I will preface this by saying I have opened a few Etsy shops, none of which have been successful, most likely because I haven’t been consistent with any of them. One of them did make a few sales a few years back, and they were POD items of designs I had made. It was pretty exciting (though, I maybe made $2 tops after the product cost and Etsy fees).
I have renamed and revamped a shop or two with a different idea, and I have put at least one or probably a couple on vacation mode because keeping up with them has not been my priority (and they don’t have a ton of listings, anyway). Still, I have to say I am quite fortunate (?) that none of my shops has been subject to this ban (knock on wood), which seems to be a really big thing right now.
Etsy is banning shops and accounts left and right!
For “potentially fraudulent activity.”
What activity, you may ask? Well, I guess Etsy doesn’t tell you that part, at least not specifically, even if you ask. It may be buried in their updated terms and standards, which shop owners may or may not have read and subsequently adjusted or removed some of their listings as a result of.
I have seen several YouTube videos over the last few days discussing this ban . . . whether it be a general notification of what has been going on, or specific shop/account bans that the affected owners are cautioning about.
The video below hits on a very specific change Etsy made in their Creativity Standards, in which the deletion of seven specific words has a HUGE impact. While sellers for some time have been able to sell products they made using a someone else’s design file that they purchased, the deletion of “or using a templated design or pattern” very effectively removes that capability. Now it says “These items must be produced based on a seller’s original design” and leaves no room for templated designs. It even changed “may be” to “must be.” Here is a direct link to Etsy’s Creativity Standards, so you can read it for yourself (as of 9/2/2026).
And in this next video (THIS IS NOT ME), the creator describes how she has no clue what the alleged “potentially fraudulent activity” is that got her permanently banned, and her appeal denied. Suddenly, she can neither sell nor shop on Etsy anymore, under any account. This whole entire channel of her business just got vaporized, and she is left trying to figure out why.
5:22 “So what now? I’ve always heard that you shouldn’t build your entire business around one platform.”
5:57 “That’s the problem with building your entire business on someone else’s platform. You don’t control it. They can change the rules….”
She just didn’t think it could happen to her (her words). None of us does. If we think we are following the rules and we know we are not trying to scam anyone, we think we are safe. Then the rules change.
She explains that she had always had a plan to move over to her own website (in this case a Shopify store), but she thought she could do that gradually, on her own time. Well, Etsy just proved her wrong and made that Priority #1 for her. I hope she can get it done quickly, I do not wish this on any legitimate business. 🙁
There could be other updates and changes that Etsy has made to their terms, but the purpose of this post is not to dive into that. The purpose is to reiterate the importance of BUILDING YOUR OWN WEBSITE, or “owning your own real estate” as it were. Do not hinge your business on someone else’s platform, whether it be Etsy, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, or whatever. Those platforms are excellent accompaniments and can really make a difference in getting your name out there and driving traffic…but you CANNOT rely on them always being there for you. Remember, they don’t care about you or your business. It is THEIR business, and they can do what they want with it. Create for yourself your own platform, and make that the main thing. If something happens on one of the other platforms, your business or website may take a hit…but you will still have it, and you can continue to build.
There are multiple places where you can learn how to build a WordPress website. I learned through Wealthy Affiliate, and the link is below if you want to take a look. I may not be the most prolific website builder (and I still have plenty to learn) . . . but I can at least do it without having to rely on someone else to do it for me. Whether you want to be an affiliate marketer or not — if you have a business, you should have your own website. That is not even a question anymore.
Amber ✨
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