Etsy rules · checked 25 October 2026
Etsy's unedited photo rule and new AI rules, explained
On 22 October 2026 Etsy changed its listing image rules and its rules on AI. Most listings now need at least one unedited photo of the actual item. AI-generated patterns and recipes are banned, and so are listings made by bots. Etsy says existing listings that don't meet the image rules need to be updated, and it hasn't announced a deadline or grace period.
The short version
- One unedited photo: most listings must include at least one unedited photo of the actual item against a real background.
- Edited photos are still allowed as extra images, including AI-assisted edits, if they accurately show what the buyer receives.
- No AI-generated patterns, recipes or instructions. They must be your own work, and the listing needs a real photo of a finished result.
- No bot-made listings. Listings created by automation without human involvement aren't allowed.
- AI art is still allowed if you have a clear creative role and disclose it. You can't present AI work as handmade or entirely your own.
What counts as "unedited"
Reports of the new rule say the unedited photo can't be cropped, resized, straightened, or have its lighting, exposure or background changed. In practice that means a photo straight from your phone or camera, of the real item, somewhere real: a table, a shelf, a hand, a wall. Keep your styled and edited shots; they just can't be the only photos.
Etsy hasn't said how it will check. It says it's adding alerts when AI images are detected at upload, plans to extend them to existing listings, and expects to remove more listings over the coming months as its detection improves.
Exceptions by product type
| Listing type | What it needs |
|---|---|
| Physical items you make or source | At least one unedited photo of the actual item on a real background |
| Print on demand | Authorised stock mockups are allowed, but they must accurately show the product |
| Patterns, recipes, plans, seeds | At least one real, unedited photo of a finished result. The instructions must be your own work, not AI-generated |
| Digital downloads | Generally a visual preview or excerpt of the actual content, such as the cover and inside pages |
| Audio and other non-visual files | Representative images, including AI images, if they don't mislead |
| Personalised or custom items | Real examples of past work |
What happens if a listing breaks the rules
- Misleading listings can be removed, and repeat problems can lead to further action, up to and including shop removal.
- Listings made by bots can be removed, and the shop may be removed too.
- If a buyer opens a case because the item is materially different from the photos, you may have to refund them.
- Buyers can now report listings for misleading AI imagery. Etsy says these reports won't trigger enforcement straight away at first.
- You can appeal a removal on the Policy violations page in Shop Manager. Our appeal writer drafts the text.
How to update a big shop without losing a month
- Download your listings file (Shop Manager, Settings, Options, Download data, Currently for sale listings) and open it in ListingProof.
- Fix the clear problems first: patterns and recipes without a result photo, AI items without a disclosure, AI work called handmade, listings with no real photo.
- Then confirm the unedited photo on your bestsellers, and work down the list. Re-shoot where you only have edited or styled photos.
- Keep the originals. Save the original phone files with their dates, plus process photos. Etsy says it's working on authorship checks and hasn't said what proof it will ask for.
- Look at near-copy listings. If you made many listings from one template, make sure each one has your own input and photos.
Sources
- PPC Land: Etsy forces sellers to show one unaltered photo in every listing
- Value Added Resource: Etsy bans AI-generated patterns, tightens listing photo rules
- Etsy Community: Important updates to AI on Etsy
Etsy's House Rules are the final word, and Etsy may change or clarify them. This page summarises them as reported on 22 to 25 October 2026. It isn't legal advice, and DutyReady isn't affiliated with Etsy, Inc.