Etsy isn't exactly new (nor is it particularly hipster-centric anymore - it's practically mainstream for goodness sake). However, it is still a spectacular repository of hipster things, and most items are fairly limited in quantity (being handmade or vintage), so I believe there is still hope for the hipster to find what he or she needs.
The thing about Etsy is that, as it becomes more and more mainstream, it is becoming diluted with things you (the hipster) and I have no interest in. Plus they sell furniture and other stuff that you and I both know is prohibitively expensive to ship.
So how do you find good things without spending hours and hours sorting through pages and pages of appalling mediocrity? Try this. Looking for a bag? Instead of searching "bag," search for "Capybara." As of today, your search would return 77 results - which is totally manageable - and you would find this awesome bag (except if you live in or frequently travel to Winnipeg, please don't by this exact bag, because I already did, and both of us having it would just be awkward and I would have to throw mine away).
Feeling more adventurous? Search "deer antler" and you'll find 7,985 items, all fashioned out of or in the shape of - you guessed it - deer antlers. You'll find this hair fork on the first page (and this one is fair game - however, you'll probably want to tell people you found the antler at the thrift store or in the forest or something and thought of using it as a hair fork on your own - much more respectable).
The key to finding great things on Etsy is NOT searching for what you want - i.e. a bag or a shirt or what have you. It's searching for something seemingly unrelated that you know you like, like a capybara or deer antlers - because what self-loathing hipster doesn't love South American rodents and ironic big game trophies - and then searching through those results until you find it in the format you're looking for.
Happy hunting (pun intended).
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