Chapter 5

Sell Yes: Understanding What You Can and Can’t Sell on Etsy

IN THIS CHAPTER

Figuring out what you can sell on Etsy

Identifying what items Etsy doesn’t allow

Understanding the consequences of selling prohibited items

Reporting prohibited items

An aimless turn through the Etsy Marketplace can reveal such a bizarre array of items — hand-painted capybara earrings, a pen holder shaped like the human intestinal tract, a “microbes” cross-stitch pattern, PEEPS-shaped soap, and so on— that one might reasonably believe it’s possible to buy literally anything on the site. Actually, though, Etsy allows the sale of only certain types of items. This chapter outlines what you’re allowed to sell on Etsy and what’s strictly verboten.

Yes, We Can! Figuring Out What You Can Sell on Etsy

In a nutshell, you can sell three types of items on Etsy:

• Items you made or designed yourself
• Vintage goods (20 years or older)
• Supplies for crafting

The following sections describe these three categories in detail and address questions you may have about them.

Some items transcend these categories. For example, maybe you have vintage or handmade items that also qualify as a supply. If your inventory includes items like these, you need to decide which category applies best.

Selling items you made or designed yourself

Etsy’s primary raison d’être, or reason to exist, is to serve as a marketplace for makers and designers to sell their goods. According to Etsy, a maker is a seller who personally makes the items they sell in their shop. A designer, in contrast, “is a seller who has come up with an original design, pattern, sketch, template, prototype, or plan to be produced by in-house shop members or a production partner.”

If you’re more “designer” than “maker,” you still need to adhere to Etsy’s Handmade Policy. It’s spelled out here: https://www.etsy.com/legal/handmade.

Whether you’re a maker or a designer (or you sell vintage goods or craft supplies, as discussed in the next sections), transparency is key. You must honestly and accurately represent yourself, your items, and your business. That means telling the story of your business in your shop’s About page — including listing the names and roles of anyone who helps produce your products. (For more details on adding this information to your shop’s About page, see Chapters 6 and 16.) It also means using your own words and photos (read: no stock photos) to describe your items. Finally, it means responding to inquiries from Etsy regarding how your items are made; what workspace, tools, and equipment you use; and how you communicate and collaborate with your production partners in a timely manner.

The whole point of Etsy is to enable makers and designers to connect with buyers. Etsy is more than an online craft fair, though. It’s an attempt to build an artisanal economy of sorts — one with high ethical standards that eschews mass production. So if you work with an outside manufacture, they need to comply with Etsy’s ethical manufacturing policies, outlined here: https://www.etsy.com/legal/policy/ethical-expectations-what-we-expect-from/239336610868. The bottom line: If your inventory isn’t in line with this philosophy, Etsy may not be the marketplace for you.

Offering vintage items

Although Etsy was originally conceived as a marketplace for handmade items, it also serves as an excellent venue for vintage goods and collectibles: bags, books, clothing, electronics, furniture, jewelry, toys … really, any type.

So how old does something have to be in order to be considered vintage? Etsy’s answer is 20 years old. Unless your item was manufactured roughly before Kelly Clarkson won American Idol, it belongs on another platform.

Selling supplies

To support its crafty community, Etsy allows the sale of commercial crafting supplies on the site, including beads, buttons, fabric, findings, paper, patterns, tools, trim, wire, wool, and whatnot. Selling shipping and packaging supplies is also allowed.

What’s not allowed: items that, although they can conceivably be used as crafting supplies, are ready for use as is — think dollhouse furniture and the like. Ditto for mass-produced goods that can be used in conjunction with handmade items but aren’t crafting supplies themselves. In other words, although your handmade eye shadow is a totally legitimate item on Etsy, selling the mass-produced brush you use to apply it as a separate item isn’t cool.

Do you have a closet full of crafting supplies? If so, consider culling your collection and listing your leftovers on Etsy. You’ll not only pull in a little extra cash but also give those goodies a new lease on life.

Just Say No! Understanding What’s Not Allowed on Etsy

You know what you can sell (thanks to the previous section): handmade items (that you’ve designed and/or made yourself), vintage goods, and supplies. You may assume, then, that as long as your item fits into one of those categories, it’s acceptable for sale on Etsy. But you know what happens when you assume! In the following sections, we describe what types of items Etsy doesn’t allow.

Knowing what items are prohibited

Any number of items may meet the aforementioned criteria but aren’t permitted on Etsy. One obvious example is goods that are illegal. (Every Etsy seller is responsible for following all local laws.) Other prohibited items include the following:

• Alcohol, tobacco, drugs, drug paraphernalia, and medical drugs
• Animal products and human remains
• Dangerous items (hazardous materials, recalled items, and weapons)

  RISQUÉ BUSINESS: SELLING MATURE CONTENT ON ETSY

  Yeah, we know. We just said nudity and mature content were prohibited on Etsy. But really, restricted would be a better word. Etsy permits the sale of goods that contain … well, let’s say salty language. And it allows the sale of items that depict male or female genitalia or sexual activity, if they’re not pornographic. (Etsy defines pornography as items that contain “printed or visual material that explicitly describes or displays sex acts, sex organs, or other erotic behavior for the sole purpose of sexual arousal or stimulation.”) But it doesn’t allow mature items that are illegal, exploitative, or used. (Ew.)

  Sellers who list mature items must comply with certain policies to ensure that Etsy remains appropriate for a G-rated audience. First, they must tag these listings with the word mature. That way, people who don’t want to see them can omit them from search results by adding -mature to their search strings. Second, the first thumbnail image for the listing must be appropriate for general audiences (although additional images may show the item in all its mature splendor). Finally, although you can sell items that contain mature content or profane language, you may not use this type of content or language in your username, profile, item titles, profile picture, shop name, or About page.

• Hate items (items that promote, support, or glorify hatred)
• Illegal items, items promoting illegal activity, and highly regulated items
• Internationally regulated items
• Nudity and mature content
• Violent items (items that promote, support, or glorify violence)

Selling only certain services

In general, you can’t sell your services on Etsy. The site is designed as a marketplace for goods. So even if you’re the best dog-walking, house-sitting masseuse this side of the Mississippi, you can’t advertise your business on Etsy. You also can’t use Etsy to rent property. You can’t even use it to avail yourself to members seeking people with art-adjacent skills in the realm of tailoring, restoring antiques, retouching old photos, and the like.

If, however, your service results in a new, tangible item, you may offer it for sale on the site. For example, you may sell your services as a graphic designer, offering custom logos for clients, delivered via a digital file. Or maybe you give workshops; in that case, as long as participants leave your class with an actual physical object — an instructional booklet, a finished project, or what have you — it counts. And for all you psychics and tarot readers out there, so long as you send your customer an audio or video of your reading, or a photo of your tarot spread, you’re good to go. (Yeah, we know. You probably already intuited that.)

For more information about what you can and can’t sell on Etsy, see the site’s Prohibited Items Policy page (www.etsy.com/legal/prohibited/?ref=list).

Offense Taken: Reporting Prohibited Items

Yeah, we know. Nobody likes a snitch. But part of ensuring that Etsy remains safe and fair for everyone is flagging shops that violate Etsy’s policies.

To report a shop that sells prohibited items — maybe they’re mass-produced or maybe they’re dangerous or violent in nature — follow these steps:

1. Click the Report This Shop to Etsy link on the left side of the shop’s main page. (You might need to scroll down a little.)

   A dialog box appears, asking you to specify why you’re reporting the shop.

2. Open the drop-down list and choose They Sell Items That Don’t Meet Etsy’s Policies.
3. Choose an option in the They Sell Items That Are… section — for example, Prohibited or uses Prohibited Materials.
4. Optionally, add more information in the text box at the bottom of the dialog box.
5. Click Report This Shop.

Off with Their Heads! Knowing What Happens If You Break a Rule

If you list a prohibited item or service on Etsy, vigilant staffers or other site members may flag it for review. (Note that you’re not privy to information about who flagged your item.)

In extreme cases, Etsy may delist your item immediately. More typically, however, Etsy will contact you to attempt to remedy the problem. In some cases, you may be asked to remove the prohibited item from your shop. If you fail to do so, Etsy will remove it for you.

In egregious cases, Etsy may opt to suspend or even terminate your selling privileges. (Note that, as a seller, you’ll still be responsible for any outstanding fees if Etsy removes an item or suspends or terminates your account.)

AN APPEAL A DAY: FILING AN APPEAL

If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of having your account permanently suspended, you can file an appeal. Follow these steps:

1. Scroll to the footer area of any Etsy Marketplace page and click the Help Center link.
2. At the bottom of the Etsy Help Center page, click Contact Etsy Support.
3. On the Get Help page, click Selling on Etsy.
4. Click Your Etsy Account.
5. Click Reopening or Closing Account.
6. Click Appeal a Permanently Suspended Account.
7. Click File an Appeal.
8. Click Email Us.
9. Type a subject for your message in the Subject field.
10. Type a detailed message in the Description field — including what changes you’ll make to adhere to Etsy’s policies from here on out.
11. To attach a file to your message, click the Add File button and choose the file you want to attach.
12. Click Send.

After you submit your appeal, an Etsy specialist will review it. You will receive the agent’s final decision regarding your account via email. (Be aware that it might take as long as two weeks to receive a decision.)