Hi, if you have an Etsy site, or if you have bought supplies or items from Etsy, I would love to hear from you. Do you think it's a good source of supplies (patterns/instructions) for quilters? Have you had a good experience buying from Etsy dealers?

I have never purchased anything from Etsy but I like to go and see what is for sale. I get in trouble when I visit online shops buy way to much. rofl rofl

Honestly I have looked but never bought fabric or supplies. Mostly because I can find the same (and more) through individual websites that are more "open" and give more idea of who/where you are buying from.

I have bought finished craft items though.

I have bought and sold on Esty...Personally I think you find better deals on ebay...price wise even with bidding. Esty is only "Buy It"...I think most overpriced. It's even hard to sell there because there are so many trying. I sell much more on ebay.

I find Etsy to be too confusing. I buy tons of fabric and thread at eBay, however.

I've looked at Etsy, and that's all.

A question I will throw in is ....
What are the differences, pros/cons in using eBay, Etsy, CraigsList, and the apparent plethora of online shopping methods?

From both a vendor and buyer perspective.

I have looked at etsy, but never bought anything there. I find it difficult to find what I'm looking for on etsy. I buy from ebay frequently, and I have purchased vintage sewing machines (nothing else) from craigslist.

I've never seen anything yet on Etsy that I wanted to buy. I haven't been signed up there very long though.

I have gotten a lot of fabric on etsy. I get good deals and the sellers are always willing to work with me in the amounts/combinations that I want.

I sell and buy on Etsy with no issues. Have not tried EBay since I heard they have a ton of fees for sellers.

I have bought several beautiful things from Etsy, none of it quilting related. One thing I like is you can put in something odd (like I searched "leafy seadragon" because my sister loves those things) and find beautiful handcrafted items (I found a hand thrown and painted mug with a leafy seadragon on it). I found some really nicely made car litter bags and matching tissue holders I bought and they are great. I bought a few as gifts. I have a friend who sells really pretty silver and beaded jewelry there too.

As far as most sewing stuff, I can do better making it myself, usually. I wouldn't go there for fabric etc unless I was looking for something special and hand dyed.

IMHO i think etsy is to high priced,more like a boutique..at least for fabrics.
most seem to be higher end items made out of fabrics too. beautiful though.

i have bought some other items there, and never had a problem. i still go to ebay first..much better deals.

I agree Etsy is overpriced. I can find same products in other areas online for less.

I have bought zipper pulls from the seller who's link is below. I think Etsy is a good source for unique items. Ebay bidding drives me crazy...not worth the wait or effort.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-101820-1.htm

I have an ETSY, but it was mostly geared to my Ultrasuede customers. NOW however, I have closed my ebay store and will be putting my quilting stuff on Etsy...it is so time consuming and costly thought, that it is taking me forever to get motivated enough to get it ALL on there...

One must remember Etsy is geared towards the "artistan" clans and can be over priced for sure...I am hoping that will help me, as I am going to sell my stuff at cost just to get rid of it!

I have made purchases on Etsy but it was a seller known to me. Now that she has her cart up and running on her site, I purhcase there.

My sister Vivian and I have an Etsy shop. We opened it in November....haven't sold anything yet, but I'm going to give it a while longer before giving up.

I'm not sure what you mean by "usefulness". Etsy shop owners often buy supplies from other Etsy sellers, as a way to support the community. Otherwise, I wouldn't buy supplies on Etsy, but it is not really intended for that purpose.

It's a venue for handcrafters and artists to sell their goods and support each other in a community network that works exceptionally well. It's a lot of work, as is any type of self-employment, but well worth the effort.

So, the 'usefulness' depends entirely on what your objectives are.

the secret to selling on Etsy is that YOU have to do a lot of self promoting/advertising...without, you just sit there watching paint dry...
put your link in your email siggy, and in your profile siggy...start a blog if you have to..put a page on facebook, etc..ETSY does not advertise YOU...only you can do that!

I love Etsy for finished products (not quilts though - I'd rather make my own). It's like browsing through my favorite boutique! But I have to agree I have not, and probably never will, by supplies, fabric, etc on Etsy. Those things are generally just too high priced to make them worth my while.

I LOVE ETSY!

I haven't started selling yet (don't think my stuff is good enough) but I've bought a TON of stuff from there.

Mostly stuff for my classroom - magnets, vinyl wall decorations, signs, etc.

Found a pretty awesome keychain for my impossible to suprise boyfriend - he'll love it.

I do have a STASH of pictures of stuff that I've liked that I'm pretty sure I could make myself if I just get some free time...

=)

I love browsing through etsy for ideas - not to copy - but I can change it around to something that suits me. My daughter and I have a shop there, but not much up. We have not made a sale at all and now don't expect to. There is SOOOOOOO much there that one has to really stand out to get noticed. I am going to build us an online store for our really serious selling, but have to wait until we get some more inventory. Daughter will not be able to help much until summer school is over. (College courses can be very time consuming in the summer!)

There are also a lot of things you can do to become more easily 'found' by search engines. The Etsy forums and resources have a wealth of information on marketing and increasing your shop's SEO (search engine optimization). But it's true, they (Etsy) won't sell anything for you...any more than the landlord at a brick and morter shop will.

I have an Etsy shop that I opened last summer thinking it would be a good way to keep my mind occupied while sitting with my mom who was dying of cancer at the time. I had hoped to have everything in order for the Christmas rush but then she passed away in November, so I put the shop in vacation mode for a while. Recently I decided to give it another go. So I haven't sold a great deal but I've purchased sewing/quilting supplies and have found that I really like being able to do that. The other sellers are wonderful, and I really like being part of a community of like-minded crafters.

I've bought a couple of patterns on Etsy from gals who had figured out how to do a couple of things I was struggling with. Their price, I thought, was reasonable, and they saved me a truckload of time. I also like Etsy when I'm looking for something unusual. I appreciate the handcrafted element.

I've purchased on Craigslist with great success and no shipping or delivery or tax charges is a huge plus.

I also like Ebay, I have purchased tons of stuff and never had a problem. I always have a price cap on things that I buy though because you have to include shipping, which can be outrageous!

Ebay does have lots of fees. But they also have more visibility than Etsy from what I've heard. I sell there (not quilting related) but it's becoming more of a hassle. I love buying on Ebay though :)

I don't buy often from Etsy. I do sell my crochet patterns there and I do just as well if not better there than on my business website.

I am planning to expand to other crafty sites similar to Etsy - like Artfire and whatnot. I have a growing list of possible places... having said that - I don't sell quilty stuff there - yet.

Looked at Etsy but never bought...buy lots on ebay

I have used Etsy a few times, I bought a lovely sock monkey and fabric and I do have loads of lovely items in my shopping basket on there waiting until I can afford them! I use Ebay a lot for fabric as there's a bigger selection so I can usually get more reasonable postage. If I wanted a finished item though I would always check Etsy first and probably not think about Ebay.

I haven't purchased from Etsy. I do "sell" there. Though, I rarely sell anything directly through Etsy. I most of my buyers are from craft shows and farmer's markets.

I do like that Etsy gives me a store front. I would probably sell more if I actually promoted things there. LOL!

I don't like to buy fabric online because I have thing about being to see it, touch it, etc. I will buy a known to me fabric or supply but can almost always find it less expensive elsewhere. I don't buy quilting patterns, so I have no experience with them.

What do you mean "has her cart up and running"?

I have bought a few items from Etsy...very unique items...found by typing in what I am looking for in the search box...my favorite item is a silver necklace I got when I typed in blue sunflower...and I have gotten so many compliments on it....a one of a kind piece. Also can get craft supplies in bulk at a good price. I keep thinking of starting up an etsy account, but I know it takes a lot of work, and time, and that seems to be something I just don't have enough of working full time. Maybe someday.

Excellent topic. I have purchased fabric and labels on Etsy. I didn't find them more costly. The labels are very hard to find so if I paid a little extra, it's okay. I am like many here thinking of opening my Etsy shop, the amount of work to do it discourages me. I have also looked at BigCartel where you can list 5 items free and then it's a monthly fee. Artfire runs a similar program. I would be selling my quilted gift items.

that means she has a shopping cart and REAL check out system in place instead of phoning your order in or emailing it..

I don't really look at Ebay and Etsy as being the same. To me Ebay is like a giant yard sale, I buy a lot of supplies there, but I've also been ripped off. When I want something unique, I go to Etsy, the people there are wonderful (so far). I have bought some supplies there, but sometimes the prices are too high for what I want.

I like to look at Etsy for inspiration only. Find it hard to navigate (overwhelming # of responses to search request). If I don't "heart" something, I can't ever find it again. Think it's a good idea but not user friendly at all. Have only bought one item there.

I have bougth there...lovely stuff. It can be a little pricy but there are unusual things to be had

I just opened a shop on Etsy called
Maryquilter. I sold 2 table runners so far. Go to Esty.com and type in Maryquilter

I have bought a few quilting type items. All went well, and received the product quickly too. Like eBay, it is the feedbacks on the seller you look for. I am tending to be more caustous for some reason on both eBay and etsy ... will not even LOOk at Craigslist.

Just my own thought tho
Julie

I have bought several things from esty stores fabric etc the ones Ive used were wonderful. I think you can check their ratings. DEB