SELLER POLICY Etsy is a marketplace where you can sell your handmade goods, vintage items and craft supplies directly to buyers around the world. We want to make sure that you and your buyers have a positive experience on Etsy. Please read on to find out more about your rights, as well as what is expected of you, as a seller. This policy is a part of our Terms of Use. By opening an Etsy shop, you’re agreeing to this policy and our Terms of Use. What Can be Sold on Etsy What Can't be Sold on Etsy Representing Yourself, Your Shop, and Your Listings Honestly Communicating with Other Etsy Members Building a Positive Reputation Through our Reviews System Providing Great Customer Service Responding to Requests for Cancellations, Returns and Exchanges WHAT CAN BE SOLD ON ETSY Etsy is a unique marketplace. Buyers come to Etsy to purchase items that they might not find anywhere else. Everything listed for sale on Etsy must be handmade, vintage or a craft supply. HANDMADE items are items that are made by you, the seller, or are designed by you and made with the help of an approved outside manufacturer who complies with our ethical manufacturing policies. Read our full Handmade Policy here. If you sell in the Handmade category, you must be able to demonstrate that your items comply with our Handmade Policy. You agree that: All handmade items are made or designed by you. If you work with an outside manufacturer to make items that you have designed, you must apply for outside manufacturing and choose ethical manufacturing partners. You accurately describe every person involved in the making of an item in your shop in your About page. You are using your own photographs-- not stock photos, artistic renderings, or photos used by other sellers or sites. Read more about using appropriate photographs in this Help article. If you are selling Custom Items in the Handmade category, you agree that: All custom item listings are available for purchase. Each custom listing has a set price. If you are using photographs of previous work with options for customisation (like colour choices) included in the listing, it is clear in your description that the photos shown are just examples. For more information on how to list Custom items, please see this Help article. VINTAGE items must be at least 20 years old. CRAFT SUPPLIES are tools, ingredients, or materials intended for use in the creation of a new handmade item. Commercially made materials that are ready to use as finished goods may not be sold as craft supplies on Etsy. WHAT CAN'T BE SOLD ON ETSY Even if they otherwise meet our handmade, vintage or craft supply criteria, prohibited items, services, and items that violate our intellectual property policies are not allowed to be sold on Etsy. Reselling is not allowed on Etsy. Reselling refers to selling an item in the Handmade category when you were not involved in the creation process. In short, you may not resell items that you were not involved in designing or making. Keep in mind that members may flag listings that appear to violate our policies for Etsy's review. Etsy may remove any listings that violate our policies. Note that listing fees are non-refundable. Etsy may also suspend or terminate your account for any violations. You’ll still be on the hook to pay any outstanding fees on your Etsy bill. You can find more information in our Fees & Payments Policy. If you are raising money on behalf of a charity, you must obtain that charity’s consent. Please see this Help article for more information about donating any portion of your sales to charity. REPRESENTING YOURSELF, YOUR SHOP AND YOUR LISTINGS HONESTLY One of Etsy’s core values is transparency. Transparency means that you honestly and accurately represent yourself, your items and your business. By selling on Etsy, you agree that you will: Provide honest, accurate information in your About page, should you choose to complete it. Honor your Shop Policies, should you choose to publish them. Accurately represent your items in listings and listing photos. Respect the intellectual property of others. If you feel someone has violated your intellectual property rights, you can report it to Etsy. Not engage in fee avoidance. Not create duplicate shops. Please see Multiple Shops on Etsy for more details. COMMUNICATING WITH OTHER ETSY MEMBERS CONVERSATIONS You can use Etsy Conversations (“Convos”) to communicate directly with your buyers or other Etsy members. Conversations are a great way for buyers to ask you questions about an item or an order. Conversations may not be used for the following activities: Sending unsolicited advertising or promotions, requests for donations or spam; Harassing or abusing another member; Contacting someone after they have explicitly asked you not to; or Interfering with a transaction or the business of another member. INTERFERENCE Interference occurs when a member intentionally interferes with another member’s shop in order to drive away their business. Interference is strictly prohibited on Etsy. Examples of interference include: Contacting another member via Etsy Conversations to warn them away from a particular member, shop or item Posting in public areas to demonstrate or discuss a dispute with another member Purchasing from a seller for the sole purpose of leaving a negative review. HARASSMENT Any use of Etsy Conversations to harass other members is strictly prohibited. Similarly, Conversations may not be used to support or glorify hatred toward, or otherwise demean people based upon: race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, disability or sexual orientation. If you receive a Convo that violates this policy, please let us know right away. EMAILS You may receive a buyer’s email address or other information as a result of entering into a transaction with that buyer. This information may only be used for Etsy-related communications or for Etsy-facilitated transactions. You may not use this information for unsolicited commercial messages or unauthorised transactions. Without the buyer’s explicit consent, you may not add any Etsy member to your email or physical mailing list or store or misuse any payment information. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy. BUILDING A POSITIVE REPUTATION THROUGH OUR REVIEWS SYSTEM Reviews are a great way for you to build a reputation on Etsy. Buyers can leave a review, including a one to five star rating and a photograph of their purchase, within 60 days after their item’s expected delivery date. The estimated delivery date is the purchase date + processing time + shipping time. Buyers can edit their review, including the photograph, any number of times during that 60 day period. On the rare occasion you receive an unfavourable review, you can reach out to the buyer or, if the review is less than 3 stars, leave a response. Reviews and your response to reviews may not: Contain private information; Contain obscene, racist, or harassing language or imagery; Contain medical drug claims; Contain advertising or spam; Be about things outside the seller’s control, such as a shipping carrier, Etsy or a third party; or Undermine the integrity of the Reviews system. EXTORTION Extortion is not allowed on Etsy. Any attempt to manipulate reviews through threats, intimidation, or bribery is considered extortion and is strictly prohibited on Etsy. Extortion includes when a seller offers a buyer additional goods, services, or compensation in exchange for a positive review. For more information, please see this Help article. SHILLING Shilling is strictly prohibited on Etsy. Shilling is the fraudulent inflation of a shop’s reputation by use of an alternate account. The intent of shilling is to make a seller look more desirable by increasing the shop’s number of sales and overall review score. Not only does it violate our core value of transparency, but it is considered to be a deceptive business practice by the US Federal Trade Commission. Reviews must reflect the honest, unbiased opinions, findings, beliefs or experience of the buyer. For more information on shilling, including examples, please see this Help article. PROVIDING GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE We expect our sellers to provide a high level of customer service. By selling on Etsy, you agree to: Honor your shipping and processing times. Sellers are obligated to ship an item or otherwise complete a transaction with a buyer in a prompt manner, unless there is an exceptional circumstance. Please be aware that legal requirements for shipping times vary by country. These requirements are detailed in our Shipping Policy. Respond to Conversations in a timely manner. Honor the commitments you make in your shop policies. Resolve disagreements or disputes directly with the buyer. In the unlikely event that you can’t reach a resolution, our Trust and Safety team can help through our case system. Read about your rights and responsibilities regarding cases here. If you are unable to complete an order, you must notify the buyer and cancel the order. Read about how to cancel an order in this Help article. Etsy will help you provide great customer service and maintain trust with your buyers through our Seller Service Level Standards (“SLS.”) Read more about SLS here. Etsy also provides limited protection to sellers who meet the requirements of our Seller Protection Programme. Read more about Etsy’s Seller Protection Programme here. RESPONDING TO REQUESTS FOR CANCELLATIONS, RETURNS AND EXCHANGES Please be aware that in addition to this policy, each country has its own laws surrounding shipping, cancellations, returns and exchanges. Please familiarise yourself with the laws of your own country and those of your buyers’ countries. EUROPEAN UNION RIGHT OF WITHDRAWAL Buyers in the European Union (EU) may be entitled to a 14-day “right of withdrawal” after receiving an item, during which they may return an item for any reason. The details of this right vary by EU member state. The right of withdrawal does not apply to custom items or certain perishable goods. Rights with respect to digital items vary by EU member state. Read more about the EU Right of Withdrawal in this Help article. CANCELLATIONS If you are unable to complete a transaction, you must notify the buyer via Etsy Conversations and cancel the transaction. If the buyer already submitted payment, you must issue a full refund. You are encouraged to keep proof of any refunds in the event a dispute arises. You may cancel a transaction under the following circumstances: The buyer did not pay. (The seller may flag a buyer for a payment not received, chargeback or cancelled payment.) Both you and the buyer agree to cancel the transaction prior to shipment, and you have issued the buyer a full refund. You have decided to refuse service to the buyer, and if the buyer has already paid, you have issued a full refund, including shipping. The buyer did not receive the item(s) ordered, even though you provided proof of shipping, and you have issued a refund for the item. (Refunding shipping is optional, unless the buyer paid with Direct Checkout, in which case you'll need to refund in full.) Both you and the buyer agreed that the buyer could return the item for a refund, you have received the returned item and issued a refund to the buyer for the item. (Refunding shipping is optional, unless the buyer paid with Direct Checkout, in which case you will need to refund in full.) ETSY’S CASE SYSTEM We ask buyers to contact a seller directly and attempt to resolve any outstanding issues before opening a case on Etsy. For this reason, it is important that you fill out your shop policies and regularly respond to Conversations from your buyers. Buyers may file a case for a non-delivery or a not-as-described item. You must respond to any open cases within seven days. A NON-DELIVERY occurs when a buyer places an order and submits payment, but does not receive the item. The following are examples of Non-Delivery cases: An item was never sent. An item was sent to an address that is not on the Etsy receipt. There is no proof that the item was shipped to the buyer’s address. An item is NOT AS DESCRIBED if it is materially different from the your listing description or your photos. The following are examples of Not as Described cases: The item received is a different colour, model, version or size than is shown in the photo or described in the listing. The item has a different design or material. The item was advertised as authentic but is not authentic. You failed to disclose the fact that an item is damaged or is missing parts. A buyer purchased three items but only received two. The condition of the item is misrepresented. For example, the description at the time of purchase said the item was “new” and the item is used. NOT AS DESCRIBED CASES CAN ALSO BE FILED FOR LATE DELIVERY. In order to qualify as late delivery, the buyer must provide proof that all of these conditions have been met: The item(s) were ordered for a specific date or event. A deadline was agreed upon by the buyer and seller. The item(s) are rendered useless after that date. For more information on how to resolve a case, please see this Help article. Last updated on 29 Jan, 2016
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