Thanks for watching! ❤What products have you heard about that are 'banned' or 'prohibited' but not listed on Etsy? Comment under this post to share for a part 2 of this video!
Print on demand jewellery that is personalised or engraved like OwnPrint is allowed because is not only the card that you design is also the design inside the necklace (like you would do with a t-shirt)
Even though it's listed on Etsy, most people don't realize you can't sell children's pajamas. Not everyone goes deep enough into the seller handbook to realize that children's pajamas or sleepwear is not allowed
Hi do you know if we can sell OC-related items? For example, if I created a Star Trek character and put that character on a shirt. Would that be acceptable?
POD jewelry is still allowed. It's generic jewelry that isn't itself customized but has customized packaging that is banned. Basically, if you customize the actual piece of jewelry (engraving, sublimation printing, etc), not just the message card or box, it's still able to be sold on Etsy. If it's a random piece of jewelry that stays the same but you add your words to the box, that's essentially fancy dropshipping and not allowed.
We are talking about POD jelwery. This is the type POD partners like printify provide - they have custom print on them, not just a dropshipped generic product (which would be understandable to be banned). And it is banned on etsy.
@@aaaaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa @aaaaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa I know. But message card jewelry from ShineOn was considered POD, and as I said it was "essentially fancy dropshipping" because only the inserted message card was customized. And that's why Etsy took away their integration but still allows jewelry from other providers like Teelaunch, OwnPrint, and Inner Circle Prints to continue.
I found some of her jewelry - I did not have time to look for everyone - right at Ali Express for cents of the dollar which she sells for much, much more. She is making thousands of dollars with dishonesty for a long time and it is about time that Etsy takes action. I can also make tons of money like that and so are you but I prefer to be honest.
The kid's hoodies with strings isn't an Etsy policy per se. It's a consumer product safety regulation. Etsy doesn't announce it because sellers of children's clothing are required to know the regulations. 16 CFR Part 1120 - Substantial Product Hazard List states that children’s upper outerwear with one or more drawstrings is deemed to be a substantial product hazard, and is subjected to the requirements of ASTM F1816-97 standard. The standard prohibits drawstrings on the hood and neck of children’s upper outerwear in sizes 2T to 12 (or equivalent) because they present a strangulation hazard. Also, any drawstring for children’s upper outerwear in sizes 2T to 16 at the waist or bottom of the product should be stitched in such a way to prevent it from being pulled through its channel. Specifically, the drawstrings on the waist and bottom of children’s upper outerwear in sizes 2T to 16 could be hazardous if the drawstring: a. Exceeds 3 inches outside its channel; and b. Has any toggles, knots, or other attachments on its ends.
I had a listing immediately removed for the word “realistic” after researched I learned it had to say “realistic looking” got my listing back by morning tho
I had print on demand jewelry removed by Etsy. They said the jewelry itself wasn't handmade and they considered the backer card to be "branding or a logo" not a truly handmade item. Direct quote "Our Handmade Policy states that a designer is a seller who has come up with an original design, pattern, sketch, template, prototype, or plan to be produced by in-house shop members or a production partner. Simple customization, such as selecting colors, shapes, or choosing from ready-made options available from a supplier, is not considered design on Etsy. Additionally, adding your own logo or branding to items that you are not otherwise designing or making does not meet our handmade criteria. Learn more about what qualifies for Production Assistance."
I listed a vintage piece of glass that is called amber in color. The listing got pulled and did not pass review. Lesson: Don't use term Amber even in tags
Interesting video. Literally every word is now trademarked or on its way to being trademarked and soon we won't be able to use any words on tshirts. Very frustrating because if you have a lot of listings like many sellers do, it will be a full time job just to keep up with things that have even been newly trademarked. Words like pickle, bruh, etc. Every word I look up is trademarked these days. I wish it were as simple as staying away from household known trademarked items.
Re the amber: we can't even use the word as a color description. I had an earring using it for color and that listing went down a couple times, got cleared, THEN 3 months in a row. I took out the color description but it sucks to use the word - rust.
I'm not sure it's worth a risk of trying (or if it's even going to make any sense in terms of helping with search), but maybe you could go around it by using synonyms of amber/what's associated with it? Like 'natural/traditional/Baltic/clear wood resin' or resinite/succinite (geological names). Probably doesn't make sense because no one ever is going to use them as search words (unless customers know about these 'analogues').
@halflink Actually if anyone is looking for real amber, maybe larger specimen size stones those words are great. I didn't have amber in my design but the Hessonite Garnet I was using is an amber color. Using the word doesn't work anymore because the bots flag it and take the listing down. 5 times is too many if it isn't going to learn, evolve, that it also cleared it 5 times too. But thanks for the thought!
@VlogGrrr I was told banned for life. Decision Rationale: Despite your explanation and the details provided in your appeal, we found that the risk concerns identified were significant and warranted the suspension of your account. We understand that this decision may be disappointing, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. However, please know that our priority is to maintain a secure marketplace for our customers. What this means for you: You can no longer sell on Etsy, however you can access your account on desktop. Any future accounts that are created by you will be automatically suspended.
I wish I had seen your video a couple days ago. I literally listed one POD jewelry item. My store was suspended today and I have been banging my head against the wall trying to figure out how that happened. Thank you!
Mama, Dad and Mom are all trademarked! How these marks were granted when they are words in everyday use, I have no idea. But I have shirts in my shop with all 3. Scary!
I don't know why it is prohibited to sell POD jewellery, but I can at least guess that the reason is that you can find most items produced by POD companies, the exactly same in some Chinese website like Ali Express, or Temu. I didn't do this research to know for sure, but I watched a video on UA-cam where it was shown many, many jewellery items on Etsy, then the same on Ali Express, side by side, and even the picture mock ups are exactly the same in many cases.
I had paid a professional product photographer to take some photos of a few wedding products. She has a blurry bottle of Channel in the background, and my listing was immediately taken down. I was not happy but she did reshoot a few pictures for me w/o the perfume
I used the word Havana and my listing was taken down. Anything to do with Cuba is prohibited. Alo recently they took down several of my listings containing VW for Volks Wagon. It would have been nice if they had warned me.
Warn you about VW? Of course that is prohibited. Except when you mean you sold vintage kids VW cars. The problem with etsy is they do everything halfheartedly and don't think things through before launching it, causing problems for sellers, not to mention lack basic decency in rules how we treat one another. The fact alone they have a secret list with forbidden items or words, is ridiculous
There's a seller in the Etsy forums right now (well, today) who's insisting that it's fine to use a VW bus in their banner. MANY sellers have tried explaining why this isn't a good idea, but they say it's a "parody." They did remove the VW logo, but it's *still* a VW bus.
thank you for the video Heather! love your channel! Re amber situation - I am not a POD seller yet, however I wonder if it might be because amber in terms of crystal healing is knowing for helping little kids with teething so in some blogs/ vlogs / maybe shops as well, people might mention that and I have never known anyone who gave their child a piece of amber to bite when they are teething yet it is (as any small objects) potentially a hazard. also you never know where the amber was collected (how ecological and health-safe it is). so maybe it was a case like that? warmly, Tatiana
It is possible that those lawsuits might have been arbitration lawsuits. I heard those tend to be private so not much information about them are released online.
Regarding the jewellery, i do not know it, but i can imagine that it is not allowed because it does not require any creative input of the seller to sell them. I assume that they are just ready to be sold pieces without anything creative added to it? It would be almost like dropshipping a ready made item, maybe just with your logo added. There is nothing really handmade in that.
The fact that the word “Realtor” is copyrighted is ridiculous. It’s an occupation just like any other. So making a simp shirt that says “Worlds Greatest Realtor” can get you banned. That’s pathetic. Update: Just did some quick research I always assumed the word realtor was an occupation, it’s not. A realtor in fact is title given to real estate agents who are members of the National Association of Realtors. I now see why the word Realtor is trademarked. Realtor is an actual association, NOT an occupation. The occupation in this case is real estate agent 🤯🤯🤯
Realtor is a trademarked brand, real estate agents cannot refer to themselves as that unless they pay for the membership. Real estate agent is the appropriate term
Jewelry was taken down bc it’s only customizing the package, not the product. But I’m not sure if a custom jewelry piece would be banned because you Are adding an element to the actual jewelry, like a pet portrait etc.
Hi Heather! I always love your videos :) Do you offer one on one sessions? I am in canada and have Etsy shops for a few years now. I am venturing into POD now and I am just getting stuck on the exchange rate and making a profit. It really looks like I cannot compete, but I see other canadian shops doing it. I just need a little bit of help figuring out this one thing
One of my best seller items is scented amber cubes. I have had the listings up ( about 8 listings with the word amber in title, description and tags) for a long time now and have had multiple sales without any problem..
Etsy should list items that are prohibited because it is ridiculous how much work goes into print on demand. The jewelry segment… I don’t like print on demand jewelry it’s cheap and definitely not handmade. Everybody and their brother was/is pushing this junk. I’m glad Etsy is doing this.
I was so surprised to hear about amber! I haven’t tried selling Amber jewelry, but little pieces of insect-included amber have been some of my best sellers on Etsy. I’m wondering if it’s “Amber for babies” or even “Amber jewelry” that’s being taken down. (I say this, and my listings could all disappear today, obviously. 😄😒)
If the jewelry itself can be personalized then it seems to be ok, the jewelry that was getting removed was message card jewelry where Etsy didn’t consider a message card as personalizing the jewelry. Etsy viewed the jewelry itself as mass produced and not allowed unless there was the extra step of engraving it.
I can tell you from experience that dried poppy PODS aren't allowed because Etsy considers anything "poppy plant related" other than seeds to be drug-related! Several years ago, Etsy removed one of my items ... a doll holding a single dried poppy pod. I told them it was NOT drug related and not all poppies are drug-related. They didn't care. Artwork featuring drawn, painted, etc. poppies seems to be allowed, as would fabric with a poppy design or housewares with a poppy theme.
Would the jewelry issue be due to the fact that Shine On mass-produces their jewelry. The only thing hand-made or added by the artist may be the custom poem or sentimental card inserted with the produced jewelry. Its a fine line. I think it should be allowed as long as people understand it is not hand-crafted jewelry. The jewelry is quality and the artist still has to create their own card or poetry. Its a value for what you get.
I had jewelry listings containing Bumblebee Jasper cabochons. These are items that have been listed over a year. It's okay because I'm closing my shop and leaving Etsy. Handmade crafters can't compete with mass manufacturers. Smh...
Its a good idea for Etsy to remove print on demand jewelry and drop shipping. Hope more handcrafted and vintage items show up as those are the items I look for on Etsy...
Etsy with it's new advertising and celeb endorsers is getting really commercial. I understand they want to make money too, but they need to stick it out until the economy gets better.
I always thought Shein was a German company for some reason so I pronounced it Shine (in German the ei makes the "eye" sound). Fun fact - any time I meet someone who mispronounces words often, I know they're a reader and my confidence in them actually goes up. Readers often learn new words from books rather than hearing them spoken, so we tend to say them phonetically. Just a personal opinion, but I see it as a sign of intellect. 👍👍
But it makes them (us,me 😅) sound dumber to the average person who learned all of their words from hearing them. The average-to-non- reader (aka most people’s bosses and coworkers) will assume that you are using a word of the day calendar to try and sound smart. So it’s best to always learn pronunciation for any new word you’ve only read. Also, technical terms can have different ”accepted” pronunciations thought of as incorrect among the other groups who use that term but don’t talk to each other. I’ve seen it a lot in pronunciation of biochemical terms, and also ancient languages. Your professor or mentor in the field determines what is “right” and everyone else sounds “dumb” for how they say it. I was mocked in college for how I pronounced some biological process names based on what I learned in high school. Later my college-adopted pronunciations were ridiculed by someone who studied at a different university. Each time the people didn’t believe me that I could take them to a place where the way they said things was considered wrong.
@@JasonJrake It sucks that you would have those experiences even with people who sound highly educated. It's a sign of deep insecurity - not superior intellect or intelligence - when someone mocks another person or assumes someone is dumb based on how they pronounce a word - particularly if the pronunciation makes phonetic sense.
@@dodalton1 I agree, but prejudice being ignorant doesn’t make it not real. That’s why I was pointing out that it’s worth knowing the potential cost (especially in formal/professional settings) to using words if you don’t know the locally accepted pronunciation. You can make it a learning experience rather than a social liability. But I totally agree that it’s usually a clear sign that the person speaking reads a lot, AND I would add, is likely starved for intellectually stimulating conversation, or else someone else they talk to would have pointed out their mispronunciation(s) by now.
@@JasonJrake Great point with the last observation. - Personally, when I'm unsure about the pronunciation (which happens a lot because I speak two languages which often causes me confusion) I just do exactly what Heather did here, and say, "I'm not sure if I'm saying that correctly - " and if they don't know, I move on.
Actually there was an article not long ago about disney backing disney sellers on etsy because theyre promting their brand. They even licensed one of the more known sellers! But ive also read they could steal your design and just sell it themselves and you couldnt do anything about it because you werent supposed to sell copyrighted characters anyway lol
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Many content creators are giving excuses to Etsy. Giving warning to people only to cause fear. Reality is that Etsy is just banning peoples account for no good reason. Many people make actual hand products and their products are being taken down and shops close. Instead of making excuses people should actually state the obvious. There a products from TEMU being sold at 3x the price, calling them actual products and still running on Etsy. If you have to be careful with every word you tag your items that is only an excuse for them to do whatever they want with your shop.
Oh really now? So designing, drawing, hand painting designs whether with paints or digitally with software, physically creating images with photo editing software, taking images with your own camera, altering text is not handmade? What does it just magically appear out of thin air? POD is a way for an artist to place their "handmade" designs on various products using a printing partner. It is impossible for many artists to even have the space or expense of having specialized printers to do the work for all the various products. We all can't have warehouses or afford it. Instead you have a partner like Printify who does it for you. All they do is print your design on the product. They are not the ones creating it. You are still physically creating the art and designs which makes it handmade. Sorry to burst your bubble.
@@MikeMBurke About a year ago, I bought a t-shirt on Etsy. Before I ordered, I messaged the seller to ask if it was vinyl or POD or what. They said they silkscreen their own shirts ... and it was indeed silkscreened when it arrived! There are also sublimation printers that aren't terribly expensive.
I’m trying to convince my son who is a programmer to create a site for selling. Make it a yearly subscription, only allow true creators, and not use bots!
For such a site to exist it’s going to take more than programming skills. He’s going to need lots of investors. And unfortunately investors primarily are interested in profits not people. That’s why Etsy is even turning to allowing Chinese sellers in, to make those investors happy which guaranteed aren’t going to be small indie creators. If he finds that unicorn of an investor that can make it happen let us know!
@@Kyotopearl There are a bazillion new sellers from China, India, and Turkiye (Turkey) in the Etsy forums lately. None of them have bothered to learn how Etsy works before opening their shops. SMH.
Incorrect. The Amber necklace that started it all. The lawsuit against Etsy (MORIN-V-LITTLE IMPRESSION, ET AL) was brought by Danielle Morin. She received an amber teething necklace from a friend who purchased the necklace on Etsy. The Seller was located in Lithuania and has since had her shop shut down. The child, Deacon Morin was at the daycare, Marriott Family Child Care facility in Fontana, California, when the teething necklace snagged on something and tightened around the Deacon's neck, rendering him unconscious, according to the Fontana Police Department. Deacon was taken to a hospital, where he died five days later. IMO, it should have had nothing to do with amber and everything to do with never putting a necklace on a baby that does not have a break away clasp. And if you do take the risk of putting a non-breakaway necklace on a baby, then take responsibility for poor judgment. And as a side note, just the most heartbreaking events. This is what happened to the daycare ”An investigation of Deacon's death by the Fontana Police department determined that the day care center was licensed to care for a maximum of eight children but at the time Deacon was being choked by his necklace there were about 20 children being cared for at the facility, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also alleges that when workers found Deacon unresponsive they didn't call 911 right away but waited for one of the owners of the day care center, Deborah Jimenez, to return to the facility, prompting a delay in summoning paramedics, according to the suit. Jimenez and day care center employee Sagan Marriott were arrested and charged with willful child endangerment, stemming from Deacon's death, Kimberly Fuller, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office told ABC News. Both Jimenez, who also owned another day care facility, and Marriott pleaded guilty on Sept. 14, 2018, Fuller said. Jimenez was sentenced to five days in county jail, three years' probation and ordered to attend a 52-week child abuse treatment program, Fuller said. Marriott was sentenced to 240 days in county jail, three years' probation and also ordered to attend a 52-week child abuse treatment program. Jimenez and Marriott are both named as defendants in the lawsuit. The suit also names Marriott Family Child Care, which has gone out of business since Deacon's death.” It looks like the case is still active; MORIN-V-LITTLE IMPRESSION, ET AL. CASE ********4962 Court San Bernardino County Superior Courts, Court - San Bernardino County Superior Courts, Courthouse - San Bernardino District Courthouse Civil Division County, State San Bernardino, California. Judge Wilfred Schneider, jr. From what I can find, the last public update was July 2021. Maybe more info can be found for paid records.
Are you suggesting that Etsy should ban a specific ethnicity, such as Chinese people, from selling on Etsy, or are you referring to stopping the reselling of products from sites like Alibaba and Temu? Because here in the USA, targeting a specific ethnicity is considered racist and is against the law.
@@carolinesglass okay let me rephrase it They should get rid of the sellers there are mass producing items that have been stolen from other sellers on Etsy. It's happened to me several times. And yes they do do that and also they need to get rid of drop shipping. A lot of sellers claim that they're here in the US when actually they're in another country and the item takes almost 3 weeks to get to the customer. So I didn't mean get rid of Chinese hours in particular I'm talking about the ones that are stealing designs I should have been a little more clear sorry about that
Great vid! Also, stay away from mentioning Olympics 2024, even in your SEO, because it’s the IOC’s intellectual property! Just had two phone cases removed from Etsy last week for having SEO with “get ready for Olympics 2024.” The cases had Eiffel tower art that my shop partner painted, which we had made with our POD company. Apparently, that’s a big no, no to mention the Olympics. I feel extra dumb now! 🫣😢
Thanks for watching! ❤What products have you heard about that are 'banned' or 'prohibited' but not listed on Etsy? Comment under this post to share for a part 2 of this video!
Print on demand jewellery that is personalised or engraved like OwnPrint is allowed because is not only the card that you design is also the design inside the necklace (like you would do with a t-shirt)
Even though it's listed on Etsy, most people don't realize you can't sell children's pajamas. Not everyone goes deep enough into the seller handbook to realize that children's pajamas or sleepwear is not allowed
I got my listing for bullet journals removed saying that bullet journals were a trademark and that I was not allowed to sell them on etsy.
amber colored sea glass is taken down every time. although Amber sea glass is a color of bottle - I have changed it to Honey color
Hi do you know if we can sell OC-related items? For example, if I created a Star Trek character and put that character on a shirt. Would that be acceptable?
Heather! The editing with Micky listening was so clever, and your analogy of the toxic landlord is so fitting! Great video!!!!❤
POD jewelry is still allowed. It's generic jewelry that isn't itself customized but has customized packaging that is banned. Basically, if you customize the actual piece of jewelry (engraving, sublimation printing, etc), not just the message card or box, it's still able to be sold on Etsy. If it's a random piece of jewelry that stays the same but you add your words to the box, that's essentially fancy dropshipping and not allowed.
We are talking about POD jelwery. This is the type POD partners like printify provide - they have custom print on them, not just a dropshipped generic product (which would be understandable to be banned). And it is banned on etsy.
@@aaaaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa @aaaaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa I know. But message card jewelry from ShineOn was considered POD, and as I said it was "essentially fancy dropshipping" because only the inserted message card was customized. And that's why Etsy took away their integration but still allows jewelry from other providers like Teelaunch, OwnPrint, and Inner Circle Prints to continue.
Isn't Etsy's biggest store, Caitlen Minimalist, a dropshop jewellery store?
I found some of her jewelry - I did not have time to look for everyone - right at Ali Express for cents of the dollar which she sells for much, much more. She is making thousands of dollars with dishonesty for a long time and it is about time that Etsy takes action. I can also make tons of money like that and so are you but I prefer to be honest.
The kid's hoodies with strings isn't an Etsy policy per se. It's a consumer product safety regulation. Etsy doesn't announce it because sellers of children's clothing are required to know the regulations.
16 CFR Part 1120 - Substantial Product Hazard List states that children’s upper outerwear with one or more drawstrings is deemed to be a substantial product hazard, and is subjected to the requirements of ASTM F1816-97 standard.
The standard prohibits drawstrings on the hood and neck of children’s upper outerwear in sizes 2T to 12 (or equivalent) because they present a strangulation hazard.
Also, any drawstring for children’s upper outerwear in sizes 2T to 16 at the waist or bottom of the product should be stitched in such a way to prevent it from being pulled through its channel.
Specifically, the drawstrings on the waist and bottom of children’s upper outerwear in sizes 2T to 16 could be hazardous if the drawstring:
a. Exceeds 3 inches outside its channel; and
b. Has any toggles, knots, or other attachments on its ends.
@@davetriesthis did you post this in the right place?
I had a listing immediately removed for the word “realistic” after researched I learned it had to say “realistic looking” got my listing back by morning tho
I had print on demand jewelry removed by Etsy. They said the jewelry itself wasn't handmade and they considered the backer card to be "branding or a logo" not a truly handmade item.
Direct quote "Our Handmade Policy states that a designer is a seller who has come up with an original design, pattern, sketch, template, prototype, or plan to be produced by in-house shop members or a production partner.
Simple customization, such as selecting colors, shapes, or choosing from ready-made options available from a supplier, is not considered design on Etsy. Additionally, adding your own logo or branding to items that you are not otherwise designing or making does not meet our handmade criteria. Learn more about what qualifies for Production Assistance."
I personally don’t consider print on demand as handmade.
Thanks for clarifying that. I wasn’t sure about it
And yet they have a listing on Etsy labeled “editors pick” and that particular pair earrings are mass produced. I saw them on another site.
I listed a vintage piece of glass that is called amber in color. The listing got pulled and did not pass review. Lesson: Don't use term Amber even in tags
Thank you for this important video👏Can you tell the reason why "bees" are also prohibited to use in SEO?
Great content again! Thank you so much, Heather!
Interesting video. Literally every word is now trademarked or on its way to being trademarked and soon we won't be able to use any words on tshirts. Very frustrating because if you have a lot of listings like many sellers do, it will be a full time job just to keep up with things that have even been newly trademarked. Words like pickle, bruh, etc. Every word I look up is trademarked these days. I wish it were as simple as staying away from household known trademarked items.
Are your examples also trademarked for on tshirts/clothing? I fully agree with you.
Teething was not Amber, it was wool. Drawstrings are prohibited in children's wear by the US Givernment
Re the amber: we can't even use the word as a color description. I had an earring using it for color and that listing went down a couple times, got cleared, THEN 3 months in a row.
I took out the color description but it sucks to use the word - rust.
I'm not sure it's worth a risk of trying (or if it's even going to make any sense in terms of helping with search), but maybe you could go around it by using synonyms of amber/what's associated with it? Like 'natural/traditional/Baltic/clear wood resin' or resinite/succinite (geological names). Probably doesn't make sense because no one ever is going to use them as search words (unless customers know about these 'analogues').
@halflink Actually if anyone is looking for real amber, maybe larger specimen size stones those words are great. I didn't have amber in my design but the Hessonite Garnet I was using is an amber color. Using the word doesn't work anymore because the bots flag it and take the listing down. 5 times is too many if it isn't going to learn, evolve, that it also cleared it 5 times too. But thanks for the thought!
Not even 24 hours on Etsy and my new shop got shut down. What the bleep?!
did you warm up your account?
What does that mean?
I am lifetime banned now
@VlogGrrr I was told banned for life.
Decision Rationale: Despite your explanation and the details provided in your appeal, we found that the risk concerns identified were significant and warranted the suspension of your account.
We understand that this decision may be disappointing, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. However, please know that our priority is to maintain a secure marketplace for our customers.
What this means for you:
You can no longer sell on Etsy, however you can access your account on desktop.
Any future accounts that are created by you will be automatically suspended.
They wouldn't even tell me why except significant risk. What does that mean? My appeal was denied and banned for life.
@@Myakja-f1y 🧐 How does one warm up their account? 🤣
I wish I had seen your video a couple days ago. I literally listed one POD jewelry item. My store was suspended today and I have been banging my head against the wall trying to figure out how that happened. Thank you!
this is insane. It would never occur to me that these items are prohibited (except for the trademarked items)
What if you make an item for a specific product? Like an iPhone case. Can you use the term iPhone?
Mama, Dad and Mom are all trademarked! How these marks were granted when they are words in everyday use, I have no idea. But I have shirts in my shop with all 3. Scary!
Trademarks are granted by category. Are these words TM'd for whatever category your shirts are in?
Thanks Heather! Totally didn't know about some of these. Super helpful to know before launching any products that are prohibited.
I don't know why it is prohibited to sell POD jewellery, but I can at least guess that the reason is that you can find most items produced by POD companies, the exactly same in some Chinese website like Ali Express, or Temu. I didn't do this research to know for sure, but I watched a video on UA-cam where it was shown many, many jewellery items on Etsy, then the same on Ali Express, side by side, and even the picture mock ups are exactly the same in many cases.
I had paid a professional product photographer to take some photos of a few wedding products. She has a blurry bottle of Channel in the background, and my listing was immediately taken down. I was not happy but she did reshoot a few pictures for me w/o the perfume
I used the word Havana and my listing was taken down. Anything to do with Cuba is prohibited. Alo recently they took down several of my listings containing VW for Volks Wagon. It would have been nice if they had warned me.
Warn you about VW? Of course that is prohibited. Except when you mean you sold vintage kids VW cars. The problem with etsy is they do everything halfheartedly and don't think things through before launching it, causing problems for sellers, not to mention lack basic decency in rules how we treat one another. The fact alone they have a secret list with forbidden items or words, is ridiculous
There's a seller in the Etsy forums right now (well, today) who's insisting that it's fine to use a VW bus in their banner. MANY sellers have tried explaining why this isn't a good idea, but they say it's a "parody." They did remove the VW logo, but it's *still* a VW bus.
thank you for the video Heather! love your channel! Re amber situation - I am not a POD seller yet, however I wonder if it might be because amber in terms of crystal healing is knowing for helping little kids with teething so in some blogs/ vlogs / maybe shops as well, people might mention that and I have never known anyone who gave their child a piece of amber to bite when they are teething yet it is (as any small objects) potentially a hazard. also you never know where the amber was collected (how ecological and health-safe it is). so maybe it was a case like that? warmly, Tatiana
It is possible that those lawsuits might have been arbitration lawsuits. I heard those tend to be private so not much information about them are released online.
Regarding the jewellery, i do not know it, but i can imagine that it is not allowed because it does not require any creative input of the seller to sell them. I assume that they are just ready to be sold pieces without anything creative added to it? It would be almost like dropshipping a ready made item, maybe just with your logo added. There is nothing really handmade in that.
Great video Heather! FYI - Shein is pronounced she-in. There are 2 characters in Chinese: 希音; pinyin: Xīyīn.
Thank you Heather for creating all these great videos! Do you know if the camouflage pattern is trademarked? Thank you!
Google is your friend! Try this: is camouflage design trademarked
You said the word "Realtor" perfectly. 😊
Hi Heather, why is bees word banned?
I hadn't heard this. I have some primitive style cloth bee dolls in my shop.
The fact that the word “Realtor” is copyrighted is ridiculous. It’s an occupation just like any other. So making a simp shirt that says “Worlds Greatest Realtor” can get you banned. That’s pathetic.
Update: Just did some quick research I always assumed the word realtor was an occupation, it’s not. A realtor in fact is title given to real estate agents who are members of the National Association of Realtors. I now see why the word Realtor is trademarked. Realtor is an actual association, NOT an occupation. The occupation in this case is real estate agent 🤯🤯🤯
Realtor is a trademarked brand, real estate agents cannot refer to themselves as that unless they pay for the membership. Real estate agent is the appropriate term
Yep. My mother in law is a proud Realtor and did not hesitate to explain the difference. Lol.
Yep. My mother in law is a proud Realtor and did not hesitate to explain the difference. Lol.
Yep. My mother in law is a proud Realtor and did not hesitate to explain the difference. Lol.
I know, I am shocked! I have items in mind for realtors.
Did you watch the CNBC (I think it was) segment in etsy taking about pod?
Jewelry was taken down bc it’s only customizing the package, not the product. But I’m not sure if a custom jewelry piece would be banned because you Are adding an element to the actual jewelry, like a pet portrait etc.
Hi Heather! I always love your videos :) Do you offer one on one sessions? I am in canada and have Etsy shops for a few years now. I am venturing into POD now and I am just getting stuck on the exchange rate and making a profit. It really looks like I cannot compete, but I see other canadian shops doing it. I just need a little bit of help figuring out this one thing
One of my best seller items is scented amber cubes. I have had the listings up ( about 8 listings with the word amber in title, description and tags) for a long time now and have had multiple sales without any problem..
There's amber listings all over Etsy. I know that for a fact because I've bought some amber pieces and looked just now. Confused.
I think there's a minimum size for amber pieces on Etsy???
Is it possible to use someone’s pinterest images to create an product on printify?
John Deere, Onesies, Cuban Tobacco, Ivory, Anything US military including weapons, Poppy, Bees, Any name or phrase from TV or movies or songs.
ya i do, it goes into review, chunky necklace and if it is justified it will be posted and not flagged
Etsy should list items that are prohibited because it is ridiculous how much work goes into print on demand. The jewelry segment… I don’t like print on demand jewelry it’s cheap and definitely not handmade. Everybody and their brother was/is pushing this junk. I’m glad Etsy is doing this.
No differnt then a t shirt though
POD isn't handmade. Period. I'll be glad when Etsy removes ALL of it.
I was so surprised to hear about amber! I haven’t tried selling Amber jewelry, but little pieces of insect-included amber have been some of my best sellers on Etsy. I’m wondering if it’s “Amber for babies” or even “Amber jewelry” that’s being taken down. (I say this, and my listings could all disappear today, obviously. 😄😒)
I think there may be a minimum size for amber items. Look into that.
@@PrairiePrimitives Will do- Thanks!
I see a lot of products on Etsy that I’m pretty sure are trademarked, like Marvel characters etc. How do they get away with this?
The company needs to report trademark infringement to Etsy.
If the jewelry itself can be personalized then it seems to be ok, the jewelry that was getting removed was message card jewelry where Etsy didn’t consider a message card as personalizing the jewelry. Etsy viewed the jewelry itself as mass produced and not allowed unless there was the extra step of engraving it.
I don't know for sure about POD jewellery, but would suspect it's because it doesn't fall under the definition of handmade anymore?
"Girl Dad" has been trademarked
Is 'poppy' allowed or not? And 'for kids' on itself, without 'string'? You made it sound like perhaps 'for kids' wasn't allowed as well
I can tell you from experience that dried poppy PODS aren't allowed because Etsy considers anything "poppy plant related" other than seeds to be drug-related! Several years ago, Etsy removed one of my items ... a doll holding a single dried poppy pod. I told them it was NOT drug related and not all poppies are drug-related. They didn't care. Artwork featuring drawn, painted, etc. poppies seems to be allowed, as would fabric with a poppy design or housewares with a poppy theme.
@@PrairiePrimitives thanks!
Would the jewelry issue be due to the fact that Shine On mass-produces their jewelry. The only thing hand-made or added by the artist may be the custom poem or sentimental card inserted with the produced jewelry. Its a fine line. I think it should be allowed as long as people understand it is not hand-crafted jewelry. The jewelry is quality and the artist still has to create their own card or poetry. Its a value for what you get.
This is what I heard on another UA-cam video. The only thing the seller designs is the printed insert. The jewelry itself is a mass produced product
last night I had a dream that Mickey Mouse yells at me "why are you stealing my products hahaha, I'm going to kill you hahaha"
My account just got suspended over Beaded Keychains that had a blurred Louis Vuitton focal bead on it 😢
Why is word *Bees* not allowed?
There is a ton of amber jewelry listed on Etsy.
If you had to look that hard and only found people talking about a court case they'd heard about... It's highly unlikely to exist.
It does exist- not hard to find at all, just search 'etsty amber lawsuit' and there's plenty of links.
I found the law firm that represented the plaintiff in the amber lawsuit in less than 5 seconds. I posted the link above.
I had jewelry listings containing Bumblebee Jasper cabochons. These are items that have been listed over a year. It's okay because I'm closing my shop and leaving Etsy. Handmade crafters can't compete with mass manufacturers. Smh...
Its a good idea for Etsy to remove print on demand jewelry and drop shipping. Hope more handcrafted and vintage items show up as those are the items I look for on Etsy...
Etsy with it's new advertising and celeb endorsers is getting really commercial. I understand they want to make money too, but they need to stick it out until the economy gets better.
I always thought Shein was a German company for some reason so I pronounced it Shine (in German the ei makes the "eye" sound). Fun fact - any time I meet someone who mispronounces words often, I know they're a reader and my confidence in them actually goes up. Readers often learn new words from books rather than hearing them spoken, so we tend to say them phonetically. Just a personal opinion, but I see it as a sign of intellect. 👍👍
But it makes them (us,me 😅) sound dumber to the average person who learned all of their words from hearing them. The average-to-non- reader (aka most people’s bosses and coworkers) will assume that you are using a word of the day calendar to try and sound smart. So it’s best to always learn pronunciation for any new word you’ve only read.
Also, technical terms can have different ”accepted” pronunciations thought of as incorrect among the other groups who use that term but don’t talk to each other. I’ve seen it a lot in pronunciation of biochemical terms, and also ancient languages. Your professor or mentor in the field determines what is “right” and everyone else sounds “dumb” for how they say it.
I was mocked in college for how I pronounced some biological process names based on what I learned in high school. Later my college-adopted pronunciations were ridiculed by someone who studied at a different university. Each time the people didn’t believe me that I could take them to a place where the way they said things was considered wrong.
@@JasonJrake It sucks that you would have those experiences even with people who sound highly educated. It's a sign of deep insecurity - not superior intellect or intelligence - when someone mocks another person or assumes someone is dumb based on how they pronounce a word - particularly if the pronunciation makes phonetic sense.
@@dodalton1 I agree, but prejudice being ignorant doesn’t make it not real. That’s why I was pointing out that it’s worth knowing the potential cost (especially in formal/professional settings) to using words if you don’t know the locally accepted pronunciation. You can make it a learning experience rather than a social liability.
But I totally agree that it’s usually a clear sign that the person speaking reads a lot, AND I would add, is likely starved for intellectually stimulating conversation, or else someone else they talk to would have pointed out their mispronunciation(s) by now.
@@JasonJrake Great point with the last observation. - Personally, when I'm unsure about the pronunciation (which happens a lot because I speak two languages which often causes me confusion) I just do exactly what Heather did here, and say, "I'm not sure if I'm saying that correctly - " and if they don't know, I move on.
Actually there was an article not long ago about disney backing disney sellers on etsy because theyre promting their brand. They even licensed one of the more known sellers!
But ive also read they could steal your design and just sell it themselves and you couldnt do anything about it because you werent supposed to sell copyrighted characters anyway lol
I have had "experiences" with Margaritaville and Smokey the Bear! Watch it, everyone.
the mouseeeeee! haha
Hey , really nice video ! I was wondering if I could help you with more Quality Editing in your videos and also make a highly engaging Thumbnail and also help you with the overall youtube strategy and growth ! Pls let me know what do you think ?
Many content creators are giving excuses to Etsy. Giving warning to people only to cause fear. Reality is that Etsy is just banning peoples account for no good reason. Many people make actual hand products and their products are being taken down and shops close. Instead of making excuses people should actually state the obvious. There a products from TEMU being sold at 3x the price, calling them actual products and still running on Etsy. If you have to be careful with every word you tag your items that is only an excuse for them to do whatever they want with your shop.
Hi Heather,
Thank you so much for your videos.
please do you know if mentioning names like Donald Trump in the titles and SEOs are allowed
Print on demand is not handmade. I think it’s destroyed Etsy.
Oh really now? So designing, drawing, hand painting designs whether with paints or digitally with software, physically creating images with photo editing software, taking images with your own camera, altering text is not handmade? What does it just magically appear out of thin air? POD is a way for an artist to place their "handmade" designs on various products using a printing partner. It is impossible for many artists to even have the space or expense of having specialized printers to do the work for all the various products. We all can't have warehouses or afford it. Instead you have a partner like Printify who does it for you. All they do is print your design on the product. They are not the ones creating it. You are still physically creating the art and designs which makes it handmade. Sorry to burst your bubble.
@@MikeMBurke About a year ago, I bought a t-shirt on Etsy. Before I ordered, I messaged the seller to ask if it was vinyl or POD or what. They said they silkscreen their own shirts ... and it was indeed silkscreened when it arrived! There are also sublimation printers that aren't terribly expensive.
Looks like Etsy trying to cut a lot of people out Some are Legit others not
I’m trying to convince my son who is a programmer to create a site for selling. Make it a yearly subscription, only allow true creators, and not use bots!
For such a site to exist it’s going to take more than programming skills. He’s going to need lots of investors. And unfortunately investors primarily are interested in profits not people. That’s why Etsy is even turning to allowing Chinese sellers in, to make those investors happy which guaranteed aren’t going to be small indie creators. If he finds that unicorn of an investor that can make it happen let us know!
And never go public (IPO). I think that's what REALLY ruined Etsy.
@@Kyotopearl There are a bazillion new sellers from China, India, and Turkiye (Turkey) in the Etsy forums lately. None of them have bothered to learn how Etsy works before opening their shops. SMH.
"The Mouse" has great lawyers...unless you are the state of Florida...ha ha!
My item that got me banned...changing my name.
It’s pronounced she in.
It is pronounced "SHEEE-IN"
REAL - ter. (Not real-uh-tor). (Since you asked. A word that is commonly mispronounced.)
Real-TOR (not Real-tir, Real-ter, Real-tier)
The amber thing had to do with a baby bracelet with amber beads. Baby choked on it.
Incorrect. The Amber necklace that started it all. The lawsuit against Etsy (MORIN-V-LITTLE IMPRESSION, ET AL) was brought by Danielle Morin. She received an amber teething necklace from a friend who purchased the necklace on Etsy. The Seller was located in Lithuania and has since had her shop shut down. The child, Deacon Morin was at the daycare, Marriott Family Child Care facility in Fontana, California, when the teething necklace snagged on something and tightened around the Deacon's neck, rendering him unconscious, according to the Fontana Police Department. Deacon was taken to a hospital, where he died five days later. IMO, it should have had nothing to do with amber and everything to do with never putting a necklace on a baby that does not have a break away clasp. And if you do take the risk of putting a non-breakaway necklace on a baby, then take responsibility for poor judgment. And as a side note, just the most heartbreaking events. This is what happened to the daycare ”An investigation of Deacon's death by the Fontana Police department determined that the day care center was licensed to care for a maximum of eight children but at the time Deacon was being choked by his necklace there were about 20 children being cared for at the facility, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also alleges that when workers found Deacon unresponsive they didn't call 911 right away but waited for one of the owners of the day care center, Deborah Jimenez, to return to the facility, prompting a delay in summoning paramedics, according to the suit. Jimenez and day care center employee Sagan Marriott were arrested and charged with willful child endangerment, stemming from Deacon's death, Kimberly Fuller, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office told ABC News. Both Jimenez, who also owned another day care facility, and Marriott pleaded guilty on Sept. 14, 2018, Fuller said. Jimenez was sentenced to five days in county jail, three years' probation and ordered to attend a 52-week child abuse treatment program, Fuller said. Marriott was sentenced to 240 days in county jail, three years' probation and also ordered to attend a 52-week child abuse treatment program. Jimenez and Marriott are both named as defendants in the lawsuit. The suit also names Marriott Family Child Care, which has gone out of business since Deacon's death.” It looks like the case is still active; MORIN-V-LITTLE IMPRESSION, ET AL. CASE ********4962 Court San Bernardino County Superior Courts, Court - San Bernardino County Superior Courts, Courthouse - San Bernardino District Courthouse Civil Division County, State San Bernardino, California. Judge Wilfred Schneider, jr. From what I can find, the last public update was July 2021. Maybe more info can be found for paid records.
get rid of all the chinese sellers
Are you suggesting that Etsy should ban a specific ethnicity, such as Chinese people, from selling on Etsy, or are you referring to stopping the reselling of products from sites like Alibaba and Temu? Because here in the USA, targeting a specific ethnicity is considered racist and is against the law.
@@carolinesglass okay let me rephrase it They should get rid of the sellers there are mass producing items that have been stolen from other sellers on Etsy. It's happened to me several times. And yes they do do that and also they need to get rid of drop shipping. A lot of sellers claim that they're here in the US when actually they're in another country and the item takes almost 3 weeks to get to the customer. So I didn't mean get rid of Chinese hours in particular I'm talking about the ones that are stealing designs I should have been a little more clear sorry about that
HaHa- It's Pronounced "Real tor"
Great vid! Also, stay away from mentioning Olympics 2024, even in your SEO, because it’s the IOC’s intellectual property! Just had two phone cases removed from Etsy last week for having SEO with “get ready for Olympics 2024.” The cases had Eiffel tower art that my shop partner painted, which we had made with our POD company. Apparently, that’s a big no, no to mention the Olympics. I feel extra dumb now! 🫣😢
IOC shouldn't be allowed to use Olympics because the old Greeks trademarked it 2000 years ago
@@galaxia4709 ROTFL! Trademarks weren't around 2,000 years ago. The first trademark law took effect in 1857 in France.
@@PrairiePrimitives you didn't get it