IMPORTANT INFO for Sellers About Selling 3D Printed Products on Etsy
Jazzy here! We hadn't planned to make an "official" statement but due to the influx of messages and questions.... here I am!
There is a new creativity policy in place at Etsy. These new rules include 3D printed products. You can read more about it here. These rules are NEW, and I don’t know exactly how they will affect selling 3D printed items.
Right now I am advising all sellers to remain calm and AWARE. As of June 14th there has NOT been anything official from Etsy, no statements, no announcements. There is a lot of speculation going around and we are doing our best to keep an eye on the FACTS. There is a lot of competing information but for now, this is what we know. I want to address some of the questions I've been getting.
UPDATE JUNE 15TH: Yes I have seen the screenshots with the Etsy chat bot/rep. Please note they are quoting the OLD RULES. Specifically the ruling that INCLUDED "or using a templated design or pattern". The new ruling as of June 10th does NOT INCLUDE THIS LINE.
I have not personally seen or heard of current Cinderwing3D sellers being removed from Etsy as of yet. Nothing has been reported to us.,
Despite the Tom's Hardware article Etsy is NOT going after 3D prints or Cinderwing3D Dragon specifically. As written, MANY different mediums like CNC, sublimation, laser, and embroidery may be affected, not just 3DP. It seems highly unlikely Etsy would truly want to alienate all of those mediums.
Etsy has NOT SAID ANYTHING OFFICIAL. There have been statements from long time Etsy content creators, youtubers, and news. None of these sources have anything official from Etsy. Please keep this in mind when reading up on the topic.
This is your reminder you may NOT use Cinderwing photos for your own listings! This has always been the case but this is a great reminder! Feel free to ask if you need help taking photos! It’s not unlikely that Etsy is scanning listings for duplicate images! It is against Cinder rules to use our images regardless, but this is a good reminder.
Put your best foot forward. Ensure your products are high quality and have your own touch! Be creative with colors, pictures, and have high quality control standards. Putting in this kind of effort helps set you apart on Etsy and will likely help distinguish you from “temu dropshippers” which is what Etsy seems to be targeting.
As soon as there is more info, I will make a point to update this post. Until then we advise all sellers to continue on as is. This is a great time to consider opening up alternative marketplaces, such as Shopify, Square, Squarespace, Mercari, eBay, Wix, WooCommerce, etc.
I'd also like to take a moment to remind everyone that Cinderwing3D consists of THREE PEOPLE. Myself (Jazzy), Tracy (designer), and Richard (Tracy's husband and legal guy). In a case like this we simply won't have all the answers and up against a company as large as Etsy, we don't get special treatment and know as much as y'all do. Please keep this in mind while we do our best to navigate this new information.
Thank you.
I will leave comments on for now but if it gets too crazy, I may turn them off. Be kind folks. <3
Comments (20)
Does the 10 dollar membership make it so that i can sell the models so long as i do not give the 3d files to a mass producing thing and so long as i do not unsubscribe?
It means you can produce physical prints on your own printers and sell those physical products, yes. Never my files
I just got banned from a chat on Facebook that is called Free 3mf and stl files for pointing out that they are giving out files from this site that I believe are paid for. That is just wrong and thieving
I got kicked off of Etsy months ago. I'd made two sales and then they banned my account, and after many attempts to get them to tell me what I did wrong so I could fix it, and them flat-out refusing to even tell me what the problem was, I gave up. It wasn't worth it.
That puts it all into great context. Thank you for your easy to read advice. I don't use etsy but it's still good to be aware of what's happening.
We don’t have an Etsy shop but the info on here was still very helpful, thank you xx
I think I've reread the new rules a hundred times. The "These items must be produced based on a seller's original design..." I think the key word or word's here, and I may be wrong but "a seller's". "A seller", it doesn't say "the production seller" or "the seller". So maybe "a seller" just means the designer the producer bought the pattern/file from?
This is what we are rolling with but the old ruling was very specific to mention "patterns", the new one does not. That is the main hang up
Etsy was full of Chinese manufacturers that would ship customized products to the US by utilizing the "de minimis" exemption that allowed goods valued at or below $800 to enter the U.S. without tariffs. That policy was eliminated effective May 2, 2025. Maybe Etsy is going back to its grassroots.
This is a bit of a different issue but I get where you're coming from :)
UPDATE JUNE 15TH: Yes I have seen the screenshots with the Etsy chat bot/rep. Please note they are quoting the OLD RULES. Specifically the ruling that INCLUDED "or using a templated design or pattern". The new ruling as of June 10th does NOT INCLUDE THIS LINE.
thx
See if took it a different way, I took it the item you are selling must be made in house so 3d printing must be printed by you, not say bought in bulk on temu and re sold, if it truly must be your own home made design it will also alienate crochet crowd as they all use patterns made by others
This is basically what the hope is right now but it could go either way. We can't say for sure until Etsy says something or listings start going down all over.
So if I make an item with my 3d printer, but I hand paint it AND I list in the creation side of the listing, the manufacturer details of my print design, i.e. Jazzy, AND the type and brand of paint used etc., then it was supposed to be ok. If I print a 4 color item and just list it, it is not considered handmade
Yes and again that's part of the issue, with them completly removing the "templates and patterns" line.... techncially they could even go after a crochet person using a hat template. That's why its such a problem. Its not the rule enforcement thats the issue, its the wording and who it affects
Etsy has always been open about their policy of items and you were supposed to notify if they were "manufactured" or handmade, they just didn't enforce unless you violated other things, like IP, etc. Apparently they are starting to enforce the policies that were already in place
This is not entirely the case here. The older version of this ruling stated an OR clause of "OR a templated design or pattern, and are often personalized or customized to a buyer’s specification." The "Or templated design or pattern" has been removed. In doing so they aren't just hurting 3DP folks.
I'm not sure if this helps, but this is from Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/legal/creativity/ Items produced using computerized tools: Physical items that a seller produced in their personal shop or home, using computerized tools such as a laser printer, 3D printer, CNC or Cricut machine. These items must be produced based on a seller’s original design and are often personalized or customized to a buyer’s specification. e.g., Clothing embroidered by a seller using a computerized embroidery machine; tumblers decorated with vinyl stickers printed by a Cricut machine; wedding invitations designed by a seller using software and printed onto stationery using a laser printer
The following are examples of items that do not qualify as ‘made by a seller’: An item assembled by a seller per the manufacturer’s instructions (e.g., flatpack furniture or a Lego set) A commercially available base item with only superficial alteration, such as addition of a simple, mass-produced stick-on adornment