Etsy Talk: Dos & Don'ts

I have heard horror stories of people's shops being closed down for not following rules precisely. I would hate to see that happen to any of us, so please review the Dos and Don'ts. Here are some rules I see broken all the time:

Under Listings 

You may not create a listing for an item that is not for sale or sold out.

A listing may not be created for the sole purpose of sharing photographs or other information with the community.

A listing may not be created solely as an advertisement. This includes notices of sales or promotions in your shop. Such information may be included in your Profile, avatar, banner, Shop Announcement and/or item descriptions.

A listing must not be conditional upon the purchase of another listing in your shop (for example: saying "this item may only be purchased along with another item in my shop" is not allowed). This includes listings for item upgrades, shipping upgrades and gift wrapping upgrades.

A free with purchase item may not be listed as a separate listing conditional upon the purchase of another item in your shop.

• The title and tags must not mention or describe the free with purchase item.
• Information about free with purchase items may only be included in the item description.
• A free with purchase item must not be featured in the first photograph of the listing.
• The listing price must only reflect the listed item.

Under Labeling your items
You should only state what the item is, not what the item may become or potential uses for the item (for example: yarn should not be labeled as "sweater," beads should not be labeled as "bracelet," small gift items should not be labeled as "stocking stuffer").

Under Shops
You may not set a minimum purchase amount requirement in your shop.

Under Custom orders

"Custom order" listings must be listed for purchase with a set price.

If the seller offers different sizes or styles that affect the price, the seller must make a separate listing for each item.