queenofsienna

“Have you heard about Etsy?” my daughter asked me a few years ago. “What? Etsy? No, what is it?” I responded. She proceeded to tell me it was an online shopping site that featured primarily handmade items. She thought it was pretty neat and suggested I take a look. And I did take a look. It seemed to have some very interesting items and was nicely set up and certainly if I were looking to purchase some handmade item, I would check out this site.

At that point I had been selling antique and vintage items on eBay for a decade or so. I would certainly have considered an alternative venue if there were one out there. But I didn’t think there was an alternative. Oh, I had looked, however nothing seemed to have the star power that eBay had.

And then it came down to the spurtle. The spurtle was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Actually, when I listed this spurtle on eBay I listed it as an antique toy billy club. The listing was quickly closed by eBay administration as this toy billy club was considered a weapon and as such its sale on eBay was prohibited. In my mind this little 10 inch wooden toy was not a weapon, it was an antique toy! Well now the search for an alternative to eBay began again in ernest.

And where did that search lead me? To Etsy. In revisiting the Etsy site I saw that they did have a Vintage category. Etsy’s definition of Vintage is an item that is 20 years or older. I read their seller handbook and it didn’t seem that this toy billy club was a prohibited item. And I took the leap and set up an Etsy shop, using the same name as I had used on eBay “queenofsienna”. The shop set up was extraordinarily easy. I had to create a banner for my shop and customize it as I saw fit which was fun actually. Listing an item was remarkably easy as well and so the first item was listed….the billy club to be exact.

To my surprise, shortly after I listed it I was contacted by a fellow Etsy seller who said they thought this might actually be a “spurtle” and not a toy billy club. “Spurtle”? What the heck is a “spurtle” I wondered as I continued to read the “convo” (Etsy lingo for message similar to an email). She thought this might be a “Scottish stirring stick called a “spurtle”. These were turned sticks used for stirring porridge or stews and soups.” By George, maybe it was a spurtle and not a billy club after all. If I had listed it on eBay as a “spurtle” most likely I wouldn’t even have left!

And what happened to the spurtle? Well it was sold to someone in Hawaii. Whether they purchased a billy club or a spurtle, I’ll never know.

My shop contains antique and vintage items that I have collected over decades as well as items my family, extended family and friends have acquired. There is an abundance of silverplate flatware, ephemera, decorative arts, jewelry, accessories, toys, housewares and more. Pretty much you name it, we have it. If we don't have it listed as yet, don't hesitate to ask.

And thus began my Etsy experience!