- The new rules of Etsy redefine what “by hand” means
- The sellers are surprised while Etsy is updated its 3D printing policy
- Popular 3D prints may no longer comply with Etsy’s originality test
Etsy has updated its policy of creativity standards, tightening the rules around what is in fact qualified by hand or original on its popular market.
The most spoken change affects 3D printed goods, because only articles based on the own conceptions of a seller will now meet the criteria. This seems to exclude many popular products, including Flexi Dragons (articulated figurines like the one above, with or without eggs), which are often made from license designs of third-party creators.
The change has slipped under the radar at the start since Etsy has made no public announcement, rather quietly resuming the news in a community newsletter on market safety.
Must be based on the seller’s original design
The sellers discovered a quarter of work when reading the small legal characters under “our rules of the room”. The word spreads quickly and the 3D printing forums were on concern and confusion.
As Tom material Reports, when Etsy was launched in 2005, these were handmade articles and vintage finds. Over time, dropshippers and mass produced products flooded the platform.
Etsy began to respond to this problem in 2024 with new creativity standards that focus on originality and a human touch.
Everything on the site is now supposed to fall into four cowardly categories: manufactured, designed, handpicked or coming from the seller.
Most 3D printed sellers thought they were covered by “manufactured by the seller” because they print the articles themselves. Etsy has now said that these products must also be based on the seller’s original conceptions.
This detail now places thousands of current lists in violation of the policy, but it has been suggested that manufacturers could bypass change by adding personalization to their creations and offering unique photos and descriptions to their lists.
Etsy has not prohibited 3D printing, and nothing suggests that he never plans to do so. Sellers can always create and sell their own conceptions on the site, as well as the use of alternative platforms, such as Ebay and Tiktok.
