I still remember the first time someone introduced me to Etsy- it was in a group meeting in college, when we were trying to do anything but work on the project at hand.  I don’t even remember what I was interested in buying, but in my small college town, it was hard to find.  A fellow group member suggested I try this new website for handmade goods- Etsy.  The webpage was not that great (none were, way back in oh, 2006-ish when this story takes place) but I was hooked on the idea.

The best way I can explain Etsy to people is this- it’s the “Rule 34” for the craft world. That is; if you can think of it, someone else has already created it and posted it for sale on Etsy.  Started in 2005, the idea was to create an online marketplace where folks can create handmade goods, and get them into the hands of other folks all over the world.  And Rule 35 (that’s what I’m calling the Etsy Rule) is very true- I have resorted to Etsy when I thought the item I wanted didn’t exist.  Hint: it always does.

Most of the goods are predictable:  I’ve gotten awesome small handmade clutches, art prints, literary scarves and even my wedding invitations from Etsy, but they truly thrive on the unique.  For example, I did a quick search for “crocheted beer cozy” and got a whopping 1,044 results.  One of my all-time favorite Esty purchases was this inappropriate cross-stitch pattern (warning, NSFW, but hilarious) and I’ve found some fantastic and unique wedding gifts from the site. Hell, some people even find their engagement rings on Etsy.

Bottom line: if you can dream it up, someone on Etsy sells it, and for not as much money as you would think.  Check it out here to start exploring.

p.s.- for fun, I typed “beer” into the search bar, and got over 100,000 results…Christmahaunukwaanza presents…I’m just sayin’