5 Reasons Why I’m Addicted To Etsy And I Buy Handmade

1. Handmade lasts longer. It’s better quality. It’s not coming off of an assembly line. I purchased quite a few hand-sewn stuffed toys. Needless to say they’ve outlasted our store-bought stuffed animals. I’ve replaced the same one store-bought stuff animal three times already. I’ve yet to replace anything we bought that was handmade.

2. You’re supporting a small business. More often than not, Etsy sellers are small business owners. They’re not large corporations. I almost always shop handmade whenever I can. I make it a point to support these moms and dads as much as possible. They work hard to do what they do and although you may sometimes find handmade items to be just a bit more expensive than store-bought ones, there’s definitely a good reason for it. In the long run, though, you’ll save money by buying things that will last for many years to come.

3. Because most things are made to order, you can almost always customize your handmade purchases. If you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for in an Etsy shop, just convo the seller and make your request. Almost every order I placed for the little guy’s room was custom – everything from his fitted crib sheet and Boppy cover to his stuffed monster and a handmade canvas that lives on his shelf. I also ordered a laser-engraved crystal ornament for his first Christmas.

4. The things that you buy are one of a kind. If you can imagine it, you can probably find it. If you’re looking for something unique, handmade is the way to go. It’s a given with handmade that no two items will ever be the same. Do you really want to have the same exact hat or earrings that everyone else has? The one thing that I’ve noticed about buying handmade is that although I haven’t stumbled across anyone that has the same toys that we do, everyone loves them and thinks they’re adorable.

5. The customer service is awesome. You’re almost always working with the artist directly. Throughout the process of putting together the little guy’s room, I was in contact with a number of sellers. These are people who take their business seriously and love what they do. They want, more than anything else, for you to be happy. That’s what’s important to them. They’ll go to great lengths to make sure that your custom orders are exactly what you envisioned.

Do you buy handmade? Do you love it as much as I do? Leave a comment and share your reasons for buying handmade.

Written by: Cristi Wuenschel