I have heard from a few visitors to this blog that they had never heard of Etsy before running across my site. Instantly a lot of them were interested. So, I thought it would be a great idea to start a series of posts that will help you get to know Etsy a little better. Today's post is about a few of the Acronyms and terms you might come across in casual browsing of items or shops on the site. I've tried to divide them into groups as to where you might encounter them. (I will also be adding to this list as I see fit, so you might want to bookmark the page for this post and check back sporadically)I hope you find these helpful!
Terms you might see in a listing description or listing title:
AOP - Artist's own pattern. The shop owner created the pattern for an item instead of using a commercial pattern bought in a store.
BOGO - Buy one, get one (second item is usually free or half off)
Destash – This is used to describe term used when one is selling items from their supply stash in effort to make room for more supplies or to get organized. Kind of like Spring Cleaning your craft studio and then having a garage sale…online.
NSFW - Not safe for work. This is used as a flag to let users know there is adult content ahead. It is used when there is nudity or otherwise risque content that would not be pleasant to be caught viewing if somebody just happened to look over your shoulder.
OOAK - One of a kind. This is probably one of the most common acronyms seen in the titles of an item listing. It is used to denote the item being sold is not a reproduction and shall not be reproduced. (But I must admit, I’ve seen this term abused just a teensy bit from sellers)
OSWOA - original small work of art. Artwork that is small in nature. Also known as an OM (Original Miniature)
PIF - pay it forward. This term is when someone offers an item in their shop for only the cost of the item listing (.20 cents on Etsy) and whatever the shipping costs are, in exchange for you doing an act of kindness for another person or offering an item in your shop under the same premise. (Buyer Beware: Some shops are falsely using PIF as a marketing ploy to unload some of their goods to some kinds hearts in the community. They are marking up the shipping costs to ridiculous amounts to recover the original retail price of their items. Use caution: “True” PIF listings only ask for the .20cent listing fee and a REASONABLE shipping fee, it does not cost 6 dollars to ship a pair of earrings) I should really do an article on this in the future. *Gets my investigative reporter hat out of the hallway closet.*
Terms you might see in someone’s profile or shop policies (and occasionally in an item’s description):
B&M - This stands for "Brick and Mortar", meaning a shop with a physical location.
Convo – This refers to Etsy's private messaging system. You start a conversation by clicking on "contact this seller" on seller's shop page.
SAHM - Stay at home mom
SRA - Self-representing artist, someone who doesn't have an agent/advocate
SRAJD - Self-representing artist jewelry designer
WAHM - Work at home mom
Terms you might see elsewhere on Etsy:
BNR - Buy and replace. Buy an item in a treasury or forum thread and replace it with one of your own.
Etsians/Etsyans – Members of the Etsy community. It is used to describe buyers and shop owners alike.
Heart - This is the term used when you put a shop or item into your Etsy favorites. So if you are in the forum and someone refers to having “50 hearts”, no need to call the Men in Black, they’re not an alien, just someone who is well-liked.
Treasury – A treasury is an item collection of someone’s favorites on Etsy (that someone is called the ‘curator) a list of favorites, and they can be organized by color, theme, location, or even just a miscellaneous collection that someone wants to share with others. After a few days (usually 3), the treasury disappears off the Etsy site, to be enjoyed no more. *single tear streaming down cheek*
The Storque - Etsy's official super-blog. There are TONS of information on the Storque, not to mention a lot of groovy shopping and gift guides. Every Etsian should check this on a regular basis.
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