Suspension riskSP-5 · Seller Policy
Harassing or abusive communication with buyers or other members is prohibited
What Etsy says
Messages may not be used for harassing or abusing another member. Any use of Messages to harass other members is strictly prohibited. Content may not contain threats, harassment, extortion, or violate rules about interference.Read Etsy's full Seller Policy
How to stay compliant
- Review all public-facing text in your shop (policies, About section, listing descriptions, review responses) and remove any threatening, dismissive, or coercive language.
- Rewrite review responses that contain personal insults or attempts to discredit the buyer — keep responses professional, brief, and factual.
- Update your shop policy section to remove any language that discourages buyers from filing disputes or cases.
- If you are in an active dispute with a buyer, communicate only through Etsy's Messages or case system, not through outside channels.
Effort: low · 30-60 minutes
Suspended over this rule?
Generate a complete, ready-to-submit Etsy appeal for this exact violation in about 5 minutes.
Related seller policy rules
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- Operating duplicate shops to game visibility or evade suspension is prohibitedSuspension risk
- Artificially inflating shop favorites, views, or sales through fake engagement is prohibitedSuspension risk
- Sellers must not manipulate reviews through incentives, coercion, or retaliationSuspension risk
- Sellers must honor stated processing times and accurately represent their shipping locationWarning
- Sharing account credentials or granting unauthorized access to your shop is prohibitedWarning
- Sellers must accurately represent their identity and shop locationSuspension risk