Etsy v2 - An Update

I am very happy so far with the new Etsy. I know they are still working out some bugs, which I will list at the end, but it is definately worth checking out. If you want to see the whole walk-through check it out here. I am going to talk about some of my new favorite features, but probably won't touch on everything that is new.

I am very happy because I put up a brand new banner. A very pretty banner at that. It was designed by yours truly, of which I am quite proud, using a product called The Gimp. The Gimp is an open software (and is a free download) that mimics Photoshop. It does a lot of the same things as Photshop, but not always in the same way. It works for me though because I pretty much needed a program that would make an image an exact size for my new banner and it can definately do that. I think I might even pick up a book or something on The Gimp and figure out more of what it can do. I must say that my banner was partially an accident and partially inspired design. I'm just happy that it has a little more depth to it and really stands out. You can check it out in my new Etsy Shop.

One of the neat new things in Etsy is the shopping cart. You can even shop all over Etsy and then check out at the end. It does mean multiple checkouts, but I still think it is really cool. Especially since a shopping cart now means that Etsy will now to multiple purchases and combined shipping automatically. I am currently going through each of my listings and editing them to accomodate the new abilities. It also means that not only can I put in a shipping price for the US, I can put in a combined shipping price. Also, I can put in seperate shipping prices for the US, Canada, and Everywhere Else, with combined shipping. That means no more having to message me and banter back and forth about shipping price. It is what it is listed and that is that. I hope this will make everyone else as happy as I am. It also means that I will have more time for dyeing and designing, instead of having to answer email. Yay!

So far the only downsides I have seen are minor things that will probably be fixed in the near future. One of them being Alchemy. I really miss having Alchemy, because I liked to peruse the listings everyday and see if there was anything interesting. It really was a great way to get my name out there and make some custom items for people. Etsy people say that it will be back soon, but haven't mentioned a date yet. If you would like a custom item through my Etsy shop make sure to leave me either a message there or a comment here on the blog and I will make sure to get back to you. I have been doing custom items this way lately, but I will be much happier when Alchemy is back. The other things that have gone wrong are minor, like the fact that it will not let me put apostrophes in my titles, so please do not think that I am illiterate because don't is now spelled dont. I don't feel like bugging the admins with this quite yet, because there is a lot of stuff that they are dealing with right now. You can read the forums to see what is going on.

So, really truly, you should go and take a look around Etsy and see what you think. I am really impressed with this update. They really have improved the look and capabilities of Etsy.