Etsy

Etsy has been on my "to blog" list for quite some time.  I love this site for two reasons; firstly, I have a huge amount of admiration for independent artists and designers who just do their own thing, and secondly, the site has some great interface and sorting features that make it really engaging to interact with.

The idea behind Etsy is that it is an online space for artists and designers to sell their own handmade goods.  Each artist has their own "store" where you purchase from the artist directly but all the stores are searchable from the main site.  There are tons of great handmade creations like jewelry, clothing, bags, artwork and furniture, most for surprisingly low prices.

The site itself is very intriguing.  You can sort through the products in many different ways including by color, by geolocators (incase you want to support the locals), using time machines (to sort according to the date and time listed), or by recommendations (Showcase, Treasury or Connections).