Online - January 03, 2006

Just Browsering

Etsy.com

Click. Scroll. Click. Scroll. Click. Scroll.

Whoa, shopping online is, like, totally wild!

Or — not so much. Which is why we are stoked to introduce you to Etsy, a new, experimental, and totally awesome website that challenges the norms of online shopping.

Run by a group of computer whiz kids, the site offers indie designers the space to showcase and sell their handmade work (kind of like an eBay for crafty types). It’s easy and cheap to post any creation (craft supplies, clothing, geekery, vintage gear, edibles). But it’s even easier and more fun to shop.

You see, the beautifully designed Etsy utilizes technology that lets you search not just by category or top sellers but also by color (just click any of the virtual swatches) and geography (you can finally find out what’s being made in Scottsbluff, Nebraska). You can even look at stuff via time machine or in 3-D (explore for yourself.)

Later this month, they’ll be employing multiuser shopping, which allows you to you invite friends to browse along with you in real time. You get to see each other’s cursors move across the page as you search and click. Discuss/fight over finds without a phone, e-mail, or IM.

Now that’s virtual insanity.

Available online at etsy.com.