ATTENTION ETSY SHOPPERS!
 
Okay, so I don’t have any “blue light specials” to report. What I do have is thousands of Etsy sellers eager to earn your business. So how will you find them? The post below was originally posted in November 2007. We're bringing it back up to the top!

 Navigating the Etsy site can be an overwhelming task when you’re new here. You may feel as if you are drowning in fabulous handmade gifts, jewelry, and home décor. Just look at the terrified Etsy shopper featured above. (Actually, me.)

I kid, I kid: to our knowledge, no one has ever actually drowned in listings. Just take a deep breath. You just need a plan, starting with The Storque.

The Storque
So what is the Storque, you ask? The Storque is an e-zine containing valuable insights into the practice of being an entrepreneur, artist, and conscientious consumer. The Storque covers all things handmade and inspiring.  It gives you a sneak peek behind the scenes at Etsy, and into the minds of its founders and the people who make Etsy happen everyday. There's tons of shopping content, especially in the Spotlight Section.

We’ll start with this very article as your first step in exploring Etsy. At the bottom of this and every Storque article, you’ll see “Related Items”; clicking on any of those images will take you to the item and subsequent shop.

Favorites aka "Hearting"
From any item page you can see that seller’s favorites, or see who “hearts” the seller. If you see anything you like along the way, remember to add it to your own favorites: your chances of randomly stumbling upon it again are pretty slim. This can be a fun (and somewhat addictive) way to navigate Etsy, if you’ve got the time.

More Thorough Help!

Etsy Help Guide: How to shop for an item on Etsy from Etsy on Vimeo.

Another useful resource is the Help Guide, which explains many of the facets that make up Etsy. Etsy recently launched many new sections for your referral, including guides on registering for an account, how to complete a purchase, how to search, leaving feedback and the many different ways to shop on Etsy.

If you are short on time and know what you want for each person on your list, pick a category and search for specific items at the top of each page. (You’ll find tips for using Search on the right hand side of each category search page.)

Treasury

You can also peruse The Treasury for a variety of curated lists by Etsy users and admin. Treasury lists are often picked to adorn the Etsy front page. Etsy seller sweetestpea defines The Treasury best: "The Treasury is a member-curated gallery of short-lived lists of 12 hand-picked items each. Members can feature their favorite items, items selected on a theme, or just whoever they like. The Treasury is not intended for self-promotion, but instead to acknowledge and share the many cool things for sale on Etsy."

Gift Guides
You may also find Etsy's new Gift Guides to be helpful in finding an item for that special someone. These guides are formatted with different sections that allow you to shop for a mom, dad, grandma or even your favorite pet. Feel free to take a look!

The Forums
If you’re not having luck finding what you need, I suggest posting a request in the Forums, located in the gray bar at the top of the screen. Make sure to specify your request in the title.  Etsy users frequent the forums, and are very willing to help by replying with relevant links.
 
The Community
When you join Etsy, you are joining the handmade community that Etsy has fostered. Many sellers are also buyers, so the money you spend with one artist will often stay in the handmade community.  inediblejewelry (a buyer and seller) says, “Etsy has utterly changed the way I shop.  I now have a completely higher standard for design and construction and uniqueness in everything than I did B.E. (Before Etsy).”

 As a part of the community, you can easily fly under the radar, or you can make your presence, and your opinions, known. Sellers often ask for critiques from buyers in the Forums. You are also invited to pitch an article for the Storque.  (How do you think I got here?) There is an Etsy Appreciation Group on Flickr, where people post photos of their favorite Etsy finds.  If you’d like to set a goal of buying handmade for the holidays, you can take the Buy Handmade Pledge.

Many buyers find Etsy sellers and their shops so inspiring that they end up opening their own shops. If this happens, you’ll find the other sellers here supportive and helpful. You may be able to get most of your supplies right here on Etsy. wunderbug is a new seller who bought on Etsy for a year before opening her shop.
 
“I’d been fascinated for a while by a neighbor of mine who does all sorts of art for a living, and she was the one who told me about Etsy. It was love at first log-in. From there, my process was very, very (very) slow, involving months of window shopping, forum lurking and overall gaping-mouthed wonder until I could get up the nerve to develop a presence (and a feedback rating!). From there, I figured the best way to do it was, well, to just do it.”
 
Well, here we are: it’s time for you to just do it. Go forth and shop. Be brave, but don’t hesitate to ask for help. I hope you find everything you’re looking for this holiday season, and that you’ll find at least some of it on Etsy!