BIG ETSY NEWS🚨 Can You Use Mockups & AI? Etsy Has Answered.

Today I go over updates on Etsy regarding their new announcement on if mockup usage is allowed on Etsy, terms of service announcement and all you need to know regarding these clarifications and updates per Etsy's CEO.

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LEGAL DISCLAIMER: Any shops or listings in this video are shown for educational purposes and by no means are we suggesting to copy any other sellers on the Etsy platform. All listings and estimated income of Etsy sellers is only estimated and does not always reflect the actual sellers income. I do not represent Etsy or work for this company. Every video is based on my personal experiences and opinions.

//CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
1:21 Etsy's Announcement
3:29 New Creativity Standards Policy
5:30 Is AI Allowed on Etsy for Designing?
7:15 Production Partner Listing Disclaimer
8:04 Not Allowed AI on Etsy
9:43 Mockup Usage for POD
12:05 Personalized POD Mockup Usage Requirements
12:50 What to Do if You Sell Personalized Listings on Etsy
15:33 New Listing Item Details
16:53 How to Bulk Update Production Partners
18:13 Recap & My Final Thoughts
19:32 Personalization Bestseller Listing Suggestion

[itsheatherstudio]

Since posting this video, I have seen a lot of back and forth in the comments about personalization listings and if you can or cannot use mockups as the first image, based on the following statement by Etsy:

_"Computer-generated mockups may be used in additional listing images to showcase customization options – just make sure your first image is the real deal.”_

The term ‘real deal’ is somewhat ambiguous. However, the statement by Etsy heavily implies that *additional* images may be computer-generated, but not the first image. Whether or not this is what Etsy intended, I’m not sure, but that is how I am interpreting Etsy’s statement. In my opinion, Etsy has a history of clarifying and confusing us at the same time and if I'm completely wrong, I'll make an update to this video.

_Edit to add one more thing since posting._

*Another important note:* at 8:39 I meant to add a disclaimer that you cannot alter Creative Fabrica designs(such as cropping a as-is design and adding a graphic or font- you cannot just crop a design to resell just to clarify) without the original creators approval or it's written in the license. Templates from Canva and Kittl can be used- you just need to modify and edit templates such as changing the font, colors, patterns or graphics to make it your own intellectual property that it's unique to your own shop. Hopefully this clarifies and my apologies for not adding the disclaimer in the video here!

[itsheatherstudio]

Another important note: at 8:39 I meant to add a disclaimer that you *cannot* alter Creative Fabrica designs(such as cropping a as-is design and adding a graphic or font- you cannot just crop a design to resell just to clarify) without the original creators approval or it's written in the license. Templates from Canva and Kittl *can be* used- you just need to modify and edit templates such as changing the font, colors, patterns or graphics to make it your own intellectual property that it's unique to your own shop. Hopefully this clarifies and my apologies for not adding the disclaimer in the video here!

[kellycasas]

I think the first photo can not say “ your text here “ but you can still use a mock up showing an example of the personalized item. That’s how I interpreted it

[CarrieMarieDeLoge]

Okay I'm just a bit over 3 minutes in, but I think the word you were looking for is "validation". I sewed my own clothes for a clothing line for 10 years and no longer can due to physical limitations. POD is allowing me to create again in a different way, but it's just as creative and unique and cool. <3

[EtherealEcho-jljv]

I am so done with Etsy. I’m reopening my Shopify. I think what they are trying to do is good- BUT they are killing their shop owners and not being anywhere near helpful about it. They don’t know what to do. And it’s very clear what they should do. And they don’t know their ARTISTS that keep their platform going. I give them at most 5 years. A competitor will eat them for breakfast, become an ultimate platform and give powerful data tools. It’s going to happen.

[freepirate]

Etsy is pretty vicious and many people have PTSD from sone of the problems the last coiple of years Payment holds, various suspensions. Etc. Nobody replies to emails and etsy does stuff without telling us why. Thats why people get scared and deactivate their own listings. They're afraid etsy will punish then amd then no recourse no customer service.

[Bekind]

Regarding customization, when Josh says "Just make sure your first image is the real deal", I understand it to mean that we have to show a name, date, etc. that would show the customer what it would look like when they had their name there, but that "Your Text Here" is not allowed on the first photo, but can be on any of the other photos. I read it several times and that is how I read it. Could be wishful thinking on my part though.

[krisdugan]

This makes me not want to do personalization. IE, Christmas shirts for a family. I gotta buy shirts in 5 different colors to personalize, mom-dad-kid-kid-dog? B/C personalize come in different colors, different sizes, male, female, children sizes ect...The entire point of Etsy is to personalize.

[onTargett]

Thank you for your much-needed video regarding these Etsy concerns.

Personalized/custom listings may become very costly for the seller. For example, suppose you’ve already got 1, 000+ personalized t-shirt listings (or are a new seller attempting 1, 000+ listings). In this case, you have to order 1, 000+ samples so that you can take an original photo of the product to place in the first photo slot of each listing. Since a majority of a seller's listings (I’ve heard that could be up to 90%) may never even sell.

This new requirement seems excessive. and… what does a seller do with a plethora of unusable personalized t-shirts? I only have a handful of family/friends that I can give personalized designed t-shirts to. Plus, wouldn't it be more financially beneficial for a seller to have family/friends place an order themselves if they wanted the t-shirt in the first place?

What are your thoughts?

[Kitcatmom]

This was so exciting! I cheered out loud 😆. I’ve been designing my little heart out and just purchased my first mock up bundle today. So excited!

[dowellbegood]

Hi. I had posted a comment earlier, but I don't see it. To clarify, people who make real mockups, with real photos and real products can sell their mockups. The "Your Design Here" portion is only relevant for customized, personalized products. Correct?

[CindySimpson-ho]

Hi Heather. I have a follow up comment or questions. First, where do I find the selection "I did" for who created the product being sold? Second, are these rules/guidelines for today forward or should I be going back to every listing and making sure my mockups and such are compliant? Thank you in advance for your help!!

[MarigoldSundays]

Could your first photo be from Placeit as long as it’s the exact product? Or would you have to use a boring mock-up from Printify?

[daniwanicki]

Great news for most POD sellers! I noticed when listing a production partner from Printify, Jondo, it has multiple locations throughout the US, about 4 others. Their headquarters is in Yorba Linda, CA. Will Etsy give me problems if I list their headquarters location, but then it ships from their other location in Dallas, Texas, or it's not something to worry about?

[Vraekon]

Hello Heather, i do personalized canvas print wall art and use mockups. But i do put "The Johnson's" instead of "Your Text Here" so my product does represent the final product. Do you think i would be ok reading that i am using a real name not a "placeholder" like "Your Text Here"? Thank you

[danimotherofchickens]

This doesn't really clarify anything. Mockups bought on etsy, are of the actual base shirt. SO is that allowed? Cause every top seller would be gone if that was the case.

[nai]

Could we still purchase a mockup from etsy amd use that for our as is tshirts ?

[Printedways]

What should I do with the first image of the listing if I sell personalized digital products, such as drawings from photos. Can I use mockups of the design framed?

[RichinZhills]

What was probably happening is that some shop owners were simply taking templates, linking those to a partner's printing shop, then just adding in the customer option for them to customize the template design. In essence, the shop owner wasn't doing anything creative, just inserting themselves as a middle-man and passing on the creative part to the buyer.
And let's face it, taking someone else's template, asking the customer to add a slogan, then passing that to the POD partner isn't really creating a product. And reinventing the best selling "wheel" isn't being creative, the shop is just copying a proven design hoping to cash in.

[denisebrown]

Hi Heather, do you know if you can use a mockup photo from printify if it’s a personalized item? I just listed one and got a sale but I had used the mockup generated by printify. Would that be okay or does the first photo have to be an actual picture of the item. 😊