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Suspension riskPI-12 · Prohibited Items Policy

Pornography is prohibited; mature content must be listed and tagged correctly

What this rule means

Etsy prohibits pornography, sexual services, illegal or exploitative items, and some types of adult toys. It allows adult nudity in some cases. Etsy requires some photos to be obscured and requires you to list and tag mature content properly. Its allowed examples include illustrative artwork, such as a nude painting.

What Etsy says

We prohibit pornography, sexual services, illegal or exploitative items, and some types of adult toys. In some cases, adult nudity is permitted, though we require some photos to be obscured as a heads-up to people who may not want to see this type of content.
Read Etsy's full Prohibited Items Policy

Why Etsy has this rule

Etsy is a general marketplace. Buyers of every age and background browse it, and many shop from work, school, or shared devices. A clear line between explicit material and mature but allowed items lets Etsy keep the marketplace comfortable for most buyers while still leaving room for artists and makers who work with adult themes.

The rule also covers how you present an item. Etsy requires you to list and tag mature content properly, and it requires some photos to be obscured. A listing can be allowed in principle and still draw a report if you do not set it up the way Etsy requires.

Common mistakes

  • Selling a digital download or printed item that explicitly shows sex acts, and assuming a mature label makes it acceptable.
  • Skipping the listing and tagging steps Etsy requires for nude art or another mature item, so it shows up next to everyday items.
  • Using explicit photos as the main listing image when a tasteful or cropped image would show the item just as well.
  • Writing an explicit description for an item that is otherwise allowed, which can get the whole listing reported.
  • Assuming that art status protects a piece, when Etsy looks at what the item shows and what it is for, not only at how you describe it.
  • Marking one listing as mature and forgetting the rest of your shop, so similar listings stay ungated.
  • Relisting a removed explicit item under a new title or in a new shop section instead of removing the content.

Examples

  • AllowedYou sell a figure-drawing print that includes nudity, and you mark the listing as mature.
  • AllowedYou sell an illustrated nude painting and follow Etsy's steps for listing mature content correctly.
  • AllowedYou sell an adult-themed greeting card that jokes about romance without showing explicit acts.
  • AllowedYou review your older listings and add the mature setting to the ones that need it.
  • Not allowedYou sell a downloadable image set that explicitly shows sex acts.
  • Not allowedYou sell a printed book or zine made to be sexually arousing, with explicit pictures.
  • Not allowedYou list an explicit piece and mark it as mature, expecting that to make it allowed.

How to stay compliant

  1. Delist any item that is pornography, a sexual service, or an adult toy of a type Etsy prohibits.
  2. For mature items Etsy allows, such as nude art, follow Etsy's guide to listing mature content correctly: list and tag the item properly and obscure photos where required.
  3. Review your other listings for the same gap.

Effort: low · 15-45 minutes

If your suspension email cites this rule

Read the email and note which listings it names. Then look at each one the way a stranger would. Ask two questions. Is the item pornography or another type of content Etsy prohibits? Or is it a mature item, such as nude art, that should have been listed and tagged as mature? The answer decides what you do next.

If the item is explicit, remove it and check your shop for similar listings. If it is a mature item that was not listed correctly, follow Etsy's guide to listing mature content correctly, and look through your other listings for the same gap. When you write to Etsy, describe what the item is and what you changed, and do not argue that the rule should not apply to you. Etsy makes the final decision, and no reply can promise a particular result.

Suspended over this rule?

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

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Common questions

Is nudity in art prohibited on Etsy?

Nudity alone is not the test. Etsy prohibits pornography. It allows adult nudity in some cases, with some photos obscured and the listing tagged properly.

How do I mark a listing as mature?

Etsy's guide, Listing Mature Content Correctly, explains how to list and tag mature items and which photos must be obscured. Open the listing in Shop Manager to edit it, and check your other listings too.

Does a mature label make an explicit item allowed?

No. Etsy prohibits pornography, and a mature label does not change that.

Can I sell adult toys on Etsy?

Only some types. Etsy's page says it prohibits some types of adult toys, and it does not list which ones. Read Etsy's Adult Nudity and Sexual Content Policy before you list one.

What if Etsy removed my listing and I think it was a mistake?

Look at the listing honestly first. If the item is not explicit, say so in your reply, describe what it is, and mention the mature setting if you have turned it on. Etsy makes the final call.

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