Etsy requires Custom Orders to collect extra payment after checkout from July 9, 2026

From July 9, 2026, any seller who needs more money for a bespoke order after checkout must bill it through Etsy, not by peer-to-peer payment or bank transfer.

Alura News

What changed

On June 9, 2026, Etsy published a new version of its Seller Policy that took effect on July 9, 2026. It adds this rule:

"Where a seller needs to collect additional payment from a buyer after checkout reflecting the final price of the item, where the total price could not be determined at the time of the original listing for bespoke or highly customized orders, sellers must use Etsy's 'Create Custom Order' feature."

The same version spelled out what counts as an off-platform transaction in Messages. It added "requesting buyers make payments off Etsy after checkout, including via peer-to-peer payment services or direct bank transfer; or offering discounts or incentives to purchase through another website or channel." The previous version listed only exchanging contact or financial information "for the purposes of making an off-platform transaction."

Etsy's June 9 announcement on US shipping also links to updates to the Seller Policy and the Off-Platform Transactions policy.

Completing a sale off Etsy was already against the rules. The Off-Platform Transactions policy, in its version last updated May 6, 2024, says: "A transaction initiated on Etsy may not be completed off of Etsy." The July 9 text names the payment methods and the one route Etsy allows.

Who it affects

Every seller, and most of all those who make bespoke or highly customized items whose final price isn't known when the buyer checks out.

What it means

Any balance now goes through Etsy. Say a buyer pays $80 at checkout for a commission, and the final price comes to $110. You collect the $30 difference with a Custom Order on Etsy. Asking the buyer to send the $30 by a peer-to-peer app or bank transfer breaks the July 9 policy.

Off-platform payments also sit outside Etsy's protections. The 2024 policy says Etsy Payments, Purchase Protection and the case system "aren't available for transactions that take place off of Etsy."

What to do

  • Remove any line in your listings, shop FAQs or saved message replies that asks buyers to pay a balance another way.
  • Use Create Custom Order for any extra charge after checkout.
  • Don't offer buyers a discount to order through your own website or another channel.

What we don't know

On October 5, 2026, Etsy shortened the Messages line in the Seller Policy to "Facilitating or directing off-platform transactions." The peer-to-peer and bank-transfer wording is no longer on that page. The Custom Order rule is still there. Etsy has not explained the change, and we could not read the current Off-Platform Transactions policy to confirm whether that wording now sits there. Etsy also doesn't define "bespoke or highly customized."

Sources

Related articles