How do you shop on Etsy? - YouLookFab Forum

I want to love Etsy but I find it SO aggravating to use. I know there are treasures lurking in there because I see them all the time on Academichic and here as well but I haven't had any luck with it. Whenever I look for a pendant I get hundreds--sometimes THOUSANDS of pages of crappy little discs with words like "tramp" emblazoned on them, kitchy little baubles, or other stuff that I often consider submitting to Regretsy. I just don't know how to refine the results enough to get what I'm after. Is the key to just make a really specific search?

For reference, I'm trying to find something similar to Alexis Bittar's pretty lucite pendants, but for a LOT less. I don't know what search terms to enter. I tried "lucite pendant" but that gave me 40 pages of stuff that wasn't anything like what I was looking for. Maybe it just doesn't exist but this isn't the first time I have had this problem. I hate to say it since there is obviously a lot of work that goes into it, but I really don't like the vast majority of what I see on Etsy. It's just so hard to get to the good stuff!

16 years ago

Louise

Veteran

What a great site. If it's anything like E bay it's perhaps a case of spending an afternoon trawling. I know how frustrating it is when you know what you want but the site doesn't narrow it down and you have to sift through the rubbish to find the gems.
I spent a couple of hours searching E bay for a particular item a couple of weeks ago but it was worth it in the end except i ended up seeing so many other things i liked that it ended up costing me much more than the one necklace i was originally after!

marianna

I haven't shopped on Etsy so I have no input, but thanks for introducing me to Regretsy! I just wasted way too much time looking at that site. Hilarious.

chewyspaghetti

The filters there are really not very good. I have a (currently empty) shop there, and it's one of the main complaints I have about the site. For me, I just do a general search and start scrolling through, but where I find the treasures are by clicking through someone's shop once I find an item that I like.

Maya

I shop around ebay a lot too but believe me, ebay is EASY compared to Etsy.

Going into a shop sounds like a good idea, assuming I find something even remotely close to what I am seeking. Maybe it's just me, but I feel that so much of the things I see are overworked. Like almost perfect, if there was one thing removed. It seems like a lot of these crafty people don't see the virtues of simplicity. Maybe Etsy is best for those times when I want something but don't have a specific idea in mind.

(Regretsy is my new crack. I am always anxiously awaiting updates on my feed.)

Steph

Maya, I have the same issue with etsy, and have for a long time. It's very frustrating. I also tend to spend a lot of time browsing, and then clicking through specific shops. Similarly, if I see an etsy item I like highlighted on a blog, I will click through that shop, and I will also look to see what terms they use in describing their merchandise and then copying that for searches I run. I'm not typically very successful, but am sometimes.

My other suggestion is that if you find something that is, as you say, almost perfect, but not quite simple enough, you should definitely e-mail the seller and ask if they will do a custom piece for you. Most of these sellers are handcrafting pieces and are happy to do something custom. If the pieces they are advertising are almost perfect, I bet they will be able to make something for you.

The difficulty of using etsy is really unfortunate, because there is so much out there, and everyone--buyers and sellers alike--would be helped if there was a more efficient way to search through items.

Category