How to: find where to buy products on Pinterest

According to Pinterest, 90% of Pinterest users say it helps them decide what to purchase, and 66% buy something after seeing a brand’s pins. Thankfully, Pinterest has made it extremely easy to shop. While most pins are shoppable, that isn’t always the case. Have you ever browsed Pinterest and inevitably came across something that you just had to have but it was nowhere to be found? Me too.

I don’t know about you, but I have definitely whipped out my wallet on more than one occasion after seeing something that caught my eye on Pinterest, only to be stopped because I couldn’t figure out where to buy it. One major flaw of Pinterest is that users leave room for error when they pin and repin random images lacking sources so it is difficult to track down where the product originally came from. This can be frustrating to a consumer if they are interested in buying the product.  We’re going to recommend a site that will help you solve that problem.

So now, instead of spending hours looking for that exact pair of shoes or that awesome top, check out The Hunt, a website that remedies this troubling problem by having other users do the searching for you!

In order to sign up, you simply post a picture of something you are “hunting” for. On the page that initiates the hunt, there are multiple tabs that allow you to import images from different services such as Tumblr, Instagram, or Pinterest or a tab that allows you to simply directly link images from other websites. You can browse images from your profiles and select the item you are interested in. Once your request has been created, you have to select the “type” of hunt, which essentially means you set preferences that let other users know whether or not you are looking for the exact item, a similar item for a better deal, or something that goes with the product you are looking for, such as a matching pair of shoes. Next, you choose the product category and set the max price you are willing to spend on the product. If a user finds a product that matches your request, they can leave a comment linking to a similar item, or provide information on where to buy the original product.

Since the launch of Pinterest, a few of these crowdsourced searching sites have sprouted up to help users find the products they desire. Other similar websites include: Wheretoget.it. If all of the above fails and you still haven’t had much luck, try using a reverse image search service such as TinEye, Google, or ChicEngine to search by image. These services will usually find the original image, as well as visually similar images which may help you find a similar product.