Dear Steff Metal

You keep talking about this Etsy shop. I’ve never shopped on Etsy before but I want to buy a couple of things for my girlfriend. Can you give me some tips about using the shop?

***I sure can. I heart Etsy. It’s a cool place for finding handmade crafts from artists all over the world.

Bloody Shakespeare Leather Journal - Immortal Longings, $30

First of all, Etsy isn’t a shop – it’s a venue for artists all over the world to sell their handmade items to you. Think of Etsy like a festival organizer – they pay for the festival grounds, organize all the administrative stuff, and promote the festival to ticket-buyers and the vendors pay fees to set up shops at the festival in the hopes that some of those ticket buyers might purchase some of their merch.

Etsy is not an auction site like Ebay – the prices you see are fixed by the sellers.

Before you buy an item off Etsy, you have to find one you want. Searching on Etsy can be a nightmare – the site features literally millions of items.

Sirenum Scopuli peridot and whisky quartz necklace - Aden Angier, $175

If you know what type of item you want – eg, a winter skirt, or a wrist cuff – click through the categories on the Front Page until you reach a subcategory your item should be in (ie. Clothing, women’s, skirts) than search by colour, style, or keywords (Goth, Satan, etc). Eventually, you’ll see something you like.

Reading blogs that recommend cool shopping sites (especially those of the darker persuasion) such as Art of Adornment, Epicene Dream and Creepy Cupcakes can give you great ideas.

If you don’t know item you want, you could head over to the Treasury tab. Treasuries are little collections of 12 items from various sellers relating to a specific theme. Etsy sellers and buyers put together treasuries and there are 333 treasuries at any one time. – You can search the listings for themes matching your girlfriend’s personality and look at the items listed. Clicking on the sellers names will send you through to their shops, where they’ll list even more wonderful items.

Another method of finding unique items on Etsy is to stop by the forum and make a post in the promotions, help or Etc board about the types of items you’re looking for. Within a few hours hundreds of sellers would have volunteered their shops – I’ve found some real treasures this way.

Although you can browse without logging in, you need to sign up to the Etsy site in order to buy. When you sign up you can utilize the Etsy ‘Favorites’ bookmarking system to save shops and items you’re interested in.

Red/Black long gothic asymmetrical skirt - Sisters of the Moon, $65

If you have questions about an item before you buy, you can use Etsy’s internal ‘convo’ system to send the seller a quick note. Before you buy, I also recommend checking the seller’s FEEDBACK.

Etsy operates on a feedback system – much like Ebay. Read through a seller’s negative or neutral feedback and decide if you’re happy that they’re a good seller who happened to make a mistake. If you’re worried about a seller’s feedback – send them a convo asking to clarify the situation.

When you spy that perfect gift, click the ADD TO CART button in the upper right corner of the listing. After Etsy takes you to your cart page, click CHECKOUT if you want to buy the item then, or go back to searching for more items.

Click through the checkout process and read all the instructions carefully – the seller may leave you specific instructions in the ‘NOTE TO BUYER’. Remember you might need to list clothing sizes in the ‘NOTE TO SELLER’.

Etsy is not integrated with PayPal, so on the last screen you need to sign in to PayPal in order to complete the transaction. A seller won’t send you out an item until you pay them.

Once you receive your item, you can leave feedback if you wish.

I’ve sold on Etsy since April this year, and I love the venue and community! By Christmastime Steff Metal will have an Etsy shop too – but what lurks within will remain a surprise till then.

Plunder: Some Etsy Shops I Love

MT Coffinz – tutus, corsets and dreadfalls

IDDOS – Aden Angier’s modern jewellery inspired by ancient designs. Aden is a client of mine and I can’t get enough of her amazing work!

Black Market Baby – clothing from Canadian designer Audrey Cantwell

Cupcakes and Mace – jewellery for ass-kicking girls. Acrylic accessories.

JelliesJewelry – elegant pieces inspired by Celtic imagery.

Happy Shopping and Shoggoth Kisses
Steff