Etsy: a marketplace of artisans and crafters from around the world
Gifts with initials for loved ones, handmade jewelry, and dresses from the 1930s – all this and much more can be found at Etsy, a unique global marketplace for artisans. It is a global fair for selling unique, mostly handmade, goods. It brings together millions of buyers and sellers. And it lets you find something that was not produced on a mass line, not stamped out on an assembly line. Something with a piece of the labor and soul of the person who worked on the item by hand.
Etsy.com handmade goods purchase and delivery with Pochtoy.com operators.
16.05.2025
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Etsy: what kind of platform it is
Craftsmen and craftswomen list their products on the site. Mostly from America, but from other countries as well. Each maker has their own page. There you can see reviews of their work and their place of residence, and contact them by writing a message. Makers value their reputation and take pride in selling quality goods. The total number of sales and the average rating are also visible on their page, and if their work inspired you, you can add them to your favorites list. Talented makers who have been on the Etsy website for a long time gather tens of thousands of followers.
The store brings together crafters from all over the world, so you can find almost anything here. The selection is huge. Even if your hobby seems very specific to you, there will almost certainly be similar products on Etsy.
Here are just a few figures demonstrating sales volumes:
70 million products are listed on the site in total.
- 2,5 million sellers are currently active on the platform; 90% of them are one-person businesses;
- 87% of Etsy sellers are women;
- every 90 seconds someone buys a wedding or engagement ring here;
- 12 clothing designs and 3 pairs of shoes are sold every minute;
- the company is mentioned on Instagram 4 times more often than Amazon, and 12 times more often than eBay;
- more than 100 million people visit the official Etsy website every month;
- more than 2 thousand products from the “furniture” category are sold in the store every day;
- in 2019, more than 1,5 million gifts for groomsmen and bridesmaids were sold here;
- last year, 70% more children's toys were sold on Etsy than in 2018.
Recently, the platform became Russian-language, a little more convenient for sellers and buyers from the CIS. Categories can now be selected in the native language. But it is still better to search for products in English — that way the search works better and returns more accurate results. It is also more convenient to order products to an address in the USA to save on shipping and in fact shorten the time it takes to receive them.
What is sold on Etsy
Almost everything listed on the platform is hand-made. Unique goods that cannot be found anywhere else. This includes:
1. Home items
Beautiful paintings, rugs. Hand-painted plates or trays. Personalized signs, shatterproof flower pots with expertly engraved patterns. Pillows and towels with hand embroidery, for which you can specify the design yourself. Beds for pets, small figurines, unique dolls, creative decor elements, and much more.
2. Vintage items
For the query “vintage” on Etsy, you can find furniture, shoes, clothing, and accessories from Europe, America, Asia, and even Africa from the 40s-80s. There are even items from the last century! You can sort by the era that interests you. Antique outfits and unique reconstructions are sold here in huge quantities and cost relatively little.
3. Interesting jewelry and little things
From popular dainty rings, thin elegant rings that decorate the finger, to printed products, scrapbooking, and various covers, for example, for documents. Many items are made to order, so you can specify both the size and the design. If you are planning to buy something as a gift, keep in mind that such work can take up to a couple of weeks, and delivery to Russia another couple of weeks. So it is better to buy on Etsy in advance, ideally 2-3 months before the event.
But here, at low prices, you can get earrings, pendants, bracelets, rings, and so on. It will be cheaper than in some boutique, where your money pays for the store rent and the work of the salespeople. And the item will be unique, if you want — even with your name or zodiac sign. Etsy can also make matching jewelry for you (wedding rings, double bracelets, necklaces where each has its own half, and so on).
4. Gifts!
For a person who has everything, a gift should only be bought on Etsy! If they have not previously bought on Etsy from the same seller, they are unlikely to have anything like it. If you simply enter the word “gifts” in the search, you will get about 10 million gift offers! Next, it is enough to specify who exactly you are buying the gift for (“gifts for father”, “gifts for boyfriend”), indicate the desired price in the filter, choose a category (“Jewelry”, “Clothing”, “Wallets”, “Electronics”, and so on). And there before you is the perfect item!
Only, again, you should take care of the gift in advance. Etsy is not suitable for purchases in the last week.
How to buy from and ship from the Etsy store
You can often negotiate discounts with sellers. Write to them before placing an order. This way, you can also get some additional services.
Remember that Etsy – is only a platform where sellers operate. When adding items to your cart, you are essentially ordering from different stores, each – with its own shipping terms. Usually, it is cheapest to ship an order from Etsy within the USA; such shipping can often be either free or cost as little as $3.50-$6.50. Shipping terms depend on the specific seller and where they live.
After registering on Etsy, you will be able to start purchasing products. The site groups them in the cart by seller, so if you ordered several items from the same artisan, you will see that you will not have to pay for shipping again. Payment on Etsy can be made by bank card or via PayPal. At the same time, if you are not registered with PayPal, $1 will be charged to your card to verify that your card is working. This money will be returned within one month.
After the purchase, a confirmation email will be sent to the email address you provided. The seller may also send a tracking code so that you can check the movement of your package.
The easiest and cheapest way is to order to the addresses of the US forwarding service Pochtoy.com, and then choose the shipping option that is convenient for you to send these items to Russia. This way, you can consolidate a package with all your items, even if they were sent at different times by different sellers. Pochtoy.com warehouses store any number of your items free of charge for up to 70 days.
Some of our customers, by the way, not only buy but also sell their handmade crafts on Etsy. It is also quite simple to do this from Russia: for this, we have a special fulfilment service in the USA.
Which stores in the USA do we work with most often?
Let’s take a look:
