I am one if not two things, a huge lover of Etsy and a HUGE proponent of supporting small businesses/shops. Yes, I love me some Target and Amazon, but the other place where I do a majority of my shopping is on Etsy. I get everything from SVG’s to travel accessories to Disney inspired outfits for me and the kiddos, you name it and I have .
Favorite shops right off the top of my head and which you have heard me talk about multiple times are; Very Chic Baby, Forever Dream Design, and Lake Buena Visitors. They are wonderful shops to work with, their work etiquette is bar none, you get everything when you are supposed to, their communication is great and most importantly, what you see is what you get. Meaning the quality of what it looks like is what you will receive.
When it has come to buying EV’s dresses, I normally have not strayed from Taylor Joelle Designs (not on Etsy) as I do not have to worry about shipping dates, checking in or worrying about the quality when it arrives. I would say her dresses are moderately priced from $50 to $75 (the cost of the Harry Potter ones soon to be released). However, I find that as many times as I have washed them and EV has worn them, they have paid for themselves three and four times over.
I bought EV’s birthday dress from Very Chic Baby (below) and it is everything I could have wanted and I will continue to buy special occassion dresses from her. Here is looking at you Pinkie Pie that I just ordered.
There are several reasons to love buying Disney-inspired anything from creators on Etsy. I adore that many of them will work with you on commissions or altering/redesigning one of their current pieces to create a dream dress or piece that you have in your head. Seeing that dream come to reality is something else. I love that you can build a relationship with them outside of a normal business/website where it is not just transactional and I love that you can request to have what you need by a certain date (yes, you may have to pay more, but if you are working against the clock and they can manage the timeline, it is awesome). I love that you can find ANYTHING on Etsy for any kind of fandom and you can acquire some really cool pieces that you would not find anywhere (here is looking at you Ahsoka toddler dresses). I sometimes hate that mass marketing look of clothes and having those special pieces that can grow with the kids or that I want to use for special pictures/occassions can really take it up a notch. I also love that you can buy beautiful Disney pieces at all costs, so you do not have to break the bank to get something cute and unique! Even though you will see plenty of outfits that are on the more pricier side, you can get great clothing options, for a fraction of the cost and still look great.
Shops as, THIS and THIS. or THIS.
Each one of these dresses that I have bought from one of the above Etsy stores has been worn multiple times, washed and hung (I never dry) and they still look the same as when I first got them.
However, not buying from a store that has customer service, regular return policies, etc. Also comes with its challenges. I have NEVER had an issue on Etsy until this year and I can tell you that this alone it is what is causing me to write this. I have no idea if there is something in the air or there is something on the backend of Etsy that sellers do not wants to talk about, but it is something that I have been experiencing lately more than I am comfortable with.
I recently had a REALLY bad run in with a seller on Etsy who does some of the most adorable dresses I have ever seen. However her shipping is always inaccurate, timelines never match, and her story on our messages always has inconsistencies. After what I had thought was just a one and done situation the first time, I bought from her twice more (I never learn) and almost two months in and a month past when she told me she had “shipped” them out and I am still waiting. I have tried to be really kind on our messages since I have yet to receive the dresses, but my messages and temper are getting shorter and shorter. Lets just say that once and if everything is received, I will be blocking everything related to her on social media. Oh and apparently the reviews are reflecting what I am experiencing as well, so it is not just me. My second situation was with a shop who is well received on social media, she is absolutely lovely, dresses are gorgeous, but prior to the holidays I had inquired about one of her dresses right when she was putting her shop on holiday hiatus. When she returned, she let me know that her shop had reopened and I went to excitedly purchase the dress for EV and realized it had been raised $10 which I was a 100% okay with until I noticed that once I purchased the dress, the next day she lowered it back down to the original cost. EVERYONE I spoke to said I should have said something and normally I would have, but the dress was beautiful, she was great to do business with otherwise and instead I will choose to purchase elsewhere next time, because #ethics are important. Lastly, I purchased a preorder Encanto inspired dress and lo and behold the shop is gone and I am in communication now with the seller who is supposedly still sending me the dress today…we shall see.
Moving on since this is getting me heated…
Let’s talk “family shirts”. Everyone does them and you will find similar ones and often times ‘stolen concepts’ all over Etsy so making the choice on who to go with and how to make that decision can be a difficult one since especially these can get expensive when you are looking at purchasing for a large family.
This will forever be my favorite ‘matching’ shirt that EV and I had
I love the first birthday onesies that come with tu-tu’s and EV’s first birthday ones (she had Punzie and Moana) were no exception. Of course EV would not be caught dead in a scratchy tut-tu now, but it was fun while it lasted ;).
Before I made them on my own, I ordered all of mine through Bliss Gifts. I absolutely adore this family, have hung out with them personally, and they are close to my home so I could pick up the shirts directly from them. This saved me the cost of shipping as well as I could get them way before my projected time needing them. They do both customs and have their own concepts. Their food and wine festival ones for Disney are hilarious and perfect for any large group and the same price you would find on Amazon for family shirts (plus they are unique and everyone talks about them so winner-winner). I can also tell you that they are impeccably made. I wash them inside out on cold, hang dry and they have lasted YEARS. When I have ordered customs from them, I loved that they showed me the concept prior to making them, so that we could discuss font, color, and anything grammatical I wanted altered, etc. Being able to double check what I was purchasing, saved us both any grievances that could potentially arise.
True story, several years ago I bought from a new Etsy store, shirts for my gf’s surprise engagement and without mincing any words, the quality was awful. Like done with a hand iron and what I can assume was a lot of wine consumed awful. They basically refused to do anything and blamed it on the vinyl (which now that I work with it myself, I know had to been some pretty cheap vinyl for what it looked like or they had no idea what they were doing) and its not like four shirts were cheap either, she charged over $100 (oh and she was the one that wanted to use the ‘new’ vinyl so she could test out the gold foil). Long story longer, I ended up getting them from another store (below) which was perfect, but one of the shirts had the incorrect wording. I said nothing because she actually worked against the clock to get these done for me and I ended up chalking it up to a ‘whatever, they are still cute’ moment and the girls loved them. The whole thing ended up being well over $200 (including the first batch), which is kind of ridiculous for four shirts in the grand scheme of things. Hence the importance of not rushing decisions when money and business is on the line.
One of the biggest and toughest lessons for me has been, do not be afraid to hurt someone’s feelings by telling them you are unhappy. You also have a stake in the game since you paid them. If the resolution does not have you satisfied, I know this is an unpopular opinion, but contact Etsy and explain the situation. There are many Etsy sellers who are beyond loyal to their customers/fanbase (see at the beginning of this post) and several that once the sale is made no matter the conversation they are going to do what they are going to do regardless if you have worked with them in the past or not. At the end of the day recognize that they have a business and it should be run like one. Also, when you find a good shop, stick with them and don’t be afraid to ask for names of reputable shops that they might like too. Often if shops go on ‘vacation’, need a break, or may not be able to deliver what you need in the timeframe, they do not mind giving you recommendation to other sellers who have similar clothing or aesthetic. I love a good shop that will straighten another’s crown.
This is why taking your time to make the right decision the first time is so important. If you are going to rush getting family shirts or you are in a rush to get them and do not want the hassle, I highly suggest just getting something on Amazon, like THESE.
Etsy can be really overwhelming with all of the choices, designs and decisions and there might be something that no one else creates that you are dying for and wondering how to navigate it and if it is worth the cost, so let me drop some hard learned lessons for you and tips so that you can make the best decisions for yourself. I have kept this more retail/clothing related since that tends to be what I have had the most learning curve from.
- One, make sure you give yourself enough grace and time to purchase what you need, so that you have the time to research first. I will favorite a bunch of things I like and then spend the time reviewing said favorited items.
- If you are doing theme days in the parks, make sure that you have an idea how the outfit will pair with the others. I have bought so many things that I loved just because what it looked like and granted I am happy with it, but then have found things I liked better with time and could be paired with other things for the family.
- Look at their Instagram, Facebook, and their hashtag to see who is wearing their shirt and how it looks. Not everyone feels comfortable buying from a store where only influencers seem to be wearing their clothes and knows how to best photograph the item. I like being able to wear something I love multiple times to the parks and what it to look just as good everytime.
- Do not purchase before communicating with the seller and making sure that they can meet the timeline and deadline of when you need the shirts by even if the turnaround time on their site indicates that you would. Also, make sure they have a good grasp of what you are looking to achieve.
- If you have a design in mind, ask that if you purchase the item would you be able to see the concept before they send it to you. This is more for family shirts since SVG’s can be created a little more at ease. Just bear in mind that a lot of sellers will not do this as they will not want you to give the design to someone else to create, so be kind if they say ‘no’.
- See if there is an Esty store that is located by you that is selling the item(s) that you are interested in. Sometimes you can save on shipping if they offer a pick up location for locals, plus it is a great way to build a relationship if you fall in love with their craftmanship.
- Ask about their return policy (normally it is listed so make sure you become familiar with it) and what happens if you are not satisfied with the quality. Confirm this with the seller. I am of sound being that I like things in writing as there may be additional pieces that might not be fully stated.
- Do not be afraid to ask for group discounts, if you are placing a large order see if they are offering any sort of percentage off. A lot of Etsy sellers do this which is why giving yourself some time to ‘look and shop around’ is important. Plus, the more you continue to buy from them the more they are apt to do this.
- Spend the time to look at their reviews. If they have a 4.9 or below, it is for a reason. Make sure the complaints or negative reviews make sense. The negatives could be for something ridiculous in your mind that has no bearing on why you wouldn’t purchase it, so obviously proceed how you are comfortable. If you feel a lot of the negative revews are something that could directly impact your purchase and your happiness with it, move on.
So what do you think? Have you had similar experiences? Are you avid Etsy buyers, are you a seller? What are your pet peeves regardless of being a buyer or a seller with Etsy?
