5 Ways to Support An ETSY shop
ETSY is an awesome place to go when you want to find a handmade or unique gift and support a small shop at the same time. I have had ETSY shops for years and have seen the many changes over the years...ETSY has made a lot of improvements. However, handmade shops are sometimes a dime a dozen if you are looking for a more common handmade thing, and deciding which shop to buy an item from can be hard. I want to share with you 5 tips that can help you support other shops, even if you don't want to spend a dime!
Until you have set up an ETSY shop yourself, you cannot imagine the time it takes to put it all together. Successful shops know it is more than just snapping a picture and uploading it to a website. ETSY shops are carefully planned out, photographed, described and posted, which actually takes quite a bit of time. And its not free either!
1) Shopping Local
One thing I do love about ETSY is the shop local option. If you are in a rush for something to be shipped, maybe finding something closer to you is best! Maybe you want to show some love to fellow crafters in your area...check out the bottom left corner of ETSY and you can enter your zip code.
2. Minimize the "I can make that myself" attitude.
Pinterest is known for its ability to give you a hundred ideas for a something with one little click. "I saw that on Pinterest" has become so common, along with "I can make that myself". Yes, its awesome to make your own version of something. Its great to save a few bucks and feel like we got a deal, but sometimes those Pinterest projects are not as easy as they seem. Sometimes your time is worth more than you will be saving. Remember when you see items for sale on ETSY or Pinterest, those were someone's idea and someone's life was spent making that item for a buyer. It is awesome to do things yourself, but sometimes its awesome to support the artists too.
3. Click "Favorite"
It is exciting for my shop to be favorited. It makes us feel like all of our time setting up those listings is appreciated. There is a heart towards the upper right that you can click. When you favorite a shop, you will get a notification if they have an announcement like adding new items, etc.
Each item also has a heart on it you can click. Favoriting an item helps a shop owner know what items in the shop you admire. By not spending a penny, and simply "favoriting" items and shops, you can support a shop and have resources saved for when you do need a future gift. Your favorite things and shops are saved in a list for you to come back to any time.
4. Pin, Tweet, Like Items
Each item has buttons that allow you to share that item on social media. Doing this can really help a shop owner get their name "out there" and it costs nothing but a few seconds of your time.
5. Buy If You Can, Give Words of Encouragement If You Cant
When someone buys something off of an ETSY shop, they are encouraged to leave feedback about the product. Hopefully you had a positive experience and can leave those positive words, but if you can't afford something you love, you can always click the "contact shop owner" and let them know you found their shop and really love the items...or maybe a particular item...something along the lines of:
"HI! I recently found your shop and wanted to say how beautiful I think your work is. I know you spent a lot of time thinking and creating...your shop is awesome!"
If you REALLY love a shop, seek them out and follow them on Instagram or whatever your favorite social media avenue is. Oftentimes, shops will announce sales on those pages.
I hope these tips will give you a push to go find and support ETSY shops!
If you'd like to see mine, here it is:) Let me know what shops you favorite so that I can like them too!