51 Etsy Shopping Tips
An accumulation of proclamations and well-sourced recommendations from the Strategist staff.
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For authentic, straight-from-Denmark Caprani lamps that are priced competitively, there’s no one better than Kasper of Verbo Studio.
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Shipping is lightning fast from Denmark and free, and the seller is so communicative and helpful. —Lauren Ro
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Yayi and Pony makes blousy linen dresses in all sorts of colors, patterns, and cuts for much cheaper than what you’ll find at Rennes in Philly. –L.R.
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If you want a custom linen dress, I’ve had one made by Anny that was a beautiful dupe of a much pricier Daniela Gregis number. —L.R.
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Etsy is really, really good for postmodern furniture, from German Hewi drawer pulls to Magistretti chairs.
In general, I’ve found searching by manufacturer rather than designer turns up more fun surprises — try Artemide, Cassina, and Kartell. Some great stores include Kooloo Modern, Midage Vintage, Retroxl, and WestEst Studio. Glas Atelier 69 is especially good for lamps; try Franzs Favorites for handles, drawer pulls, hooks, and other small home-décor items. —Erin Schwartz
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Big Stuffed makes the absolute coolest, extremely heirloom-quality stuffed animals — mostly of sea life — but there are also some dinosaurs and wooly mammoths in the mix.
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My family has an “original” whale and an albino beluga in our home menagerie, and I can’t recommend them enough if you want to splurge on a gift for an extra-special kid or ocean obsessive of any age, as they would look just as handsome as a sculptural throw pillow on a well-appointed sofa. —Jen Trolio
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Vintage orange juice carafes (sometimes with matching glasses) were prominent for a couple of decades starting in the 1940s and can be used for a whole lot more than orange juice (iced coffee, water at a dinner party, a vase for flowers).
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Most are made by Anchor Hocking and Libbey (the latter of which still puts out some of our favorite glassware), so keep an eye out for those brand names and then just pick what you like best. —Emma Wartzman
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Batterby Househas a delightful edit of vintage barware, including threeCartier sterling silver vermouth drippers shaped like watering cans.
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One recently sold on 1stDibs for $320 more than what Batterby is asking. —Chelsea Peng
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If you’re planning on buying something, click the heart icon to add it to your favorites — some sellers will send a coupon, usually 5 to 10 percent off, to nudge you to buy.
Saving the item also means you’ll get notified if it goes on sale. —E.S.
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As a five-foot-one adult who mostly wants to buy menswear, I appreciate kids’ store \ for its stock of French nylon collared shirts in austere prints in boys’ size 10–12. –E.S.
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Sometimes a store with 1,000-plus items indicates poor curation or low quality — that the seller is listing everything they find rather than picking through for the real gems.
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That is not the case for Florida store Hooked on Honey, which has a vast selection of sequined gowns, leather miniskirt sets, flame-print motorcycle jackets, and vintage Moschino. It’s where I’d shop if I were a pop star with the ABBA tax loophole. Unfortunately, if you’re in a rush, it is all worth looking at. —E.S.
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I am kind of a sucker for custom pet stuff — especially as an in-memoriam gift for anyone who is mourning the loss of a beloved animal.
Lady and the Leash makes custom patches that you can iron or sew onto sweatshirts, bags, or whatever else you like (I got one for each of my two cats and stitched them onto Christmas stockings). I also adore the custom stained-glass portraits from Mind and Mineral, which once lovingly captured my sister’s dearly departed Saint Bernard, Charlie. —J.T.
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For cat moms and dads, Miss Maddy Makes has an array of adorable handmade costumes and toys.
My personal favorites are the peanut butter and jelly couples costume and the chef hat. I’m sure these could fit some smaller dogs, too. —Brenley Goertzen
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[Editor’s note: The owner of Miss Maddy Makes is currently taking a break, but they expect to reopen in June 2023.]
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If dog wigs are what you seek, you will find an alarmingly wide stock at ElegantPet1. —E.S.
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If you’re looking for a child’s costume — and want to avoid a dreaded double-Spiderman situation in the classroom — parents recommend Etsy.
It’s home to the mouse Strategist writer Lauren Ro put her littlest one in for his first Halloween, and the sweetest strawberry that the head of public relations at the Sill approves of. —Ambar Pardilla
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Etsy is especially great for scary, sexy, late-’90s and Y2K designer fashion — tiny low-rise Armani miniskirts, asymmetrical Cop Copine mesh tops, and low-rise cargo pants.
Check out Depot Sauvage, Fairly Naff, SC Vintage Store, Wonmore, and Fad Archive. —E.S.
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In the ’90s, Nicole Millermade silk goods in an insane variety of oddball novelty prints, all with black backgrounds.
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I own three of these shirts with chaotic prints of postage stamps, tennis gear, and Christmas brownstones. It’s my favorite lesser-known Etsy fashion niche, and one that’s fun to revisit when brainstorming gifts for friends with particular interests. There’s one seller called Hooked on Honey that typically has lots of options in stock. —Caroline Weaver
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A nice-looking summer mule that won’t make your feet sweaty are babouche slippers.
Bathen co-founder Hannah Zisman has a pair from a trip to Marrakech and also several from Etsy, which she says are just as lightweight and stylish. —Arielle Avila
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I recently discovered a shop in Lithuania called Slipper Home that specializes in handmade slippers with the option of custom embroidery.
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I had red-leather shearling-lined ones made for my family with a silly crest embroidered on them and was blown away by the quality. It’s the only option for custom slippers I’ve found online that aren’t cheap hotel-style ones! —C.W.
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You’ve probably seen the Maison Margiela version of these $96 German army trainers.
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I just can’t pay for designer sneakers when they so closely resemble the much cheaper original. —Chris Black
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I came across SASAKIYOHINTEN some years ago when I was searching for French work shirts and jackets.
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This Japanese seller reworks vintage European and Asian workwear using boro patchwork and sashiko embroidery in a palette of mostly indigo and neutrals. It can be hard to find vintage workwear in petite sizes, but the patched and visibly mended jacket I bought from them is a perfect fit. —Winnie Yang
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The best high-cut, “hot female lifeguard” underwear is made by Elsy Marie, an El Salvadoran woman living in Pennsylvania. —Molly Prentiss
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I stumbled upon Egretta Garzetta’s underwear in a forum (maybe a sub-reddit?) thread on the best women’s underwear and have really been impressed by the fit, quality, and longevity of the briefs.
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They are handmade in Latvia from fabrics like GOTS-certified organic cotton and merino wool. —W.Y.
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Etsy is a great place to find vintage cast iron.
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You can restore a rusted skillet yourself with some time and elbow grease, but there are plenty of sellers who will do the hard work for you (and charge accordingly), using century-old cookware that is lighter and thinner and has a smoother cooking surface than what you find in new cast-iron pans. I got my beautifully restored Griswold skillet from Forgotten Foundries, but Cast Iron Archaeology is another highly rated and knowledgeable seller. Just be sure to check sizing info before buying, since old cast iron generally follows a numbering system. —W.Y.
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If you’re looking for funky postmodern lamps on the cheaper end, Ikea had a lot of great designer collabs in the ’80s and ’90s.
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Searching “Ikea lamp” and filtering for vintage is a good breadth-first search, and you can also narrow it to “Ikea Sottsass” for primary-color Memphis desk lamps and sconces or “Ikea Kila” for a very fun wheeled tripod lamp. There’s also the Mammut lamp from the ’90s kids’ collection, which you can usually find below $60. —E.S.
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Chinese/English bilingual baby books are really hard to find.
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I’ve been eyeing these from a Vancouver-based Etsy shop called Tiny Life Things to give to my cousins’ kids, who are learning English as a second language. —Kathy Li
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One of my go-to gifts for first birthdays is a custom name puzzle for the newly minted 1-year-old.
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I like these from Last Piece of the Puzzle thanks to their high-quality wood construction and wide variety of color schemes and add-on options like display stands and personalized engravings. —J.T.
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If you’re looking for break-it-yourself geodes in bulk quantities, look no further than Store of Texas. —W.Y.
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Julie O’Rourke (@rudyjude) of Rudy Jude is a great source for Etsy sellers.
I recently learned through one of her Instagram stories of Everwood Friends, maker of a wide range of wooden toys like gem blocks and animal-themed blocks. —W.Y.
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Etsy happens to be one of the best places to get a new or gently used figure-skating dress, especially if you have little kids.
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If you buy new, most sellers will allow you to customize the fit and sleeve length, and you can add extra rhinestones for a fee. —K.L.
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This linen, wide-brim baby sun hat from Blue Corduroy will garner squeals from everyone who happens to see your child wearing it. —L.R.
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This is by no means universal, but if the listing has a white background or any markers of Photoshop, then there’s a higher likelihood that it’s being drop-shipped or is a commercial enterprise, not a small seller.
Listings with poorly lit, low-res snapshots with little to no editing — that’s where you’ll find the real hidden gems. —Kitty Guo
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I needed a non-terra-cotta pot with drainage for a picky carnivorous plant that I am working very hard not to kill.
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Sheer Potted Plants came through with a modern glass option that includes a saucer and is a fantastic upgrade to plastic nursery pots. —J.T.
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Crocheting By Rose makes custom name doilies that will delight the grand-millennial décor fans in your life (especially if they’re sentimental newlyweds). —J.T.
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If JetPens doesn’t have it, The Stationery Manor, which specializes in Asian goods (Japanese products in particular), most likely will.
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I buy color-coded Midori tabs for my Techo Cousin here. —L.R.
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Monogram It Darling is a good source for inexpensive vinyl decals in good colors, many sizes, and a simple, pleasing font.
Jazz up rolling luggage, your AirPods case, or any other smooth, nonporous surface with your name or initials. —J.T.
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My dad gets personalized Christmas ornaments for my kids each year.
These are some of his favorite makers: Simply Living Shop Inc., Wallace Wood Ornaments, and Dinosaurnaments. —L.R.
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Instead of gifting another digital photo frame, consider a custom illustrated portrait.
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Author Minh Lê turned us on to these portraits painted by award-winning illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka when we spoke to him about the best gifts for grandfathers. —A.A.
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For decently priced, early-20th-century antique oil paintings, my favorite is Sharlene Lisanne. —L.R.
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Extremely niche, but you can get custom pieces in Baybayin (a native Filipino script from before Spanish colonization) off of Etsy.
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I ordered a batch that said “Family” for my parents, uncles, aunts, and grandparents a couple years back from this seller in the U.K. and it was a hit for Christmas. —A.A.
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Lovers of Alexander Calder’s mobile art (such as myself) can commission their very own Calder-esque sculpture from a variety of Etsy artists for 1/10,000th of the price tag. —Kitty G.
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If you’re planning a baby shower, Etsy has a plethora of adorable customizable invitation templates.
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They range from the generic to the very specific (like if your friend is wanting a honeybee-themed shower). —A.A.
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Sian Zeng’s magnetic wallpaper is so sweet and perfect for a nursery. —Kitty G.
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Home decorator Carrie Carrollo loves and uses this sturdy, easy-to-reposition removable wallpaperfrom Cuckoo Walls. —Stacey Woods
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You can finally get your hands on anauthentic Gee’s Bendquilt from a whole slew of verified makers. —L.R.
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As Nu Swim founder Gina Esposito told me last year, vintage sheets look good on the bed but are even better to take to the beach and use as a picnic base.
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I like kitschy ’70s Wamsutta designs or anything old Marimekko. The Wamsutta “tomorrow’s rainbow” pattern is always a hit, if you can find it in reasonable condition at a good price — it was featured on Stranger Things. —Katherine Gillepsie
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One time I was chatting with a friend who mentioned that she’d bought a cool sweater for cheap from an Etsy vintage store, but she had to wait a bit because it was shipping from Canada. I immediately was like “Is it Polo Mocha?!” — and it was! —Kitty G.
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If you’re a French Revolution nut, Histoire Retrouvee makes replicas of Marie Antoinette’s rings — along with other reproductions, including this trim for a 19th-century naval officer moment. —A.P
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I bought an ultrathin silver stacking ring from Hannah Naomi in 2013.
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It has lived on my left-hand middle finger for close to a decade now, as bright and shiny as the day I bought it. —Kitty G.
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I love these chunky headbands from Charleston-based Belinda Avant that come in a bunch of colors and widths. —L.R.
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If you want to go the Kate Middleton–inspired fascinator route, Design by Hummingbird makes some pretty great embellished options. —L.R.
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I am continually surprised that during our current tinned-fish boom, no one has started selling a contemporary spin on the Victorian sardine lifter.
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These wide, multipronged forks are just perfect for lifting long and flaky little fish from the tin without it falling apart. In the meantime, there are loads of vintage sardine forks and lifters on Etsy. My favorites are the mid-century German kind with actual fish-shaped handles (here’s mine, currently sold out). —Katherine G.
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