Etsy · listing removed
Etsy says my item is resold or not handmade — how to respond
Why Etsy flags genuine handmade items as resold or mass-produced, how production partners and the “made by” category work, and how to show the item is yours.
Etsy's Creativity Standards require every item to be made, designed, handpicked or sourced by the seller. When Etsy decides a listing is a resold factory item, it removes it — and sometimes restricts the shop.
The usual reasons a real maker gets flagged
- Your photos are on mass-market sites. Factories and dropshippers copy maker photos. Automated checks then see the same image on AliExpress or Temu and treat your listing as the copy. This is the most common cause — see Creativity Standards removals.
- An undisclosed production partner. If someone else manufactures or prints for you, Etsy expects that partner listed in the listing's production partner field.
- The wrong "who made it" answer. Choosing "another company or person" without a production partner, or "I did" for an item you buy finished, both cause trouble.
- Listing wording. Phrases like "wholesale", "dropship" or "factory direct" read as reselling. Our listing risk checker flags them.
How to respond
- Check the listing's "who made it" answer and production partners are accurate, and correct them.
- Gather proof of making: process photos or video, material receipts, design files, original camera files.
- If copies of your photos exist, list them with the date you found each — and the date your listing went live.
- Appeal with a clear, factual letter. The appeal letter generator builds one from your answers.
Keep it from happening again
Take a few process photos for each new design, keep your original files, and send takedown notices for copies as you find them.
General information, not legal advice.
Questions
- I use a laser cutter or a print shop. Is that allowed?
- Etsy allows tools and production partners if you designed the item and disclose the partner in the listing. Tools you operate yourself, like a laser cutter or 3D printer, count as making it yourself.
- Does selling the same item elsewhere count against me?
- Selling your own work on other sites is fine. Problems start when your photos appear on factory and dropship listings, which makes your item look resold.
Related
- Etsy removed my listing after an intellectual property report
- Etsy removed my listing under the prohibited items policy
- Etsy suspended my shop — what it means and what to do
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