Drop-shipping is the practice of selling ready-made products that are shipped directly from a third-party supplier to the customer, without any alteration or customization by the seller.
Reselling is the practice of selling a commercially available item that the seller did not make or design.
Are drop-shipping and reselling allowed on Etsy?
Drop-shipping is not allowed on Etsy, with the limited exception of Craft and Party Supplies. Sellers may drop-ship craft and party supplies that support our creative community, enabling the creation of unique items and bringing personal touches to special events.
Reselling is not allowed on Etsy except for the following items that are handpicked or sourced by sellers:
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Craft and party supplies: Empower makers to create unique items and memorable events.
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Vintage items: Breathe new life into unique, handpicked items that are over 20 years old.
- Gift baskets: Celebrate special moments with themed collections, personally selected and packaged by sellers. Fully resold gift baskets are not allowed.
For more details on what qualifies as permitted craft supplies, vintage items, and gift baskets, read Etsy’s Creativity Standards.
The following are examples of drop-shipping and reselling that are not allowed on Etsy:
- Selling items that are commercially available from retailers or wholesalers except craft or party supplies.
- Adding a card, gift tag, or note to an otherwise unaltered commercially available item (e.g., a resold necklace with a personalized note.)
- Selling gift baskets that are entirely resold or drop-shipped, rather than made up of items selected and creatively packaged by the seller to create a new, unique set.
- Selling handicrafts or fair trade items that were not made or designed by the seller.
Working with production partners
A production partner is a company or individual (who is not part of the seller's Etsy shop) that helps physically produce items based on a seller's original designs, such as an apparel producer, an engraver, or a print-on-demand service.
Using production partners, including print-on-demand services, to fulfill and ship orders is allowed on Etsy, as long as the items being sold are the seller's original design (or the buyer's customization).
However, if a seller uses a production partner to sell products they did not design and buyers did not personalize, this would violate Etsy's policies. The key distinction is that the items must be original creations, not ready-made or commercially available products.
Read more about the requirements for working with a production partner.
For more information about what kinds of items are eligible for sale on Etsy, please refer to Etsy’s Creativity Standards.