Your Side Hustle Could Be in Danger: Etsy Clamps Down on 3D-Printed Designs

Millions of Americans have turned to side hustles since the pandemic, selling their homemade wares on platforms like Etsy. But some of those hustles could now be at risk following a quiet change to Etsy’s seller policies, reports.

Etsy has updated its rules for the “Made by a Seller” category, stating that any item made with computerized tools—such as a 3D printer, laser cutter, CNC machine, or Cricut—must be based on the seller’s original design.

This means sellers will no longer be able to use licensed designs from third-party artists and designers, even if they’ve been modified. As notes, this is a common practice on the platform. Many sellers license designs from sites like Patreon, Thangs, or Printables, then add their own spin, like a custom paint job or small design tweak, before selling them on Etsy.

Before the change, the Etsy guidelines allowed products “using a templated design or pattern,” which let sellers use purchased designs from 3D modelers.

But there are doubts about Etsy’s ability to actually enforce some of these changes. Christian, one Etsy seller who licenses designs via Patreon, told that “Etsy has always been poor on moderation,” and that it’s “companies like Universal, Sony, [and] Disney that will contact Etsy to remove copyright products.”

“Unless they have new tech,” he added, “I highly doubt they can enforce this.”

Another 3D printing enthusiast told that the relative vagueness of the rules may be intentional on Etsy’s part, saying, “I suspect the current guidance is vague on purpose to discourage these mass production groups from making one small change and moving on.”

Etsy may still be a popular business, with over 5.6 million sellers based mainly in the US according to Marketplace Pulse, but this isn’t the first time we’ve seen it grapple with how to handle the impact of emerging technology. Etsy doubled down on its policy of allowing AI art on the platform late last year, following a controversial flood of AI designs on the platform, which even caused some sellers to go as far as to close up shop.

Etsy has also made other decisions of late that run the risk of endangering some sellers on the platform, banning the sale of certain types of sex toys in June 2024, including adult content (even if it’s just a vintage copy of Playboy.)

About Will McCurdy

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I’m a reporter covering weekend news. Before joining PCMag in 2024, I picked up bylines in BBC News, The Guardian, The Times of London, The Daily Beast, Vice, Slate, Fast Company, The Evening Standard, The i, TechRadar, and Decrypt Media.

I’ve been a PC gamer since you had to install games from multiple CD-ROMs by hand. As a reporter, I’m passionate about the intersection of tech and human lives. I’ve covered everything from crypto scandals to the art world, as well as conspiracy theories, UK politics, and Russia and foreign affairs.

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