Etsy listing compliance checklist: check every listing before you publish

Most Etsy listing removals are preventable. They come from a short list of familiar causes, and nearly all of them can be caught in a few minutes before you press publish.

This checklist brings those causes together. Work through it for every new listing, and again for existing listings when Etsy changes a policy. It summarizes Etsy's House Rules, including the Seller Policy, Prohibited Items Policy, Intellectual Property Policy and Creativity Standards, but it is not a substitute for them.

1. Is the item allowed on Etsy?

• The item is not in a prohibited category in Etsy's Prohibited Items Policy, such as drugs and paraphernalia, tobacco and vaping products, alcohol, hazardous or recalled items, or hateful or violent items.
• If the item has a blade, resembles a weapon or is hunting or archery equipment, it meets Etsy's current weapons policy.
• If it contains animal materials, none come from protected species or prohibited sources.
• If it is adult-themed, it meets the current rules on mature content.
• It is legal to sell in the countries you ship to, including any product safety rules for children's items, cosmetics or electrical items.

Our guide to Etsy's prohibited items explains each group and the common gray areas.

2. Does it fit Etsy's Creativity Standards?

• You made, designed, handpicked (for example vintage) or sourced (for example craft supplies) the item, as described in Etsy's Creativity Standards.
• You are not reselling finished goods that you did not make or design.
• Any production partner, such as a print-on-demand service or a print shop, is set up in Shop Manager and attached to this listing.
• If AI tools played a part in the design, the listing discloses it.
• If listed as vintage, the item is at least 20 years old, and reproductions are described as reproductions.

3. Title

• The title describes what the item is, in plain words a buyer would search for.
• It contains no brand, character, franchise, team or celebrity names, unless you have a license or the name only states factual compatibility.
• It does not use "inspired by", "style", "dupe" or "alternative to" with a brand name.
• It does not make a health or medical claim.
• It fits Etsy's limit of 140 characters and reads naturally rather than as a string of keywords.

Our trademark guide explains why brand names cause so many removals, including the narrow case of compatibility wording.

4. Tags

• You use up to 13 tags, each 20 characters or fewer.
• Every tag is relevant to this item.
• No tag contains a brand, character, franchise, team or celebrity name.
• No tag implies a medical benefit ("anxiety relief", "pain relief").
• Tags describe the item, style, material, occasion or recipient.

Tags are easy to forget during a review, which is exactly why they cause problems. Check them every time.

5. Description

• It accurately describes the materials, dimensions, colors and what the buyer receives.
• For digital items, it lists file types, sizes and what is and is not included.
• It makes no claim that the item treats, cures, prevents or relieves any condition, and does not rely on a disclaimer to excuse one.
• Traditional or spiritual meanings are presented as traditions, not promised outcomes.
• It contains no brand, character or celebrity references used to market the item.
• It contains no email addresses, phone numbers, social handles or links meant to move the sale off Etsy.
• Care and safety information is included where relevant, for example for candles, children's items or skin care.

6. Photos and video

• Every photo and video is your own, or properly licensed for this use.
• Photos show the actual item, or for made-to-order and digital items, accurately represent what the buyer receives.
• No brand logos, characters or trademarked products appear in the shot, including in props and backgrounds.
• Color and scale are clear, ideally with a daylight photo and a size reference.
• Images contain nothing that breaks other parts of the policy, such as depictions of prohibited items.

7. Price and sales

• The price is the real price buyers pay.
• Sales and discounts are genuine, not a permanently "reduced" price.
• Any urgency or scarcity wording ("only 2 left") is accurate.
• You understand the fees that apply to the sale, as set out in Etsy's Fees and Payments Policy.

8. Shipping and processing

• Processing times are realistic for your current workload.
• Shipping profiles cover the countries you actually ship to, with accurate costs.
• Personalization and custom order instructions are clear, with realistic timelines.

Late shipments and unmet expectations can lead to cases and low reviews, which affect your account over time. Our guide to handling unfair reviews covers what to do when they happen.

9. Shop-level details

• Shop policies for returns, exchanges and cancellations are complete.
• Your shop name, sections, banner and About section contain no brand, character or celebrity names.
• All production partners are listed accurately in Shop Manager.
• If you sell to buyers in the European Union, you have provided any product safety information Etsy asks for under the EU's General Product Safety Regulation.
• Billing, payment account and contact details are current, and your Etsy bill is paid.

10. Keep it current

• When Etsy updates a policy, you review the listings it could affect.
• If a listing is removed, you check similar listings for the same issue straight away.
• You keep dated records of your designs and licenses, in case you need to show your work is yours.

The five-minute version

When you are short on time, these five questions catch the most common problems:

1. Is the item allowed? Nothing prohibited, nothing recalled, and weapons and adult content checked against the current rules.
2. Is every name yours to use? No brands, characters, teams or celebrities in the title, tags, description, photos or shop details.
3. Is every claim supportable? No health outcomes, no false urgency, no "original price" that never existed.
4. Is how it is made described honestly? Production partners and AI use disclosed, vintage correctly dated, nothing resold as your own work.
5. Is everything on Etsy? No contact details or links meant to move the sale elsewhere.

If any answer is "not sure", stop and run the full section before publishing.

Turning the checklist into a habit

The simplest approach is to run sections 3 to 6 for every new listing, and the full list for anything new to your shop. Set a reminder to review older listings when Etsy announces policy changes.

If a listing has already been removed, our list of 12 reasons Etsy removes listings can help you identify the cause, and our intellectual property guide covers copyright, fan art and licensing in depth.

How Vetsy can help

Vetsy automates much of sections 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7. When you scan a listing, Vetsy checks the title, description, tags and price against a library of Etsy policy rules covering trademarks, prohibited items, medical claims, misleading wording, tag problems and pricing red flags. It gives the listing a compliance score and explains every issue with a suggested fix. Paid plans add an AI review that reads the listing as a whole.

With a paid plan, you can connect your Etsy shop and import your listings to check them in bulk. On Pro and Shield, Vetsy checks Etsy's policy pages every week and rescans your imported listings when the rules change, so section 10 largely takes care of itself.

You can start free with 3 scans a month, browse the policy library, or compare plans. Vetsy is not affiliated with Etsy, Inc.