With the holiday season ready to kick into high gear, we are all going to be bombarded with advertisements as it is the time for the giving and receiving of presents. Some people are really difficult to shop for as they just have everything.
I took some time to look for a few presents for friends and family, as I like to get a head start, because presents really should have thought behind them. At least, that is what my mom taught me. Although my research started out to look for gifts for everyone but myself, that’s not how it ended.
In comes Etsy.com, founded in 2005, to save the day. Etsy.com is a marketplace for creative entrepreneurs who use their unique talents to create one of a kind items that you cannot find in mass market stores.
In order to test out the Etsy app and website, I browsed for unique items using the Android app, that I literally could not find anywhere else. There are thousands of items to browse – from gadgets, jewelry, vintage items, paintings and so much more. In the beginning it was a research project to see if it would be a good site to recommend to you, the readers, as an option for unique items related to Google and Android. At the end of my research I had made a few purchases, with lots more items to purchase later as gifts as Etsy really does have items you cannot get anywhere else.
The Etsy app connects you to the purchaser and takes care of making the entire transaction very “professional”. Once you make a purchase, using a credit card or Paypal, a receipt is sent to your email with packaging and shipping updates. In the case of the items I bought from individual sellers, I instantly received feedback from both of them instantly, which is something you don’t necessarily get anymore these days from larger marketplaces.
The first items I purchased were Android stickers made from real 22k gold, from JnM Vinyl Studio Inc. These stickers can be applied to any of my gadgets to give them a unique appearance. In addition to the Android stickers I also asked if JnM could could make custom Androidguys.com labels in which they literally replied to my request within minutes, stating customs labels would be roughly the same price as the production cut Android stickers ($6). Once I placed my order, the Etsy app notified me that JnM had shipped my labels from New York, and within three days, the stickers arrived in my mailbox all the way to San Diego, CA. The service was absolutely incredible and the product matched the service. If you have a small business or just want custom labels or stickers, check out the JnM shop at Etsy.com and you won’t be disappointed.
The second purchase I made was in honor of my chubby cat, Poi. She’s named Poi because she is a mash-up of all kinds of breeds of cats, and Poi is a Hawaiian dish made from smashing taro root. Not to digress too far from this story, but the dog I adopted later is suitably named Taro.
Poi arrived on my doorstep when I was vacationing in Maui as a stray skinny kitten. Just like any other kitten, she was bouncing off the walls once I fed her. In fact, she was such an active kitten I thought she had rabies or some other disease in my irrational mind. My love for animals runs deep and I had to buy Poi a plane ticket home because I absolutely fell in love with her. Eight years later, she is apart of my family and is no longer skinny.
I am not some crazy cat lady, but when I came across Pottery by Misurie, I instantly adored her work. Misunrie is based in North Carolina and she offers unique, hand-made pottery that caught my eye. I purchased a couple of mugs, one was a black mug with a cat face on it, and the other was a white mug with a super cute upside down black cat face. I also added a similar type bowl which will serve as Poi’s dinner bowl. Once the purchase was made, Misunrie contacted me and said, ” Thanks for your purchase, you must be a cat lover just like me!” Not only did I get lovely pottery, but I also got to connect with someone who has a love of cats just like me. My shipment came wrapped in multiple layers of bubble wrap, ensuring the high-quality items I purchased were protected from the hazards of shipping across the country. It has been quite a while since I have been really excited to get get a package.
In many cases, us writers get many items for free to review, but in these cases I couldn’t be happier to support the individual entrepreneurs like JnM and Misunrie. There are thousands of other entrepreneurs like JnM and Misunrie, but my bank account cannot afford to buy everything my eyes desire. I will be using Etsy to not only supprt the “little guy” but also will be making purchases to buy gifts for my friends and family. Check out Etsy.com by following this link. Or you can also download the Etsy app here from the Google Play Store. You won’t be disappointed.
