Suspension riskHM-1 · Etsy's Creativity Standards

Items must be made or designed by the seller

What this rule means

Items in the Handmade category must be made or designed by you. Etsy sets out four ways an item can qualify: made by a seller, designed by a seller, sourced by a seller, or handpicked by a seller. If you bought a finished item and resold it unchanged, it does not fit any of the four in the Handmade category.

What Etsy says

As such, everything listed for sale on Etsy must be made, designed, handpicked, or sourced by a seller.

Read Etsy's full Etsy's Creativity Standards

Why Etsy has this rule

The Handmade category is where buyers expect to meet the person behind the work. Etsy built its Creativity Standards around that expectation. The four categories give sellers a clear test: did you make it, design it, source craft supplies, or personally pick out a vintage or natural item? When a listing fails the test, the category stops meaning what buyers think it means.

The rule also keeps the field fair. Makers put real time and skill into each piece. A reseller who lists a finished item next to them with a better price takes sales from the people the category was built for. Etsy therefore reviews listings that look resold and removes those that do not meet the standards.

Common mistakes

Reselling a finished item from a store or supplier with no change to the design or the work.
Putting a brand name in the title or description without any qualifier that shows what you actually did.
Using stock product photos that look like a supplier's catalog image.
Naming a manufacturer or wholesale source in the description.
Copying descriptions from a dropship catalog across many listings.
Writing no maker story, materials, or process anywhere in the shop.
Believing that a small add-on, such as a gift box, makes a resold item your own.
Using a purchased or downloaded template design in a laser cutter, 3D printer, or cutting machine.

Examples

AllowedYou knit a hat yourself and describe the yarn and your process in the listing.
AllowedYou design a mug, hire a production partner to print it, and disclose that partner.
AllowedYou sell a vintage brooch that you picked out and curated, listed as a vintage item.
AllowedYou sell craft supplies that let buyers make their own projects.
Not allowedYou buy finished candles from a wholesaler and list them as your own work.
Not allowedYou list a brand-name handbag in the Handmade category.
Not allowedYou post the same supplier description on twenty listings with stock photos.
Not allowedYou laser cut a design you bought as a file, and you describe it as your own design.

How to stay compliant

Audit every listing in your shop and identify any item you did not make, design, or meaningfully transform.
Deactivate or permanently delete listings for items you purchased finished and resold without adding your own design or craft.
For items made with a production partner's assistance, add a production-partner disclosure to those specific listings via Shop Manager > Listings > Edit.
Update listing descriptions to clearly describe your role in making or designing the item — include your materials, process, or design story.
If you use computerized tools (laser cutter, 3D printer, Cricut), confirm the design file is your own original work, not a purchased or downloaded template.

Effort: medium · 2-6 hours

If your suspension email cites this rule

Read the email to find which listings were flagged. Then sort every flagged listing into one of the four groups: made by you, designed by you, sourced craft supplies, or handpicked vintage or natural items. Be strict with yourself. If you cannot place a listing in one of the groups, it likely does not belong in the Handmade category. Do the same check across your whole shop, since Etsy may look at patterns and not only the listing in the email.

If you appeal a listing, say which group it fits and show it. For a made item, send photos of the work and your tools. For a designed item, send design files and the partner's name. For a sourced or handpicked item, send invoices or notes on how you picked it. Do not claim you made an item that you bought. Etsy decides the outcome, and an appeal may not succeed.

Suspended over this rule?

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Common questions

What are the four ways an item can qualify as Handmade?

Etsy lists them as made by a seller, designed by a seller, sourced by a seller, and handpicked by a seller. Sourced covers craft supplies and similar items. Handpicked covers vintage and natural items.

Can I sell items I design but do not make?

Yes. Designed by a seller is one of the four groups. You disclose any production partner on the listing and give accurate information about where the item ships from.

Is reselling ever allowed in the Handmade category?

Only in the narrow cases Etsy allows, such as craft supplies or vintage items you curated. Reselling a finished retail item as handmade is not allowed.

Does adding my name or a personal touch make a resold item mine?

Not by itself. The item has to fit one of the four groups. A light add-on to a finished product does not turn it into an item you made or designed.

What proof should I keep that I made an item?

Keep process photos, photos of your workspace and tools, design files, and supplier or partner records. Etsy does not publish a fixed list, so more detail helps.