Etsy is crafting a success story

Etsy is one of the Web’s major success stories. It’s the definitive hangout for people making and selling handcrafted items.

As it’s grown, Etsy has developed a number of smart ways to search among its ever-growing collection of items for sale.

Say you only want items in a particular shade of soft green (or light rust). Go to www.etsy.com/ color.php and play with the color bar there to find results among its hundreds of thousands of items for sale.

Another option is Etsy’s Time Machine search. Click on that option (found on the left side), which opens a window with dozens of tiny images floating toward you, in slow motion. Using a mouse, scroll backward in time and you’ll be pulled through a stream of images posted for sale. Not available, however, is a date-specific option that would let you instantly jump back three months or so.

SurviveOutdoors.com

You’re bitten by a spider, and you have no idea what to do. Where do you turn?

SurviveOutdoors.com tries to be the one-stop option (provided you’re anywhere near a computer and don’t have to rush to a hospital instead of browsing the Web).

The site can help identify snake and spider bites, and even provide information about bubonic plague or yellow fever.

Dan Williams, president of the Web site, is board-certified in primary care. The site also offers pictures of common ailments, but some can be graphic.

Crutchfield exchange

A while back we mentioned Costco’s electronic gadget exchange site, greensight.com/Costco Trades/.

Retailer Crutchfield, which specializes in high-quality electronics, has a similar exchange site, at http://crutchfield. ceexchange.com.

The site lets you offer to exchange gear — such as mp3 players, cameras, car audio systems, video game gear, phones and GPS equipment — for Crutchfield gift cards.