Chapter 7

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

In This Chapter

Figuring out what you can sell on Etsy

Determining what items Etsy doesn’t allow

Understanding the consequences of selling prohibited items

Many people think of Etsy as a sort of eBay for arts and crafts. Indeed, Etsy and eBay are similar — people use both sites to buy stuff from other individuals; the sites’ business models, which involve charging listing fees and taking a small commission on every sale, are clearly related; and members use feedback to rate sellers.

But the differences are hard to ignore. For starters, unlike eBay, Etsy doesn’t use an auction format. Furthermore, although Etsy is certainly growing, it’s significantly smaller than eBehemoth. But the biggest and most obvious difference is that, unlike eBay, where sellers can list pretty much anything (anyone need a ghost in a jar?), sellers on Etsy are limited to selling items that meet Etsy’s strict criteria. In this chapter, we fill you in on what you can — and can’t — sell on Etsy.

For more information about what you can and can't sell on Etsy, see the site's DO's & DON'Ts page (www.etsy.com/policy/dosdonts). Specifics appear in the Marketplace Criteria section of this page. If you don't find your answer there, check Etsy's Site Help forum. (You find out more about forums in Chapter 19.)

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

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

Handmade items

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, you may have vintage or handmade items that also qualify as supplies. If your inventory includes items like these, you need to decide which category applies best.

The handmaid’s tale: Selling handmade items

Etsy’s primary raison d’être is to serve as a marketplace for handmade goods, with no mass-produced items allowed. But the site isn’t for selling just any handmade goods. Etsy sellers must offer handmade goods made by them (or by members of their Etsy collective — flip to Chapter 18 for more about collectives). Selling an item that someone else made, even if it was painstakingly crafted by hand, isn’t permitted.

Naturally, this requirement raises a few key questions:

What if you upcycle or otherwise alter an existing item? Up-whatting? Upcycling is the process of fashioning new, higher-quality items out of materials or products that you might otherwise throw away. So, maybe you specialize in making purses out of old license plates. Or perhaps you screen-print your own designs onto mass-produced T-shirts. In both cases, you’re covered. In Etsy’s view, items that are altered by hand in this manner can still be considered “handmade.” Note, however, that Etsy doesn’t feel that way about items that you’ve simply tailored, restored, or repaired.

What if you craft an item yourself from a kit? Etsy doesn’t view items that you’ve created using a “ready to assemble” kit as being handmade, unless you substantially alter the design as you work. So, if you were planning to profit from your passion for paint-by-number, you may need to rethink your position.

What if someone helps you make your item? For example, maybe you have an assistant who, under your supervision, assists with a portion of the creative process. Or perhaps you’ve enlisted a third-party vendor to handle some aspects of your workflow, such as printing your artwork onto greeting cards. Either way, you’re golden. Etsy understands that more than one pair of hands may need to touch your item. It’s also okay by Etsy if you have an assistant help you with such shop-related tasks as listing items in your Etsy shop, shipping items, communicating with buyers, keeping records, and so on. But you cross a line if that assistant or vendor handles most of the work involved in the item’s creation.

On a quasi-related note, drop shipping is not allowed. That is, you can’t work at one location but ship from another. All items must be shipped under the direct supervision of the seller.

What if you creatively repackage a commercial item? Nope. No matter how great the finished product is, you can’t list a gift basket stuffed with non-handmade items and try to pass off the package as a handmade good.

The whole point of Etsy is to enable artisans and craftspeople to connect with buyers. Etsy is more than an online craft fair; it’s an attempt to build an alternative, artisanal economy of sorts — one that eschews mass production. If your inventory isn’t in line with this philosophy, Etsy may not be the marketplace for you.

Oldies but goodies: Offering vintage items

Although Etsy was originally conceived as a marketplace for handmade goods, it also serves as an excellent venue for vintage goods and collectibles. Items can include bags, books, clothing, electronics, furniture, jewelry, toys, and more.

So, how old does something have to be in order to be considered vintage? It depends on who you ask. But if you ask Etsy, the answer is 20 years old. Unless your item was manufactured during Kurt Cobain’s lifetime (or before), you need to find another venue for it.

Supplies and demand: Selling supplies

In an effort to support its crafty community, Etsy allows the sale of commercial crafting supplies on the site: beads, buttons, fabric, findings, paper, patterns, tools, trim, wire, wool, and whatnot. Shipping and packaging supplies are also acceptable.

What’s not allowed: items that, although perhaps considered commercial crafting supplies, are ready for use as is — think mass-produced dollhouse furniture and the like. Ditto mass-produced goods that may 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 kosher.

Do you have a closet full of crafting supplies? If so, consider culling your collection and listing your leftovers on Etsy. Not only will you pull in a little extra cash, but you’ll 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 (when you’ve made them), 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 the items and services that Etsy doesn’t allow.

Achtung, baby: Knowing what items are prohibited

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

Alcohol

Drugs, druglike substances, and drug paraphernalia

Firearms and weapons

Hazardous materials (materials that are flammable, explosive, corrosive, poisonous, and so on)

Live animals and illegal animal products

Human remains or body parts (excluding hair and teeth)

Motor vehicles (automobiles, motorcycles, boats, and so on)

Pornography

Real estate

Recalled items

Tobacco and other smokeable products

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In addition, Etsy prohibits the sale of items that

Promote hatred toward people or demean them based on race or ethnicity, gender or gender identity, disability, or sexual orientation

Promote or glorify illegal activity

Promote or glorify harmful acts

Service says: 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’re not even allowed to avail yourself to members seeking your 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.

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 by Etsy’s Marketplace Integrity Trust & Safety Team. (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 other cases, Etsy will send you a questionnaire, asking you to

Name each person and detail his or her role in your shop.

Describe the materials and equipment you use to make your items.

Outline in detail how you make your items

Show photographs of the raw materials used, as well as step-by-step photographs of your handmade process. (This is part of an effort to thwart so-called “resellers,” or people who sell things that they did not, in fact, make and that are not considered “vintage” or “supplies.”)

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.