A fantastic website with all sorts of hand made, vintage and quirky products from around the world. The website is very easy to use, the products I have ordered have been lovely and have arrived quickly. A great place to visit for gifts for friends and family

Etsy is a little like ebay except they sell vintage items and handmade goods made by artisans. Lots of beautiful items on offer and they always present them beautifully. Anyone with some artistic skills can sell handmade goods there not just a business so it's good for sellers. The downside to this though, is because anyone can sell things there, you may find that some sellers have no business ethics. Let's say there is a store in Melbourne. You purchased something with them and something gone wrong and it wasn't your fault. You can expect the business to resolve the issue, if not, you can file a complaint to consumer affairs. Most business will try their best though to solve it especially if it's not the customer's fault because they have a "name" to protect. But not with some etsy sellers. If there is any problem, you must rely on their personal ethics because if something gone wrong, you have nothing to rely on except paypal. I had some items I bought from a seller and never received. I contacted the seller and she told me "sorry I sent the items already but it's not trackable so can't do anything". This is after she ignored my first email. I was really upset so what do I do? I gave her negative feedback since I never received the items. Guess what she did? Gave me a negative feedback saying she warned me that she is not responsible if things gone missing (note: she never warned me before I purchased). I contacted etsy and they said there is nothing they can do. I should just open case with paypal. Alas, I did not know at the time that you need to open case with paypal within 45 days after purchase otherwise nothing could be done. Lessons learnt. If you really want to buy something on etsy, always make sure to open a case within 45 days of purchase if you are not happy with it. Because that is the ONLY way you'll be protected. Etsy WILL NOT help you at all. Beware of feedbacks as well. Most Etsy buyers give positive feedback because they want to receive positive feedback from sellers. If you give neutral or negative feeback, they will give you the same no matter if you are honest with it (eg. good is not as pictured or described). Oh and even worse. If someone has too many negative reviews, they could just open a new account and change their names. So the good thing about this website is that lots of beautiful things but buy and sell at your own risk and remember to use PAYPAL buyer protection. Never do lay away/ layby since it will not be covered by paypal. It has to be paid in one single transaction to be protected by paypal so no custom made items (deposit now and the rest later) will be protected.

Great Unique buys. I brought some wedding coat hangers with my grooms and my name, they are gorgeous. I love the uniqueness and the quirky ideas. A must visit if you are getting married!

Love looking for unique items. I am a big fan of vintage and hand made. its fantastic and very easy

The Etsy staff are always on top of their shoppers needs and trends. I've been selling on etsy for 12 months and am very happy with the low, flat rate fees, easy layout and graphics. All the items are handmade or vintage and are based globally. Paypal makes it easy to purchase unique items from across the world.

Approximate cost: $50

Do you know how hard it is to find supplies when you are making a wedding fascinator?? It's nearly impossible, unless you go on etsy. Not only is there heaps of gorgeous millery supplies there are thousands of handmade items that span from weird and wonderful to amazing!! I also brought my bridesmaid dress from amandaarcher, she combined a bunch of designs for us to make a truely one of a kind dress and my bridesmaid loves it!

Approximate cost: $0-500