Suspension riskSP-2 · Seller Policy

Operating duplicate shops to game visibility or evade suspension is prohibited

What this rule means

Etsy's Seller Policy bars creating duplicate shops, or taking other action such as manipulating clicks, carts, or sales, to game search, shill, or get around Etsy's policies. The page does not say whether you may run a second shop with different products, so ask Etsy Support before you open one. Any second shop must stand on its own.

What Etsy says

By selling on Etsy, you agree that you will: Not create duplicate shops or take any other action (such as manipulating clicks, carts or sales) for the purpose of shilling, manipulating search or circumventing Etsy's policies.

Read Etsy's full Seller Policy

Why Etsy has this rule

Search results, reviews, and enforcement all assume that one shop is one seller. If a seller can post the same listings through many shops, that seller takes extra space in search and spreads risk. Honest sellers who run one shop get crowded out.

A new shop is also an easy way to dodge a past problem. Etsy's policy says sellers may not create duplicate shops or take other action for the purpose of shilling, manipulating search, or circumventing Etsy's policies. The rule keeps the marketplace fair for everyone who plays by it. The Seller Policy also says Etsy may suspend or terminate your account and any accounts it determines are related to it.

Common mistakes

Opening a second shop with the same photos and descriptions as the first to double your search presence.
Starting a new shop after a suspension so you can keep selling.
Using a relative's account to sell the same products that your own shop lost.
Copying your About section word for word into a second shop.
Opening an extra shop by accident and leaving it live with duplicate listings.
Making a second shop appear to be a separate seller when it is not.
Using one shop to like, buy from, or review the other.

Examples

AllowedYou ask Etsy Support whether a second shop for a different product line is allowed, and you give it its own photos and text.
AllowedYou write fresh copy and take new photos for the second shop.
AllowedYou find an accidental duplicate shop and tell Etsy about it.
AllowedYou focus on one shop and improve it.
Not allowedYou open a new shop with the same listings after your first shop is suspended.
Not allowedYou list the same product in three shops to take more space in search.
Not allowedYou ask a family member to open a shop and sell what your suspended shop sold.

How to stay compliant

If you run more than one shop, confirm with Etsy Support that this is allowed, and make sure each shop sells distinct product lines and has unique descriptions, photos, and branding.
Do not reopen a new shop or use a family member's account to continue selling after your primary shop receives a suspension — Etsy links related accounts and will apply the suspension.
If you opened a second shop inadvertently for legitimate reasons, contact Etsy Support to disclose the situation before it is flagged as a duplicate.
Differentiate any legitimate secondary shop with its own original product photography, About section, and shop copy.

Effort: high · varies — legal account consolidation may require contacting Etsy Support

If your suspension email cites this rule

Read the email and identify which shops Etsy treats as linked. Then list every shop, past or present, that you or someone in your household has run, along with why each one exists. Compare their listings, photos, and About text. Overlap is what makes shops look like duplicates.

Be honest in your appeal. If a second shop was opened for a real, separate purpose, explain what it sells and how it differs. If it was opened by mistake, say so and say what you did about it. If it was opened to get around a past action, do not defend it. Do not open another shop while you wait, because that can make matters worse. Do not promise a result. Etsy makes the final decision.

Suspended over this rule?

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

Generate your appeal letter

Common questions

Can I have more than one Etsy shop?

Etsy's Seller Policy bars duplicate shops made to manipulate search, shill, or get around its policies. It does not say whether you may run a second shop with different products. Ask Etsy Support before you open one.

What counts as a duplicate shop?

A shop that repeats the listings, photos, or text of another shop, or that exists to manipulate search, shill, or get around Etsy's policies. Etsy's policy bars creating duplicate shops for those purposes.

Can I open a new shop after a suspension?

Do not use a new shop to keep selling around a suspension. Doing so is the kind of circumvention the policy describes. Address the suspension itself through an appeal.

What if I opened a second shop by mistake?

Tell Etsy about it and fix or close the duplicate. Being open about it helps more than waiting for Etsy to flag it.

Can a family member sell my products in their own shop?

Only if it is truly a separate business with its own products and content. Using a relative's account to continue what a suspended shop sold is circumvention.