Can you sell this on Etsy?
Paste a listing's title, tags and description. As you type, every name from our list of 1,297 well-known brands, characters and teams, and every word an Etsy policy covers, is highlighted with what the register or Etsy's policy says about it. You decide what to change. The check runs in your browser: nothing you paste is sent anywhere. Only a listing link is, when you click Fill.
What this check can and can't tell you
- It checks your words against a list of 1,297 well-known names and against the plain names of things Etsy's published policies cover. Neither list is complete.
- 237 names were checked on the US trademark register on November 13, 2026, and those show the registered wording and number. For the others, search the register.
- It shows what it found and what Etsy's policy or the register says about it. It does not decide whether a listing is allowed, and a result with nothing found doesn't mean that either.
- Trademarks differ by country and by product type, so a name registered for one product or in one country may not be registered for another.
- Photos, designs, logos and characters can infringe when no word does. This checks words only.
- This is information, not legal advice.
1,297 names, 237 of them checked on the US trademark register on November 13, 2026. List last updated November 13, 2026.
Your result shows up here
Type or paste your listing on the left, fill it from an Etsy listing link, or try one of the examples.
Can you sell this on Etsy?
Etsy asks two questions about every item. First, did you make it, design it, handpick it or source it the way Etsy's Creativity Standards describe? Second, is it allowed at all under the Prohibited Items Policy? A third question sits on top of both: does the listing use someone else's brand, character or artwork without permission? That is the Intellectual Property Policy.
What you can sell on Etsy, by Etsy's own four categories:
- Made by you, by hand or with tools like a 3D printer, laser cutter or Cricut, from your own design.
- Designed by you and printed or produced by a partner, or sold as a digital download. This includes art you made with AI from your own prompts, as long as you say so in the description.
- Handpicked by you: vintage items at least 20 years old, items from nature, and themed gift baskets you put together yourself.
- Sourced by you: craft supplies, party supplies, and items personalized with the buyer's own text or image.
Reselling items you didn't make or design isn't allowed, except vintage items at least 20 years old, craft and party supplies, and gift baskets you selected and packaged yourself. Drop shipping isn't allowed except for craft and party supplies (Etsy on drop shipping and reselling).
Etsy prohibited items
The Prohibited Items Policy has eight sections. In short:
| Section | Not allowed (examples) | Allowed (Etsy's examples) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Alcohol, tobacco, drugs and medical claims | Alcohol, tobacco and smokable products, vapes and e-liquid, drugs and certain herbs including THC and CBD, bongs and other paraphernalia, medical drugs and regulated devices, and items that make medical claims | Beer brewing kits, baked goods made with alcohol, tobacco pipes, hookahs, empty bottles |
| 2. Animal products and human remains | Live animals, products from endangered or at-risk animals such as bats, bears, elephants, sea turtles, sharks and wild cats, ivory, natural fur, cat and dog parts, human remains | Leather, wool, shearling, non-ivory bones and antlers, human teeth and hair |
| 3. Dangerous items | Explosives such as fireworks and sparklers, flammable items, gases, poisons, radioactive material, loose lithium ion batteries, electric bikes and scooters, recalled items, and many weapons | Kitchen knives, letter openers, toy slingshots, brightly colored toy guns |
| 4. Hate items | Items that support hate groups or demean people for who they are | Some historical, religious or artistic items, case by case |
| 5. Illegal and regulated items | Counterfeits, fake diplomas, pay stubs and IDs, radar detectors, hidden cameras, lock picks, usable postage, lottery tickets, lists of personal information | Collectible postage or currency under 1,000 USD |
| 6. Internationally regulated items | Goods from places under economic sanctions | Items in a style from those places, such as a Cuban style hat, and books, posters and photos |
| 7. Nudity and sexual content | Pornography, sexual services and some adult toys | Illustrated nudes, with mature listings marked as mature |
| 8. Violent items | Items that glorify violence, terrorism, suicide, eating disorders or self-harm | Commemorating violent events without glorifying them |
Weapons have their own policy, with four parts that matter for most sellers:
| Part | Not allowed | May be allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Firearms | Guns and their parts, 3D-printed versions and files, scopes, magazines, silencers, ammunition and empty casings | Holsters, cases, racks, wall mounts, casings made into jewelry |
| Imitation firearms | BB, airsoft, pellet and paintball guns, and toy or prop guns that look real, even with an orange tip | Brightly colored or transparent toy guns, non-firing miniatures |
| Knives | Switchblades, out-the-front, butterfly and gravity knives, sword canes, throwing stars, push daggers, and any knife sold for self defense or battle | Kitchen, craft and hunting knives described by their use |
| Hand weapons | Brass knuckles, kubotans, pepper spray, tasers, nunchaku, shuriken, tonfas and weighted or extendable batons | Clearly marked foam or wood training props, bows, slingshots, whips |
Etsy says it has a zero tolerance policy for prohibited items and that sellers who violate it can be subject to immediate account suspension or termination.
How trademarks work on Etsy
A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design, or a combination of them, that identifies the source of goods or services (USPTO: What is a trademark?). The US Patent and Trademark Office explains that identical trademarks with different owners can be registered for different goods, such as Dove soap and Dove ice cream bars, and that marks don't have to be identical to conflict: they can be similar in sound, appearance or meaning (USPTO: Likelihood of confusion).
That is why the checker shows an everyday word like apple, coach or target as an everyday word that is also a brand name. Whether your listing means the fruit, the job or the brand is something you can see and a word list can't.
Etsy doesn't decide who is right. Its policy says it can't make legal decisions about whether a listing infringes. It removes a listing when the rights owner, or someone authorized by them, sends a report that meets its rules (Etsy Intellectual Property Policy). Etsy only accepts reports from the owner or their authorized agent, not from just anybody (Etsy's five common IP questions).
Can I sell Disney, fan art or characters on Etsy?
It depends on what you sell and which right it touches. Two different rights are involved, and the points below describe US law in general terms. Other countries differ, and none of this is legal advice.
- Trademark covers names, logos and other marks that identify the source of goods (USPTO: What is a trademark?). Film and character names can be registered: for example MICKEY MOUSE (US registration no. 0247156) and WINNIE THE POOH (US registration no. 4731694), as we found on the US register on November 13, 2026.
- Copyright protects original works, such as drawings, films, books and songs (US Copyright Office).
Cases that work differently:
- Reselling a genuine item. In the US, the owner of a lawfully made copy may sell that copy without the copyright owner's permission (17 U.S.C. § 109). That covers reselling the item itself, such as a mug the studio made, not making new items. On Etsy, resale also has to fit the Creativity Standards, for example as vintage at least 20 years old.
- Public domain works. The US Copyright Office says all works published in the United States before January 1, 1931, are in the public domain because their copyright has expired (US Copyright Office). Later versions of a character are newer works, and the name can still be a registered trademark, as the two registrations above show.
- Fair use is a US defense to a copyright claim, weighed case by case on four factors. Etsy's Seller Handbook calls it complex and unpredictable and warns against treating it as a loophole for copying, while noting that selling an item doesn't by itself rule it out (Fan Art and Fair Use: One Truth and Five Myths).
- A license is permission from the owner, within the terms the owner sets: what you may make and how you may name it. Ask for it in writing, so you can show it.
- The Olympics. A US federal law gives the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee the exclusive right to use the words Olympic, Olympiad, Paralympic and Paralympiad, among others, on top of its trademarks (36 U.S.C. § 220506: Olympic words and symbols (US Code, 2023 edition)). Olympian is not one of the words it lists, so the checker doesn't match it.
Etsy's Intellectual Property Policy says sellers are responsible for having all necessary rights to their content, and its Prohibited Items Policy lists unauthorized or counterfeit goods (Etsy Intellectual Property Policy, Prohibited Items, section 5). When words like dupe, inspired by, style or unofficial sit next to a name, the checker shows both quotes on that card. Whatever defense you might have, Etsy removes a listing when the rights owner sends a report that meets its policy. Original characters and designs, themes in your own words (a castle, a mouse, a princess, a wizard school), or a license avoid the question.
Brand names in Etsy titles and tags
The checker reads every tag the same way as the title, each tag on its own, so you can paste a long list and see what each one contains. Etsy allows 13 tags per listing of up to 20 characters each, and the checker marks any tag that is longer (Etsy: how to use tags).
Some brand names are also used in speech for any product of the kind. The checker shows them as everyday words that are also brand names, with the everyday words for the product:
| Instead of | Say |
|---|---|
| Duck Tape | duct tape |
| Photoshop | photo editing |
| Velcro | hook and loop fastener |
| Onesies | bodysuit or baby one-piece |
| Popsicle | ice pop or freezer pop |
| Crock-Pot | slow cooker |
| Frisbee | flying disc |
| Hula Hoop | hoop or exercise hoop |
| Jacuzzi | hot tub or whirlpool tub |
| Jet Ski | personal watercraft |
Selling items that fit a brand's product
Toppers for Stanley cups, cases for iPhones and cut files for Cricut are sold on Etsy, and naming the product an item fits is how shoppers find it. One way to write it: say what your item is first, put the brand only after for or fits with the model, use no logo and no product photos from the brand, and don't say the brand made or endorsed it. When the checker sees a brand after for or fits, it adds a line saying so.
| Item | Avoid | Clearer |
|---|---|---|
| Phone case | iPhone Case Floral | Floral Phone Case for iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro |
| Watch band | Apple Watch Band Leather | Leather Watch Band for Apple Watch 41mm |
| Tumbler accessory | Stanley Topper Name Tag | Name Tag Topper for Stanley 40 oz Quencher |
| Earbud or tracker case | AirPods Case Cute | Cute Earbud Case for AirPods Pro 2 |
| E-reader cover | Kindle Sleeve Quilted | Quilted E-Reader Sleeve for Kindle Paperwhite |
| Cut file | Cricut SVG Flowers | Flowers SVG Cut File, works with Cricut and Silhouette |
| Shoe charm | Jibbitz Croc Charms Set | Shoe Charms Set for Crocs clogs |
| Console skin or stand | Nintendo Switch Skin Pastel | Pastel Skin for Nintendo Switch OLED |
| Brick-compatible parts | Custom Lego Flowers | Custom Flower Set, compatible with LEGO bricks |
| Kitchen appliance accessory | KitchenAid Mixer Cover | Stand Mixer Cover for KitchenAid 5 qt |
Clearer wording isn't a guarantee. A brand can still report a listing, and only a court decides whether a use was lawful.
Licensed fabric and parody
If you depend on licensed fabric or on parody, ask the brand what they allow, or ask a lawyer. Etsy removes a listing when the rights owner sends a report that meets its policy, whatever defense you might have later (Etsy Intellectual Property Policy).
Etsy's AI policy and creativity standards
Etsy allows items made with AI tools from your own prompts, such as a fantasy scene or a custom pet portrait, as long as you add your own creative input (What Can I Sell on Etsy?, What's Etsy's Stance on AI Creations?). The rules that come with it:
- Disclose it in the description. Etsy requires sellers to disclose within the listing description when an item is created with AI. A tag alone doesn't do it.
- No prompt bundles. Prompts for AI tools may not be sold apart from the finished artwork. Writing and journaling prompts for people are a different thing.
- No AI-made instructions. AI-generated craft patterns, recipes, project plans, manuals and how-to guides are not allowed.
- No bot-generated listings. Every item needs direct human prompting, curation and creative input.
- Honest listing photos. AI may help edit a listing photo or show an item in use, but the photos must show what the buyer will actually receive, and a seller who uses AI in listing images must include at least one unedited photo against a real background.
Handmade and production partners. If a print-on-demand company or another partner produces your design, the item is designed by you, not made by you. Etsy requires you to add that partner to the listing and to say where it ships from (Working with Production Partners on Etsy). The checker shows handmade when the same listing mentions a print-on-demand partner.
Vintage on Etsy means at least 20 years old (Creativity Standards: Handpicked). A newer item is not vintage on Etsy even if it looks vintage, so list it as what it is, such as your own design or a craft supply, where the Creativity Standards allow that kind of item. Vintage-inspired describes your own designs. The checker compares the word vintage with any year or age the listing gives for the item, in any field.
Medical claims Etsy doesn't allow
Etsy counts any statement that a product can affect a person's health, body or a medical condition as a medical claim, in the title, description or photos. Its Medical Claims Policy, updated June 2, 2026, doesn't allow these, whether or not they are accurate (Etsy Medical Claims Policy):
- Saying an item prevents, heals, treats, diagnoses, mitigates or cures a disease or medical condition, such as insomnia, anxiety, eczema or infertility
- Saying an item replaces, or works as well as, a prescription drug, an over-the-counter medicine, a vaccine or a medical procedure, including calling it an alternative to antibiotics, steroids or antidepressants
- Claims about skin bleaching or whitening, weight loss or body transformation, sexual dysfunction, or FDA or other regulator approval of supplements
General wellness benefits may be described. A disclaimer doesn't make a prohibited claim acceptable, and testimonials can't make one either. The checker shows cure, heal, prevent or relieve wording, treatment words and softer wording like soothes or helps with, next to a condition, as policy words. It can't tell a claim about your item from a book about medicine, so read each one.
Crystals, herbs and candles can be sold, but not with metaphysical claims, and services like reiki and spell casting are not allowed at all (What Can I Sell on Etsy?). Describe what the item is made of and how it is used instead.
What Etsy does when a listing is reported
- The listing comes down. When Etsy gets a report that meets its policy, it removes or disables the listing and emails you with the contact details of whoever reported it (Etsy: receiving an infringement notice).
- You can talk to them. Etsy suggests contacting the party that reported you if you have questions, or speaking to a lawyer. Etsy can't speak for them.
- US copyright reports only: a counter notice. Etsy accepts DMCA counter notices only for US copyright reports, not for trademark reports. You file it under penalty of perjury if you believe the removal was a mistake. The listing can come back 10 business days after Etsy processes it, unless the copyright owner tells Etsy it has gone to court or filed a qualifying claim with the Copyright Claims Board (Etsy Intellectual Property Policy, How to File a DMCA Counter Notice).
- Don't relist it. Etsy asks you not to list the same content again until it is resolved. Repeat reports can cost you your selling privileges, and Etsy may close every shop it believes you run (Etsy Intellectual Property Policy).
Listings Etsy removes on its own, for prohibited items or the Creativity Standards, show on the Policy violations page in Shop Manager, and some can be appealed there, usually within 6 months. An appeal for a listing removed under the Creativity Standards, the counterfeit and unauthorized reproduction rules or the adult nudity rules can include up to 12 photos, videos or documents that show how you make the item (How Do I Submit an Appeal for a Listing Removed by Etsy?).
How the checker works
The checker is a highlighter with references. It shows what it found and what Etsy's policy or the register says about it, and you decide. Every match gets one of three labels, fixed in the list and never changed by the words around it:
- A name on our list: a brand, character, show, artist, team, school or event name that is not an ordinary word, such as Disney, Nike or Pusheen.
- An everyday word that is also a brand name, such as apple, coach, target or supreme.
- A word Etsy's policy covers: a prohibited or restricted item, a health claim, or a Creativity Standards or AI disclosure point, with the policy section.
Words around a match never hide it. They can only add a short line to its card, such as that a brand follows the word for, or that the words next to a policy word say the item doesn't contain it.
The list holds 1,297 well-known names Etsy sellers use, grouped by kind, last updated November 13, 2026, and it is not complete. We checked 237 of them on the US trademark register on November 13, 2026: for those, the card shows the wording as registered and the registration number. The rest come from general knowledge of names sellers use, not from a register search, so their cards point you to the register.
| Group | Names | Checked on the register |
|---|---|---|
| Film, show, game, toy or character | 434 | 62 |
| Team, league or sports event | 261 | 27 |
| Fashion or luxury brand | 144 | 33 |
| Brand | 185 | 36 |
| Artist, band, song or tour | 129 | 23 |
| School, school team or school slogan | 48 | 8 |
| Craft machine, tool or material brand | 53 | 14 |
| Brand name used as an everyday word | 43 | 34 |
- What matching catches. Any case; punctuation and spacing inside a name (Spider-Man, spider man); plurals and possessives; accents; digits for letters (d1sney, D0RAEM0N); a long name split into two or three pieces (dis ney); a name spelled one letter at a time with spaces, dots, dashes or symbols between the letters (N.I.K.E, H a r r y P o t t e r, S○U○P○R○E○M○E) when those letters are the name or start or end with it; and the nicknames and misspellings in the list.
- What it doesn't catch. Other misspellings, letters swapped or left out, names hidden inside a longer word, look-alike letters from other alphabets, translations, names in photos or logos, and anything not on the list.
For Etsy's policies, the checker looks for the plain names of prohibited things section by section. Everything runs in your browser. Only the listing link is sent, and only when you click Fill.
Go further with Alura
Once the words are right, make the listing work harder. Alura's listing optimization scores every listing in your shop out of 100, then uses AI and Etsy search data to write a new title, tags and description. You check each change before anything goes to Etsy.
Free tools that go with this one: the Etsy listing grader for photos, title and tags, and the tag generator for phrases shoppers search.
Yes, with no account and no limit on checks. Your title, tags and description are checked in your browser and never sent anywhere. Filling the fields from an Etsy listing link uses the Etsy API, so those lookups have a small daily limit.
The checker can't answer that. It looks for 1,297 well-known names, 237 of them checked on the US trademark register, and for the plain names of things Etsy's policies cover, and shows what it finds. Any brand, artist or designer can hold rights to a name or design that isn't on the list, trademarks differ by country and product type, and photos or designs can infringe when no word does. Search the public trademark registers, and ask a lawyer when it matters.
Two different rights are involved. Trademark covers names and logos that tell buyers who made a product: MICKEY MOUSE is registered in the United States (no. 0247156, checked on the register on November 13, 2026). Copyright covers original works, such as films, drawings and books. Etsy doesn't decide whether a listing infringes: it removes a listing when the rights owner sends a report that meets its Intellectual Property Policy. Some cases work differently under US law: the owner of a lawfully made copy may resell that copy, works published in the US before 1931 are in the public domain though later versions of a character are newer works, and fair use is a defense to a copyright claim that Etsy's Seller Handbook calls complex and unpredictable. A license from the owner settles what you may make. This describes US law in general terms and isn't legal advice.
Etsy's Intellectual Property Policy is about the content of a listing, and tags are part of it, so the checker reads them the same way as the title. Naming a brand to say what your item fits, after the word for, describes the item, such as a topper for Stanley 40 oz tumblers. Etsy allows 13 tags of up to 20 characters each.
Etsy removes material when it receives a report of infringement that meets its policy. Etsy's Seller Handbook says some rights owners see fan art as free advertising and others see it as lost licensing profits or infringement, and that fair use, a US defense to copyright claims, is complex and unpredictable and not a loophole for copying.
Etsy removes the listing and emails you the contact details of whoever reported it. For a US copyright report you can file a DMCA counter notice if you believe it was a mistake, and the listing can come back 10 business days after Etsy processes it unless the owner goes to court or files a claim with the Copyright Claims Board. Counter notices don't cover trademark reports: Etsy suggests contacting the reporting party. Etsy asks you not to list the same content again until the issue is resolved, and says repeat reports may result in the loss of account privileges.
Etsy allows items made with AI tools from your own prompts, as long as you disclose AI use in the listing description. It doesn't allow AI prompt bundles, bot-generated content, or AI-generated craft patterns, recipes and instructions, and listing photos edited with AI must still show what the buyer gets, with at least one unedited photo against a real background.
Every item on Etsy must be made, designed, handpicked or sourced by the seller. Items made by a print-on-demand or other production partner count as designed by you and need that partner disclosed. Vintage means at least 20 years old. Reselling isn't allowed except vintage items, craft and party supplies, and gift baskets you put together yourself. Drop shipping isn't allowed except for craft and party supplies.
Etsy prohibits alcohol, tobacco, drugs including CBD and THC, items making medical claims, natural animal fur and products from endangered animals, fireworks and other hazardous materials, many weapons including tasers and realistic toy guns, recalled items, hate items, counterfeits and fake documents, and pornography, among others. The checker links each policy word it finds to the section it comes from.
