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- The new rules of Etsy redefine what “handmade” means
- Sellers surprised when Etsy quietly updates his 3D print policy
- Popular 3D prints can no longer meet the originality test of Etsy
Etsy has updated his Creativity standards policySharpening the rules regarding what is eligible as a handmade or original on his popular marketplace.
The most spoken change influences 3D-printed goods, because only items will now meet the criteria based on a seller’s own designs. This seems to exclude many popular products, including Flexi Dragons (articulated Dragon figures such as those above, with or without eggs), which are often made of designs with a license from third-party makers.
The change first slid under the radar since Etsy did not announce a public announcement, instead quietly put the news in a community letter about keeping the market safe.
Must be based on the original design of the seller
Sellers discovered the shift while reading the legal small print under ‘Our House Rules’. Word spreads quickly, and 3D print forums relieved concern and confusion.
When Tom’s hardware Reports, when Etsy was launched in 2005, it was all about handmade items and vintage finds. In the course of time, drop shippers and mass produced in mass have flooded the platform.
Etsy started responding to this problem in 2024 with new creativity standards that emphasize originality and a human touch.
Everything on the site is now supposed to fall into four separate categories: made, designed, selected or from the seller.
Most 3D print sellers believed that they were covered under “Made by Seller”, because they print items themselves. Etsy has now clarified that these products must also be based on the original designs of the seller.
That detail now places thousands of current entries in violation of the policy, but it has been suggested that makers can bypass the change by adding adaptation to their creations and offering unique photos and descriptions to their entries.
Etsy has not banned 3D printing and there is no suggestion that it once intends to do this. Sellers can still make their own designs on the site and sell and use alternative platforms, such as eBay and Tiktok.
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