Etsy Shop Launch Checklist (2026): Policy, Fees and Setup Before Your First Listing

Last verified 2026-10-23 · Getting started · Published with AI assistance, sourced from official pages (how we work)

Disclosure: some links below are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes the price you pay or our fee maths. Details.

This is a checklist drawn from Etsy's published policies. It is not a guarantee of approval or success, and Etsy can change its rules.

1. Eligibility and payments

• [ ] Your country is on Etsy's Etsy Payments list (check Etsy's list). Israel is.
• [ ] You are at least 18 and ready to be approved for a payment account.
• [ ] You know your payment processing fee and any deposit fee: country table.
• [ ] You know your tax position. In Israel: osek patur or murshe.

2. What you are allowed to sell

• [ ] The item is made, designed, handpicked or sourced by you (Etsy's Creativity Standards).
• [ ] If you use AI at any stage: you add human creative input to each item, you disclose AI use in the description, and you do not sell AI-generated patterns, recipes, instructions or prompt bundles. Summary of AI rules.
• [ ] If a production partner (such as a print-on-demand service) makes your items, you disclose it in the listing: how.

3. Listing quality

• [ ] You use your own photos or video, not stock images or other sellers' photos (limited exceptions exist for custom items and production-partner items; see Etsy's Listing Image Requirements).
• [ ] If any listing image is AI-edited, it must not make the item look better or different from what the buyer gets, and you include at least one unedited photo against a real background.
• [ ] The description honestly shows how the item was made, by whom and where it ships from.
• [ ] Your shop's About section accurately describes the people involved.

4. Fees and pricing

• [ ] You understand the four fees: US$0.20 listing (four-month listings), 6.5% transaction, processing, and Offsite Ads where applicable: fee guide.
• [ ] You priced backwards from your target profit: pricing guide; check in the calculator.
• [ ] You decided on Offsite Ads (opt out is allowed only under US$10,000 in any 365 days): rules.
• [ ] You set listings to auto-renew deliberately; each renewal costs US$0.20.

5. Tools (optional)

• [ ] Start with free keyword research: free methods; paid options are compared in eRank vs Alura vs Marmalead.
• [ ] If you sell print-on-demand, order samples and compare suppliers: Printify vs Printful.

Keep records of every payout and fee statement for your accountant.