typing the words into the search box. There are mountains of useful, useless and enviable things to pick from! Where else could you find My Little Pony badges, or hair slides shaped like swallows? These quirks are all part of Etsy’s charm, but masses of handmade clothes, stationery, jewellery,contemporary art and pottery, for example, are also available.

Functionally, Etsy mimics EBay and TradeMe. Methods of payment are generally by credit card or money order. However, the site’s objective differs and the tone is friendly, embodying the Etsy community’s ethos. Among its various tools are the ability to ‘see who hearts this seller’ or check out the community page.

I particularly like the ‘alchemy’ capability, where buyers pitch ideas and sellers compete for the opportunity to create whatever has been suggested. ‘Please make me a unicorn shaped mug’ or ‘Have you got anything for my mother-in-law? She’s hard to please’, for example. I recently came across this request for a customised perfume: ‘I’d like to find a perfume that smells like old books. Yellowed pages, leather bindings, libraries. Maybe an undertone of cedar or vanilla. As long as it doesn’t deteriorate into a chemical smell.’

Other imaginative and fun features include ‘colour’, where you can search by shade, tone and hue. Say your favourite colour is lilac. Just type it in and see what you can find. Or perhaps get a little creative and try typing in ‘mango’ or ‘eggplant’. It’s quite odd how many colours are named after food. You can also choose to shop locally or by region, or browse the ‘time machine’ (which I don’t entirely understand, but assure you is a lot of fun).

Hours of enjoyment can be had browsing Etsy, and prices are very fair if you do buy something. The process of buying and selling is focused on the US, but it is perfectly possible to have items sent over the ocean to New Zealand. Furthermore, finding something you truly want can be time consuming, but op-shoppers and vintage lovers know the search for something quirky and special is well worth it.