Etsy just made MASSIVE changes to what can be sold (it's shocking 😳)

About this video

Kate Hayes interprets changes in Etsy’s creativity standards, stressing Etsy had issued no clarification at recording time and her reading is speculation, not legal advice. In ‘made by a seller,’ items made with computerized tools (laser printers, 3D printers, CNC, Cricut) previously ‘may’ be based on a templated design; now they ‘must’ be based on the seller’s original design — so printing bought SVG packs appears to no longer qualify, though whether combining existing graphics counts as original is unclear. In ‘designed by a seller,’ the exception allowing scans/PDFs of someone else’s work as digital downloads for vintage items was removed. In ‘handpicked by a seller,’ the sentence allowing digital files of scanned vintage photographs, books or patterns was deleted, and a new exclusion bars resold items from nature (e.g. bulk landscape rocks from Home Depot) — nature items must be seller-found. In ‘sourced by a seller,’ new exclusions cover resold generic cooking tools, chemical compounds, automotive/bicycle parts and various non-craft supplies: tools qualify only when their primary purpose is crafting something new. Generic resold party items are excluded unless specific to a single gathering — birthday napkins could qualify, plain everyday napkins would not. One loosening: sourced listings may now use manufacturer/distributor commercial images. Services were reorganized: ‘digital creative services’ now covers logo/brand design, music production, video editing and illustration as digital files, and new ‘modification services’ allow altering a buyer’s own item — tailoring, repairs, retouching, jewelry alteration. Prohibited services now explicitly include lists aggregating personal information, wholesale-vendor or customer lists, and generative-AI prompt lists; professional services such as therapy, tutoring and coaching; membership/subscription access; virtual gaming assets; and selling followers, likes or reviews. A final ban covers money-transfer listings: tips, donations, raffles, crowdfunding, charity listings whose only item is a digital download, add-ons with no physical item such as express-shipping fees, seller gift cards and referral codes.

Key takeaways

• Computerized-tool products (3D printer, laser, CNC, Cricut) must now be based on the seller’s original design — the old allowance for templated designs and patterns was removed, though ‘original design’ remains undefined.
• Selling scanned vintage content (photographs, books, patterns) as digital downloads appears to have lost its exception in both the designed-by and handpicked-by categories.
• Sourced items are tightened: generic resold tools and supplies only qualify if primarily for crafting, and party supplies must be specific to a single gathering or celebration, not everyday-use items.
• Services expanded in some areas — digital creative services now include video editing and music production, and modification services on a buyer’s own item are allowed — while AI prompt lists, coaching/tutoring, subscriptions and social-media engagement services are explicitly prohibited.
• Listings whose purpose is transferring money are now barred: tips, donations, raffles, rush-delivery or express-shipping add-on listings, seller gift cards and referral codes.

Episode details: published June 27, 2025 · 15:50 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Kate Hayes’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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