When someone steals your cool, original idea and sells it on Etsy, it can feel like you’ve been robbed… because you have.
But is there anything you can do about it?
The answer is yes! You can get fake or stolen products removed from Etsy pretty easily.
Here’s how!
- If you have stolen products on Amazon, check out our guide >>
- If you have stolen products on WooCommerce, check out our guide >>
- If you have stolen products on Shopify, check out our guide >>
Protect Your eCommerce Store
We found an anti-piracy expert to reclaim our lost rankings and stop unauthorized versions of our products. Now you can work with him too.
- Avoid lost revenue when others monetize YOUR content
- Stop brand damage when your name is used on shady websites
- Prevent stolen versions from appearing above you in search results
We offer this website completely free to our visitors. To help pay the bills, we’ll often (but not always) set up affiliate relationships with the top providers after selecting our favorites. However, we do our best not to let this impact our choices. There are plenty of high-paying companies we’ve turned down because we didn’t like their product.
An added benefit of our relationships is that we always try to negotiate exclusive discounts for our visitors.
Understanding Etsy's Intellectual Property Policies
First, you need to understand what Etsy considers “stolen.”
Per Etsy's intellectual property policies, Etsy “reserves the right to disable any listing, shop, or account that we believe violates our Terms of Use, including this Intellectual Property Policy or our Prohibited Items Policy. Etsy also reserves the right to take action against abusers of Etsy’s Intellectual Property Policy or our Terms of Use.”
However, they don’t act on behalf of intellectual property owners, so the owner of the original content will have to reach out to them with concerns.
Basically, if a seller can prove that another seller stole their content, Etsy has the right to remove the listing, disable the shop, and even disable entire accounts.
Gathering Evidence of Stolen Items
The first thing to do is gather evidence of the stolen item or items.
Take a screenshot of your original item listed that shows the date that your item was listed. You will also need to carefully look through the Etsy site/app to see where everything stolen is located.
You will need to provide the listing URLs, photos of your product and the stolen products, any photos you can get of the creation process of the item to show you are the creator, and anything else you can think of that shows you own the product that has been stolen or replicated without your permission.
Reporting a Fake or Stolen Product on Etsy
Once you’ve gathered your evidence, it couldn’t be easier to report a stolen product on Etsy.
Contact the Seller First
Per Etsy's guidelines on reporting intellectual property theft, they recommend reaching out to the seller first to try and resolve the situation. When you do this, you can send a cease and desist or DMCA takedown notice to demand that the seller remove the stolen product.
Here’s an example of a template you could use:
“My name is {Your Full Legal Name}, I am the exclusive rights holder for content that is appearing on your website. This email is official notification under Section 512(c) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”), and I seek the immediate removal of the following infringing material from your servers.”
Hopefully, this will get the stolen product removed without having to escalate.
Reporting Theft to Etsy
If the store owner doesn’t respond, you can escalate the situation and easily report the infringement to Etsy.
To do this, you will simply need to use their reporting portal by registering, adding intellectual property, and creating a report.
You’ll need to fill out the following fields:
- Select the appropriate option for “I own the rights,” “I’m authorized to report on behalf of my employer who owns the rights” or “I’m authorized to report on behalf of an organization or client that owns the rights.”
- Full name
- Company
- Job title
- Business address
- Info about your copyright, trademark, IP, or anything related
Next, navigate to the “Reports” tab on the portal. Here, you will use the search bar to find listings that you believe are in violation. You’ll select all items that seem to be stealing your product, and click “submit.”
Etsy will then send you a confirmation email.
What to Expect After Reporting
Once you’ve submitted your report, you can check back on the status of it through the reporting portal.
All you need to do is select “View Report” to see whether your report is in progress or if they have decided to take action and remove the content.
If they find that the content is indeed in violation of their policies, they will remove or disable the product, shop, or account.
You will also receive an email notification about the outcome of your report once it’s finalized.
What to Do If Your DMCA Notice Is Countered
Any time you send a DMCA takedown, the accused party has the ability to file a counternotice claiming that they have the right to sell what they’re selling.
If someone counters your DMCA request with Etsy, they will then have the ability to determine if the content is in compliance with their policies or not. They could put the product listing back up, and they will notify you in the portal if this happens.
For more info read Etsy’s IP counter policy.
Tips for Preventing Future Theft
Of course, the goal would be to avoid having to deal with all of this in the first place.
A few ways you can prevent future theft of your items on Etsy include:
- Selling only original content
- Register your brand for copyright
- Creating strong branding to build brand recognition
- Watermark images and video
- Detail item and product descriptions
- Use a DMCA takedown service for ongoing monitoring
- Enable Etsy’s shop security settings
Alternatives to Sending DMCA Takedown Notices
If reaching out to the seller and sending a DMCA takedown notice to Etsy seems like a lot of work, you have other options.
One of the best ways to avoid dealing with DMCA takedowns is to use a DMCA takedown service.
What a coincidence, we actually have one of our own! After going through the frustration of sending DMCA takedowns on our own with the help of expert peers, we wanted to do what we could to make the process easier for everyone else.
If your IP has been stolen on Etsy or elsewhere, check out our DMCA takedown service and see if we can help you out!
Protect Your eCommerce Store
We found an anti-piracy expert to reclaim our lost rankings and stop unauthorized versions of our products. Now you can work with him too.
- Avoid lost revenue when others monetize YOUR content
- Stop brand damage when your name is used on shady websites
- Prevent stolen versions from appearing above you in search results
Frequently Asked Questions
Is selling replicas on Etsy illegal?
Yes, selling unauthorized replicas on Etsy is illegal.
Will Etsy refund money if scammed?
You may or may not be refunded if you get scammed on Etsy, as they handle this on a case-by-case basis.
What happens when you report a shop on Etsy?
When you report a shop on Etsy, Etsy’s team will look into your report and determine whether or not the reported shop violates its user guidelines. If it is, it gets removed.
Are fakes sold on Etsy?
Yes, unfortunately, many fakes are sold on Etsy.