Earlier this year, Etsy rolled out new Etsy shop policies, or “house rules.” Some of these updates went into effect on March 9th while other changes became effective as of April 11th.

As a seller, it’s important to stay on top of Etsy shop policies, as your compliance plays a significant role in your success on the platform. The last thing you want is to have your shop shut down for one reason or another.

Now, I’m not a lawyer. So it’s important to always do your own due diligence when it comes to this sort of thing. Having said that, below, you’ll find information about the most significant changes that have been made to the Etsy shop policies.

Let’s take a look… (the ending is when Gabey arrived ?)

Updated Etsy shop policies

If you go through the updated Etsy shop policies, you won’t find a whole lot that’s actually all that different. Most of the updates are changes to how the policies are worded as a way to increase trust and transparency.

Unfortunately, Etsy doesn’t offer a redlined version of the new policies so you can’t tell at a glance what’s new and what’s changed. However, Etsy does still let you look at the old policies so you can compare them to the new ones on your own.

You can review all categories of Etsy’s old policies and new policies here. I would strongly encourage you to read the updated Etsy shop policies in full on your own.

But as a starting point, Etsy seller RaspberryDigital took the liberty of posting a version of the new policies that reflects the changes that were made and went into effect on March 9th, which you can review below.

Key:

• Green text means this was added to Etsy’s new policies.
• Strikethrough, grey text means this was deleted from Etsy’s old policies.

“Privacy Policy

4. Messages from Etsy

Etsy may send you an SMS (or similar) message, …, for security purposes when you enable two factor authentication in your account, or to provide you with information about products and features that you may find of interest. ... When you contact a seller using Etsy Messages, the feature that allows buyers and sellers to communicate through the Services, we may share aggregated information about your use of the Services to sellers, for example if you are a frequent purchaser or a new buyer, so they can provide you with better service and so we improve our Site and Apps.

5. Community

…Another member may follow your public activity on the Site to receive updates, such as when you add an item to your public Favorites or Collections…

6. Information Uses, Sharing, & Disclosure

…Etsy may also use first party data (e.g. your prior shopping and browsing patterns on our Site), and may combine it with other data collected from you or received from our advertising and marketing partners, such as your location…

…enhancing protection of our community against spam, harassment, intellectual property infringement, crime, fraud and security risks of all kinds…

…Etsy will facilitate the sharing of information between the two members involved in the transaction, such as the other Etsy member’s shipping address, email address, and payment status…

Buying and Selling:…We may partner with third parties to enable you to make a purchase from an Etsy seller on that third party’s website or mobile app. The third parties’ terms of service, privacy policy, and other policies may apply, in addition to Etsy’s own policies, and they will collect information directly from you in connection with your purchase. The third party partner will share information collected from you with Etsy for purposes of fulfilling the order and for any other purpose disclosed to you at the time you provide your information…

Aggregated Information: Etsy may share demographic information with business partners, but unless otherwise stated, it will be aggregated and de-personalized so that personal information is not revealed…

10. Your Rights & Choices

…You can find information about consumer requests we received and processed under the CCPA, GDPR, and similar laws, during the previous calendar year here…

Etsy Payments Policy

2. Overview

…Buyers may authorize a payment with any major credit or debit card accepted by Etsy, with Etsy Gift Cards, Etsy Credits and Etsy Coupons (subject to applicable limitations. See Etsy Gift Cards, Credits & Coupons Policy), by certain bank transfer services, through PayPal (where…Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notice, which buyers agree to if they choose to use one of Klarna’s payment methods on Etsy….

3. Third-Party Services

…Etsy has engaged third-party service providers that provide you with regulated payment services and perform many of the services related to payment processing, including card processing, disbursements, currency exchange, identity verification, fraud analysis, and regulatory compliance…

…If there are insufficient funds in your bank account when our provider processes the payment for your purchase, Etsy reserves the right to contact you directly and to seek payment….

…Etsy Gift Cards, Etsy Credits, and Etsy Coupons are subject to the Etsy Gift Cards, Coupons & Credits Policy. By using a third-party service, you may also be subject to an agreement with the third party. For example…

5. Seller Rights and Responsibilities

…Using Etsy Payments will result in your shop accepting payment through authorized credit and debit card transactions, some bank transfer services, PayPal, Etsy Gift Card, Etsy Credits, Etsy Coupons, Apple Pay, Google Pay , and Klarna (where available). For you to sign up for Etsy Payments and receive payment for transactions made through Etsy Payments, you must provide all required information and complete all required steps, including in some markets, verifying your bank account, for compliance purposes. Without this information, payment cannot be made to you and, in some cases, your account functionality may be otherwise limited.

E. Browsing Currency Considerations for Buyers.

…If a seller chooses to show rounded prices to buyers browsing the site in a currency other than the seller’s listing price, Etsy will calculate the listing price in the buyer’s browsing currency and round it in accordance with the rounding rules described here. Etsy will display the rounded price to a buyer in the buyer’s browsing currency…

Electronic Communications Policy

5. Withdrawing Consent for Electronic Communications

You may withdraw your consent to receive Electronic Communications at any time in your account or by submitting a request to us at…

Requests for Information Policy

5. Notice to the Member Whose Records Are Sought

When practicable, unless prohibited from doing so, or where Etsy has a clear indication of illegal conduct in connection with the use of Etsy’s services, Etsy will notify the affected Etsy member before disclosing records or information requested about them, Etsy may provide notice to that member…

Buyer Policy

2. Communicating with Other Etsy Members

Harassment and Discrimination…. Any use of Messages to harass other members is strictly prohibited.

3. Purchasing an Item on Etsy

…When you buy from a shop on Etsy, you’re directly supporting an independent business, each with its unique listings, policies, processing times and payment systems…

…You also agree to comply with our Etsy Payments Policy when you use Etsy Payments and our Etsy Gift Card, Credits & Coupons Policy when you purchase or redeem Etsy Gift Cards or Etsy Credits…

When purchasing from sellers using Etsy Payments, buyers may authorize a payment with any major credit or debit card accepted by Etsy, with Etsy Gift Cards, Etsy Credits and Etsy Coupons (subject to applicable limitations. See Etsy Gift Cards, Credits & Coupons Policy), by certain bank transfer services, through PayPal (where…

By using a third-party service, you may also be subject to an agreement with the third party. For example…

When purchasing from sellers who use PayPal only, buyers may pay through PayPal only. Etsy may share your personal or transactional information with those third-party service providers for purposes related to payments processing. ??The provider and processing time for your payment will vary based on the country in which you’re located. If there are insufficient funds in your bank account when our provider processes the payment for your purchase, Etsy reserves the right to contact you directly and to seek payment.

4. Leaving a Review of an Item

By leaving a review or photograph, you acknowledge that your content may not violate our rules for Creating and Uploading Content in Section 5, in addition to the following:

1. Contain private information;
2. Contain graphic, mature, or obscene language or imagery, or any content that is subject to our mature content policy;
3. Contain hateful or derogatory language or imagery, or any content that is subject to our Anti-Discrimination and Hate Speech Policy;
4. Contain prohibited medical drug claims;
5. Contain advertising or spam;
6. Be about things outside the seller’s control, such as a shipping carrier, Etsy, or a third party;
7. Contain threats, harassment, or extortion;
8. Include shilling or otherwise falsely inflate a shop’s review score; or
9. Undermine the integrity of the Reviews system.

5. Creating and Uploading Content

…you agree that you will not upload content that:

1. 1. Contains hateful or derogatory language or imagery, or any content that is subject to our Anti-Discrimination and Hate Speech Policy;
   2. Contains threats, harassment, extortion, or violates our rules about interference;
   3. Violates someone else’s intellectual property rights;
   4. Is false, deceptive, or misleading;
   5. Contains unsolicited advertising or promotions, requests for donations, or spam;
   6. Contains private information, whether it is your own, or someone else’s;
   7. Encourages or facilitates a transaction that evades the Etsy checkout process;
   8. Contains prohibited medical drug claims;
   9. Violates any of the rules described in our Prohibited Items Policy.

6. Reporting a Problem with an Order or Returning an Item

If Etsy determines that an item is not as described, the seller will be required to refund the order, including original shipping and return shipping, if applicable.

Returning an Item

If you reside in the European Union or United Kingdom, you may be entitled to a 14-day “cooling off period,” or a “right of withdrawal,” during which you may return an item for any reason.

Seller Policy

2. Being a Member of the Etsy Community

‘This was updated as the same as buyer’s policy. Didn’t copy because it was too long.’

Your privacy policy must be compatible with this policy and Etsy’s  Terms of Use, and Etsy’s Privacy Policy.

Harassment and Discrimination

3. Feedback, Disputes and Your Success

Buyers can leave a review, including a one to five star rating and a photograph of their purchase, within 100 days after the latter date of their item’s estimated delivery date.

In addition to our rules for Creating and Uploading Content in Section 2a, reviews and your response to reviews may not:

1. 1. Contain graphic, mature, or obscene language or imagery, or any content that is subject to our mature content policy;
   2. Be about things outside the seller’s control, such as a shipping carrier, Etsy or a third party;
   3. Include shilling or otherwise falsely inflate a shop’s review score; or
   4. Undermine the integrity of the Reviews system.
   5. Contain private information;
   6. Contain hateful or derogatory language or imagery, or any content that is subject to our Anti-Discrimination and Hate Speech Policy;
   7. Contain prohibited medical drug claims;
   8. Contain advertising or spam;
   9. Contain threats, harassment, or extortion; Etsy may make changes to onboarding or authentication processes for sellers at our sole discretion. Completion of these processes may be required for seller account activation or continued access and usage.

Advertising and Marketing Policy

You may choose to promote some or all of your listings or shops as Etsy Ads. For more information see Search and Advertisement Ranking Disclosures.

In addition, certain third party platforms on which Offsite Ads are promoted may enable offsite checkout functionality for Etsy listings that are displayed as Offsite Ads (“Partner Checkout”). Specifically, Partner Checkout allows buyers to purchase and complete the checkout process for such Etsy listings via Etsy Payments entirely on and through the third party platform, without a redirect to Etsy.com or Etsy’s mobile apps.

In the event of any purchase of your listings through Partner Checkout, the buyer will be made aware that they are purchasing through your shop via Etsy Payments, and will receive links directly to your shop and shop policies. You will continue to be responsible for your listings, including shipping, customer support and dispute resolution, regardless of whether a sale is made through the partner check out flow or directly on Etsy.com or Etsy’s mobile apps, in accordance with Etsy’s policies.

In addition, the Indemnification terms that are included in the Terms of Use will be deemed to include any third party platforms that enable Partner Checkout as intended third-party beneficiaries of such indemnification rights, on the same terms and to the same extent as Etsy and including with respect to Partner Checkout and any listings promoted or sold through Partner Checkout. If you participate in Offsite Ads, some of your listings may additionally be available for Partner Checkout, and as a result, you will be subject to the related terms and policies described above. You may opt out of Partner Checkout only by opting out of Offsite Ads.

Advertising on third party platforms, including related Partner Checkout, is subject to the terms and policies set forth by each participating platform…

3. Shop-Specific Promotions

…as a seller, you may create, promote and distribute Coupons at your discretion…

Please note that Coupons will only be sent to buyers who have opted in to receive Coupons and Promotions via email from Etsy sellers.”

One of the most significant changes in the updated Etsy shop policies has to do with the Etsy API. What’s new is that now when people see an offsite Etsy ad, if the creator of that website has it set up, customers will be able to check out and make a purchase from Etsy without needing to leave the website they’re currently visiting.

Customers will be able to tell they’re making a purchase from Etsy but they won’t need to take the extra step of actually going to Etsy to complete their purchase. Hopefully, this will make the shopping process easier and will encourage more sales for Etsy sellers.

Additional change that went into effect as of April 11, 2022

After these Etsy shop policies went into effect in March, Etsy made one additional change that many sellers are really unhappy about. As of April 11th, Etsy’s transactions fees are going up from 5% to 6.5% — a 30% increase.

According to Etsy…

I hope you find this post about new Etsy shop policies to be useful! If you have any other information or insights you’d like to add, please leave a comment below. And if you enjoyed this post, please consider sharing it with your friends and followers.