Life

Etsy's First Ever Back-To-School Sale Is Gonna Give Your Credit Card A Workout

by Kristina Johnson

The end of the summer means back to school savings bonanzas, and this year, there's a new place to shop for deals. Etsy's first ever back to school sale is happening now, and there are so many amazing finds.

I'm just going to warn you right now that you are going to want everything from the sale. Etsy is always filled with plenty of temptations, and when you add in at least 20 percent off and free shipping, how can anyone be expected to resist?

The sale is stuffed with basic essentials like notebooks, backpacks, pencil cases, and planners, but because this is Etsy we're talking about, these are definitely not your average school supplies. You can peruse the sale page here, where you can see all the items that have been handpicked by Etsy editors — so you know you're getting the best of the best.

Some of the cutest things on sale (in my opinion, at least) are these amazing fox backpacks. They're 14 by 12 inches, so they're perfect for toddlers and pre-schoolers who are more likely to be carrying toys than school books. You should still be able to squeeze in a folder, though. The bag is waterproof, too, which is always a nice bonus with messy, spill-prone toddlers.

Also absurdly adorable and stylish? These colorful, reusable lunch bags. You can forget brown bagging it when you've got a whole rainbow to choose from. The canvas bags are sealed with wax to make them water resistant, and honestly, I'd be tempted to order one color for every day of the week because they're so cute.

Etsy's got your kiddo's back to school wardrobe covered, too. The cute world map T-shirt below is supposed to be super soft, and the seller gets rave reviews from happy customers who love the quality of the products. When you're buying unique, handmade items from Etsy, you can feel pretty confident that there won't be three other kids wearing clones of the same outfit on the first day of school (unless their parents heard about the Etsy sale, too, of course).

There's also an adorable chalk sign on sale, perfect for those first day of school photo ops (I'm already practicing my hand lettering for the big day I finally get to use the sign I bought my daughter ages ago). Just fill in the appropriate school year, snap a ton of pics for Facebook and Instagram, then erase it and use it again for your next child.

If you're growing a little concerned by the amount of money you're prepared to drop on this sale, you're definitely not alone. Back to school shopping season in general is huge for retailers — it's an 80 billion dollar business, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). That breaks down to almost $700 for families with elementary and high school kids in 2019— the highest number that's ever been recorded since the NRF started tracking spending in 2003. The number jumps to nearly $1000 if you're sending a kid off to college. At least you're getting a discount if you're doing some of that shopping on Etsy this year. The back to school sale runs through Sunday, August 11.