Hopefully, the changes to Etsy Policies are a good thing for both sellers and buyers on the platform! Here’s what I know about new Etsy policies and what you need to do to stay selling.
Etsy sent an email to all of its sellers on February 7, 2022, explaining that their policies or “house rules” are getting a refresh. In case you missed it, or it ended up in spam, here’s what I understand about the new Etsy policy and new Etsy rules for 2022.
Etsy didn’t offer us a redlined version of the policy, so it’s not easy to see at a glance what is new and what was already there. I went through each of the policies to check for any glaring changes that I thought you should know about. You’re welcome… that was a lot of reading!
Scroll down if you are specifically looking for the updates made to Etsy Seller Policies for 2022.
As an Etsy seller, it’s your responsibility to read and understand these updates. So take some time to do that and familiarize yourself with the rules for selling on Etsy so that you can stay active and compliant.
Changes to Official Policies on Etsy, Including Privacy, Payments, and Electronic Communications.
These are the type of policies that I, as a human, don’t usually read. It’s the legal stuff, the fine print, the thing that you have to agree to in order to use the platform. I’m reading it now, and having trouble finding the actual changes that have been made.
Whenever a company updates its policies, even in small ways, they need to notify everyone. Etsy states in the email they sent that the goal of these updates was to increase transparency. I am going to assume that the changes are based on legal-ese and wording. Here’s what I found:
Read the updated policies to get more specifics. I scanned through in a non-lawyer way and I don’t see any glaring addition that jumps out to me.
Wording regarding the use of Klarna as a payment processor has been removed.
An explanation of “rounding rules” as applied to customers searching for items using their home currency was removed. It’s possible that rounding won’t happen anymore? I’m not certain.
Etsy Electronic Communications Policy: I do not see any changes to this short policy.
Etsy Buyer Policy Update 2022:
An explanation is added to say that if a customer uses a third party payment service that they may be subject to an agreement with that third party.
The rules for leaving reviews have been changed. They have been reorganized in the policy, however, they appear to be the same.
Clearer Requests for Information Policy
Etsy has updated the policy to outline how Etsy will contact you if they need to obtain information. The change appears to be in Item 5 here and again looks like a language change that still says the same thing.
Seller Policy Updates on Etsy 2022
This is what you’re really looking for, right? These changes could actually mean changes for your seller account on Etsy!
The whole policy has been reorganized to make it more user-friendly, according to Etsy. I suggest that you read the policy and be familiar with it. As a seller that is your responsibility.
The email from Etsy says that “More clearly articulated Etsy’s ability to make changes to onboarding and/or the authentication process for sellers. This will help ensure that join and operate on Etsy are verified and meet Etsy’s policies.”
The added wording in the policy is this: “Etsy may make changes to onboarding or authentication processes for sellers at our sole discretion. Completion of these processes may be required for seller account activation or continued access and usage.”
So, new processes haven’t been defined, but they are saying that they could be at any time.
Etsy Advertising and Marketing Update
This policy has been updated to include “Partner Checkout”, which isn’t launched yet, but will provide buyers to checkout for Etsy listings on other platforms when they are shown as advertisements on other platforms.
What Do the New Etsy Policies Mean?
Well. I think that's it. Honestly, these updates don't seem to make any big changes to anything. I appreciate Etsy being open and transparent though, and I learned a lot while reading through all of these policies today. I suggest that you do the same!
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