Etsy deals are something to look forward to!
The online shopping market in the US and beyond continues to grow, with more people than ever purchasing items – from clothing to gifts to groceries – from the web. The COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly accelerated this growth, but e-commerce was already growing at an impressive rate each year even prior to the pandemic.
And, while Amazon is by far the largest e-commerce platform in the world, there are several others that are also worth checking out.
Etsy is another great e-commerce website that primarily focuses on selling handmade and vintage items. All vintage items listed on Etsy must be at least two decades old, and there are several other categories to shop on this site, including clothing, furniture and toys.
While there are quite a lot of overpriced items for sale on this platform, there are some great Etsy deals to be found if you know where to look.
In this article, we’ll share with you our top tips for finding great Etsy deals, plus a few additional online shopping tips which also apply to other e-commerce platforms.
Tips For Finding Great Etsy Deals
Without further ado, let’s dive into our top Etsy shopping tips…
Negotiate a Discount For Buying in Bulk
If you plan on buying multiple of the same item or numerous different products from the same seller, it’s a good idea to see if you can get some discount for buying in bulk.
In some cases, sellers will detail what bulk discount offers they have, but if a seller doesn’t have anything on their listing, it’s worth getting in touch with them to see if they’d be open to offering you a discount.
As a general rule, the greater the quantity of items you’re buying from an individual seller, the greater the discount they’ll be willing to offer you.
Etsy Local
Etsy Local helps buyers find events where sellers will be selling their products in your local area. You can visit these events to see if anything takes your fancy.
The great advantage of this is you can check out a product right in front of you before making a purchase. Furthermore, as you essentially pay for the product and take it home, you don’t have to worry about postage costs (which can be quite substantial) or your item getting damaged in transit to your home.
Scour Etsy on Sale
Etsy on Sale is a great tool for finding the best Etsy deals, as it lists all their items that are on sale in an easy to filter and digest manner. It’s an especially useful tool if you’re browsing and aren’t looking for something specific to buy (for instance, if you’re looking for an affordable gift for a friend.)
Take Advantage of Cashback Offers
There are numerous sites that offer cashback on online purchases made through them. You’ll typically get a cashback of up to one percent, which isn’t massive, but it can add up to a considerable amount of money if you’re a frequent online shopper.
Favorite Items That May Be of Interest
Finding the same item twice on Etsy is very difficult, so it’s strongly advisable to “favorite” listings which are of interest to you.
In addition to making it easier to ultimately purchase products that you like (once you’ve shopped around a bit more and have made a decision, of course), favoriting items also makes it much easier to compare them to other similar products on Etsy or another e-commerce site.
Other Shopping Tips
Compare Prices Across Different Sites
Whenever making a purchase (be it online or in store), it’s always a good idea to compare prices from a few different e-commerce sites or stores.
This can be quite difficult to do when shopping on Etsy, as most of their listings are quite unique, but it’s nevertheless still worth checking other sites to see if they have a similar item at a lower price.
Always Check the Final Price
When comparing prices across different platforms, it’s important that you compare the final price to ensure that you are making an accurate comparison.
In other words, you should be comparing the actual cost of purchasing the item, including things postage and packaging charges and any taxes you may be charged.
Be Wary of Differing Refund Policies
For consumers, Amazon has one of the best refund policies out there, but don’t expect other platforms to necessarily offer refunds and replacements so willingly.
On many e-commerce sites, it comes down to the seller, so you should be sure to check the returns and refund policy for a specific item before checking out.
A Quick Summary
- Etsy is a great platform for buying unique, vintage items.
- There are several things you can do to help you find the best Etsy deals, such as negotiating discounts directly with sellers and using Etsy on Sale.
- It’s also a good idea to favorite items that you might later want to buy, as it can be very difficult to find the same listing on Etsy twice.