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WarningHM-7 · Etsy's Creativity Standards

Vintage items must be listed as 'Handpicked by a seller', not as handmade

What this rule means

Vintage items belong under the handpicked group, not the handmade group. Etsy defines vintage items as items that are at least 20 years old and that you personally curated or collected. If a listing for a vintage piece is set up as a handmade item, it is in the wrong category and can be flagged.

What Etsy says

Vintage items, items from nature, and certain collections of items that a seller personally selected and curated for sale. Vintage items: Items that are 20+ years old, that the seller personally curated or collected.
Read Etsy's full Etsy's Creativity Standards

Why Etsy has this rule

Buyers search by item type. Someone looking for handmade work expects a maker. Someone looking for vintage expects an older item with a history. When a vintage listing sits in the handmade group, both buyers get poor results. Etsy's Creativity Standards give vintage its own place: handpicked by a seller.

The rule also keeps the descriptions honest. A made item and a found item involve different work. The first is about skill. The second is about knowledge, sourcing, and care in choosing. Setting the right type tells the buyer what they are getting. It is also a simple fix, which is why this rule is marked as a warning.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving the item type set to a handmade item when the piece is vintage.
  • Calling an item vintage when it is under 20 years old.
  • Using the words antique, retro, or vintage for an item you made to look old.
  • Writing a vintage description that reads as if you made the item.
  • Skipping the story of how you found or chose the piece.
  • Listing a mix of vintage and new items under one handmade listing.
  • Stating an age you have not checked or cannot support.
  • Forgetting to resave and republish the listing after you change its type.

Examples

  • AllowedYou list a 1970s ceramic vase as a vintage item and explain where you found it.
  • AllowedYou list a handpicked collection of items you chose yourself, with the age and condition noted.
  • AllowedYou sell a necklace that you made from old beads, listed as a handmade item.
  • AllowedYou describe how you source and curate your vintage pieces.
  • Not allowedYou list a 1960s typewriter as a handmade item.
  • Not allowedYou call a ten-year-old jacket vintage.
  • Not allowedYou describe a thrift store find as hand-crafted by you.
  • Not allowedYou list a vintage item with the word retro and no stated age, set as handmade.

How to stay compliant

  1. Open the affected listing in Shop Manager and change the item type from 'A handmade item' to 'A vintage item' (20+ years old).
  2. Confirm the item is genuinely 20+ years old; if not, it must qualify under a different Etsy category.
  3. Update the listing description to explain how you personally sourced or curated the item.
  4. Save and republish the listing.

Effort: low · 15-30 minutes

If your suspension email cites this rule

Because this rule is marked as a warning, you can often fix it directly. Read the email to find the listings in question. Open each one and check two points. First, is the item truly at least 20 years old? Second, did you pick it out yourself, and does the listing say so? If both are true, change the item type to vintage and save the listing. If the item is under 20 years old, vintage is not the right label, and it has to qualify under a different group or come down.

If you write back to Etsy, keep it short and factual. Say which listings you corrected and how you know the age of each item. Add a line that explains how you found or curated it. Check your other vintage listings at the same time so the same warning does not return. Etsy makes the final decision on any notice.

Suspended over this rule?

Generate a complete, ready-to-submit Etsy appeal for this exact violation.

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Common questions

How old does an item need to be to count as vintage?

Etsy defines vintage items as those that are 20 or more years old. The seller also has to have personally curated or collected the item.

What is the Handpicked by a seller group?

It is the Etsy group for vintage items, items from nature, and certain collections that a seller personally selected and curated for sale.

Can I list a vintage item as handmade if I repaired it?

A repair alone does not make a vintage find a handmade item. If you changed it into a new piece, describe what you made and what you started with, and choose the item type that fits.

What if my item is only 15 years old?

It does not meet the vintage definition. Check whether it qualifies under another group, such as an item you made or designed. If not, it may not be suitable for the Handmade category.

How do I change the item type on a listing?

Open the listing in Shop Manager, change the type from handmade to vintage, update the description to explain how you sourced it, then save and republish.

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