"Etsy?… Um, what’s Etsy?"

I’m sure this response is hard to comprehend for North Americans, where it seems (to this international seller, at least!) that Etsy is pretty much a household name. Unfortunately, most Australians are still unaware that the wonderful world of Etsy exists.

Australia is home to a great wealth of creative and artistic talent. Australians are fans of traditional crafts, with interests as varied as spinning and carving with our many natural resources, to more cutting-edge fashion, illustration and graphic design. Most people have access to quality art and craft supply shops, community-based education programs and workshops, and for the more serious artists and designers, local markets, galleries and "handmade" or independent shops to retail their products.

Not only do we have a population of talented crafters, we also have a population that appreciates these products.

Lucky for the people of Australia, the Australian Street Team D.U.S.T (Down Under Street Team) is getting out there to spread the Etsy gospel. To those who haven't already discovered it, Etsy will be of great benefit to both buyers and sellers in Australia, providing an affordable, fun and easy way to shop and sell. There are regular meetings planned for the Street Team in most capital cities, where we will discuss and implement ideas to promote Etsy on a local and national level. I‘m sure in the coming months our hard work will start to show. The next meeting of the Sydney Street Team D.U.S.T will be held at howlindoggie.etsy.com’s studio in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone and checking out a fellow Etsian’s studio!

The Street Team has not only been a great way to help promote Etsy, it has also connected many talented people who would otherwise have been unlikely to meet. (That said, I managed to meet my boyfriend‘s "step-mum," mcart.etsy.com, on Etsy before meeting her in real life!). For me, meeting people has been one of the greatest results of my experience on Etsy. Meeting so many creative people in similar situations, facing the same hopes and challenges, has really helped me to stay motivated and inspired.

Etsy has also introduced me to many talented artists and designers across the globe. I have been inspired by and become involved in international projects I never would have been aware of if it wasn’t for this global porthole. I have found the Etsy community to be wonderfully diverse in personality, yet always friendly and supportive. I always love to read simonewalsh’s calm, balanced thoughts in the forums as well as cubistliterature’s obscure question threads and the responses they receive. For me, this is a great environment to build ideas and sell my products.

As an international seller, having the global exposure Etsy provides has been really beneficial, not to mention exciting! I have been able to connect with buyers in places I never imagined possible. My handbags now live happily in Singapore, the UK and several US cities, including New York and Los Angeles. For a young Sydney-based designer, this is more than I ever could have hoped for in my first year of business!

As much as I love selling on Etsy, I also love buying. Receiving packages which have traveled from the other side of the world is always so thrilling! I love the international stamps, individual packaging and little note from the seller that makes each purchase extra special.

Etsy has opened my eyes to so many possibilities, and with the help of the other wonderful Australian sellers on Etsy I would like to share Etsy with as many Australians as possible. I hope that they too will become part of this talented community and share the excitement of the wonderful world of Etsy.

See howlindoggie.etsy.com's blog post about the Down Under Etsy team's meetup.